Burns spends his summers in Barrie, Ontario, and Lake Elmo, Minnesota, and is a noted animal enthusiast. His suburban Saint Paul home is nicknamed “Burns Zoo” due to his collection of dogs, cats, and dozens of reptiles, mainly snakes. Burns Zoo was the subject of a CBC Hockey Night in Canada feature with Elliotte Friedman and on After Hours. Starting in the 2009 season, Burns purchased a suite at the Xcel Energy Center for members of the military and their families to attend Minnesota Wild home games. Burns also owns and operates a ranch in Texas where he raises and maintains many species of exotic animals, including Wildebeest, Fallow deer, and more.

Early Life

Burns is known as a dynamic offensive player, and though he mostly plays defense, he has been utilized as a forward on several occasions during his career. He was converted into a defenceman upon turning professional. He spent two years playing in the Metropolitan Toronto Hockey league, now called the Greater Toronto Hockey League, for the North York Canadiens, along with fellow NHL draftees Anthony Stewart and Geoff Platt. Burns then played his Ontario Hockey League career as a right-winger with the Brampton Battalion in the 2002–03 season. For his 1000th game, his fellow San Jose Sharks teammates bought him two antelopes to add to his animal collection.

Early Career

Brent Burns made his NHL debut with the Wild on Oct. 8, 2003, against the Chicago Blackhawks, and scored his first NHL goal in his third game, against the Sharks. The Wild saw Burns more as a defenseman than a forward. In 2006-07, Burns became the first NHL defenseman in four years to score overtime winners in back-to-back games. Burns was named the best defenceman at the 2008 World Championships as he helped Canada to a silver medal finish as the host country. Two years later, at the 2010 World Championships, Burns led all Canadian defencemen in ice time at 18:29 minutes per game as Canada finished in seventh place.