Brent Burns

Lore & Background

Brent Burns arrived in San Jose as a second-round selection out of the WHL's Victoria Grizzlies, a lanky and electric young defenseman who could skate, shoot, and hit with equal ferocity. From his rookie season in 2006–07, he was the Sharks' most electrifying offensive threat on the back end, and the crowd at San Jose Arena (later SAP Center) learned to lean into their seats every time the puck found him behind the net or at the point. His wind-up slap shot became a ritual: the arena would hush, the stick would draw back, and then the sound of the puck leaving the blade would erupt into a roar.

His peak years coincided with the Sharks' two runs to the Stanley Cup Final—in 2012 against the Boston Bruins and in 2016 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In both series Burns was a two-way force, generating scoring chances, killing penalties with his speed, and delivering the kind of open-ice hits that reminded everyone why small-market teams could punch above their weight. He eventually assumed the captaincy, carrying the emotional and tactical leadership of a team that was perpetually on the cusp of a breakthrough.

His departure after the 2019–20 season, when he signed with the Los Angeles Kings, marked the end of an era. For Sharks fans, it felt like losing a family member—someone who had been there through the rebuilds, the heartbreaks, and the near-misses. Number 88 became a symbol of loyalty, physicality, and the particular pride of a West Coast team that refused to be overlooked.

In Their Own Story

The arena is humming. It's a midweek Tuesday, the kind of night where the crowd is a mix of regulars and a few tourists who wandered in. The puck cycles to the left point, and there he is—88, shoulders squared, stick dragging the ice. A forward from the other team tries to back-check, but Burns is already turning, already accelerating. He takes one more stride, plants his outside skate, and the whole rink seems to hold its breath. The slap shot is a thunderclap. The puck is a white streak against the dark netting. It hits the crossbar and bounces down. The crowd exhales. Burns skates back, jaw set, already looking ahead. This is the Tuesday-night version of the same ritual that, on a playoff night, would send 17,000 people into a frenzy. Fourteen years of Tuesdays. Fourteen years of that sound.

Reader's Guide

Picture this: the puck is at the left point, the crowd is on its feet, and Brent Burns—88 on the back of a white Sharks jersey—draws his stick back like a slingshot. The release is a crack you feel in your chest. That wind-up-and-release is the single image that defines him in San Jose.

He arrived in 2006–07 as a second-round pick, a young West Coast kid who made the Sharks' blue line look like the most dangerous zone in the league. His peak ran through the late 2010s: two Stanley Cup Final appearances (2012, 2016), a captaincy that carried the weight of a small-market dream, and a style that blended speed, power, and a slap shot that could split a glove at 60 feet.

His departure after 2019–20 for the Kings felt like a chapter closing. For the fanbase, Burns was never just a stat line. He was the kid in the Bay Area who wore 88 because that number meant someone who would hit the boards for you, who would wind up that shot on a Tuesday when nobody was watching, and who made a small-market team feel like it could take on anyone.

A kid still laces up a 88 jersey today. That's the legacy.

Did You Know?

• Burns was selected in the second round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, making him one of the Sharks' most successful later-round picks in franchise history.
• He appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals with San Jose (2012 and 2016), both times as a two-way force on a team that fell just short of the championship.
• His signature slap shot from the point became such a trademark that opposing goalies would shift their stance and the crowd would collectively lean forward before the release.
• Burns hails from Victoria, British Columbia—the same West Coast hockey pipeline that produced several other NHL defensemen—giving the Sharks a genuine Pacific-Northwest identity on the blue line.