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Ron Wilson is poised to become the new head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, another indication the general manager's chair is being kept warm for Brian Burke.
Cliff Fletcher, the interim GM of the Maple Leafs, rocked the NHL general managers' meeting at the Stanley Cup final yesterday, normally a sleepy affair, with the news that he "is in negotiations with a head coach." Fletcher would not say who the coach is, but did say he had spoken to only one candidate. Fletcher then bolted from the league's hotel headquarters to catch a plane to Toronto.
An NHL source said Wilson is on his way to Toronto from California to finish negotiations with the Leafs. Wilson is a close friend of Burke, who played National Collegiate Athletic Association hockey with him at Providence College. Wilson could not be reached for comment.
Wilson, 53, was fired as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks after they were beaten by the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semi-final last month. The Sharks were one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup going into the playoffs. He played for the Maple Leafs in the late 1970s and has a 518-446-127 record as a head coach with the Sharks, Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks.
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Hiring Wilson indicates Fletcher will be running the Leafs at least through the summer and perhaps for another year, since Burke has one year left on his contract as the Ducks' GM. It is thought Fletcher will stay on as the interim GM until Burke is available because the Leafs have not interviewed anyone for president and/or general manager. The only interview so far was with former Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis, a close friend of Burke, and he was not offered the title of GM.
Fletcher said yesterday he is "prepared to continue [as GM] as long as necessary, until this issue is resolved." When John Ferguson was fired in late January as the Leafs' GM, Fletcher was given a 19-month contract as the interim GM, with his role becoming an advisory position when a new boss is hired.
Burke was the favoured candidate from the start. But Henry Samueli, the owner of the Ducks, refused to allow Burke out of the final year of his contract to join the Leafs. Burke has still not signed a contract extension offered to him months ago by the Ducks.
Burke said yesterday "there is no change" in his contract situation with the Ducks. He also said it is not bothersome to be in the media spotlight.
"No, it's not uncomfortable," he said. "It's everyone [the media] doing their job. But it is not good for our league when the focus is not on these two teams [the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins] for their game."
Speculation about Burke heated up again over the weekend when his wife, Jennifer Burke, quit her job with the CBC as the host of Vancouver Today.
