Brendan Burke

For the American sportscaster, see Brendan Burke (sportscaster). For the soccer player, see Brendan Burke (soccer).

Brendan Burke
Burke standing next to the Stanley Cup.
Burke in 2007, standing next to the Stanley Cup after it was won by the Anaheim Ducks, managed by his father Brian Burke
Born(1988-12-08)December 8, 1988
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
DiedFebruary 5, 2010(2010-02-05) (aged 21)
Economy, Indiana, United States
Alma materXaverian Brothers High School
Miami University
Occupation(s)Hockey management
Hockey goalie
EmployerMiami University
Known forLGBT activism[1]
Parent(s)Brian Burke, Kerry G. Burke[2][3]

Brendan Gilmore Burke (December 8, 1988 – February 5, 2010) was an athlete and student manager at Miami University for the RedHawks men's ice hockey team. The youngest son of Brian Burke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, longtime executive of various other NHL teams and of the US Olympic hockey team, in November 2009, he made international headlines for coming out, advocating for tolerance and speaking out against homophobia in professional sports. Burke's coming out was widely praised and supported by sports news outlets and fans, generating multiple discussions about homophobia in sports, and in hockey in particular. He was viewed as a pioneer in advocacy against homophobia in hockey, described as "the closest person to the NHL ever to come out publicly and say that he is gay."[4]

Burke was killed in a car crash on February 5, 2010. Following his death, Burke's memory and contribution to LGBT awareness in hockey was honoured by several hockey teams. The "Brendan Burke Internship" was later established in his honour by USA Hockey for his work in hockey management and a documentary entitled The Legacy of Brendan Burke aired on CBC Television in November 2010. Burke's death was the catalyst for the formation of the You Can Play project, a campaign to end homophobia in sports.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nationalpost was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference BostonHerald was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "'Brendan Burke Death Notice: Brendan Burke's Obituary'". The Boston Globe. February 7, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  4. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (February 4, 2011). "Brendan Burke's legacy as a hockey pioneer". Yahoo!. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2011.