Six teams have changed coaches since April, but none of those
moves have caused as much of a stir as the Canucks' hiring of
strong-willed Brian Burke as general manager on June 22. The
arrival of Burke, who spent the past five years as the NHL's
chief disciplinarian, spells trouble for the two-headed regime
of coach Mike Keenan, who had also been Vancouver's de facto
general manager since Pat Quinn was fired last November, and
captain Mark Messier, who strongly influences Keenan's personnel
decisions.
Bure (10) wants out of Vancouver, but Burke will
decide whether he goes or stays.
(Lou Capozzola)
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Last season the fiery Keenan, who replaced Tom Renney behind the
bench after 19 games, followed his well-established form by
creating unease in the locker room. The Canucks made 10 trades
after Feb. 3 and finished a lowly 25-43-14. When Burke took
over, he said he wanted to "stop the waves this organization has
been through." He then declared that his command over Keenan is
absolute, that Messier's role is to just "lace up his skates and
play" and that malcontent star Pavel Bure won't be traded just
because he has requested a deal.
Vancouver needs to improve substantially if it hopes to make a
playoff run, and Burke is expected to engineer some splashy
deals. However, by week's end he and Keenan had not yet had a
meaningful discussion about the team's future. So what happens
when Burke and Keenan dig in their heels in their first
disagreement over a player? Can Burke, Keenan and Messier
coexist? Who will take the fall if Vancouver's woes continue?
Keenan, who won the Cup with the Rangers in '94, was fired as
Blues' G.M. and coach two years later. Then last season he
failed to jump-start the Canucks, as he was hired to do.
Advantage, Burke.
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