With the NHL Playoffs rapidly approaching, an interesting storyline is whether veteran Colorado Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns will finally win his first Stanley Cup.
In a scenario similar to 2001, when, late in his storied career, Hall of Fame defenceman Ray Bourque, with the Avalanche, won his first Stanley Cup, the same situation 25 years later is playing itself out involving another future Hall of Famer in Burns.
Avalanche Defenceman Brent Burns On A Mission To Win Lord Stanley
Burns, who recently turned 41 years old and is in his 22nd season, was originally drafted way back in 2003, 20th overall by the Minnesota Wild.
During his storied career, Burns enjoyed tenures with the Wild, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, and, this year, the Avalanche. Known for his skating, his shot and offensive instincts Burns in 1,577 games has scored 273 goals and 944 points while racking up 885 PIM’s.
Showing to be an absolute money player, Burns has also excelled in the postseason with 24 playoff goals, 80 points and 117 PIM’s in 135 games.
Throughout the years, Burns has built up an impressive resume, which includes playing in six All-Star Games (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019). His biggest individual accomplishment came in 2017, when, following a standout campaign in which Burns scored 29 goals and 76 points with a plus/minus of +19, he won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman.
This season, Burns hit another major milestone, which illustrates his determination, ability to play through pain and love for the game, when on Saturday, April 4th during Colorado’s 2-0 road win against the Dallas Stars, this respected veteran made history by playing in his 1,000th straight game.
“I think it’s nice”, Burns said. “You start to think about those things and all the things people sacrifice along the way, and yourself too. I think you can’t help but think about those things. 1,000 is always big in this league. I think when you start coming up on this one, I never really thought about it, to be honest, until maybe 20-30 games (ago), because I’ve always said, it takes so much luck. That’s why I don’t even like talking about it. There’s just so many times that things happen in the game (it’s) so fast.”
Burns, who last summer signed a one-year 1 million dollar deal with Colorado, has his best chance to win that elusive Stanley Cup as he is playing on a stacked Avalanche team who this year won the Presidents’ Trophy.
Starting on April 18th, the Avalanche will begin that mission to win a Stanley Cup for Burns.
Unrestricted Free Agent Burns Agreed to a One-Year Contract With Avalanche
Following three seasons with the Hurricanes, Burns wanted to go where he had the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup.
Being on the back-nine of his storied career, Burns, on July 3, 2025, was thrilled to ink a one-year contract with the Avalanche worth one million dollars as he expressed his belief that this team team has an excellent opportunity at winning the cup.
“It’s obviously a special group,” Burns said last July. “I think at this point it’s exciting. Nervous for me. I just want to come in and join the group, to fit in, and I think my experience and time at the rink, I just want to bring some energy, bring some fun, some experience.
Obviously, there’s a lot of guys there that I can learn from, and I think it’s always a big part of playing with different guys; everybody can learn from everybody. So I’m sure for me, it’s going to be great, and hopefully some of those guys will see some different things and can learn from me, and I’m really looking forward to being a part of a special group.”
Burns, who with trademark beard is affectionately known as either “Burnsie,” “Wookie”, “Chewbacca,” or “Wildman,” brought an exceptional work ethic, leadership skills and more offensive power from the back-end to the Avalanche.
He has definitely played a huge role in Colorado not only winning this year’s Presidents’ Trophy but being a Stanley Cup favorite heading into the playoffs.
Burns Ironman Streak Eclipses 1,000 Games
Chances are, once Burns’ career is finally over, he will mostly be remembered for his burning passion for hockey, along with his dedication and high pain threshold, which led to the big blue liner to join forward Phil Kessel as the only players to have played in 1000 straight games.
Burns’ journey to 1,000 straight games began on November 21, 2013, when he was a member of the Sharks, and ended on April 4th, 2026 when in a 2-0 win at American Airlines Center, against the Dallas Stars, the veteran reached 1,000 games.
Next up on the NHL’s Ironman list is Kessel, who has played 1,064 straight games.
Saying that, you can bet that the focus for Burns isn’t the streak but rather preparing for the playoffs and what might be his final shot at being a Stanley Cup winner.
Main Image: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
