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Brian Burke On Extending The Contract Of Ron Wilson
by Paul on 12/27/11 at 08:44 AM ET
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from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,
“When the coach goes into the cage, he needs the chair and the whip, not just one of them,” Burke said of providing the contract insurance.
“When people are clamouring for a coaching change, there are visible signs it’s time to change. Agents are calling and complaining that players aren’t going to play for him, there are unnamed players, we call ’em snipers, taking their shots. There has been none of that (with Wilson). I had players come to me last year, saying: ‘Don’t change the coach’. This is a coach who has earned this extension. It’s not charity, it’s not a gift.”
Burke would not hear of getting egg on his face should he pay Wilson and the Leafs miss playoffs again — “Ask me that at the end of the year, I’m not interested in hypotheticals’ — but refused comment on Wilson’s term and salary. It’s likely that one year would be too little and three too much.
“From last year’s all-star break (in early February), to this year, our record is 36-22-10. That’s the first period I really feel it’s appropriate to hold the coaching staff accountable. Up to then, I feel I didn’t give them good enough players.
“I’ve said all along to Ronny, until the point comes where I think we can compete for a playoff spot, then I expect more. I think now the burden has shifted to the coaches. It’s time to extend him.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Burke, Ron+Wilson,
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