SPORTS: Brian Burke

I quibble with the perception that Brian Burke is a hockey savant, a man who seemingly has the golden touch. I feel he took over the major parts of a Stanley Cup team from Brian Murray and sawed off the rough edges and added some glue guys (talented, but glue nonetheless) and got a Cup to smear over lesser stints in Hartford and Vancouver. I have a saying for it, "Burke's blarney."

I previously thought of him as a poor man's Don Cherry by way of America.

And in the most part, my evaluation of him as a hockey guy is still on hold. But as a man? Totally, completely reversed. Brian Burke is a man. A good man. A man I'd like in my foxhole and in peacetime, living next door.

He's the father of Brendan Burke. The story of that relationship is told in a column up at ESPN.com written by John Buccigross. I heard about it a half-hour ago when Buccigross was interviewed on TheFan590 by Bob McCown. He didn't preface the reason for the story while teasing the piece and I won't either. But, if you are interested in a peek behind the public persona of Brian Burke and learn of the outstanding guy Brendan Burke is, (and University of Miami hockey coach Enrico Blasi should be included in the hosannas as well) then go to http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=buccigross_john&id=4685761.

You will be glad you did, unless you are an idiotic close-minded fool. Which you shouldn't be, if you are reading this blog.

Brian Burke. Brendan Burke. Enrico Blasi. Thank you for being the people you are. The world is better for it.