Brian Burke (ice hockey)

Brian P. Burke (born June 30, 1955 in Providence, Rhode Island) is an executive in the National Hockey League and currently the general manager and executive vice president of the Anaheim Ducks and the general manager of the U.S. National Ice hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island and raised in Edina, Minnesota , Burke graduated from Providence College in 1977 with a BA in History. While attending Providence, he played for the Friars Division-I ice hockey team, where, during his senior year, he served as captain. The team was coached by Lou Lamoriello. In 1977 Burke played seven games with the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League. Burke then proceeded to play one full year in the AHL with the Maine Mariners, who won the AHL Calder Cup Championship that year. After one year in the AHL, Burke attended Harvard, where he graduated with an J.D in 1981.

After graduating, Burke became an NHL player agent. In 1987, he was hired by Pat Quinn, his coach from Maine, to be the Director of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks. In 1992, he left that job to become general manager of the Hartford Whalers. He was fired after one year in Hartford, after which he was hired by the NHL to be Vice-President in charge of discipline, under commissioner Gary Bettman. In 1998, he became General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks. With the Canucks, he was credited with reviving the ailing franchise and increasing attendance, with the signing of several key players such as the Sedin twins, as the team won a playoff series and captured a division title. Following the 2003-04 NHL season, Canucks ownership chose not to renew Burke's contract for the general manager position. Burke then briefly worked as an analyst for NHL games on both the CBC and TSN. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he proposed a 15-point plan derived from his experience as an agent and general manager.

He is known in Vancouver for wearing his heart on his sleeve and occasionally feuding with certain members of the media, such as sports talk host David Pratt, as well as fellow GM Kevin Lowe for his signing of restricted free agent Dustin Penner, who was free to sign with any team he wanted. A dual citizen of the United States and Canada , Burke is married to Jennifer Mather, a former TV and radio journalist in Vancouver. They have 2 young daughters, Mairin and Fiona Grace. Burke has four children from a previous marriage—Katie, Patrick (a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers ), Brendan, and Molly.

Burke won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks as the GM in the 2007 season. It was his second year as an executive with the club.