Brian Burke is staying put with Anaheim as general manager for at least another season, as announced Wednesday (CP Images)
Remember the motto "everyone has a price?" Forget about it.
Brian Burke just proved it to be a crock.
If loyalty were a suit, Burke would be looking pretty dapper right about now after rebuffing the obvious free-spending advances of the Toronto Maple Leafs to stay with Ducks owner Henry Samueli in Anaheim for at least another year.
Some would argue that it is Burke's obligation to honor the terms of a contract, but he wouldn't be the first, or the last, to blow town for a fistful of greenbacks.
"I have a great gig here," Burke said Wednesday. "These people are special. They've been absolutely wonderful to me and my wife, and we've put together a pretty special front-office staff and group of players."
Not exactly the words of a man that seems greedy or discontent, now is it? And we all know Burke has never been a man short of words and has rarely been scared to speak his mind.
When the Ducks dropped the first two games in their opening round series with Dallas, I hinted that Burke may have found his excuse to leave Anaheim for Toronto.
Nothing factual, just a hunch and if the money the Leafs were rumored to be throwing around was anything close to accurate, not many could blame Burke for reneging on the final year of his deal.
It was widely speculated, at least from those who actually believe they have inside knowledge on this kind of stuff, that Burke was a phone call away from hopping aboard a Toronto-bound jet for a press conference and photo op introducing him as the new head honcho for the Leafs.
But a year removed from a Stanley Cup in California, Burke either came to his senses or had no intention of taking that call begging him to take over in Toronto. Seeing the ground-up restoration the Leafs are set to undergo, that makes Burke pretty intelligent at the same time.
If you believe the hype, Burke was in line to make up to $5 million a year in Toronto which proves money doesn't always buy happiness. Or even a playoff spot.
And that makes Brian Burke not only one of the best executives in the league, but a pretty damn loyal employee as well.