Just weeks before his death in an auto accident, Brendan Burke, the student manager for the Miami University hockey team and son of long-time NHL general manager Brian Burke, had made the brave decision to speak out against homophobia in sports. Following his brother's passing, Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke decided to take Brendan's cause even further.

The result of Patrick Burke's relentless work is the You Can Play Project, one of the fastest-growing volunteer initiatives in sports. Burke co-founded the project in 2011 along with marketing expert Brian Kitts and Glenn Witman, the founder of GForce Sports, a sports organization that advocates on behalf of gay and lesbian athletes.

"In the wake of my brother's accident, I decided I'm doing something," Patrick Burke, who got to know Kitts and Witman while participating in a public forum at Denver University, said. "I moderated this forum at Denver University. At the end of it I turned to Glenn and I said, 'I don't care if you like me or not, you guys are stuck with me now.'"

Almost immediately, Burke began reaching out to his friends in the hockey community, including his father and NHL players Andy Miele and Tommy Wingels, both of whom had befriended Brendan Burke while playing at Miami. With their signature message informing all athletes that "if you can play, you can play," the program made its mark with a video in which many of the NHL's top players voiced their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes.

The National Hockey League and its 30 clubs will be hosting a month's worth of activities in February revolving around the Hockey is for Everyone campaign, which celebrates grassroots hockey and the growing diversity of the game.

Now in its 15th year, the program offers children of all backgrounds opportunities to play hockey and leverages the sport of hockey as a catalyst to teach essential life skills and the core values of hockey: commitment, perseverance and teamwork. In addition, the initiative supports hockey programs that assist disabled military personnel in returning to active, mainstream lifestyles.

"Hockey is for Everyone Month is an extraordinary initiative for the NHL and an opportunity to show our continuing support for youth hockey and disabled hockey in North America," said Ken Martin, Jr., NHL Vice President of Community Affairs and Diversity Programming. "On behalf of the NHL and the Member Clubs, we are proud to present these grassroots programming initiatives and look forward to participating and exploring additional opportunities for more people of all backgrounds to play our great sport."

USA Hockey and the National Hockey League are inviting all kids ages 4 through 9 into one of nearly 500 rinks across the United States on Saturday as part of the organization's Try Hockey For Free Day.

Try Hockey For Free Day is part of the second annual Come Play Hockey Month sponsored by USA Hockey.

"Try Hockey For Free is the cornerstone of Come Play Hockey Month as we introduce the sport to thousands of children," Pat Kelleher, assistant executive director of development for USA Hockey, said in a statement. "The initiative provides an opportunity to become active in hockey and hopefully spark a passion for the game."

USA Hockey is offering free equipment and experience is not required. Registration forms and more information can be found online at TryHockeyForFree.com.