from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

It’s been a quiet night in the NHL’s player safety room so far, and Patrick Burke is okay with that.

“Brendan Shanahan used to say this job is a lot like being at an airport waiting for a plane to crash,” Burke says dryly. “You hope nothing bad happens.”

It doesn’t stay that way. Late in the Edmonton-Pittsburgh game, Penguins forward Chris Kunitz trips Oilers defenceman Jeff Petry dangerously in the corner. Kunitz seems to be reaching for the puck, but his stick bounces off Petry’s and back toward the Oiler, who falls awkwardly. No penalty, but it looks bad.

Burke, son of former Leafs president Brian Burke, is one of two directors of player safety on the league’s eight-man team, third on the command totem pole and the senior man this night. He springs into action: pausing the game on his laptop, rewinding, looking at it close up. He’ll watch the replays — both the home and road feeds — in a room with 25 monitors linked to all of the night’s action. He’ll listen to what the announcers are saying and monitor Twitter.

“Good non-call,” he mutters to himself after reviewing the play. But now he’s listening to the TV coverage and both the home and road crew analysts are wondering if the hit from behind might require supplemental discipline.

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