Sports in Briefs
Brendan Burke died Friday.
Never heard of him? Maybe I should rephrase it in a way that you might better recognize him.
One of six children of Brian Burke, president and general manager of the most valuable hockey franchise in the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and GM of the United States hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Brendan Burke died Friday.
Brendan Burke, seen here in a family photo after his father captured the Stanley cup as GM of the Anaheim Ducks.
For those who have heard of Brendan, you likely would have best understood this:
Brendan Burke, the openly gay son of Brian Burke, died Friday.
And unfortunately, that is what made Friday’s tragic event newsworthy.
I’ve never met Brendan, never knew him personally. Like most people, I only became aware of him when ESPN’s John Buccigross wrote a moving piece about Brendan in November.
With the Buccigross story, Brendan became a household name. His father, one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in hockey, showed his softer side. The University of Miami hockey team, led by coach Enrico Blasi, became a haven for open-mindedness and inclusion.
The article also made Brendan a question-in-waiting, namely: Will the hockey establishment be able to accept an openly gay man? Brendan was a manager of the RedHawks hockey team, but he was also planning to attend law school, with the hope of working in an NHL front office like his father.
Whether or not Brendan would have been able to craft a career in hockey will never go answered, though I’m inclined to say he would have. The issue prompts the natural follow-up, though: Would hockey, or any major league-level team sport, accept an openly gay man? (more…)
