The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
For Jason Burke, a yards foreman for CP Rail, the game of hockey has allowed him to play hockey in different parts of the world. Burke, who was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, started his hockey journey playing for the Flin Flon Bombers in 1998 to 2000 with Mike Reagan and Todd Alexander. "My role was playing with Mike and Todd Alexander and setting them up," he said. He must have done a good job as he tallied 130 points. He gives credit to his teammates though. "Mike's a great hockey player. He got an NCAA scholarship and has played professionally. I'm proud of him," Burke said. "Todd's having a great professional career. They made my job easier." He also got a taste of semi pro hockey in Texas for the Lubbock Cotton Kings in the Central Hockey League. "That was awesome," he said. "I loved it. You don't make a great living. The top guys got paid $1,500 and the lower end guys $350 a week when I played, but your housing is paid for." Burke still laces up the skates and plays for the Bombers, but it's the team in Thunder Bay and they compete for the Allan Cup, which the team won last year. Winning senior hockey's prized trophy earns the team a berth in the Four Nations tournament and representing Canada. Burke played in Budapest, Hungary playing against Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia. "The caliber was awesome," he said. "It was an honour. My whole life I wanted to play for Canada." Burke still looks back on his days in Flin Flon and reminisces with teammates about those Bomber teams. "We had a great team. I think we could have done better," he said, with some disappointment. Burke liked the people and the atmosphere. "It's a great place to play hockey," he added. "I love the summer. It's a good hockey town." Burke said he wants to come back for a visit, especially because Reagan has come to see him several times in Thunder Bay. "I'd like to help Mike with his hockey school," Burke said. He cherishes both Flin Flon and hockey. Burke felt a close bond with his teammates and that's what sticks out the most. "It was special," he added. "Hockey is a big part of my life. Now 26-years-old, Burke is back living in hometown with his wife, Jill, and daughter, Brooklyn. "I met my wife through a friend and she's everything I wanted in a girl. She puts up with a lot," he said. Thanks to her father, who is a manager at CP Rail, Burke works there as a yards foreman. That job pays better than semi-pro and needing to raise a family prompted the change. "I love it here. There's 130,000 people and the university hockey is said to be the cream of the crop," Burke said of Thunder Bay. "The Staal family (Eric, who plays for the Carolina Hurricanes) is from here. It's a hockey city."5/15/2006
