OLYMPICS: Burke comments sting Ryan
You have to admire Bobby Ryan’s honesty.
He could have chosen to hold his tongue while addressing the harsh criticism of Brian Burke, who said Ryan lacks passion and “can’t spell intense.”
Ryan could have spun a cliche about taking those comments and about being left off the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team in stride. We hear those cliches every day in National Hockey League dressing rooms and often are left wondering if players are crossing their fingers behind their backs as they mutter the words.
Instead, Ryan bit back at Burke, labelling the words “gutless.”
The Ottawa Senators right-winger, clearly stung by the blast that was included in Scott Burnside’s outstanding espn.com all-access look at the difficult decision-making process in choosing the U.S. Olympic squad, wasn’t about to skate away Thursday without saying his piece.
Ryan believed Burke, who was general manager of the Anaheim Ducks when he drafted Ryan second overall in 2005, had his back, appreciating how Burke helped groom him from a “pudgy” 18-year-old into a highquality NHL player, or that the man who had become president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames and an assistant general manager on the U.S. Olympic team, would at least have had the decency to frame his criticism of Ryan in a less bombastic, headline-grabbing way.
Ultimately, Ryan was left off the U.S. team roster because of the belief that other forwards, including Blake Wheeler of Winnipeg and T.J. Oshie of St. Louis, were better skaters, more capable of adapting to thirdand fourth-line roles, if necessary, offsetting Ryan’s offensive gifts.
There are compelling, well-reasoned arguments why the choices at all positions were made, a point the Burnside piece explained well.
Ryan said he could “respect” the decision-making process, even if he didn’t agree with the end result.
In the end, though, he felt like salt was rubbed into the wound by Burke’s comments and the fact he learned who was on the team by watching the announcement live on television Wednesday.
“They could have just cut me,” Ryan said. “You didn’t have to ... you know. Actually, you almost feel degraded, right, when it comes out like that. It’s their decision and that’s how they feel about me. I will remember it and use it as motivation. That’s all you can really do.”
Clearly, though, Ryan wasn’t exactly turning the page Thursday. He said the comments would be a big part of his preparation for the second half of the season.
“That’s all you can really do,” he said. “Put it in your stall. Use it.”
Perhaps the Americans’ loss will become the Senators’ gain. Ryan, who went into Thursday’s game against Winnipeg with a team-leading 18 goals and second only to Erik Karlsson with 36 points, has largely delivered as advertised since arriving in a blockbuster trade last summer.
The Senators say they more than satisfied with what they’ve seen so far.
“People’s opinions are their opinions,” Senators coach Paul MacLean said, recognizing the difficulty of trying to find the right pieces for the Olympic puzzle. “We don’t necessarily agree with them.”
Senators captain Jason Spezza, who has endured the pain of being oh so close, but not receiving an Olympic spot with Canada previously, was of the opinion Ryan should have been on the U.S. team. “We feel he should be on that team. He feels he should be on that team. But we’re not the ones in charge.”
The U.S. team’s management group has taken plenty of heat for its decision, including a Twitter gem from retired centre Mike Modano: “How the hell does @b_ryan9 not make the @usahockey Olympic team.!!!?”