The NHL's most famous beard is gone.
Well, not gone but trimmed to respectability.
Brent Burns, the 41-year-old defenseman who's entering his 23rd season in the NHL, showed up at the Colorado Avalanche's training camp on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with a different look.
Gone is the long hair and long bushy beard. It's replaced by a trimmed look that makes him appear younger. His gap-toothed look is gone, too.
The facial hair had been legendary and Burns embraced it by wearing a Chewbacca mask at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game skills competition in Nashville.
Here is how Burns looks this week, plus how he looked last season:
Fresh look for Brent Burns heading into this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/Tkrp11ySvh
— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) September 16, 2026

Hey, things change.
Even Joe Thornton shaved the NHL's
second-best beard once.
Brent Burns can set record this season
Burns is entering an important season after he signed a one-year deal to give him a second season with the Avalanche.
He's still seeking his first Stanley Cup and the Avalanche will be among the favorites again this season.
He has skated in 1,007 consecutive games and needs 58 games this season to top Phil Kessel's ironman record.
Burns, who hasn't missed a game since 2013-14, averaged nearly 19 minutes a game and scored 12 goals and 35 points last season.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brent Burns' famed beard has a different look this season













