Howie Morenz’s Buddy – Marty Burke
Howie Morenz and Marty Burke (Martin Alphonsus Burke) were road-trip room-mates for 7 of Burke’s 11 seasons in the league.
The two made an interesting pair. One was the face of the league and the leader of the club on the ice. The other was almost anonymous. One was renowned for his spectacular and innovative style of play. The other was appreciated because his play was dependable, and largely unobtrusive. Both had a willingness to sacrifice their physical selves for the purpose of the game and the benefit of the team, and both appreciated the value that the other’s play provided in the pursuit of winning hockey games.
Burke played senior hockey in Stratford, playing with and against players who had played with Morenz before Morenz had turned pro in July 1923. That is something that gives credence to the possibility that he could just show up in Montreal in the fall of 1927, ask to try out, and actually be given a contract.
At a short 5’7â€, and a training camp weight of 147 pounds in October, 1930, Burke was a small man on a small team. In fact, the only Canadiens smaller than Burke were the diminutive goalkeeper George Hainsworth, Aurel Joliat, and the rookie Johnny Gagnon. There is a picture of Burke (The Calgary Herald, November 17, 1941, p.8, c.1 – 4), taken years later when he was coaching the senior Calgary Stampeders hockey club. The photo makes him actually appear tiny – perhaps a trick of perspective – in comparison with his players.
Despite his size disadvantage, Burke accumulated over 500 minutes in penalties in just over 500 regular season NHL games. His tenacity and willingness to get himself involved were well-known around the league. The Globe and Mail, December 27, 1937, p.17, c.2, commented:
Burke is an inspiration figure out there . . . . He fears no foe, and and he’ll bodycheck a man like Charlie Conacher just as surely as he will the lightest player in the league. He isn’t very big himself, but he . . . is dynamite when he connects.
Marty Burke actually had 4 different tours of service with the Canadiens: 1927, 1929 – 1932, 1933 – 1934, and 1937 – 1938. In between he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ottawa Senators, and Chicago Black Hawks. He was playing for the Hawks at the Forum on January 28, 1937, the night when Howie Morenz was playing his final game.
Despite being born in Toronto, Burke eventually retired to Stratford, Ontario.. He had some heart trouble in the last decade of his life, and died at Stratford on March 7, 1968, at the age of 65. Marty Burke was buried in the Avondale Cemetery – the same cemetery where Howie Morenz’s own parents lay. The connections between Howie and himself became permanent and immutable.