ESPN's John Buccigross on Brian Burke's Acceptance of His Son
Pension Plan Puppets — ESPN's John Buccigross on Brian Burke's Acceptance of His Son From ESPN: How one of hockey's toughest men accepted his son's courageous admission Someone tweeted this earlier, and I've been reading it ever since. When you get a few extra minutes, take the time getting better acquainted with Leafs' GM Brian Burke's family ...

Burke’s Son Brendan
KK Hockey — Kukla's Korner Hockey Previous entry: The Story Of Frank Zamboni Burke’s Son Brendan by Paul on 11/24/09 at 02:42 PM ET Comments (0) from John Buccigross of ESPN, While you’re at Miami, Dad is now in Southern California as executive vice president and general manager for Anaheim and the Ducks win it all in 2007. You drink out of the Stanley Cup with Pops in the Anaheim dressing room. You love your father, you’re proud of him, but you are hiding something from him that you will soon hide no more. In 2008, Dad is chosen as general manager of the 2010 U.S. Olympic hockey team and named a recipient of the 2008 Lester Patrick Trophy for ...

John Buccigross: How one of hockey's toughest men accepted his son's courageous admission - ESPN
On the Forecheck — John Buccigross: How one of hockey's toughest men accepted his son's courageous admission - ESPN Head over right away and read what is probably the most important hockey story I've read all year. Great stuff here.

I would prefer Brendan hadn't decided to discuss this issue in this very public manner. There will...
From The Rink — ... — Brian Burke on his son, Brendan, to ESPN

Nightly Hockey Hits: Team Canada should rely on dynamic duos, Brian Burke shows he is an excellent father, is this the year tragedy hits the NHL, Syracuse to host 1st AHL game played outdoors
IllegalCurve.com — Word from around the blogs: Rink Rap:  Gaborik most valuable in first quarter.  Very good argument for the Slovak. Sens Town:  A great game no one saw.  Sounds like they have a lot of issues in the Nation’s capital. Lions in Winter: Latendresse Vs. Pouliot.  Now that is an extensive comparison.  If you are a Habs fan, should be interesting to see what happens once the team is healthy. The Spin: Audition time as Leafs make call-ups.  I’m surprised Stalberg still hasn’t gotten the call. ...

Morning Link Dump – Michelle, BCS, Islanders, Burke
TheScore.com Blog — Obligatory Sports Babe This morning we’ll go with Michelle Marsh, the WAG of the Week from Gunaxin, who explains that she’s married to League Two side Morecambe’s ridiculously lucky Scottish defender Will Haining. BCS “BCS hires former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer, figuring he's got lots of experience putting a positive face on stupid, unpopular schemes designed by idiots with bad ideas,” says Fark, hilariously setting up a rather dry article from Politico. Big Wang “When Charles Wang came along to buy the Islanders, he knew what was on his ...

Empty Netter Assists - 11-25-09
Empty Netters — Penguins -To say the least, PenStation isn't selling too many Chris Bourque (above) jerseys. -Evgeni Malkin speaks. In Russian. -A German newspaper/Web Site chatted with Sidney Crosby and Bill Guerin. -Where to Crosby or former Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr rank in terms of being this decade's best players? -Are the Penguins planning on changing their third jersey? -Pens Universe chats with Penguins broadcaster Alyonka Larionov. -Sergei Gonchar's summer at the beach was better than your summer at the beach: ...

Daily Links for Wednesday, Nov. 25
Die By The Blade — ... owner and founder of the Washington Wizards and long-time owner of the Capitals, died Tuesday at the age of 85. Pollin was well-known for his numerous charitable contribution to the city of Washington, D.C., including building the Verizon Center with much of his own money. Our condolences go out to all sports fans in the D.C. area today. Flyers' Briere suspended for two games - NHL.com - News Looks like the Flyers will be without Danny on Friday afternoon. "We love you, this won't change a thing" | ESPN John Buccigross probably needs no linking, as ...

Wednesday Links: Searching for goals and finding nothing but disappointment edition
St. Louis Game Time — ... got 69, or the 92nd percentile. [sporcle] I haven't seen much of hockey this year thanks to this whole greedy TV deal, but is television trying to show less violence? [Stanley Cup of Chowder] Daniel Briere is suspended two games. [ESPN] Marian Hossa will return today. [ESPN] Get used to hearing this story a lot: Brendan Burke, son of Maple Leafs GM Brain Burke, is openly gay and pursuing a career in the NHL. [ESPN] Miikka Kiprusoff won't play for Finland unless he's ...

The Roundup: Thanksgiving is Tomorrow
The Big Lead — Natalie Portman … really hoping this story is inaccurate or a joke … interesting read here, eager to see the reaction in the comments … Herbert on Detroit … recognize the name of the coach here? … that census worker in Kentucky wasn’t killed by illegals; it was a suicide … Washington Post closes US bureaus … political Wednesday: Global warming … missing boy spent 11 days wandering the subways … if you’re not a fan of bees, steer clear of this one … Albert Pujols, 2009 NL MVP. (St. Louis PD) The ...

Does Brian Burke's gay son change anything for hockey culture?
Puck Daddy — John Buccigross's ESPN.com column on Brendan Burke -- who came out as a gay man to his father, Toronto Maple Leafs President Brian Burke, two years ago -- has been the talk of the hockey world in the last 24 hours. (ESPN.com labeled his coming out as "an admission" on the top of Buccigross's story, which us about as faintly damning a term as can be applied to someone coming out to their parents.) Not only has this been buzz-worthy because it reignites one of the hottest of hot-button issues in professional sports (homosexuals in the locker room), but because it instantly transformed Burke, that steadfast promoter of ...

Ladies… Hero: Brendan Burke
Ladies... — This article is a long one. It’s a long one, and it’s an important one, and it’s the only article from a major media outlet that has ever made me cry. By coming out, Brendan Burke is standing up and showing the entire LGBTQA sports community a level of courage that very few other athletes have ever shown. And by accepting him ...

Nomination for sports article of the year
THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball — I’m going with John Buccigross’s article on Brendan Burke, son of Brian Burke, NHL GM and general tough guy and power broker: “I hope the day comes, and soon, when this is not a story.”—Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke

Brian Burke’s son…admits to being homosexual
NHL Snipers — Edmonton Oilers score 2 goals in 7 seconds! | Main Brian Burke’s son…admits to being homosexual By admin | November 25, 2009 Per ESPN :“I hope the day comes, and soon, when this is not a story.” — Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke Imagine this. Well before you are born, your dad plays college hockey at Providence College and wears the “C” for Friars coach and Hockey Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello. Your dad is then a member of the Calder Cup-winning Maine Mariners AHL team. He admits to having little skill, but contributes rough and tough qualities. You know, like pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. He’s a man, baby. Dad is ...

Hunter defends Leafs coaching staff
From The Rink — ... A lot of stuff going on in Toronto these days, especially with the story on Brian Burke's son yesterday. (Greg Wyshynski and Justin Bourne have more on that today ...

End of the Week Link Roundup
No, You're a Towel — Since it's sort of the end of the week, I'm going to run through some leftover links though I won't comment on Vince Young high-fiving the refs after ruining my spread league week. MVP! MVP! More links about the MVP! Tyler Kepner tried to e-mail the rogue Miguel Cabrera voter (who the phrase "pulling a Keizo Konishi" came from) but got no response. Man up Konishi! Andrew Baggarly reveals his totally ridiculous MVP ballot (with Hanley Ramirez 8th, Chase Utley 9th and *ugh* Jeremy Affeldt 10th) and gets--righfully--criticized by IIATMS, River Avenue Blues, and others. Ken Rosenthal reveals his ballot ...

Praised: Weekly props send love to Matt Stafford, Vince Young and The Who
It's Just Sports — Praised: Weekly props send love to Matt Stafford, Vince Young and The Who By Eric Fish | Flint Journal November 27, 2009, 3:00PM praised.jpg Bookmark It's Just Sports or subscribe to our RSS feed . What a week! Just when I was starting to lose some steam with these weekly columns, Matt Stafford turned into Superman, played through a bum shoulder, and led the Lions to an exciting win. I don't care that it was against Cleveland, or it was a battle of one-win teams, or that the Lions completely blew chunks on Thursday — if you can't get excited about that, you must be a robot. I'm rejuvenated with positivity! I'll get right into the praising: Matt ...

Under Review: Nov 23—Nov 30
DailyFaceoff.com | Starting Goalies, Lineups, Fantasy Hockey Advice, Betting Analysis, and more! — under review Under Review: Nov 23—Nov 30 As November ends and the daunting specter of Christmas shopping rises in the oh-so-immediate future, even the NHL is stuck in its “just get it done” phase, with a pretty quiet week of news behind us. Though in “say whaaaat?” news, the Leafs are actually playing well (and getting points for it), and players aren’t falling like flies quite as bad as they have been for the first few months of the season. Of course, as I typed that, I turned on Sportsnet, and one of the announcers called tonight “the zenith” of the year of injuries in hockey. Whoops. Habs Trade An Underachiever for…Another Underachiever The only major player ...

Son of Maple Leafs GM killed in auto accident
Digital Sports Daily — Feb 5th, 2010 | 10:40 pm | The son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke was killed Friday in an auto accident, the team announced Friday. Brendan Burke, 21, Canton, Mass., and Mark A. Reedy, 18, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., were killed in a head-on collision on U.S. 35 north in eastern Indiana when the vehicle they were driving slid onto oncoming traffic. Road conditions were icy and snowy. The accident was reported at 2:50 p.m. ET according to the Pal-Item in Richmond, Indiana. ...

Brendan Burke, son of Brian Burke, killed in car crash
In Lou We Trust — ... Per Steve Lepore from the GameThread, terrible news tonight. Brendan Burke and passenger Mark A. Reedy has died in a car-crash tonight in Indiana. Brendan Burke is the son of Brian Burke, GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and was profiled by John Buccigross earlier this year. ...

Leafs’ GM Loses Son In Car Accident
The Hockey Writers — Brendan Burke, the 21-year old son of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, was killed in a car accident earlier today (Friday, February 5th). On behalf of the writing staff of thehockeywriters.com, I would like to send our condolences to Mr. Burke and the entire extended Burke family. Brendan was following in his father’s footsteps and was involved in university level hockey at Miami University in Ohio. There is a wonderful story about Brendan that was written recently by John Buccigross of EPSN. Please read it here. Brendan was a wonderful young man who was respected and loved by all who worked with him and will be greatly missed by ...

Brendan Burke killed in Indiana car accident
Puck Daddy — Tragic news breaking tonight as Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian, was killed this afternoon in a car accident near Economy, Indiana. After Toronto's game against the New Jersey Devils, the team issued a statement informing the media of the news. From NHL.com: "We are saddened to report that Brendan Burke, the youngest son of Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke, succumbed to injuries he suffered in an auto accident earlier today in Indiana," the Leafs said in a statement.  "The family asks for privacy at this difficult ...

Tragedy Strikes Brian Burke's Family
Pension Plan Puppets — ... On December 2, 2009 John Buccigross, after some hints, released an immensely moving story Brendan Burke's path towards telling his father Brian that he was gay. It really is an incredible story that you should read if you haven't had a chance to before because it highlight the fact that, for all of the advances made by the GLBT community, the sports world is not the most welcoming to the 'other'. Wrap and Down Goes Brown noted just how impactful the usual atmosphere in the sports world can be: ...

Super Bowl Weekend Links - More Demar Dorsey News, R.I.P. Brendan Burke, Curry & CB3 to Shoot 3's, & The Big Cat Coming to Spring Training
DETROIT4LYFE — Super Bowl Weekend: it's finally here. Enjoy it while it lasts, because when the bill for that new HDTV comes you're gonna be broke. The Demar Dorsey saga continues in Ann Arbor, and Mgoblog has it's take on the matter. I'd like to see what people have to say to Rich Rod if this kid becomes a star, because they're sure piling on the dude right now. The last line of Mgoblog's article sums up my sentiments perfectly. ...

Maple Leaf GM Burke’s Son Dies In Car Crash
Blue Line Station | A New York Rangers Blog — [image] Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leaf and U.S. Olympic hockey team GM Brian Burke, died in a car crash in Indiana on Friday.  While obviously incredibly sad in its own right — he was 21 — this story takes on added significance given his decision to announce he was gay in a November ESPN article .  Whatever your stance on homosexuality, I cannot imagine you could be anything other than proud of this young man.  I can not even fathom the amount of courage and self-respect it takes to be openly gay in American sports, let alone given his father’s position and reputation in the NHL.  The article also was an incredibly touching portrayal of a ...

Crash kills Leafs GM Brian Burke's son
SportsFilter — ... : Brendan Burke, 21, who broke homophobic barriers in hockey, dies in accident in Indiana. ESPN's John Buccigross weighs in with a moving history of the young man with We love you, this won't change a thing . ...

Daily Links for Saturday, Feb. 6
Die By The Blade — ... off the Minnesota Wild. The Real Career NHL Goal-Scoring Leaders - Behind The Net Who are the all-time leading goalscorers in professional hockey? Counting playoffs and other leagues as well, the cream still rises to the top. The Hitch Firing: System or Goaltending? - From The Rink Did Ken Hitchcock deserve to be fired or was he a victim of Steve Mason's awful sophomore slump? A look at the numbers behind the coaching change. "We love you, this won't change a thing" - ESPN What can you say when a young life is cut short ...

Courageous Love and Sudden Sorrow: The Story of Brian and Brendan Burke
The Sporting Blog — ... Last November, Brendan Burke told ESPN's John Buccigross he was gay. This was a surprise not only because he was part of the culture of hockey, a sport with ...

Early morning links: Snow in DC, Crosby the Coverboy and remembering Brendan Burke
PensBurgh — ... If you haven't gotten the chance to read this, fix it.  Here's the initial story from a couple months ago when Brendan Burke made the exceptionally difficult decision to "come out" to everyone in his life, including his father who basically defines machismo.  They way Brian Burke immediately accepted and supported his boy unconditionally says something great about him. [ESPN] ...

The Morning Skate: Red Ink in Dallas, a Vote in Hempstead
Slap Shot — In another troubling sign of how the N.H.L. is faring in the poor economy, Tom Hicks, who is selling the Dallas Stars, said his team was losing money and doesn’t believe the economy will allow the new owner won’t be able to spend to the cap. Mike Heika in The Dallas Morning News ...