Burns to play in 1,000th straight game thanks to ‘love of game’

To play one NHL game is an accomplishment. To play 1,000 is special.

To play 1,000 straight?

It’s a rare triumph of love, luck, will and skill.

You must love the game. You must be lucky enough to avoid serious injuries, tough enough to play though injuries and illnesses others wouldn’t, and good enough to stay in the lineup game after game, year after year, for more than 12 seasons.

Brent Burns will become the second player in NHL history to do it when the Colorado Avalanche visit the Dallas Stars on national television Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, SN1), following Phil Kessel who holds the NHL record at 1,064 straight games.

“It’s impressive to play that many games, let alone that many games in a row,” Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said. “It’s just ridiculous.”

​

To put it in perspective, consider that in NHL history only 14 players have reached 600 straight games. The next-longest active streak belongs to Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki at 529 straight games.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider -- who has played 402 straight games, sixth among active players -- called it “just straight-up remarkable.” Seider is about to turn 25 on Monday. Burns is 41, the oldest player in the NHL.

“I just know what I’ve been through, and I don’t want to even imagine what he’s been through,” Seider said. “I think that’s what makes our game so enjoyable, so much more special maybe than other sports. I think we just take so much pride in being available, and I think he’s a prime example for everyone in the League, for every single kid that wants to play hockey.”

Burns has played 1,571 NHL games, 19th in NHL history, for the Minnesota Wild (2003-11), San Jose Sharks (2011-22), Carolina Hurricanes (2022-25) and Avalanche (2025-26).

While playing the past 999 straight, he has switched from forward to defense; won the Norris Trophy, voted the NHL’s best defenseman (2016-17); been a Norris finalist twice more; played 23,454 minutes, most in the League; and produced 693 points (193 goals, 500 assists). He hasn’t missed any of his teams’ 108 Stanley Cup Playoff games, either.

What’s his secret?

He balances the most colorful, fun-loving personality in the NHL with smart, meticulous preparation. With a gap-toothed grin and big, black beard, he hunts on his Texas ranch in the offseason, carries a backpack with mysterious contents and goes through a strict routine.

“I just love it,” he said after signing a one-year contract with Colorado on July 2. “I love coming to the rink every day and working. It really is the best. You’re around guys that are chasing one goal, and there’s just something special about it. All the laughs and the working hard together, it’s really special to try to build something together. I just enjoy that process. I love obviously training and all that stuff going together. I still love it. I think that’s so important, the passion part of it.”

He has a burning desire to win the Stanley Cup for the first time and a great chance with the Avalanche this season.

“There’s still something to chase,” he said. “I’m still super motivated for that. Yeah, there’s one big goal still.”

Burns hasn’t missed a game since early in the 2013-14 season. He was 28 then, playing right wing on a line with left wing Tomas Hertl and center Joe Thornton. A groin surgery had limited his ability to pivot as a defenseman, so the Sharks moved him back to forward, his original position in the NHL, so he could play through it more effectively.

In a 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 12, 2013, Burns had a goal and an assist -- and took a stick in the mouth from goalie Robin Lehner. He played through a facial injury for three more games, adding another goal and another assist, then was forced to sit out for 13 games.

He returned Nov. 21, 2013, with a goal in a 5-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“You don’t ever want to miss games,” he told the San Jose Mercury News beforehand. “It’s always the goal at the start of the year. It’s not about points. It’s about playing every game and winning.”

Burns has played every game since.

“‘Burnzie’ gets so much joy coming to the rink,” said Red Wings coach Todd McLellan, who coached the Sharks from 2008-15. “He loves hockey. He loves being around the guys. He’s glass-half-full all the time. He’s full of energy. Even when he’s tired, he’s got more energy than everybody else. I think that positivity that he carries around with him, and his joy for the game and his mental toughness to battle through things, has put him in this spot.”

Burns played the rest of the 2013-14 season as a forward and finished with 48 points (22 goals, 26 assists) in 69 games.

He moved back to defense after that. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, he has 653 points (175 goals, 478 assists) in 938 games, fourth among NHL defensemen. He won the Norris in 2017 and was a finalist in 2016 and 2019.

“Burnzie is a combination of freak athlete with one of the most original, comfortable-in-his-own skin personalities I have ever coached,” said Peter DeBoer, who coached the Sharks from the start of the 2015-16 season through the first 33 games of the 2019-20 season. “What he has in common with the other great players of his generation is, he loves the game. Loves to practice, loves to train, love the banter in the dressing room. He is a big kid at heart.”

NHL players rarely talk about injuries. But when Burns met with the media in Carolina after last season, he gave insight into what he went through with the Hurricanes in 2023-24 when he had 43 points (10 goals, 33 assists) and averaged 21:30 of ice time in 82 games. Apparently, he felt some uncertainty entering the last year of his contract.

“I had an injury (that) kind of bugged me all year, had surgery at the end of the year, so it was tough physically and mentally that year,” he said. “And obviously, I knew coming into (2024-25) it was my last year on the deal, so I just wanted to see how I bounced back, kind of how I felt physically, and I felt great. Body-wise, I felt really good. I tried to just enjoy it.”

Burns had 29 points (six goals, 23 assists) and averaged 20:57 in 82 games in 2024-25. In the regular-season finale, a 7-5 loss at Ottawa on April 17, 2025, Carolina rested some key players for the playoffs. But Burns played one 24-second shift to keep his ironman streak going.

“We wanted him to rest, but he didn’t want to rest,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “The interesting part of that story is that he stayed on the bench the whole time, cheering on his teammates. It wasn’t like he was just packing it in. He also prepared like he was going to play that whole game.”

Brind’Amour said it takes a special athlete to play every game at a high level.

“It’s one thing to say, ‘I’m going to go play,’” Brind’Amour said. “But to get yourself ready to play the way you need to in today’s game, it’s not easy. It’s special to play every game. At the end of the day, it’s about being a pro and being accountable. He was all of that. He didn’t just show up; he prepared. And that’s what people can’t really wrap their head around. There’s a lot that goes into playing the game. He’s about to be among the best ever. It says a lot about him.”

When Burns became an unrestricted free agent after last season, the Red Wings were among the teams interested. McLellan talked to him on FaceTime.

“He’s at his ranch in Texas,” McLellan said. “At 7 o’clock in the morning, he’s already hunted, and he’s walking back, and he’s got his backpack and stuff. So, you don’t always have to go into the gym to train. Maybe some other players or organizations should look at some of the things he’s done to stay strong and healthy. But that’s his life, and he gets joy out of that too.”

McLellan talked about how Burns has evolved to keep playing.

“When he started that streak, that’s 13 years ago,” he said. “So now, some training methods are different. Some treatment methods are different. Some supplements are different. Sleep patterns are probably different for him now because he’s older. Life issues at home are different. His kids are older, so there’s different stresses there. But he is smart enough, and he has people around him to help him.”

Burns is one of six Colorado players that hasn’t missed a game this season alone. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog -- who sat out with a knee injury from 2022-25 and has missed 21 games with upper- and lower-body injuries this season -- said he can’t relate.

“It’s a lot of games in general, and to string them together, it’s incredible,” Landeskog said. “It speaks to his commitment to the game but also his consistency. When you watch him on a daily basis, he does a lot of the same things every single day. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. He comes to the rink with a great attitude and wants to be here. He’s excited to come to work, and I think, no matter what line of work you’re in, that’s always going to help.”

The Avalanche (49-15-10) lead the NHL standings, and Burns continues to make an impact. He has 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) and is averaging 18:52. His plus-30 rating is the best of his NHL career.

“He’s still producing offensively,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s still a rock-solid defender. He still plays physical. It’s the same guy you’ve been watching for a decade-plus doing the exact same thing.

“Can you imagine all the injuries? I’d love to sit down with him and talk to him and (go over) all these injuries he’s played through that probably puts other guys out for weeks, months, and he just plays through them like it’s not a big deal. It’s an incredible accomplishment. It’s hard to believe.”

NHL.com senior director, fantasy, Pete Jensen; staff writer Mike Zeisberger; and independent correspondent Kurt Dusterberg contributed