NHL

Burke lauded for support of gay son

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Updated Nov 26, 2009 5:30 AM ET
     
 
Brian Burke can be gruff and macho, belligerent and truculent. He can scowl and snarl with the best of them. In short, he can be quite intimidating. But the hard-nosed president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs has revealed a much softer, caring side to his personality - that of a loving and supportive father. And he's garnered widespread praise - from his players and others inside the Hockey world - for supporting his son, Brendan, who summoned the courage to tell his father he was gay. "Brian is being what every dad generally is: very supportive of his son, unconditional love," said Leafs coach Ron Wilson. "If I was in the same position, I'd be doing exactly what Brian did. "I think it shows a different side of Brian that not many people know. I've known Brian for more than 35 years, I understand the softer side he never lets out, the caring type of person that he is." The topic was on everybody's lips in both dressing rooms prior to the Leafs-Lightning game Wednesday night. TSN's James Duthie interviewed Burke and his son during the first intermission of the game. "It's something any father would do," said veteran forward Jamal Mayers. "Any father, anybody, would support their kids," said Jason Blake, a father of three. "He's a true professional, he's handling it great." "At this point in time in society it has to be accepted. I don't think you can judge a player or human based on his sexual orientation," said Tampa's Martin St. Louis. Some players were asked if an openly gay teammate would ever be accepted. "Why not?" said Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos. "It's a weird question. It's a personal thing. If you want to come out, good for you. If not, no one is ever going to find out." Leaf rookie Christian Hanson said it was inevitable that homosexual athletes would reveal their sexual orientation to teammates. "Absolutely," said Hanson. "I don't know why something like that (would matter)." Mayers agreed. "I don't know if it's ever happened," said Mayers. "But I mean, it's 2010, it's about the quality of the person." Brendan Burke is a student manager of the Miami (Ohio) University Hockey team. Wilson, a friend of Burke's since their university days, said he's known about Brendan for a while and acknowledged it must have been difficult for the younger Burke to come out in the macho and sometimes homophobic Hockey culture. "It's a very brave thing that he's done. Hopefully he can be a pioneer in a very positive way."
Tagged: Lightning, Maple Leafs, Jamal Mayers

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