Born	January 29, 1967 (1967-01-29) (age 42), Windsor, ON, CAN
Height Weight	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
Pro clubs	New Jersey Devils Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes Vancouver Canucks Philadelphia Flyers Florida Panthers Phoenix Coyotes Tampa Bay Lightning Los Angeles Kings
Ntl. team	Canada
NHL Draft	24th overall, 1985 New Jersey Devils
Pro career	1987 – 2007

Sean Burke (born January 29, 1967 in Windsor, Ontario) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.

[edit] Playing career

Sean Burke was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He earned national attention from his international play. He backstopped Canada's junior team to a silver medal in the 1986 World Junior Championships and a fourth-place finish for the national men's team at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Burke went from the Olympics to the Devils. He started 11 games for the Devils in the 1987–88 NHL season, including an overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on the final night of the season that qualified the Devils for their first playoff series.

Dubbed a "rookie sensation", Burke helped the Devils go on a playoff roll, defeating the division-leader New York Islanders in the first round in six games and then the Washington Capitals in seven games. Burke was one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals but lost in Game 7 of the Wales Conference finals to the Boston Bruins.

Burke's play was widely-heralded. The Hockey Digest declared, "Burke is now the franchise for the Devils, and to whatever heights he rises, the Devils will rise with him" and in December 1988 made Burke the first Devil to appear on its cover.^[1]

Because he played just 11 games in the 1987–88 regular season, he maintained his rookie status for the next season. The next season, Burke was elected into the NHL All-Star Game, becoming the first rookie goaltender to play in the All-Star game.

Burke played for the Devils through the 1990–91 NHL season, and then sat out the 1991–92 season in a contract dispute. Instead, he played for the Canadian national team and played in the Olympics for a second time. This time, he backstopped Canada to a silver medal.

On August 28, 1992, Burke was traded to the Hartford Whalers for Bobby Holík, a second-round pick in 1993 draft (Jay Pandolfo) and future considerations.^[2] He played there (and with the relocated Whalers team, the Carolina Hurricanes) for six seasons. Was voted Whalers' team MVP from '93–'97. Burke then played with several teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and Florida Panthers. He then signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, and played there for five seasons, being a finalist for the vezina trophy in 2001–02 season. After that, Burke played for the Philadelphia Flyers (for the second time)recording his 300th career win (the twentieth goalie to reach this milestone), and the Tampa Bay Lightning. In February 1998, Burke pleaded guilty to beating his wife on November 2 and was ordered to complete a domestic violence program within the next six months after and pay a $200 fine. Burke was on probation for the next 18 months. Burke was traded to the Vancouver Canucks shortly after.[1]

Burke was placed on waivers by Tampa Bay before the 2006–07 NHL season, but was not picked up. He then played for the Lightning's American Hockey League affiliate Springfield Falcons. However, he struggled with the Falcons and lost his starting job to Karri Ramo. He was then placed on waivers by the Lightning and picked up off re-entry waivers by the Los Angeles Kings.

Burke officially announced his retirement on September 18, 2007. On March 4, 2008, the Phoenix Coyotes hired Burke as the Director of Prospect Development.^[3]. He is now the Coyotes' goaltending coach.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Records

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Regular season

[edit] International play

Burke played in 11 games for the Canadian National team in the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics.^[4] He also played in 130 games for other Canadian National teams from 1985 through 2003.^[5]

[edit] Trivia

• Allowed Joe Sakic's first NHL career goal on October 8, 1988^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Sean Burke's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Sean Burke's biography at Legends of Hockey