LOOK – Avs’ Brent Burns shaves iconic beard and gets new teeth, own agent doesn’t recognize him
Sep 17, 2026, 4:25 PM | Updated: Sep 18, 2026, 3:03 pm
If you walked past Brent Burns at Ball Arena right now, you wouldn’t recognize him, and that’s exactly the point.
The 41-year-old Avalanche defenseman rolled into training camp Wednesday looking like a completely different human being. Gone is the legendary mountain-man beard he’d been growing since 2013. Gone is the wild hair. And, plot twist, gone are the missing front teeth. Burns showed up with a close-cropped beard, a clean haircut and a brand-new set of chompers, prompting his own agent, Ron Salcer, to tell ESPN, “He looks like some rookie I don’t even recognize.” USA Today’s For The Win put it perfectly: he “looks 10 years younger and nearly unrecognizable.”
Burns’ beard wasn’t just facial hair, it was a whole personality. It started during his San Jose days alongside fellow fur enthusiast Joe Thornton, and it quickly became one of the most iconic looks in hockey. The Sharks once gave away a Chia Pet shaped like Burns’ head that sprouted a green “beard.” He wore a Chewbacca mask at the 2016 NHL All-Star Skills Competition. He and Thornton posed for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue in 2017. The beard had its own fan base. And now? Poof. Gone.
What hasn’t changed is everything that actually matters on the ice. Burns is entering his 23rd NHL season and currently sits on 1,007 consecutive games played, the longest active streak in the league and just 57 shy of Phil Kessel’s all-time record of 1,064. Among defensemen, he’s the NHL’s active leader in both points (945) and games played (1,579). When asked if he considered retirement after last season, Burns didn’t hesitate: “I never even thought about it. It was a great group. Have a chance to win. A lot of great positives.”
The Avs open their 2026-27 season on Sept. 30 against the LA Kings, and the biggest question heading into the year might not be about line combinations or goaltending, it’s whether Burns lets the beard grow back or keeps this fresh look all season. Either way, No. 88 just won the offseason without even lacing up his skates.
