from Bob McKenzie of TSN,

Brian Burke has held many titles in a lifetime of hockey - player, agent, general manager, league executive/disciplinarian and president of hockey operations.

Now, apparently, he would like add another.

Architect.

The president of the Calgary Flames is on a mission - some would describe it as a difficult if not impossible uphill battle‎ - to make ice surfaces bigger in the NHL.

"I've felt this way for a long time," the 59-year-old Burke said this week. "When I was GM of the [Vancouver] Canucks, I felt the ice was too congested for the size and skill we had on our team. I thought the size of the ice surface affected my team's ability to excel. That's where it started for me."

Self-interest may have sparked Burke's initial look into bigger ice. Now, though, the quest is, as he sees it, much more altruistic.

"It would," Burke said, "be good for the game of hockey."

continued