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BURKE ERA BEGINS WITH LEAFS' VICTORY OVER FLYERS

Posted by kennyp on 12/02/2008 - 09:53 PM

TORONTO - It appears that a weight has been lifted from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

One of Brian Burke's first acts as president and general manager was to address the players in the dressing room before Saturday's game. The theme of his message was that everyone should relax and the Maple Leafs responded with one of their strongest efforts of the season in a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Vesa Toskala made 28 saves while Dominic Moore and Nik Antropov each had a goal and an assist as Toronto won for the first time in six games.

Coach Ron Wilson thinks all of the Burke speculation has been a major distraction for the team of late.

"I think Brian did a good job to relax them from - I hate to be blunt - but the dumb questions you guys have been asking our players, that they're all going to be traded," said Wilson. "Brian assured them that wasn't going to happen and that's the best thing that he could have done."

The Maple Leafs looked strong from the opening whistle, showing a willingness to take the body and compete against one of the NHL's hottest teams. Philadelphia suffered its first regulation loss in three weeks.

The sellout crowd at the Air Canada Centre seemed to have a little extra energy on a big day for the organization and was treated to an entertaining game. Burke's presence clearly brought some buzz to the building and he was cheered loudly when shown on the scoreboard.

Even some of the Leafs players acknowledged that Burke's arrival might have made a difference.

"As players, there's always going to be stuff that's going on that's going to distract you," said Moore. "If it's not one thing, it's another. That's the challenge that everybody faces, to play a focused game and not worry about surrounding things that are out of their control

"I think it's good that he's here and everybody can continue along the path that we're on."

Lee Stempniak and Pavel Kubina also had goals for Toronto (8-9-6) while Mike Richards had both in reply for the Flyers (11-7-5).

Toskala helped make the difference. He stood tall during a couple of Philadelphia power plays in the third period, getting his glove on a fantastic Gagne chance from in close.

It was his second strong outing in a row.

"The puck seems to hit me now and that's a nice feeling," said Toskala. "As a team, we played hard. It was really important to get a win now because we've had a losing streak going."

The Flyers were left lamenting some missed opportunities.

"I thought we hung in there," said coach John Stevens. "I thought we played hard and with a lot of energy and I thought we created enough chances to win. We just didn't find the net."

Playing for the second time in as many days, they also found a tough opponent. Clearly, a few of the Leafs are aware that Burke prefers a physical style of hockey.

Andre Deveaux and Jamal Mayers each engaged in fights during the first period, something Burke must have enjoyed watching from the press box.

"Our team plays a North American game, we're throwbacks," he said before the game. "We don't apologize for that. It's black and blue hockey."

The blue and white got on the scoreboard first when Stempniak collected his first goal for the team. He charged to the goal and had Moore's pass go in off his left skate at 14:45 of the first period.

That provided some welcome relief for a player that arrived earlier this week via trade from St. Louis.

"The toughest thing coming to a new team is you want to fit in with the guys and you want to contribute," said Stempniak. "It was great to score the first goal, especially in a win. It's definitely exciting."

The winds of change and excitement seem to be blowing pretty strongly through the group right now, although no one was putting too much stock in the win over the Flyers.

Toronto now heads out for a road trip that will take it through Los Angeles, San Jose and Phoenix next week. Burke will travel with the team and cautioned that patience will be required from fans.

"Rebuilding won't be easy," he said. "When you change the general manager, you don't change the team. It will take some time and some effort. Changing the general manager doesn't change the roster."

Added Wilson: "He can't turn water into wine any more than I can. It's going to take some time to get everything into place."

At least they had a good start.

Notes: Referee Dan Marouelli worked his 1,500th career game.Announced attendance was 19,387.Deveaux appeared in his second career NHL game for the Leafs. He's the first player born in the Bahamas to play in the league.Gagne has points in 19 of 22 games this season.Burke was a member of the Flyers organization during his playing days and won the Calder Cup in 1978 with Philadelphia's farm team in Maine.Former Leafs goalie Johnny Bower was interviewed on the scoreboard and asked how long he'd been married to wife Nancy. His response: "Too long." Bower quickly added that it had been 60 years.