In the history of the NHL, only 22 players, including seven defensemen, have played 1,500 regular-season games. That is scheduled to change on Saturday when Brent Burns will hit the ice when the Colorado Avalanche host the Dallas Stars.
Once he begins his first shift, Burns will join Zdeno Chara, Chris Chelios, Scott Stevens, Larry Murphy, Ray Bourque, Nicklas Lidstrom and Ryan Suter as the only defensemen in the 1,500-game club.
Two of the players Burns will join in this exclusive club are Patrick Marleau, who holds the NHL record for 1,779 games played, and Joe Thornton, whose 1,714 games are the sixth most in league history. Burns played eight seasons with Marleau and nine seasons with Thornton with the San Jose Sharks.
Burns said he’s learned a lot from both of his former Sharks teammates about the longevity in their respective careers.
‘“[Marleau] was just so even keel and so professional in the way he took care of himself,” Burns said. “And [Thornton] just had an unbelievable mentality. He’d just say, ‘Just play 82 (games). You gotta play 82. There’s no nights off.’ His mentality was just unbelievable to see and be a part of and learn from. And definitely, both those guys were huge for me in many ways.”’
When asked if he could catch Thornton in games played, Burns said no and added that he’s taking things one sleep at a time.
"I think there's a lot of luck,” Burns said. “A lot of work and you just got to enjoy it. I think every day, obviously everything's a lot harder as you get older, but I just love it. Even a day like today, the body doesn't feel too good. But, you get going in practice and you see guys get [a] sweat going and just start laughing. Those are the things you can't take for granted, that I think you got to enjoy it, be part of it."
Among memories that jump out to him, Burns recalled playing against an Avs team that included Peter Forsberg, a player that Burns said he loved as kid, in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals.
“I got some pictures at home of it,” Burns said. “I love the jerseys. I always collected different jerseys as a kid. You get the chance first time you play Toronto, first time you play the Detroit Red Wings, Avalanche, Sharks. Those were always fun times.”
Early in his career, Burns made it a point to learn from players around the league and watching what they did in pregame skates in addition to their routines.
“I feel very blessed to be able to play against some of those guys that I looked up to as a kid,” Burns said.
In a career that includes a Norris Trophy, gold medals at the 2015 IIHF World Championship and 2016 World Cup of Hockey, joining the 1,500-game club will only add to Burns’ incredible hockey legacy.
