Brent Burns

Brent Burns (born March 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted as a right wing (20th overall) at the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota Wild, he was converted into a defenceman upon turning professional. Burns is known as a dynamic offensive player, and though he mostly plays defence, he has been utilized as a forward on several occasions during his career. Burns is also known for his iron man streak; during the 2025–26 season, he became the second player in NHL history to play 1,000 consecutive games. During the shortened 2012–13 season and continuing through the 2013–14 season, the Sharks used Burns as a forward. Starting with the 2014–15 season, he was returned to defence. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Burns finished third in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy (awarded to the NHL's best defenceman); one year later, at the end of the 2016–17 season, Burns won the award for the first time in his career. Following the retirement of Marc-André Fleury, Burns is the last active player in the NHL to have played in the league prior to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, having debuted in 2003–04.