Goalies and Guitars

Goalies and Guitars

The link between goalies and guitars has been well documented here at InGoal over the years, and NHL veteran Sean Burke has always been at or near the top of the stories about that strong bond. So it should come as no surprise that Burke is also leading the charge when it comes to teaching others how to play his favorite instrument.

Burke has started giving free guitar lessons on YouTube, in part because he knows how much spare time so many people have to learn something new amid all the social distancing and stay-at-home orders surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in part to help those people relieve a little stress, something playing does for him.

“This is a hobby I’ve had for a lot of years, something that I’ve found is a great stress reliever when I’m playing,” Burke said while introducing his first online lesson:

Burke started with Bob Dylan’s 1973 hit “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” as his first song for beginners (above) last week, and moved onto “Free Fallin” from Tom Perry in the second video he just posted for this week (below). He ended the second session by showing one of his Arizona Coyotes masks featuring Jimmy Page, the guitarist for Led Zeppelin, and Jimmy Hendrix, and shared a story about how he got that mask signed by Page through friend and fellow guitarist Dave Mustaine from Megadeath:

It certainly wasn’t the only mask Burke wore during an impressive 19-year NHL career that featured guitarists he admired. He shared some insights on a few of them with us here at InGoal — and in past roles at magazines like Goalie News — and now seems like a perfect time to share a few of those stories, quotes and anecdotes (including a few that were previously unpublished) from a goalie who’d bring a guitar on road trips.

But first, we though it might be worth reminding some of our new readers that learning to play the guitar can also help make you a better goaltender. Seriously.

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The full version of this article for Members includes a complete story on the benefits of guitar playing to goaltending (seriously!) and more on Burke, his love for the instrument and stories from his days as a guitar-playing goaltender.