Burish relishing his role as villain
CALGARY, Alberta - Adam Burish is having the time of his life.
Being the villain in the Blackhawks' first-round playoff series against Calgary is a role Burish was born to play.
"I'm loving every second of it," said Burish, surrounded by the horde of Canadian media for the second straight day. "I'm having a blast. This is the best series of hockey I've ever been a part of. I can't imagine how much wilder it's going to be. I love this.
"I've never played in the playoffs and it's everything everyone said it was going to be."
Every team needs an agitator come playoff time, and Burish has done his job in the first three games getting under Calgary's skin while also turning in some good work as a penalty-killer.
"You want to tiptoe on that line this time of year," Burish said, meaning the line between being smart or putting your team short-handed. "You don't want to cross it.
"Certain players have certain roles, and I'm one of those guys. I've got to walk that fine line. I want to have my toes right on the edge of that line. I want to be close, but not crossing the line. You've got to be careful so you're not targeted by the refs watching your every move."
Not going to change: Rene Bourque said Wednesday morning that he thought Adam Burish should have been suspended for the cross check at the end of Game 3.
"It was a cheap shot, but if that's the way they want to get back at me, that's fine," Bourque said. "That's my job, to play physical and attack guys. That's the way I've played all year and I'm not going to change.
"That's his job, too, to agitate guys. I'm just going to roll with it. I just don't know how the ref didn't see what he did. That's what blows my mind."
Bourque said he still could be friends with Burish, his former teammate with the Hawks and the University of Wisconsin, when this is all over.
"This is playoffs and this kind of stuff happens all the time," Bourque said. He admitted he "tweaked" his ankle during a big first-period collision with Brent Seabrook in Game 3; he missed Game 4.
Enough talking: Flames coach Mike Keenan believes the only reason the trash talking between the Hawks and Jarome Iginla is big news is because the NHL now allows broadcasters to station themselves between the benches.
TSN Canada's Pierre McGuire heard what the Hawks were saying to Iginla in Game 3 from that spot and reported it.
"It's been part of the game since I've been in this league, but now TV has brought it to light," Keenan said. "All that talking, as far as I'm concerned, is a waste of energy."