Maple Leafs GM Proud of Gay Son

ESPN.com writer John Buccigross tells the coming-out story of a college student whose father, Brian Burke, is the general manager of the NHL's, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Brendan Burke, a student manager for the hockey team at Miami University in Ohio, came out to his father in 2007. The older Burke and the rest of Brendan's family were accepting and understanding, according to the story.

"I wish this burden would fall on someone else's shoulders, not Brendan's," said Brian Burke, who managed the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks before joining the Maple Leafs. "Pioneers are often misunderstood and mistrusted. But since he wishes to blaze this trail, I stand beside him with an axe! I simply could not be more proud of Brendan than I am, and I love him as much as I admire him."

Reactions from team members and officials were also supportive.

"For Brendan, it's a very brave thing that he's done, to step out like that and think about his future," Leafs coach Ron Wilson told The Globe and Mail. "Hopefully he can be a pioneer in the right way and a very positive way. He's certainly got the support of Brian [Burke] and everybody in our organization."

"Any father would support their kid," Leafs forward Jason Blake said. "It's one of those things in life. I think you guys [the media] are making it a bigger issue than it is. I don't know why we're even talking about it."