NHL acts on Burke, Lowe feud
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is apparently going to have the last word on the feud between Brian Burke and Kevin Lowe.
Bettman, in a conference call Monday with Burke, the Ducks’ general manager, and Lowe, the Edmonton Oilers’ GM, ordered them to stop.
“The NHL, in response to Kevin Lowe’s comments over the weekend, has ordered both Burke and Lowe to both cease and desist,” the Ducks said in a statement.
No fines or penalties were handed out.
Lowe ripped Burke on an Edmonton radio station Friday, calling him a “moron” and a “media junkie.” Lowe also made disparaging comments about the Southern California hockey market.
The tirade was in response to Burke’s criticism of Lowe last week, which came after the Ducks re-signed winger Corey Perry to a five-year, $26.63-million contract.
Burke blamed Lowe for the sharp rise in salaries for talented young players, citing the offer sheets Lowe tendered last summer to the Buffalo Sabres’ Thomas Vanek and the Ducks’ Dustin Penner.
Buffalo matched the Oilers’ seven-year, $50-million offer for Vanek, but the Ducks declined to match the five-year, $21.25-million sheet for Penner.
The Ducks made a quieter move Monday, signing goaltender David LeNeveu to a one-year, two-way contract.
The club also released its preseason schedule, which includes home-and-home dates with the Kings, San Jose, Phoenix and Vancouver.
The Ducks play the Kings at Staples Center on Sept. 30 and host them the next night.
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