TORONTO - Maple Leafs players honoured GM Brian Burke and the memory of his son, Brendan, with a moment of silence at the start of Saturday's game.

“Just work extremely hard so that Burkie (Burke) won’t have to worry about that,” goalie JS Giguere said at the Leafs morning skate today as the club prepared for tonight’s game against Ottawa.

Brendan Burke, 21, and Mark A. Reedy, 18, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., died at the scene of a two-vehicle accident in Wayne County, Ind., around 2:50 p.m. Friday. Heavy snow was falling at the time.

Brendan was on his way back to his Oxford, Ohio campus for a 4 p.m. shift at work, said Mike Pearson, spokesman for the Miami Redhawks. He was student manager of the NCAA top ranked team and shot and analyzed video for coaches. He had to prepare for the Friday night game against Lake Superior.

Pearson said Brendan was driving back after a visit to Michigan State University in East Lansing because he was interested in the school’s law program.

Investigators said Brendan Burke was driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 35 in a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee when, according to witnesses, the vehicle slid sideways into an oncoming 1997 Ford truck driven by Michael Moreland, 24, of Lynn, Ind. Moreland was not hurt.

Wayne County is close to the Indiana-Ohio border, about 100 kilometres northwest of Cincinnati.

“He was about an hour away from making it back to campus, though,” Pearson said.
“It was terrible yesterday with the worst storm of our winter and the roads were very difficult.”

He said the team won the game hours later, but heard of the tragic news moments later.

“What would have typically been a pretty light hearted locker room was just extremely sombre…he knew everyone on the team,” Pearson said.

Their home game tonight will include a look at Brendan’s accomplishments and contributions prior to face-off.

Giguere was especially close with Burke, having played for the GM when he ran the Anaheim Ducks and built a Stanley Cup winner there in 2007.

“It’s really sad, obviously. I don’t think we can comprehend what Brian is going through,” Giguere said. “Yes, we’re in shock. It’s not supposed to go that way. It’s a very tough day.”

The Leafs had an optional skate today, following a 4-3 loss in New Jersey the night before. The news of Brian Burke’s loss left everyone at the Air Canada Centre, and the players themselves, in a sad state as they turned their thoughts to the Burke family.

Giguere said the “best message” the team can send their GM is to play hard tonight against the Senators, who are riding a 10-game winning streak.

“The best message we can send to him (Burke) is be ready tonight and make sure we are upbeat and work hard for him,” Giguere said.

Focusing on hockey, though, will be difficult, Giguere admitted.

“It’s hard in a way because you feel for Burkie,” Giguere said. “It makes it especially hard when a young person (dies). “We need to match (Ottawa’s) intensity and will to win. I know at some point it will be difficult, but we need to find a way.”

Friends and fans of Brendan Burke have come together to share their thoughts and memories on social networking sites.

About half a dozen Facebook memorial groups formed overnight, one with more than 140 members, and a RIP Brendan Burke page already has more than 300.

Richard Krezwick, president of Devils Arena Entertainment and a close friend and neighbour of Brian Burke, said their sons grew up together, and remained best friends even though they went to different colleges.

“My fondest memories would be coming home from work and seeing the boys playing basketball in the driveway,” he said. The Burke home was on the same street as the Kreswick's in Canton, Massachusetts.

“All the parents would park down the street just so the boys could play.”
Krezwick said his son Michael's friendship with Brendan introduced him to Brian.

“I met him through the kids originally…their basketball games, so we were father friends before hockey friends, which I'm particularly proud of.”

Michael flew to Ohio to surprise Brendan on his 21st birthday in January, Krezwick said. It was the last time the two friends met.

“This just breaks my heart. I will never have a friend like Brendan again,” Hannibal Graham wrote on a memorial page.

“The most important thing I could say is that he was one of the few people I knew who never passed judgment on anyone. He had this charm and sincerity that opened people’s hearts,” Graham told the Star in an email.

“It was his concern for others and his integrity that led him to come ‘out’,” Graham said.

“His loss will be felt throughout the hockey and gay community . . . hopefully there will be others who will take up his cause to ensure that homosexual players don’t have to face discrimination,” Chris Roberts wrote.

Brendan Burke was widely credited with nudging hockey toward overcoming its sometimes homophobic culture.

He told the Star when he came out, that he was overwhelmed with the positive feedback he’d received from the public, heralding the support from his father and the hockey world.

“The reaction from the press and fans and everyone has been overwhelmingly positive,” Brendan Burke said.

He was a student manager of the Miami (Ohio) University hockey team, and had come out to his team and his father more than two years ago.

The Burkes went public after a reporter, who had been a friend of the family, told them he planned to write about it.

“I said, ‘It won’t change anything Brendan,’” Brian Burke said at the time. “‘It doesn’t change our view. We love you and we’re proud of you. It doesn’t change anything in my mind and it never will.’”

Brian Burke received widespread praise for supporting his son, both within hockey and outside. He told reporters he hoped his story will give others the confidence to come forward.

“I think it’s important my story is told to people because there are a lot of gay athletes out there and gay people working in pro sports that deserve to know there are safe environments where people are supportive regardless of your sexual orientation,” Brendan Burke said.

Miami Redhawks coach, Enrico Blasi, and the rest of the team first learned of Brendan’s orientation after the Frozen Four tournament last spring.

“I think having Brendan as part of our program has been a blessing,” Blasi told ESPN.com.
“We are much more aware of what you say and how you say it.”

A tribute to Brendan appeared on a website for Miami fans.

“As most of you know, Brendan was a part of ‘The Brotherhood,’ working with the Miami hockey program as a student manager,” it said. “No matter your point of view on things, please keep the Burke family in your thoughts.”

In a statement MLSE president and CEO Richard Peddie said: “On behalf of the entire Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Brian Burke. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Burke family during this extremely difficult time.”

With files from Carmen Chai