Those who follow me on Twitter or Facebook know that I’m a huge hockey fan. My team is the Ottawa Senators. Our biggest rival over the years is our provincial counterpart, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The rivalry isn’t as intense these days because of a number of factors, including, the fact that the teams haven’t met in the playoffs for some time now, and the TML players we loved to hate (Tucker, Domi, coach Pat Quinn) are no longer playing with the team.
Still, any true Senators fan still hates the Leafs. And, most Leaf fans hate the Sens.
Having said all that, I do admire the Leafs GM, Brian Burke. He made headlines a week ago with being a part of the biggest trade of the year. In an era of “the salary cap”, that’s hard to do. And yet, he did it, and as a result, generated excitement in just about every NHL market.
But I admire him more because of an interview he did about a month ago regarding his 21 yr. old son, Brendan.
Brendan admitted he was gay. Now, that’s not usually newsworthy anymore, but it made the headlines because Brendan was working within a hockey environment. As with most sports, the NHL is not exactly the most friendly place to be gay. While hockey players will say it’s no big deal, the fact is, in a close locker room full of tough men, it is a big deal. By admitting he was gay, Brendan risked closing many doors in the hockey world.
Of course, the attention turned to Brian Burke. The tough, no-nonsense, say-whatever-he-wants hockey man. As the cameras focused on him, Brian simply declared his love and admiration for his son. In a nationally televised interview, Brian Burke proclaimed, “I’ve never loved or been more proud of my son than I am now.”
Now, this isn’t a post about sexual orientation. I’m not interested in your views about Brendan’s choices, so don’t bother commenting on that. It’s not relevant to what I’m wanting to say in this post.
This past weekend, Brendan Burke was killed while the vehicle he was a passenger in lost control on a snow-covered road. At 21, Brendan was dead.
All I could think about was that interview Brian Burke did on CBC. His public declaration of his love for his son. How he stood by his son just a few short weeks ago.
You never know when a life will be taken from you. You never know what your final words will be to an individual. You never know. Brian Burke and his family will grieve for some time over the loss of their son. It is a grief that you carry with you for the rest of your life. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I understand that grief first hand.
And yet, one thing Brian Burke will never have to regret was how he showed his son love. He stood with his son when he could have easily turned his back. He didn’t just support his son a few weeks ago, he publicly stood with him. He showed unconditional love and support. I’ll admit that when I saw Brian Burke’s interview with his son, I felt tremendous pride for him. I thought of my own children and simply prayed, “Lord, help me to always stand with my children, even if I don’t always agree with choices they may make.”
Parents: don’t miss the significance of this. Regardless of what your child may choose to do. Don’t give up on them.
Don’t risk a day when you’ll regret how you responded to your child.
I said a quick prayer for Brian Burke and his family. I also thanked God for allowing the GM of my biggest rival to remind me again of the value of family. So, thank you, Brian.
And yes, the Leafs still suck.
February 7th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Well said Rob! My heart and prayers go out to the Burke family as well!
February 8th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Beautiful post Rob.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
What a sweet post… beautifully written! My heart and prayers go out to the Burke family as well. I was thinking the same thing, how great it is that Mr. Burke showed his son such unconditional love, for the whole world to see. I was truly touched. I truly admire and respect him. May the beautiful memories he has shared with his son help him get through this very difficult time.