Brian Burke Delivers Support for Pride Night on National Broadcast

Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke is a noted supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community. He has marched in Pride parades in multiple cities across North America in honor of his son Brandon, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, who was tragically killed in a car wreck in 2010.

Brendan Burke was 21.

Saturday, Burke was an intermission guest on Hockey Night in Canada. In light of recent controversy and discussion over Pride nights and player participation, Burke voiced his unwavering support in favor of Pride nights and wearing Pride-themed jerseys.

This week, Florida Panthers Eric and Marc Staal made some headlines around the league for declining participation. Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov created the first controversy earlier this season when he unexpectedly sat out warmup rather than wear the jersey, citing his Russian Orthodox faith.

Multiple teams have quietly not worn the Pride-themed jerseys in warmup, such as the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.

Here is Burke’s appearance on Sportsnet: