Inspired by Brendan, Is Hockey Becoming the Most Gay-Friendly Sport?

The death of Brendan Burke earlier this year--not long after Brendan, the son of the former hockey star and current Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke came out as gay--was a tragedy for sports fans and the GLBT community alike. But the brave young man's untimely death in a car accident last winter was not in vain: the U.S. Hockey Team chose to remember him by wearing dog tags in his honor at this year's Winter Olympics in Canada.

Gay athletics site OutSports.com reported on June 21 that, according to Brendan's brother Patrick Burke, "Jamie Langenbrunner, the captain, organized it." Added Patrick, "Essentially they had custom-made dog tags made for the players, the coaches, and their families. Langenbrunner presented my father with one before the first game.

"On one side it has the Olympic rings with TEAM USA and Vancouver 2010. The other side reads simply, 'In honor of BRENDAN BURKE.' The team, staff, and wives all wore them."

In a separate June 21 article posted at OutSports, Patrick Burke talked about his concerns for his brother in the wake of Brendan having come out as gay. Patrick is a talent scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, as well as being a law school student. "Brendan was weighing two careers: politics and hockey management," wrote Patrick. "Neither arena is generally viewed as gay-friendly, and our family was concerned about what Brendan's announcement would mean for his future.

"I wanted to make sure he was fully aware of the risks he was taking," continued Patrick. "We had talked previously about the anonymous cowards who make up a large portion of the internet: 'No reading the comments sections' would be our rule. As a strong family, we could laugh them off. We knew the strength of Brendan's message would overwhelm the 'strength' of any message made by someone who won't sign their name to their ridiculous statements.

"But what about people who matter?"Patrick added. "What if an NHL executive or player came out against homosexuality? I wanted to be sure Brendan was fully prepared for that." However, "I had faith in the hockey community," added Patrick. "I truly believed that they would take care of Brendan. Hockey has had thousands of colorful characters and personalities over the years, and they have always been embraced as long as they could contribute to a team's success."

Patrick related how Brendan's main concern was for his brother's career as a hockey scout. Patrick acknowledged that he, too, had concerns for his own career--but what he told his brother, Patrick recounted, was, "B, if there are people out there who don't want you to work for them because you're gay, then I don't want to work for them. They don't want to win as badly as I do."

Patrick went on to write, "But the protective older brother side of me waited for the other shoe to drop. I waited to get a negative email, or to read a damning article, or to hear a snide comment at a game. I waited, and I waited, and I waited... and I got what I should have expected the entire time: love, support, and admiration."

That admiration extends not only among the fans of the sport, but to its officials as well: in Brendan's memory, the Stanley Cup--the most prized trophy in hockey--will be carried in the Chicago Pride Parade by Blackhawks team member Brent Sopel, according to a June 22 NBC Chicago.com article. Accompanying Sopel will be his wife and their four kids, the article noted.

"We teach our kids about accepting everybody. Tolerate everybody, to understand where everyone is coming from," Sopel said.

Brendan's father, Brian Burke, also has plans to march in the Toronto Pride Parade, which kicks off June 25--plans that he and Brendan had made before Brendan's tragic death in February. Moreover, Brian Burke has become an outspoken advocate for safe schools.