The couple was involved in and walked away from a plane crash in Stevensville late in February.

“The thought never crossed my mind until our PTSD therapist started dissecting our days and how the limited amount of energy was spent in a 24-hour period,” Burks, a Missoula resident, stated in an email on Monday afternoon. “It did not matter how much joy the organization brought. Massive amounts of stress and energy was burned to run it from 120 miles away. We would both be working with the coaches or staff until 9 p.m., in some way, shape or form and that was not allowing us to focus on the time that was needed to start our recovery from the crash.”

The donation includes the team's mascots, player gear, game-day computers and supplies, audio, video and special-effect lighting, team buses and $300,000 in improvements made to the Butte Community Ice Center, 1700 Wall St.

The decision to separate himself from his team was not easy but it was something that needed to be done.

Burks spoke with several people about his options before deciding that donating the team to the BAHA was the best solution.

“I talked to several individuals that told me that I could sell the franchise for up to $200,000 with all of the assets that it owned but that would not guarantee that the team would stay in Butte,” Burks said. “The Seattle Supersonics were sold to Starbucks and then immediately sold to an investor from Oklahoma and now Seattle no longer has an NBA team.

“I meant what I said last year when the Missoula rink no longer wanted the Maulers (another team that was owned by Burks). The Cobras will never leave Butte and giving them to the Butte Amateur Hockey Association now guarantees that they are the property of Butte America and can never be taken away.”

Members of the Butte Amateur Hockey Association are grateful for the gift but must now decide on what to do with the team going forward.

“We knew that Michael wouldn’t stay as the owner forever but it was a good, positive relationship and we hope to continue with junior hockey in some fashion,” BAHA President Mike Flanick said. “Right now we’re evaluating a couple of different leagues like the NA3 (North American 3 Hockey League), which has a lot of local teams, the WSHL and others. We have to evaluate those options and whether to participate directly or bring another owner in to take it over.”

The Cobras are currently a member of the Western States Hockey League. Teams in Helena and Missoula are part of the NA3.

Burks approached the BAHA members a few weeks ago, just as the team was beginning a strong run through the WSHL playoffs. He said that the initial reaction among BAHA members was one of fright before he explained to them that the team has an internal support staff “that handled everything I asked of them without question.”

Burks also said that he would make himself available to the BAHA, should any other questions arise.

The Cobras, who became a reality by playing their first game in the fall of 2014, have built a devoted fan base as well as strong relationships with the youth hockey programs in Butte. The relationship was something that Burks deemed to be of high importance when he started working on his plans of bringing a team to town.

“In order to get support from the general public, you have to show that you are a part of the community and want to support the community,” Burks said months before the Cobras played their first game.

The Cobras had their share of roadblocks during their early days. Their first coach, Jon Jonasson, quit months before the season even started.

Their second coach, Jason Dobes, steered the program through its first season but was relieved of his duties – along with a handful of players – during the early part of the 2015-16 campaign.