David Poile says Brian Burke had Bobby Ryan on his final Team USA roster
Despite saying that Bobby Ryan has no intensity in his game, Brian Burke had Bobby Ryan on his final roster, says Team USA general manager David Poile.
In a conference call discussing the Olympic roster, Poile defended Burke, adding more fuel to the Burke/Ryan public feud.
Whether that's true or not, we'll never know. The behind the scenes look that granted ESPN's Scott Burnside in-depth coverage of the roster selection started the conversation, which talked about Ryan not being a top-6 forward.
Burke's comments intensified the feud, and now Poile and Burke are trying to apologize. Ryan can still fill in on the roster if there is an injury.
Ryan said the comments were "gutless" and said he wasn't about to reach out to Team USA. Poile gets a chance to apologize in person before the Olympics when the Ottawa Senators visit the Nashville Predators, where Poile is GM, on Jan. 11.
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