RIP Brendan Burke.

This morning, I found out via Twitter that Brendan Burke, the youngest son of Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, was killed in a car accident (link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/brian-burkes-son-killed-in-auto-accident/article1458392/ ). The 21-year-old had only just come out as a gay man to the hockey world and was striving for acceptance when his life was tragically cut short.

Though apparently some people have awful things to say about the poor man still, prompting editor Greg Wyshinski to have Yahoo! close comments on writer Sean Leahy's Puck Daddy article (and to that I must say: Karma will get you, not to worry), many more people have still shown their support for him and have offered their condolences to Brian and the rest of the Burke family. A blogger named wraparoundcurl has also offered up a wonderful post here that asks people to donate to PFLAG, an organization that, in her words, helps families bridge relations after someone comes out of the closet. Though I hope to God that people take the opportunity to learn more about it and try to understand what it means, I simply wish to extend my condolences to the Burke family. This is a tremendous loss, and I can imagine how hard it is for them to cope with it at this time. Brendan was an extremely brave soul, and I am certain that, were he to have lived longer, he would be a voice for all those athletes struggling with their sexuality.

Rest in peace, Brendan. You will be missed.