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TORONTO — Former NHL executive Brian Burke’s love for rugby started after his hockey playing career ended.

Having won the Calder Cup with the AHL’s Maine Mariners in 1978, he started that fall at Harvard Law School. Burke found a new sport there, playing tighthead prop for the Harvard Business School for 4 1/2 years.

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“I love rugby. It’s my second favourite sport,” said Burke, who now works as a TV hockey pundit.

Burke has remained involved as a member of Rugby Canada’s board of directors. And now he is part of the ownership group of the expansion Toronto Arrows, who kick off their inaugural season next month in Major League Rugby.

Burke, like others involved with the fledging franchise, hope the Arrows will both give players high-level club rugby and serve as a pathway for Canadians into pro rugby. The team is planning its own rugby academy to help prepare young talent to rise up the sport’s ranks.