Bernard M. Burke Jr. was an American ice hockey

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

who won a silver medal at the 1950 World Championships and captained the

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

to the national championship in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

Career

Burke first began attending

in 1942, joining the ice hockey team under John Kelley. After his freshman year, however, the university, along with many of its contemporaries, suspended its ice hockey program due to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

' involvement with

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Burke left college and joined the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

, spending approximately three years in the service. After leaving the Navy Burke returned to BC for the 1946–47 school year and rejoined the hockey team. He eventually became the starter and helped the Eagles reach the inaugural

NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

. Burke was selected as

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

for his senior season. He led the Eagles to their best record in team history, finishing their regular season with a 17–1 record. Burke held the fort in two tough battles to win the New England Tournament (the precursor to the

Beanpot A beanpot is a deep, wide-bellied, short-necked vessel used to cook bean-based dishes. Beanpots are typically made of ceramic, though some are made of other materials, such as cast iron. The relatively narrow mouth of the beanpot minimizes evap ...

) and garnered the Eagles a second consecutive bid to the national tournament. Boston College won both games to capture the championship, with Burke being named to the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

All-Tournament Second Team. After graduating, Burke joined the US National Team for the 1950 World Championships, winning a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

. Burke retired following the 1950 season and, after a year off, returned to his alma mater to serve as the coach for the freshman team. He remained in that position until the NCAA ended the restriction for freshman on varsity teams, after which he became the goaltending coach for the varsity squad. He retired in 1993, after more than 45 years at Boston College.

Honors

Burke was inducted into the Boston College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Bernie 1925 births 2013 deaths American men's ice hockey goaltenders Ice hockey players from Massachusetts Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players Boston Olympics players Sportspeople from Newton, Massachusetts United States Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Massachusetts United States Navy sailors NCAA men's ice hockey national champions AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans