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Lighting the Lamp: The Week's Sickest Snipes
Just over five minutes into Tuesday night's game between the Sharks and the Blackhawks, San Jose's Tommy Wingels scored on a wrister from the left faceoff circle. It might not have been a goal-of-the-year candidate, but that hardly matters: What made Wingels's goal — only the fourth of his young career — worthy of note was the date it took place.
Three years earlier to the day, a car accident claimed the life of 21-year-old Brendan Burke, the son of former Maple Leafs GM Brian and a buddy of Wingels's from college. Burke had been the student manager of the Miami of Ohio hockey team, on which Wingels played; Burke came out to the players and coaching staff in spring 2009. It was the supportive (and, even better, practically blasé) reaction from that team, as well as his family, that led Burke to pursue more publicly the cause of equal rights for GLBT athletes until his untimely death.
Last season Patrick Burke, a scout with the Philadelphia Flyers, unveiled an organization called You Can Play to honor and further the legacy of his younger brother. Wingels was and remains on the advisory board. "Our first two checks that were ever written to get us off the ground were done by Tommy Wingels and Andy Miele," Burke told the Mercury News.2 "I think it's pretty safe to say that without those two, we wouldn't be in the position we are today." That position is as strong as ever: You Can Play has gotten support not just from the NHL, but from minor league teams and numerous college programs; now, their outreach is expanding to other leagues, including the NFL.
As for Wingels, early Tuesday morning, he sent this tweet: "'The hope still lives, the cause endures, and the dream shall never die.' BB." And late Tuesday night, he scored. It's a small thing, sure, but I got goose bumps all the same.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8925598/the-la-kings-struggles-potential-playoff-series-tampa-bay-lightning-philadelphia-flyers-more-hockey-news-week-3
Three years earlier to the day, a car accident claimed the life of 21-year-old Brendan Burke, the son of former Maple Leafs GM Brian and a buddy of Wingels's from college. Burke had been the student manager of the Miami of Ohio hockey team, on which Wingels played; Burke came out to the players and coaching staff in spring 2009. It was the supportive (and, even better, practically blasé) reaction from that team, as well as his family, that led Burke to pursue more publicly the cause of equal rights for GLBT athletes until his untimely death.
Last season Patrick Burke, a scout with the Philadelphia Flyers, unveiled an organization called You Can Play to honor and further the legacy of his younger brother. Wingels was and remains on the advisory board. "Our first two checks that were ever written to get us off the ground were done by Tommy Wingels and Andy Miele," Burke told the Mercury News.2 "I think it's pretty safe to say that without those two, we wouldn't be in the position we are today." That position is as strong as ever: You Can Play has gotten support not just from the NHL, but from minor league teams and numerous college programs; now, their outreach is expanding to other leagues, including the NFL.
As for Wingels, early Tuesday morning, he sent this tweet: "'The hope still lives, the cause endures, and the dream shall never die.' BB." And late Tuesday night, he scored. It's a small thing, sure, but I got goose bumps all the same.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8925598/the-la-kings-struggles-potential-playoff-series-tampa-bay-lightning-philadelphia-flyers-more-hockey-news-week-3
Videos at the link.
