Sport Management Department hosts residency by longtime NHL executive

Hockey executive Brian Burke will visit campus next week as the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management's Executive-in-Residence. Burke served as general manager of four National Hockey League teams including 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks. He also was general manager of the 2010 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team that won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He is currently a scout for the Anaheim Ducks.

 

Burke will deliver the Sport Innovators Keynote Address, “The Current Landscape of Labor Relations in Professional Sports,” on Tuesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. in Mahar Auditorium.

 

“We are thrilled to have Brian Burke as our executive-in-residence,” said department head Lisa Masteralexis. “Brian boasts comprehensive experience throughout professional and international hockey having served as a GM of four NHL organizations, the GM of the 2010 U.S. Olympic hockey team, an executive in the NHL league office, and working as a player agent. Brian is also a champion of equality and a strong voice against homophobia in sports. We are looking forward to having Brian share his wisdom, advice and career experiences at the pinnacle of hockey with our students, faculty and university community.”

 

“I am honored to be named the McCormack Executive-in-Residence,” said Burke. “Mark McCormack was an industry pioneer and an innovator in our business. I look forward to my campus visit and having the opportunity to interact with the faculty and students at the McCormack Department at Isenberg and share my industry experiences, knowledge and perspective.”

 

Burke is a vocal activist against homophobia in sports, a strong supporter of first response personnel and military service members, an environmentalist and a humanitarian. In honor of his late son Brendan, Burke has been a spokesperson for the “You Can Play Project” since it was co-founded by his son, Patrick, in 2011. “You Can Play” is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.

 

Before returning to the Ducks organization in his present scouting role, Burke was a senior advisor to the Toronto Maple Leafs after serving as the organization’s president and general manager from 2008-13. Burke was the executive vice president and general manager of the Anaheim Ducks from 2005-08. He served as president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks from 1998 to 2004. From 1993-98, Burke was the executive vice president and director of hockey operations at the National Hockey League, where he handled player discipline, ruling on violations for on-ice player conduct. He also worked closely with Commissioner Gary Bettman on collective bargaining matters. Prior to his tenure in the NHL office, he served as the general manager of the Hartford Whalers in 1992-93.

 

In 2012, Burke was appointed to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee. He is an original member of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group that was formed in 2007 to assist USA Hockey with the selection of players and staff of men’s national teams, including the Olympics. He served as general manager of the U.S. World Championship teams in 1993, 2009 and 2010. In 2008, Burke was recognized for his outstanding service to hockey in the United States when he was named the recipient of the 2008 Lester Patrick Award. Burke was named the Sporting News NHL Executive of the Year in 2001, and was a runner-up for the same award following the 2005-06 season. He was ranked No. 1 by The Hockey News in the magazine’s annual GM rankings in 2008.

 

Burke played hockey for Providence College, serving as co-captain of the Friars his senior year, earning a B.A. in 1977. He received his J.D. from Harvard University in 1981. After graduating from law school, Burke served as a player agent until 1987 when he accepted a position with the Vancouver Canucks as the director of hockey operations.  

 

In addition to the Sport Innovators Keynote Address, executives also participate in UMass Amherst Libraries’ Sport Innovation Oral History Project, which archives their stories. Industry insights and personal experiences will be digitally captured so that students and the public can benefit from their wisdom and influence for years to come.

 

Masteralexis added, “We are grateful to the McCormack Family for their extraordinary gift to the University, including the generous endowment of the Mark H. McCormack Executive-in-Residence. This program is about access to insider stories on the challenges and rewards of the business of sport management. It is also about sport management and marketing innovators spending quality time with students in forums, in the classroom, in break-out sessions, at dinner, one-on-one – a number of different ways that provide both the students and our guests a chance to get to know each other as people, as well as professionals. Relationships were important to Mark McCormack, and we wanted the program to reflect his legacy.”

 

Created in 1972, the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management is the second oldest degree program of its kind in the world, and the largest and most academically diverse department in the nation. The department is one of few sport management departments housed in an AACSB-accredited business school and has been hailed by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sports Business Journal, and other publications as a leader in its field. The department is also home to the McCormack Center for Sport Research and Education, which focuses on research and educational partnerships between the sport industry and academia.