Brian Burke made an intriguing lateral move along the road back to running an NHL team in joining Rugby Canada's board of directors, and the Globe and Mail's James Mirtle found that Burke's desire to helm an NHL franchise remains strong, as does his...truculence...

“It doesn’t change my intention to get back at the GM level,” Burke said of his Rugby Canada role. “It doesn’t diminish that urge.”

As for further comparisons between his two favourite sports, Burke had plenty of more substantial ones, calling rugby “a warrior’s game” in which he had sustained most of his personal injuries.

“I think every long-term injury I have came from rugby, not from hockey,” he said, listing his various ailments and operations. “Shoulders and neck. I’ve had both shoulders done. Right knee twice.”

Burke also told the Toronto Star's Kevin McGran that he hopes to give rugby a professional footprint in Canada while working as something of an intern: