What's in Burns' backpack? Maybe the secret to Avalanche defenseman soon playing in 1,500th NHL game

DENVER (AP) — Brent Burns carries a lot of weight on his shoulders these days.

Not pressure-related or anything, just from his heavy, military-style backpack that’s crammed with all the necessities to keep the 40-year-old Colorado defenseman humming along.

The precise contents remain a mystery, but whatever’s stuffed inside sure is working. Burns, who’s embarking on his 22nd NHL season and first in Colorado, is slated to play in his 1,500th NHL game on Saturday against Dallas. Delving deeper, he hasn’t missed a contest since 2013, running his streak to 927 straight, which is the league's fourth-longest “Iron Man” streak of all time.

Burns has been with the Avalanche for a short time and already he's making his mark. The bushy-bearded, front-teeth-missing Burns is a social butterfly who strikes up conversations all around the facility. He’s a fatherly hockey figure, too, and another 40-something to play for the Avalanche, following in the footsteps of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, who joined the team at the end of his storied career.

Like Bourque, Burns is chasing his first Stanley Cup title late in his hockey tenure. The Avalanche would love nothing more than to make that title happen, too, much like they sent Bourque into retirement by hoisting the trophy in 2001.

“He came here for a reason,” fellow defenseman Cale Makar said of Burns. “We’ll get there at some point, but right now we’ve got to focus on the day-to-day.”

On Saturday against Mikko Rantanen and the Stars — the team that knocked Colorado out of the playoffs last season — Burns is set to skate in game No. 1,500. When he does, he will become the league’s eighth defenseman to reach the milestone.

If Burns were to suit up in every game this season, he could move up to No. 2 on the all-time consecutive games played list with 1,007. At that point, he would trail only Phil Kessel’s streak of 1,064.

For this sort of healthy run in a hard-hitting sport, some credit goes to the contents of Burns' backpack. It’s the stuff of legend around the locker room.

“Don’t even try to pick it up,” captain Gabriel Landeskog warned. “You’ll blow your back out.”

The backpack supposedly contains everything from stretching bands to assorted recovery gear to his own coffee setup.

Care to offer any details?

“It's a secret,” he said with a laugh, adding the backpack has been part of his routine since his San Jose days. “Definitely too heavy, and it keeps getting heavier and heavier.”

He certainly likes to chat, too.

Coach Jared Bednar was recently walking around the facility when he spotted Burns chatting with teammates by the coffee machine. Thirty minutes later, Bednar walked by the weight room and he was talking to more teammates. Twenty minutes later, he’s conversing with more teammates in the hallway.

Simply teammates taking any chance to pick up helpful hints.

“There’s so much, obviously, that he’s seen and been around for,” Makar said. “There are a lot of things in his game that I ask questions about, and how he does certain things.”

Avalanche forward Gavin Brindley was still a year away from even being born when Burns made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2003, with Minnesota after being a first-round pick by the Wild.

“That’s wild, just wild,” Brindley said of Burns' longevity. “It's so impressive what he does on the ice.”

Burns has quickly emerged as another leader for the Avalanche, joining Landeskog as a respected voice. He assists by keeping things loose.

“I’m a little bit more of a goof — I screw drills up all the time,” Burns said. “I’m just a little different.

“Obviously, we’re not all around the same age, so it’s kind of fun to hear what they’re doing. It keeps me feeling better and energized — just to talk to other guys and mess around and make them feel good.”

Added Bednar: "I love the personality that he brings to our team. He’s hungry to win.”

Burns got to the Stanley Cup final in 2016 with the Sharks, where they lost in six games to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Burns has played in 135 career playoff contests.

“We’re so happy to have him here,” Landeskog said. “He wanted to be here. He wanted to be a part of this group, and I think that says a lot about where we’re at as a team."

Over the summer, Burns signed a one-year deal with the Avalanche, his fourth NHL team. He joined a squad that's a Stanley Cup favorite behind a lineup boasting Nathan MacKinnon, Landeskog and Makar.

One thing that Burns quickly realized was that it's filled with players who get to the rink early.

“I feel like I’m going to be one of the first cars in the parking lot, and it’s packed," Burns said. "I’m like, ‘Holy crap.’”

As an older player — “I know you’re not saying old player,” he playfully interjected — there are extra things he does to stay ready.

“But I’d be here until tomorrow, trying to tell you all the new things,” Burns cracked.

More than anything, he stays young at heart.

“Just a big kid in a big man’s body,” goaltender Scott Wedgewood said. “Just down to earth, fun to be around. Just has a little bit of a joking side, a high-energy side. He loves the game, cares about it and he's chasing that ultimate goal.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns waits for a face-off against the Utah Mammoth in the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller, left, drives past Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, right, in the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) checks Utah Mammoth right wing JJ Peterka, back, in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Utah Mammoth center Jack McBain, left, shoots the puck past Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns pursues the puck in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Mammoth, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LONDON (AP) — Karolina Muchova ended Coco Gauff’s run at Wimbledon in a drama-filled tiebreaker to reach the final on Thursday.

Muchova won 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10) to become the fourth Czech woman in the last six years to reach the championship match of the grass-court Grand Slam.

“It was such a big fight,” Muchova said. “It was a roller coaster.”

Gauff wasted a match point in the tiebreaker when she dinked an attackable forehand into the net to follow a powerful first serve.

Muchova then produced a lob winner to set up her first match point, which she lost when she slipped to the grass and a passing shot from Gauff sailed by her.

But Muchova quickly set up another match point and produced a shot to the corner. Gauff reached the ball but her forehand response landed in the net and Muchova covered her hands in disbelief.

“You’re up and down in 10 seconds. You have a match point, then match point down. It’s no time to think, but very nerve-wracking,” Muchova said. “I’m really kind of shaking and trying to sink it in.”

It will be the ninth-ranked Muchova’s second Grand Slam final after losing to Iga Swiatek in the 2023 French Open championship match.

Muchova could face another Czech player in Saturday’s final, with Linda Noskova to play Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the other semifinal next on Centre Court.

The other Czech women in the Wimbledon final recently were: Karolina Pliskova (runner-up in 2021); Marketa Vondrousova (champion in 2023); and Barbora Krejcikova (champion in 2024).

For Gauff, it was still her most successful Wimbledon. Previously, the seventh-ranked American had gone only as far as the fourth round three times – including during her breakthrough run as a 15-year-old in 2019.

The men’s semifinals on Friday feature top-ranked and defending champion Jannik Sinner against seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic and French Open champion Alexander Zverev against British wild card Arthur Fery.

It was another hot day in London with the temperature soaring to 91 degrees Fahreinheit (33 Celsius), prompting spectators to fan themselves in the stands in an attempt to keep cool.

Muchova appeared to be struggling physically as the match wore on, bending over in exhaustion after one long rally and holding her abdomen in apparent pain during the final game.

“I’m OK,” Muchova said. “I just was trying to catch a breath.”

Muchova said she took a photo of Centre Court when she came to practice on the famed lawn ahead of her first career match on the most revered court in tennis.

“There are so many of us tennis players and I don’t think many of us get to play on this court,” she said. “It’s just a nice moment to experience all of this and this court is beautiful.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic celebrates her victory against Coco Gauff of the United States in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Coco Gauff of the United States loses her balance during a point against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic celebrates her victory against Coco Gauff of the United States in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic celebrates her victory against Coco Gauff of the United States, background, in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Coco Gauff of the United States returns the ball to Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic serves to Coco Gauff of the United States in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Coco Gauff of the United States returns the ball to Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of the United States in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Coco Gauff of the United States reacts after losing a point against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in their semifinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)