Brian Burke made the Hall of Fame and Leafs fans are torn on how to feel

Former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke joined several prominent names set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this upcoming November.

On Monday, the NHL announced their newest inductees for the 2026 Hall of Fame Class and it was a star-studded affair to say the least. Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, and Keith Tkachuk were all named to the Hall meanwhile Cindy Curley was inducted as a player and surprisingly of all - Brian Burke named as a builder.

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Burke, 70, has spent over thirty years as a GM and President of various clubs, starting with the Vancouver Canucks, then Hartford (briefly), Anaheim, and Toronto. Then after retiring as a GM he took on various roles with Pittsburgh and Calgary.

Brian Burke is a Hall of Famer and some Maple Leafs fans are scratching their heads

He is most well known for his 'truculence' philosophy which led the Maple Leafs to undergo an identity change that was seen as less than fruitful and drew a lot of criticism from the Maple Leafs fanbase.

That same fanbase is also a bit stunned at the induction, at least on social media:

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Though he had his detractors, there is something positive to take out of this. Burke helped to start the You Can Play project, which in memoriam of his son, helps LGTBQ+ athletes unite and find community through sport and his gruff nature overshadowed his humanity - he may not have been an amazing GM for Toronto but he was a great leader in the community.

Ron Francis and Mike Gartner were the two Hall of Famers who made the call to Burke and let him know.

Burke is someone who wasn't afraid to be in front of the camera and his consistent appearances on various radio shows and podcasts show that he is as in touch with the game as ever.

So for some Maple Leafs fans, it may be a puzzling decision but Burke has made the game more accessible to the wider community, is a legitimately good human being, and he does have a Stanley Cup despite all of the criticism he faced.

It's a well deserved and earned honour for Brian Burke. So with that - congrats 'Burkie!'

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