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Brendan Burke, Patrick’s younger companion and the video
coordinator and student manager for the Miami-Ohio hockey combine, was
killed in a car crash Feb. 5, 2010. He was 21 years old. The crash
came reasonable months after a story by ESPN’s John Buccigross
about Brendan revealing his homosexuality to his one's own flesh put him in
the national spotlight, because he and Patrick are the sons of
Maple Leafs normal manager Brian Burke (Providence, R.I.).
Since the tragedy, Patrick and the lounge of the Burke family have
continued Brendan’s mission, advocating for forbearance and
trying to curb homophobia in sports. Patrick has teamed up with
GForce Sports, an all-gay hockey unite from Denver, and gives
regular speeches to young, impressionable audiences of prep coterie,
high school and college students about the plight of gay
athletes.
“Every perpetually I speak it’s an emotional experience
talking about Brendan,” Patrick Burke said. “Every continuously
we talk I have to get into why I’m the one speaking instead
of him. It’s always incredibly excited to talk about how
proud I am of Brendan, how much I miss him and how proud I am to
try to carry on his legacy.
Source: New England Hockey Journal