Burke talks Penguins outlook, life lessons in Q&A with NHL.com

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this special offseason edition, we feature Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke.

BUFFALO --Brian Burke is hopeful the Pittsburgh Penguins can rekindle some magic in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.
Part of that belief has to do with keeping the core in place during the offseason. Sidney Crosby, the 35-year-old captain entering his 18th NHL season in Pittsburgh, will have familiar company with center Evgeni Malkin, 36, and defenseman Kris Letang, 35, each returning on a new contract.
The Penguins have qualified for the playoffs in 16 straight seasons but failed to get beyond the opening round the past four. They lost the 2022 Eastern Conference First Round to the New York Rangers after holding a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
"It was our top priority to re-sign Letang and Malkin, no question about it," Burke said. "We re-signed Bryan Rust and that was important. We re-signed Rickard Rakell, but our top priority was to get Letang and 'Geno' signed and we got them both and we're thrilled. We're optimistic ... we think we've got a good group. Yes, there's some age on this group but when Geno's healthy, he's been a point-per-game guy. Letang was one of the top 10 defensemen in the NHL last year, so I think they still got some game left."
Burke, named president of hockey operations Feb. 9, 2021, should know a little something about experience and game. He's worked 32 years as an NHL executive and won the Stanley Cup as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. He was GM of the Hartford Whalers (1992-93) and Vancouver Canucks (1998-2004), president and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs (2008-13), and president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames (2013-18). He was NHL executive vice president and director of hockey operations from 1993-98.
The 67-year-old was also a hockey analyst for Sportsnet and "Hockey Night in Canada."
NHL.com caught up with Burke at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo on Sept. 18. He discussed the recent struggles of the Penguins in the playoffs, the goaltending, life lessons from Lou Lamoriello, the genesis of the untied tie and more.
Pittsburgh hasn't won a Stanley Cup Playoff series in four straight seasons. Why?
"Part of it, to be fair, is the quality of our opponent has gone up and you should never talk about losing a playoff series without giving credit to the teams that beat you. I think in the two cases that I've been here, in my belief, we played well enough to win both those series. First one was against the New York Islanders and goalie Tristan Jarry had a tough time. Last year we just hit pothole after pothole. Crosby got hurt, Rakell got hurt, (defenseman) Brian Dumoulin got hurt. We're playing with our No. 3 goalie (Louis Domingue). We just hit too many potholes and I think we could have won both series. We're excited about this season because we don't view the last two years as abject failures. We believe we could have and should have won both those playoff series."
How confident are you and general manager Ron Hextall in Jarry and Casey DeSmith?
"Tristan had a tough playoff against the Islanders two years ago, but we didn't even look for a goalie. Hextall called him in and said, 'Look, a lot of guys struggle a little bit their first playoffs, but we believe in you.' He didn't get a chance to play in the playoffs last season because of his injury, but we believe in both goalies."
Does it surprise you coach Mike Sullivan has not yet won the Jack Adams Award voted as the NHL coach of the year?
"The problem when you talk about a coach of the year, or those type awards, when you say 'Well, our guy should have won,' people take that as disrespectful. And I don't mean it disrespectfully. This is not a commentary on other coaches who have won coach of the year, but I don't know anyone who's done more in seven seasons he's been here, who has done a better job coaching, than Mike Sullivan. I think he's been terrific, and I love working with him. And to answer your question, it's a riddle ... it's a mystery to me."
Are the Colorado Avalanche still the team to beat as the defending Stanley Cup champions?
"I think that's always true. I think until a team has been beaten, they're the favorite and they should be the champion. Colorado did it in a convincing style too. That's a great team with a great GM, great coach, great players, so until someone beats them, they're the team to beat."
Who were some of your favorite NHL players you enjoyed watching as a teenager?
"I moved to Minnesota when I was 12 and started playing hockey at 13, so my two favorite players were forwards Bill Goldsworthy and J.P. Parise. I really respected Lou Nanne. I was a Boston Bruins fan for a little bit since I lived in Boston before moving to Minnesota, so I was always a Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito fan. Those would be the guys from my era. When you grow up in Minnesota, you're a North Stars fan."
Lou Lamoriello was your coach when you played hockey at Providence College (1973-77). What did you learn from him?
"I played for Lou for four years, when I was 18 until I was 22 ... the most important, formative years of your life. He taught me everything about being a winner, how to approach life, being polite, how schoolwork is important. Then on the ice, he turned me from a walk-on freshman to a captain (as a senior) that graduated with a record for games played (54) at Providence College. I owe Lou everything. Not just a lot. I owe him everything."
What would be your message to any young player wanting to play hockey for a living?
"I put together four rules when I started playing hockey and said if I can do this, I can play pro hockey. I have them all in my book ("Burke's Law: A Life in Hockey"). No. 1, be the hardest worker on the team. No. 2, be a coach's dream. Be a guy the coach can absolutely rely on and never have to be told things twice. No. 3, be an indispensable teammate, a quality teammate. No. 4 is play hard. Play with toughness and aggression because it always carries a premium."
What's the genesis behind the untied tie that's always draped over your shoulders?
"It came out of sheer laziness. When I worked for Pat Quinn (in 1987 with the Canucks), I went to work at six o'clock in the morning and Pat would come in around seven and I'd go in jeans and a T-shirt and go through everything Pat had for me to do. Some days I'd meet with him for 15 minutes, some days for an hour-and-a-half. Then I'd go work out and when done put on my work clothes. The last thing to do is tie a tie, so I'd just throw it around my neck and go up and start work. I wouldn't tie my tie until I needed to, which some days it'd be a meeting in an hour with a banker. Some nights I didn't have to tie it until we played that night right before the anthem. But ultimately, I realized I just stopped tying it, so it's sheer laziness. I'm not smart enough to make a fashion statement."