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Burke fired Wilson to save him from being embarrassed at home again

Toronto Maple Leafs v Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 16: Toronto fans cheer during a timeout between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on December 16, 2011 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

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Apparently being a fan means you wield a lot of power with your voices.

After hearing fans calling for the firing of Ron Wilson after the Leafs last brutal loss at home to Florida, Leafs GM Brian Burke thought it was time to let Wilson go, dumping his friend in favor of former Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle. The team wasn’t playing well and with a home game against the Bruins coming up next week, Burke wanted to save his friend the trouble of being serenaded one more time.

“After the last home game, it was clear to me that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to let Ron coach another game in the Air Canada Centre. I wasn’t gonna put him through that,” Burke said.

“I wasn’t going to be put through that again. It was hard to listen to. Hard to watch. But it was clear at that point that the team wasn’t listening, watching the bench. They weren’t paying attention. They weren’t buying it. It was time.”

Not only was it the Leafs’ poor play and tuning Wilson out but it was the fans who helped bring about his ouster. Perhaps Leafs fans might want to work on chanting for other things they’d like. For example:

“Bring us Rick Nash!”

“Cheap-er Tick-ets!”

“We want waff-les!”

No, wait, that’s been done before.