Goodbye Tim Hunter. Goodbye Keith Acton. Hello Greg Cronin. Hello Scott Gordon.

Under pressure from GM Brian Burke, Leafs coach Ron Wilson fired two longtime assistant coaches and hired two new ones.

The message to the players is time is of the essence. The message to fans is Burke is getting impatient. And the message to Wilson — a lame-duck coach in the last year of his contract — is you better start winning.

“Ron Wilson has proved he deserves to coach this team in the fall,” said Burke. “I told Ron I don’t think anyone can question my loyalty to Ron. Last fall when we had a tough start, there was a lot of clamour for change.

“I can look in the mirror and say I’ve stood by Ron Wilson. I don’t think that loyalty extends to an extension. I don’t think loyalty requires me to extend his contract. I told him if we have a good start, that’s something we’ll address really early on.”

And if the team stumbles, well, Burke didn’t address that. But he’s hired two new coaches, both with head-coaching pasts.

Gordon, a former NHL goalie and head coach of the New York Islanders (2008-10), worked as an assistant with Wilson with the 2010 U.S. Olympic team that won silver. He was also coach of the year with the Providence Bruins in 2007-08.

Cronin leaves his post as head coach of the men’s program at Northeastern University, where he was suspended for six games for recruiting violations. He said he was suspended for illegally texting players who had verbally committed to his program.

Cronin has also been head coach of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Tigers from 2003 to 2005, following a five-year stint as assistant coach with the New York Islanders from 1998 to 2003.

“As I watched our team play last year, it became obvious to me we needed a change,” said Burke, citing the team’s poor power play and penalty killing in the past three seasons.

“I believe with our existing staff we got stale. Stale is a word that doesn’t work in professional sports. I reached the conclusion we needed a new look and new approach and that our players need to hear new voices.”

Burke said he told Wilson to make the change, and that Wilson did the interviewing and hiring.

But he added Wilson’s job is safe, for now.

“I believe every head coach has a shelf life, and I don’t believe Ron has reached that shelf life. At some point the motivational tools a coach uses becomes stale,” said Burke.

“I believe Ron Wilson’s performance over the last part of the season dictated this team still plays for him, still respects him, and wants him to return,” he added.

“There are signs when a coach loses his team. Telltale symptoms. The first things are the snipers, unnamed players take shots at the coach. That hasn’t happened since Ron’s been here.

“Second is the agents. They complain bitterly if they think a coaching change is in order; you hear it hourly. Not one phone call like that.

“None of the symptoms that accompany this type of illness are present. This is a guy whom the team played hard for.”

Acton had been an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs since 2000, beginning under the tenure of Pat Quinn.

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Hunter had worked with Wilson since their days together with the Washington Capitals in 1997 and later the San Jose Sharks. He came with Wilson to Toronto, along with Rob Zettler, in 2008.

It is possible both will be reassigned to a new role with the team.

Zettler and goalie coach François Allaire will continue their role with the Maple Leafs.