Quote Of The Day - Brian Burke

“The best thing about when Brendan told me he was gay, I didn’t have to take anything back. I hadn’t made any derogatory comments about gay people, I hadn’t told him they were sick or twisted or God would punish them — some of these absurd things that people say about homosexual people. I didn’t have to take anything back. I said it to him. We were both in tears.” - Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, talking about his son, who was killed in a car accident earlier this year. Burke will march with PFLAG in Toronto's pride parade.

Brendan Burke Dies In Car Accident

Brendan Burke, the openly gay son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, died in a car accident in Indiana on Friday afternoon at the age of 21. The Burkes made international news in December when the story of Brendan's coming out to his very supportive father was the subject of a profile on ESPN.com. The crash, said to be snow-related, also took the life of Brendan's 18 year-old companion. Horrible, horrible.