Is Burke Really Telling The Truth Here?

By now you have read all the Brian Burke stuff about Dany Heatley and probably thought..."hey that is refreshing to see". Perhaps it is time to at least ponder the real reasons why Burke does not want Heatley on his roster. I am sorry but it just seems to me this is more than the way a guy asked for a trade.

First off this song says it all.



Money Talks by AC/DC


I get a little turned off when GM's say its about principle and not about the money. If Heatley was not a 7.5 million dollar cap hit...say 5 or 6 mill....Brian Burke would not say what he said to TSN. That much salary on a 55 or 56 million and change cap is not exactly smart. Not to mention what Burke would have to give up just to get Heatley. Man up Burke....tell us how you really feel there.

Then there is the classic what have you done for me lately. Remember those first two years in Ottawa with 103 and 105 points respectively? That seems like a distant memory now. He had only 82 points in 2007-08 (he missed 11 games) then dropped to 72 points last season in 82 games. Sure he had 39 goals and the team around him was not as good....but that is a drop off that cannot be dismissed.

Now is it me or does this guy run from adversity? There was the tragic death of Dan Snyder on September 29th, 2003. Now as soon as they mention rebuild...suddenly Heatley has problems with everyone in Ottawa. Maybe Burke is talking about that aspect. I am not sure. I still remember the day of the plea deal that Heatley agreed to where he basically got 3 years probation and lots of shiny restrictions. There was a guy on "Drive Time On Fan 590" who basically read the riot act on Heatley....saying that he would always run.

Eventually he fled Atlanta and now he wants to do the same in Ottawa. All because he has a few issues with management and maybe players. Who doesn't? Do you really think this blog runs smoothly all the time? Are there content issues where we feel something should not go up? Yes. Does it mean we turn tail and run away? Hell no!

Sure Heatley went public with is trade request but it happens all the time in sports. Get over yourself Brian Burke. If you had said it was a money issue or maybe elaborated more on why you felt he was a character issue...I could have lived with that. But Mr. Burke has dealt for a certain player in the past that asked for a trade in an even worse way. (REMEMBER CHRIS PRONGER?). Yeah Brian I thought that you could.

Maybe Brian Burke does not tell it like it is...maybe he tells it like you want to hear it. Just a thought!