Brendan Burke’s passing puts hockey in perspective.
It is impossible to comprehend the loss for Brian Burke and his family, with the sudden passing of the Leafs general manager’s youngest son Brendan at just 21 years of age.
When the Maple Leafs skated off the ice at Prudential Center on Friday evening, having lost a game in which they held a two-goal lead late into the third period, words like ‘heartbreak’ and ‘devastation’ were used by the team’s fan and critics to describe the defeat.
Suddenly, when news broke of the car accident that claimed the life of Brendan and his friend Mark Reedy, age 18, the unspeakable tragedy overshadowed any on-ice result.
Brendan Burke was described as ‘a good kid’, and a tireless worker, by all who were fortunate to have known him. Messages of condolences immediately flowed onto the website of the University of Miami (Ohio), where the young Burke served as student manager of the Division 1 NCAA hockey team, the RedHawks.
“You never think of something like that happening, and when it does happen, it brings you down a little bit for sure, “ said a somber Francois Beauchemin on Saturday, the morning after the shocking announcement. Beauchemin recalled with fondness the celebration in which Brendan participated after his father managed the 2007 Anaheim Ducks to the Stanley Cup.
That championship team was backstopped by Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who Toronto acquired from the Ducks last week in a trade engineered by the elder Burke. “We can’t even comprehend what Burkie is going through at this point,” said Giguere. “We’re in shock. It’s not supposed to go that way. ”
Often in sports, athletes are described as being ‘courageous’ in descriptions of their performances on the ice, or on the field. But, as told in a story to ESPN just over two months ago, no one exemplified courage more than Brendan Burke when, in December 2007, he disclosed to his father that he was gay. With homophobic attitudes unfortunately still very much prevalent in hockey culture, Brendan’s news certainly had potential for backlash.
“I had a million good reasons to love and admire Brendan. This news didn’t alter any of them,” replied Brian Burke, the man who builds his teams on pugnacity and testosterone, in the ESPN piece. “This takes guts, and I admire Brendan greatly, and happily march arm in arm with him on this. I hope the day comes, and soon, when this is not a story.”
In the wake of the tragedy, the Leafs team responded by performing just as their boss would have wanted. They halted the Ottawa Senators’ 11-game winning streak on Saturday, dominating their opponents from start finish by a score 5-0.
For good measure, the University of Miami crushed Lake Superior State 10-4 on the same night.
Brendan Burke would have been flashing the trademark smile with which he greeted everyone.
“I’ve known Brendan since almost the day he was born, “ said head coach Ron Wilson. “It’s just the worst thing that any parent can possibly imagine.”
During the Olympic games next week, several athletes will be crowned as heroes. The American hockey team, managed by Brian Burke, will certainly be affixed that label should they repeat the Miracle on Ice from thirty years ago.
However, when placed in a proper perspective, the greater hero – for his openness in the face of a prejudicial culture – is Brendan Burke.
His voice is forever silenced, but the best way for the hockey community to honor his memory is to look past the stereotypical attitudes that unfairly cloud the lives of openly gay men and women.
When the day does arrive at which a person’s sexuality isn’t an issue in the dressing room, Brendan Burke will be remembered as the pioneer of the cause.
Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca
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