Olympics, Devils deep playoff run made 1988 memorable for Burke

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
This week Fischler returns with the popular feature, "Voices From the Past." His subject is Sean Burke, who played for nine teams in 18 seasons as a goalie in the NHL. He is currently the director of goaltending for the Montreal Canadiens.
In this interview Burke discusses his memorable 1987-88 season when he played for Canada in the Olympics and then helped the New Jersey Devils reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in their history.

How did you become a goalie?
"I grew up in Toronto and started playing hockey when I was five. My father took me to an outdoor rink and I stepped on the ice. All of a sudden, a guy shot a puck and hit me right in the forehead. I had to get stitches, and right then and there I knew I wanted to be a goaltender."
What was the appeal that made you want to stay in the crease?
"What I liked about goaltending was the time a goalie got. He played the whole game while forwards and defensemen were always coming and going on and off the ice. Just the idea that I never had to come off the ice appealed to me right away. Some kids might shy away from heavy slapshots but the one thing about me was that I never ever was afraid of the puck."
Who was most influential in guiding you forward?
"My father had a lot of advice, such as, 'Work hard at everything you're doing.' Or 'If you're going to do something, do it right.' He was a disciplinarian and that was good for me. I learned that I had to dedicate myself to whatever I was doing and try to be the best at it."
What do you consider your hockey turning point?
"I made the varsity on St. Mike's team in the Metro Toronto Hockey League and in 1984-85 I graduated to the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League. Guys on the 'Marlies' would go to NHL training camps and tell us what it was like with the pros. I got good advice and that made my learning process easier. We traveled a lot and played in Maple Leaf Gardens. It was a good experience."
When did you wind up with the New Jersey Devils?
"I was drafted in June 1985 (No. 24). Up until then I was playing just for the fun of it but getting drafted changed everything. I said to myself, 'Sean, you must be doing something right. You've got a chance to play in the NHL.' And I was because it led to me playing for the Canadian National Team and then the Canadian Olympic team in 1988."
How good did you think you were then?
"The Devils helped me answer that one. Instead of rushing me, they knew that the Olympic program would help me, and I got some of the best training. I could tell that I wasn't quite NHL ready, so I welcomed the chance to learn while playing for my country. I got to travel around the world for two years, all expenses paid, and even played in Russia against their stars such as Sergei Makarov. What a way to develop as a goaltender!"
What was it like to play in the 1988 Winter Olympics for Canada?
"In once sense it was a downer since we didn't win a medal. There were no pros on our team and for us to have even gotten a medal it would have been overachieving. We had a chance for a Bronze Medal but came up a bit short. I don't think we underachieved. We played well but we didn't have the kind of talent some of the other teams had. There also was a lot of pressure because the games were in Calgary. But all things considered we worked hard and competed in every game."
How soon did you get to the NHL?
"Right away (after the 1988 Olympics were over), but my first game was strange. We (the Devils) played Washington [Capitals] and (goalie) Alain Chevrier started for New Jersey. He got beat 40 seconds into the game and had given up four goals by the end of the second period. So, coach Jim Schoenfeld decided to put me in to start the third. Mike Gartner beat me on a breakaway early in the period and we lost, 6-1. Then I faced a barrage of questions. I told the writers I wasn't putting extra pressure on myself."
Then what happened?
"I got the start three days later in Boston (against the Bruins). At one point we were down 3-1 but the guys rallied to tie it, 6-6. Then, Andy Brickley won it for us in overtime. I played fairly average but the thing is, we won and coach Schoenfeld was very positive. He thought enough of my effort to start me the next night at home against the [Philadelphia] Flyers. We won that game 4-2 and I stopped 24 shots. Now we were in a [Stanley Cup] playoff race that went right down to the wire to the last game of the season. It was gonna' be either the [New York] Rangers making it or us -- for the first time."
What was the outcome?
"Everyone thought the Rangers would beat us out, but it came down to our last game at Chicago Stadium. If we could beat the Blackhawks we'd get in but we were down 3-2 in the third. Then Johnny MacLean bailed us out with a goal in regulation; and at 2:21 of overtime Johnny beat Darren Pang and we were in. To this day when I think about it, the plot seems so unreal that it reminds me of a story book."
The storybook experience didn't end with simply making the playoffs, did it?
"Our first playoff opponent was the [New York] Islanders and they had finished first in our division. But we played them hard and tough. We led the series three games to two with Game Six in Jersey. We had a one goal lead with about 10 seconds left when Pat LaFontaine got a breakaway on us. I made one of my best saves with about a second left and that put us into the second round against Washington [Capitals]. We were beginning to think we were a Cinderella team."
Well, were you?
"Almost. It was really looking incredible after we knocked the Capitals out. That lifted us into the third round against the [Boston] Bruins, it put us only one playoff round win away from the Finals. And that was a tough, crazy series. We actually forced it to a seventh game at Boston Garden before we finally got knocked out. All things considered it was a thrilling rookie year for me. And the best part of it all is that I achieved my dream of playing in the NHL!"