The Colorado Avalanche enter Saturday’s action with plenty on the line. The Avs are still looking to clinch the Central Division title and top seed in the Western Conference.
But amid the evident playoff buzz, a unique milestone is set to take place. Defenseman Brent Burns will be set to play his 1,000th consecutive game.
No, Burns will not be playing his 1,000th NHL game. He’s already suited up for over 1,500 of them. He’ll be playing his 1,000th straight game. That’s a remarkable feat, especially in such a tough sport.
Once the puck drops and Burns officially plays his 1,000th consecutive game, he’ll become just the second NHLer to achieve the singular ironman streak. Burns will join former NHL forward Phil Kessel as the only two players in league history to pass the millennium mark in consecutive games played.
Kessel holds the all-time NHL record at 1,064 games. So, you would think that if Burns can play another full season, he’d have a shot to break the mark. That’s a bit of an “if,” considering that Bruns is 40 and might be looking to hang them up.
While Burns doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down any time soon, you have to wonder if winning a Stanley Cup this season might precipitate his retirement.
Perhaps Burns might be motivated to play one more season with the hope of setting a mark that might take decades to break. It’s worth pointing out that the next-longest consecutive streak by an active player belongs to Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. The 26-year-old has played in 530 straight games. If he can stay healthy, Suzuki might just have a shot at becoming the next player with a 1,000-game consecutive streak.
Burns opens up about the streak
Following practice on Friday, Burns opened up about the grind that has gone into his impressive feat. In particular, the veteran blueliner underscored how tough it’s been the last batch of games.
“I never had an issue with it till probably the last 15, 20 (games). I was battling. I was going through some, a little bit of a grind. I was sick, and then it was like, you’re grinding.”
The comments are just a testament to how mentally tough Burns is. He’s not about to quit just because things get hard. If anything, getting close to the historic mark has increased his resolve to get there.
“It’s kind of close, and you can’t help think about that number a little bit. So, I think it got kind of a little bit stressful… but that one is a special one, I think.”
It’s certainly special, but not just individually. It’s special for everyone around the star blueliner.
“You look back, I look back when I hit 1,000 games, how special that day is for all the people that supported you and the teammates you played with.”
Brent Burns has played through a lot in this consecutive stretch of 999 games...
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) April 3, 2026
"My wife sometimes gets mad at me about that. She says, 'I got to live with you for a long time.' So yeah, I'm gonna pay for some of this later, that's for sure."
Full practice presser ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/gqjVTefS5B
When the final buzzer sounds on the crucial match-up between the Avalanche and Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon, fans could be witnesses to something that might not happen again for a very, very long time.