| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| leigh |
Posted - 05/19/2011 : 10:59:21
Can someone please explain to me why Vancouver Canucks' winger Alexandre Burrows is labeled as such a dirty player?
I've been watching him play regularly and I can't say that I've seem him do anything overtly dirty. I've seen him chirp a fair bit but that doesn't make him dirty does it? I'm no Canucks fan but he seems like a pretty solid player with some decent skill. Does he deserve this reputation? Does the reputation even exist?
If you have examples or better yet, video, I'd appreciate it. |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Oilearl |
Posted - 05/21/2011 : 11:32:15
Guest 9179 I couldn't agree more with you"re comment! I remember those players well and as an Oiler fan I can only tell you I had a problem with the "Rat" and especially Tikkanen but they were effective. Not my type of players however they were very important to the success of those teams.
Burrows, Kesler, Torres and Lapierre drive teams nuts like them or not they are effective! Still I can't stand them!!!
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| Guest9179 |
Posted - 05/20/2011 : 23:52:25
Every great team has players who are hated. (Especially by non-fans of that team.)
Going back to the Flyers of the 70's, a lot of people didn't like Mel Bridgeman or big bad Dave Schultz. Billy Barber was considered a big diver at the time.
When the Islanders won cups in the early 80's, lots of hockey fans didn't like the antics of Billy Smith or Bob Nystrom, but the team won cups.
The Oilers won 5 Stanley Cups with a lot of players who grated on other players/teams or fans, including Ken Linsemen, Esa Tikkanen, etc.
That's the way it goes, so if you don't like Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, etc., and the Canucks go on to win the Stanley Cup, you have to realize that the "ends justifies the means" sometimes. |
| Guest9920 |
Posted - 05/20/2011 : 18:40:05
quote:
Originally posted by Alex116
Leigh.....like Kesler, Burrows has improved big time as far as his reputation is concerned. He's toned down his "being a pest" a ton this season but don't be mistaken, he's no saint! He still plays with an edge and will give a whack on the back of the legs now and then. The think is, a lot of players do this, but guys who get bad reps like Burrows, have it noticed more than others!
There was a caller to the Team1040 yesterday who was flipping out over Burrows calling him "the dirtiest player in the league". For a second there, i thought it was Beans calling long distance  . Anyway, this guy was totally freaking out to the point that they cut him off and had a good laugh. Ray Ferarro was on and said basically what i just said above (he's no saint, but far from the dirtiest player in the league!). He went on to name the Cooke's, Ruutu's and Carcillo's of the world but the one that got me was Danny Briere. He said, for a little guy, he's one of the more dirty sob's in the league! Apparently, and i don't see him often, Briere is quite the master at whacking guys with his stick when the ref isn't looking? I found it strange as i've never heard this before (and this is coming from a former player!).
Anyway, Burrows will have trouble no matter what he does, removing the reputation / label he has. Much of it's warranted, i won't argue that, but as a Canucks fan, i don't have a problem with the stuff he's been accused of. Yeah, i may dislike him if he weren't on the Canucks but i have to say, when Matt Cooke was here, i hated him (even as a Canuck) so it's tough to say if i'd feel different about Burrows? I love the story of his rise to the NHL, i love the chemistry he's developed with the twins, i love the contract they team got him signed to and i will SO LOVE the day, if it comes, where he hoists the cup! You better believe if that happens, that i'll be having a new avatar!
Kesler has not improved his reputation |
| Alex116 |
Posted - 05/20/2011 : 00:57:16
Leigh/guest8149.......
Interesting insight. First off, guest8149, there was a lot of talk about the Burrows / Auger incident that surely you can "search" for on this site?
Leigh, like i (and nuxfan) said, a reputation or "label" is tough to shed. While Burrows has tried to tone down his "crap", he still is not completely guilt free in that regard! Make no mistake, he is still a guy who plays on the edge, hacks and whacks, and does "some" chirping, but no where near what he used to!!!
I think a lot of what you read is from guys who simply hate him because, let's face it, he's easy to hate (if not a Canucks fan) and regardless of what he does to change his game, it's gonna take a lot of time to convince people otherwise.
One thing i notice is that a guy like Kesler can tone down his "antics" and start to gain a little more respect league-wide (and even Beans). BUT, a guy like Burrows, doesn't have and never will have the total package that Kesler has and will likely never become that guy who others (neutral fans) see as a great player. He will always play with that edge and if he doesn't, he'll likely be gone from the NHL. |
| Guest8149 |
Posted - 05/19/2011 : 20:24:48
There's another reputation Burrows has (or one might say had), and that he's a diver. I don't really have a strong opinion one way or another, but here's the other part of the story, which may explain why some fans have a dislike for Burrows.
In the 2009-2010 season, Burrows called out a referee (Stephan Auger), claiming that Auger told him he was going to get him for making him look bad in a previous game. If yoiu don't remember the details of this story, check out Bob McKenzie's article which provides (in my opinion) a fair analysis of what took place: http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/?id=305809 |
| leigh |
Posted - 05/19/2011 : 17:26:57
The funny thing is that I've been watching his career for 5 or 6 years now and other than his first year with the Canucks I would say that he has been realtively clean and gets ceaner every year. So if he still has a reputation it must be a carry over from many many years ago. I would say that in the last 3 years we've barely seen anything at all from him that wouldn't be outside the normal realm.
I think you're right (Nux and Alex) that the reputation is just hard to shake. If you don't watch him often and you are relying on old memories then in my opinion you are mistaken. He may not be a saint but he's definitely at the level of Carcillo, Avery, etc. Probably not even at the level of Torres, Lapierre, or Eager. I'd say he slides right into the middle of the NHL pack. That should be respectable. |
| Beans15 |
Posted - 05/19/2011 : 13:17:16
I too would agree with this. I still am not a fan of Burrows' style of play as he is still that chippy and chirpy players. But he is far less dirty this year than he was in the past. He was known to be the kind of guy that would slew-foot, spear and jab, and handle this stick pretty good. He still plays near the edge of right and wrong, but not nearly as much as he once did.
Still a d-bag though. |
| nuxfan |
Posted - 05/19/2011 : 12:58:16
quote:
Can someone please explain to me why Vancouver Canucks' winger Alexandre Burrows is labeled as such a dirty player?
labels are hard to lose, as Alex says. There is a lot of difference in Burrows this year vs the last couple of years, same with Kesler. Its clear that Gillis and AV sat down with both of them at the beginning of the year and essentially said clean up the act or we'll move on without you (OK, perhaps not to Kesler). They made a point of getting rid of the chirper/distractor/unprofessional players like SOB and Hordichuk, and tried to set a new tone for the team this year.
Burrows still chirps at other players, but so do a lot of players. He has certainly cut down though, and doesn't let it dominate his game or get him into trouble like it has in years past. |
| Alex116 |
Posted - 05/19/2011 : 11:19:44
Leigh.....like Kesler, Burrows has improved big time as far as his reputation is concerned. He's toned down his "being a pest" a ton this season but don't be mistaken, he's no saint! He still plays with an edge and will give a whack on the back of the legs now and then. The think is, a lot of players do this, but guys who get bad reps like Burrows, have it noticed more than others!
There was a caller to the Team1040 yesterday who was flipping out over Burrows calling him "the dirtiest player in the league". For a second there, i thought it was Beans calling long distance . Anyway, this guy was totally freaking out to the point that they cut him off and had a good laugh. Ray Ferarro was on and said basically what i just said above (he's no saint, but far from the dirtiest player in the league!). He went on to name the Cooke's, Ruutu's and Carcillo's of the world but the one that got me was Danny Briere. He said, for a little guy, he's one of the more dirty sob's in the league! Apparently, and i don't see him often, Briere is quite the master at whacking guys with his stick when the ref isn't looking? I found it strange as i've never heard this before (and this is coming from a former player!).
Anyway, Burrows will have trouble no matter what he does, removing the reputation / label he has. Much of it's warranted, i won't argue that, but as a Canucks fan, i don't have a problem with the stuff he's been accused of. Yeah, i may dislike him if he weren't on the Canucks but i have to say, when Matt Cooke was here, i hated him (even as a Canuck) so it's tough to say if i'd feel different about Burrows? I love the story of his rise to the NHL, i love the chemistry he's developed with the twins, i love the contract they team got him signed to and i will SO LOVE the day, if it comes, where he hoists the cup! You better believe if that happens, that i'll be having a new avatar! |
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