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Former Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke, who was terminated by the team earlier this morning along with general manager Ron Hextall and assistant general manager Chris Pryor, didn’t have to wait long to find his new job.
According to Rob Rossi of The Athletic, Burke is heading back to television in Canada, and could even find himself back on the Sportsnet panel for the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made a trio of major moves earlier today on the cusp of the franchise having missed the postseason for the first time since Sidney Crosby’s rookie year of 2005-06.
Maligned general manager Ron Hextall, assistant general manager Chris Pryor, and president of hockey operations Brian Burke were all let go this morning, signaling a dramatic turn in the direction of the team.
Earlier today, Fenway Sports Group Dave Beeston and Penguins director of business operations Kevin Acklin held a brief press conference in which they explained the next steps they’ll be taking in looking to fill those recently vacated positions, while also touching on the future of head coach Mike Sullivan.
“There’s no parameters or set format for what we’re going to hire. I think we’ve learned in all of our sports endeavors that these jobs are not one-person, two-person jobs,” said Beeston. “They are entire department-wide. And so we’re focused on building a hockey operations machine.”
“I think that the way we’ve thought about our hockey operations, generally, is we want to be forward and proactive,” Beeston said. “Ron, Brian, and Chris were great and served a great role. We are all disappointed with how the season ended, but we’re focused on the future and moving forward.”
How about the status of Sullivan, who helped guide the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017? The answer wasn’t quite as clear as to his future with the team.
“I think the answer to that is we think Mike Sullivan is one of the best coaches in the NHL. He was extended last season, and then once we bring in a new hockey operations leader, he or she will be responsible for evaluating the coaching staff,” said Beeston. “And we think Mike is terrific.”
In the meantime, the Penguins ownership group is hoping that franchise legend Mario Lemieux, who was the team’s principal owner until 2021, will be more involved in the future.
“I talked to Mario this morning after the news broke. He talked to ownership as well, to Tom directly. He was at a game a couple of weeks ago … So, to today’s point, he earned some time on the golf course when he sold most of his interests. But, you know, he still cares about the team. And obviously, we’d love to see more of him at the arena. And that’s something we’ll keep engaging with all the time.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins decided to go full scorched earth mode earlier this morning, parting ways with general manager Ron Hextall, assistant general manager Chris Pryor, and president of hockey operations Brian Burke after the franchise missed the postseason for the first time since 2006.
Burke himself took to social media shortly after the decision was announced to offer his thoughts, and he kept it classy by expressing his gratitude for being able to work with the Penguins organization as well as wishing them the best in the future.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked in this passionate sports town,” he said. “Thank you to FSG, Mario Lemieux, David Morehouse, management and coaches, and especially to our great group of players. Best of luck to the Penguins and their incredible fan base in the future.”
Burke was named president of hockey operations for the Penguins in February of 2021 after the resignation of Jim Rutherford.
“But you get to work for the Pittsburgh Penguins, man. You’re talking, this is Cadillac class here. This is not your run-of-the-mill team. This is not your run-of-the-mill ownership,” he said upon his hire. “I’m so excited to move to Pittsburgh. It’s one of the great sports towns on the planet. It’s the best sports town in America, for me.”
It was a major disappointment for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, having finished on the outside looking in on the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 16 years. It was thought that there would be serious consequences for the failure, and now those consequences have come home to roost.
Minutes ago, it was announced that the Penguins have cleaned house when it comes to their front office staff. General manager Ron Hextall, president of hockey operations Brian Burke, and assistant general manager Chris Pryor have all been shown the door with the following announcement:
“The Penguins have relieved President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke, General Manager Ron Hextall, and Assistant General Manager, Chris Pryor of their duties, it was announced today by Fenway Sports Group.”
The Penguins have also released the following update:
“During this transition, managerial duties of hockey operations will be shared among Director of Hockey Ops, Alec Schall, WBS General Manager/Manager of Hockey Operations, Erik Heasley and Hockey Ops Analyst, Andy Saucier. Coach Sullivan will also assist during the transition. The search for new hockey operations leadership will begin immediately.”
John Henry and Tom Werner of The Fenway Sports Group released the following statement:
“We are grateful to Brian, Ron, and Chris for their contributions to the organization over the past two seasons, but we feel that the team will benefit from new hockey operations leadership. While this season has been disappointing, we believe in our core group of players and the goal of contending for the Stanley Cup has not changed.”
Get ready for a rollercoaster offseason of changes, Penguins fans!