Gary Bettman Plays Referee To Brian Burke and Kevin Lowe Feud

With the growing animosity between Ducks general manager Brian Burke and Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has decided to referee it seems.

Bettman basically told Burke and Lowe to cool it, after a conference phone call between the three men this morning.

“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 according to the Los Angeles Times.

No fines are penalties were assessed.

Lowe responded to Burke on Friday on an Edmonton radio station calling the Ducks GM a “moron” and a “media junkie” along with some pretty harsh comments about the Southern California hockey market.

This was all in response to Burke’s initial comments about Lowe being the reason for a sharp rise in salaries for talented young players, using offers made by Lowe to Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner as examples.

Buffalo matched the $50 million offer to Vanek, while the Ducks let Penner go, refusing to pay a five year $21.25 million contract. After the Ducks let Penner go, Burke said Lowe’s action were “an act of desperation by a general manager who is fighting to keep his job.”

In other Ducks news, the Ducks signed goaltender David LeNeveu to a two way contract. LeNeveu, 25, recently played for the Rangers organization and was a second-round pick in 2002 by Phoenix.

Original Source: Stephens, Eric. “NHL’s Bettman orders feuding Ducks and Oilers GMs to cool it.” Los Angeles Times 07 Jul 2008 7 Jul 2008