The Book of Rebuild, Chapter 2

Well, my dear friends, the response to my first such reading was overwhelming, and I can truly say that such zeal for the Word of Burke warms my heart and galvanises it, like as a Zamboni reforms the ice to remove the imperfections thereupon. As such, my fervor to write was strong, and I leapt quickly into the task of bringing you the second chapter of this, our Book of the Rebuild, in time for Sunday. I dedicate this post to my late grandfather, gone a year today. He was a fantastic man as well as the hand that guided me to Leafdom in my youth. An Irish Catholic, he would say that there are two religions in his house - one for Sunday morning, and one for Saturday night. Though not a practising Catholic any longer, I keep the vigil on Saturday, garbed in the blue and white tradition of this storied franchise and the community which has sprung up around it. I know that my grandfather would have loved to see the direction the Leafs are taking this year.

This one's for you, Grampy.

A reading from the Book of Rebuild.

002:001 Thus the Maple Leafs and the Marlies were finished, and all the host of them.

002:002 And on the draft day Burke ended his work for a little while; and he rested on the draft day from all his work which he had made, and to watch the steam coming out of Bryan Murray's ears.

002:003 And Burke blessed the draft day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had made many picks for the future which Burke would create and make.

002:004 These are the generations of the Maple Leafs and of the Marlies when they were created, in the day that the GM Burke made the teams,

002:005 And every prospect of the team before it was in the Marlies, and every pick of the draft before it matured: for the GM Burke had not rushed development, and there was not a reason to call them up yet.

002:006 But there went up a cry from the fans, and watered the whole face of the internet.

002:007 And the GM Burke formed scoring of the forwards of theprevious season, and breathed into his forwards the breath of offense; and the forwards were still probably top half of the league in goals for.

002:008 And the GM Burke planted a philosophy echoed in Antiquity, in the time before the Great Futility; "If thou cannot beat them in the alley, thou cannot beat them on the ice", and there he put the team which he had formed.

002:009 And out of the philosophy made the GM Burke to grow every bodycheck that is pleasant to the sight, and good for creating opportunities down low; the tree of truculence also in the midst of the philosophy, and the tree of sixty-seven as well.

002:010 And more signings came out of the league to strengthen the philosophy; and from thence they were added, and became into many contracts.

002:011 The name of the first is Beauchemin: that is he who compasseth the whole blue line, where there is Stanley Cup Finals experience;

002:012 And the experience of that player is good: there is defense and offense.

002:013 And the name of the second signing is Wallin: the same is he who compasseth the whole land of Sweden.

002:014 And the name of the third signing is Deveaux: that is he who goeth toward the penalty box, in truculent manner. And the fourth signing is Boyce, and the fifth signing is Foster.

002:015 And the GM Burke took the team, and put it into the month of August to dress it and to keep it.

002:016 And the GM Burke commanded the media, saying, Kaberle is not going anywhere:

002:017 But the goalie Pogge, thou shalt beat it: for in the day that thou were needed most you surely laid an egg.

002:018 And the GM Burke said, It is not good that the goalie should be alone; I will bring in a trainer for him.

002:019 And out of Anaheim the GM Burke lured Allaire; and brought him unto Toskala and Gustavsson to see what he would teach them: and whatsoever Allaire demanded of his goalies, that was the training thereof.

002:020 And Allaire worked on the glove hand, and on the lateral movement, and on the angles; but for the goalies there was not yet competition enough, so Joey MacDonald was put in the mix.

002:021 And the Gm Burke caused a deep calm to fall upon the fans, and they slept easy: and he took the fans' cynicism as they slept, and closed up the bitterness thereof;

002:022 And from the cynicism, which the GM Burke had taken from man, made he a passion, and brought her unto the fans.

002:023 And the fans said, This is now hope of my hopes, and dream of my dreams: she shall be called the Passion that Unites Us All, because she was taken out of the fans.

002:024 Therefore shall a team leave its past and its mistakes, and shall cleave unto its future: and they shall be awesome.

002:025 And they were both truculent, the fans and their passion, and were not afraid.

Until next time, beloved friends in Burke, keep the faith, and keep on truccin'.

In Nomine Clarki, et Schennis, et Spiritus Burkus, Amen.

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, go have a look at steve_w's recent discovery from the world of art.