Covenant House is a shelter for homeless youth that provides assistance to young people in need. On Thursday night, the organization held their inaugural "Sleep Out: Executive Edition" event where over 50 business leaders slept outside in a parking lot in downtown Toronto and were given just a sleeping bag and a piece of cardboard.

One of those people enduring the cold on Thursday night was Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke.

(We're just going to assume that this photo captures Burke just as he was receiving the "two-week moratorium in negotiations" email.)

Burke is heavily involved in various charities, most notably the You Can Play Project, founded by his son, Patrick, in honor of the late Brendan, one of the Burke siblings who passed away in a car accident in 2010.

From 680 News via CP:

Burke said unlike street kids, the participants will be back in their own beds Friday night. "That's not what these kids face," he said. "A good dose of reality in a small amount. I'm happy to do it." Burke is also there for a more personal reason, he said. "My particular interest is a significant percentage of that community are members of the LGBT community, which is where I do a lot of my work because of my late son," he said.

In the end, the event raised more than $520,000 for Covenant House, more than doubling their original goal.

Next up (we hope) is the leadership of the NHL and NHLPA bearing the cold winter for a night and coming to an agreement before sunrise. Sleeping bags, pieces of cardboard, some newspaper to burn to keep warm ... something to speed up this season-killing process.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy