Avalanche’s Brent Burns plays 1,500th NHL game

Brent Burns made NHL history Saturday night, playing in his 1,500th career game as the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Dallas Stars.

Burns, 40, becomes the 23rd player in NHL history to reach the 1,500-game mark and just the eighth defender to do so. Going into Saturday night, Burns has compiled 261 goals, 649 assists and 910 points, putting him ninth on the all-time goals list among defenseman, 14th in assists and 12th for points.

Burns also has the longest active streak of consecutive games played with 927, having last missed a game in November 2013.

"I think it's a lot of luck. It's definitely timing of different things that have happened," Burns told Boulding. "You hear guys say it all the time, but you're pretty lucky to have great people that take care of you and get you through the 2 1/2 hours you’ve got to get through. And a lot of times it's just been very lucky with different schedule breaks and when different things have happened."

Taken with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Burns has played with the Avalanche, Sharks, Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes.