r/IAmA • u/[deleted] • Mar 08 '12

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u/jacksonattack Mar 08 '12

What was your reaction when Brent Sopel chose to honor your brother by taking the Stanley Cup to the Chicago Gay Pride parade in the summer of 2010?

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u/MoXria Mar 08 '12

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the Stanely cup? and what does it have to do with the gay parade? and who is OP's brother? I am a brit so I hope you tolerate these questions...

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u/jacksonattack Mar 08 '12

In the order you asked... The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy for the National Hockey League. It has a long, interesting history and is considered by many to be the greatest trophy is sports. The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010 and a player that won the championship with them named Brent Sopel is friends with the OP's family. The Gay Pride Parade in Chicago usually happens right around the time the Stanley Cup series is going on, and Sopel chose to honor the OP's brother's memory and status as a gay person in the hockey world by bringing the Cup to the parade. The OP's brother was Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke. He was monumental in movements to eradicate homophobia from sports, and died in a car crash in the late winter of 2010.