OXFORD, Ohio - Less than five hours before Miami's home hockey game against Lake Superior State on Friday, RedHawks team manager Brendan Burke died in an auto accident in Eastern Indiana.
The Richmond (Ind.) Palladium-Item reported that "Brendan Burke, 21, Canton, Mass., and Mark A. Reedy, 18, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., died at the scene of a two-vehicle accident at U.S. 35 north of Economy. The accident was reported at 2:50 p.m.
"Investigators said Burke was driving eastbound on U.S. 35 in a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee when, according to witnesses, the vehicle slid sideways into an oncoming 1997 Ford Truck."
The fatal crash occurred about 35 miles from Oxford.
Burke, who analyzed video and kept statistics for the top-ranked RedHawks, is the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke. Brian Burke is also the GM of this year's U.S. Olympic men's hockey team.
Brendan Burke made the news two months ago when came out as being homosexual. ESPN's John Buccigross wrote about his challenges and the difficulty he had telling his father in 2007.
"Brendan is a great guy, personable and caring," Miami coach Enrico Blasi told Buccigross for his Dec. 2 column. "As student manager, he is involved in a lot of things for us -- video, stats and community service, to name a few of his duties.
"To my knowledge, there has been nothing negative [since he came out to us]. I think it goes along the lines that Brendan is part of our family. Everyone respects Brendan, and that's all that really matters.
"The players are awesome. They are very sensitive to language and how we talk in the locker room. Again, it goes back to our culture and working on relationships and behaviors.
"[As far as whether a player could come out and be able to function like a normal college player], that's a tough one and I don't want to speak for any other program. As far as Miami is concerned, we are about the person. I believe we would be accepting and honestly not even think twice about it.
"I think having Brendan as part of our program has been a blessing. We are much more aware of what you say and how we say it. I am guilty as anyone. We need to be reminded that respect is not a label, but something you earn by the way you live your life."
This just sucks out loud. My thoughts are with the hockey family and immediate family.