TBC: Burke's Law

With the local university hockey scene done for the season, I found that I had a little extra time to fill this week with no video creation and editing to do for upcoming weekends. I've always tried to keep busy no matter what season it is, so I had to find something to do with the new-found time on my hands. It seemed like no better time to dive back into Teebz's Book Club with a few books sitting on my bookshelf, so let's get back into reading! Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Burke's Law: A Life in Hockey, written by Brian Burke with Stephen Brunt and published by Penguin Random House Canada! There's no doubt that Brian Burke can be a polarizing figure in hockey, but he's shown some personality and a fun side of himself while being a TV pundit with both TSN and Sportsnet. Is there more to know about Brian Burke? What would we find out about Brian Burke's life in hockey? Burke's Law has some of those answers!

I'm not certain that Brian Burke needs any introduction after his career in hockey, but it should be noted that the former Providence College and AHL Maine Mariner winger has had himself a nice career in hockey management since getting his law degree. His biography from the Penguin Random House site reads, "Brian Burke is an American-Canadian NHL executive and analyst, who in 2021 was named president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has served as the president of the Calgary Flames, the president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the general manager of the Anaheim Ducks (winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 2007), the Vancouver Canucks, and the Hartford Whalers. Burke was the general manager of the United States national men's ice hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and has served on Rugby Canada's board of directors."

Stephen Brunt likely needs no introduction from me thanks to his numerous authored books and his work in the Globe & Mail, but his biography from Penguin Random House reads, "Stephen Brunt is an award-winning writer and broadcaster for Sportsnet, and the co-host of The FAN 590's Writers Bloc with Jeff Blair and Richard Deitsch. He is the author of the #1 national bestselling Searching for Bobby Orr and All the Way, with Jordin Tootoo. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, and in Winterhouse Brook, Newfoundland." Another of his works that has been reviewed here on HBIC is Gretzky's Tears which was a look back at the Gretzky trade to Los Angeles.

The good news about Burke's Law is that it may change your opinion about Brian Burke. I can tell you that it didn't change mine, but I'll discuss that below. You'll learn about his playing days, his early management days, getting his big break, winning a Stanley Cup, working in Toronto, and all the stories in between from those days. Burke's Law is a great look back at Brian Burke's career through Brian Burke's eyes, so you know this book will be entertaining.

It's pretty clear that family - one of the values that Burke holds dear - played a large role in his life. From his parents and nine siblings to his two marriages and six kids, Burke talks extensively of his family through Burke's Law. His commitment to fly to Boston every other week from both Anaheim and Vancouver to spend time with his kids shows his dedication to his family pretty clearly, and he makes it clear that he never missed a weekend no matter what was going on in hockey. Family is and always will be the most important thing in Brian Burke's life.

I found it interesting that Burke included his chart for how he builds a team in Burke's Law. We know his teams fight, and his recipe of "proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence" that he stated when he was hired by the Maple Leafs seem to make Burke out to be a general manager directly out of the 1970s. However, it's interesting to see that he emphasized speed as a weapon on a number of teams he managed, and his conversations about some players in Burke's Law show that his recipe for hockey success does work when the rest of the recipe is included.

Some of the more interesting tidbits that Burke includes in Burke's Law are the fight that he and Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe were going to have, the incident involving Marty McSorley and Donald Brashear, the incident involving Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore, the Dennis Wideman "abuse of official" incident, and his dealings with the NHL offices with these. Of course, there's the entire story of how he was able to draft the Sedin twins, his trading of Pavel Bure, his trading of Sergei Fedorov and the acquisition of Chris Pronger (twice), and his dealings with owners, other GMs, the media, and fans. There isn't a lot that Brian Burke leaves out of Burke's Law, and we, the readers, benefit by reading all these great stories!

There are so many great stories in Burke's Law that you may find yourself re-reading parts, but there's a great passage from Brian Burke about how the Anaheim Ducks changed hockey in southern California once the team was owned by the Samuelis. He writes,

"After Gretzky, the next seismic hockey event in Southern California was the Samueli family buying the Ducks, though not many people realize that. They single-handedly changed the culture of hockey at the grassroots level. They bought roller rinks, built a practice facility and founded the AAA Ducks, with bantam and peewee teams that travel all over the place. They started high school hockey in Southern California - now there are something like 113 teams. The've made hockey matter in that whole area from the Mexican border to the southern fringes of Los Angeles."

That's the kind of stuff that we never hear about when it comes to NHL teams making an impact at the grassroots level, and I often wonder why no one speaks more of these kinds of efforts. We know hockey in Florida took off with the Lightning and Panthers there. We know hockey in Nashville exploded with the Predators being there. We're seeing hockey players come out of Ohio and Arizona, so reading Burke's information on what the Samuelis were doing after buying the Ducks franchise should be celebrated more than the success of the NHL team thanks to the impact it has in those areas.

Burke's Law is one of those books where I picked it up thinking I'd hear about why there should be more fighting in hockey and why everyone in hockey is wrong about Brian Burke. I'll admit that I was wrong about Brian Burke in that this book really gives a ton of insight into Burke's mind and career. From the loss of Brendan, his son, to losing his job to vowing to always being there for his kids no matter what, it's a side of Brian Burke that I never once doubted was there, but Burke's Law reinforced just how important family is in his life whether it be his bloodlines or his hockey family. Combined with his work ethic, it's pretty clear that Brian Burke's gruff personality is more bark than bite. Because of the amazing stories and great insight into himself that he provides over the 295 pages of the paperback version of the book, Burke's Law absolutely deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

There is some colourful language in Burke's Law that parents should be aware of, so I would recommend this PG-rated book for teenagers and older if they know who Brian Burke is. If they don't, maybe have them wait on picking this book up. In any case, older hockey fans who are familiar with Brian Burke will likely love Burke's Law, and I recommend picking Burke's Law up at your local bookstore or library if you need a good read!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!