Brent Burns is about to hit an NHL milestone nobody believed was possible
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Colorado Avalanche veteran defenseman Brent Burns is on the brink of reaching an NHL milestone that few ever imagined he could achieve, cementing his place among the league's most remarkable and enduring players.
Burns laced up for just his third career game against a lineup of legends including Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Rob Blake, and the rest of the 2003-04 Avalanche team.
Fast forward 22 years later, and Burns is now one shift away from joining an elite group, becoming only the 23rd player in NHL history to reach 1,500 regular-season games. A milestone none of those icons ever achieved.
Brent Burns is on the verge of NHL greatness.
According to Aarif Deen from Colorado Hockey Now, it's a milestone none of those icons ever achieved came close to achieving, and Burns shared his thoughts on the milestone on Friday.
"Those are the guys that I looked up to when I was a kid, those are the guys that I loved. To see some of them walking around here now, it's pretty cool." -Burns
Burns has an active Iron Man streak of 926 games, the longest among current players, and ranks eighth all-time in games played among NHL defensemen, chasing Ryan Suter and Nicklas Lindstrom this season.
"What separates the 40-year-old Burns from other veterans is his ability to still play a big role on Stanley Cup contending teams. Burns was traded from San Jose to Carolina after missing the playoffs in three straight seasons." -Deen
Burns has averaged 20:49 through two games thus far with the Avalanche.
The stage is set for Burns to break the record in Colorado's next game on Saturday night against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena.
Previously on Avalanche Insider
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