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Burke takes over in Calgary, but says he won’t be ‘front and center’

Brian Burke

Yes, Brian Burke is the Calgary Flames’ new president of hockey operations.

No, that doesn’t mean Jay Feaster isn’t the general manager anymore, or more importantly, that he won’t be deeply involved in making the club’s hockey-related decisions going forward. Which is to say, Feaster is not Calgary’s version of Greg Sherman in Colorado.

“I don’t intend to be front and center,” said Burke at today’s introductory press conference, referring to his position as a “background role” with an “advisory” focus.

“I know people think I need to be driving the bus all the time. I’m actually a very good teammate, too.”

Feaster will, however, report to Burke, who will have “overall responsibility for the sport side” of the organization, according to president and CEO Ken King.

Publicly, Feaster cheered the addition of his new boss, saying, “To be able to tap into that wealth of knowledge on a daily basis is a great thing.”

How the two men work together remains to be seen. But as far as the team is concerned, Burke did say he wanted the Flames to play an entertaining style, with an emphasis on physical play.

“Successful teams in the league are big, we are going to get bigger,” said Burke.

We’ll have more on Burke’s hiring later today, with a look at the challenges he faces in turning around the Flames.