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Video: Brent Burns has a lot of tattoos

That’s San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns talking to the assembled media following a 3-2 loss to Anaheim on Monday night. Sporting the always-popular “Sons of Anarchy” look by going shirtless with a dog-tag and tuque (which, according to my Canadian-American translation dictionary, is also known as a beanie), Burns shows off one of his many dragon tats and what appear to be some Japanese characters.

But those tats are just the tip of the iceberg. Or, ink-berg.

(*groan*)

According to this 2007 article from the Minnesota Star-Tribune, a large portion of Burns’ body is inked up:

Tattoos have always meant a lot to Burns. His father took him for his first at age 11 -- a Canadian flag and a hockey stick on his right arm. This summer, Burns got a massive, colorful dragon on his left thigh and a huge tattoo on his back with a picture of his pets with the word “Wild” in green script.

“I’m getting a lot of heat from [teammates]: ‘What if you’re traded?’” Burns said. “But first it’s a double meaning because it has to do with my love for wildlife and my pets. But the Wild is my first NHL team. That’s huge. I’ve always wanted to play in the NHL, and they gave me the chance.”

In fact, on his father’s back is a tattoo of the “Born to Be Wild” comet. Inside the Wild logo reads, “Brent Burns, First Round, 20th Overall, 2003."We’re a little proud, eh?” Gaby said.


This summer, Burns added to his ink collection with a gigantic Harry Potter mural on his left thigh, leaving him with more dragon/wizard art than your local comic book store.

Oh, and you know that “pets” tattoo mentioned in the Tribune piece? That’s no joke either. Burns takes his animals pretty seriously -- check out this 2008 piece that aired on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. I remember watching this at the time, completely awestruck not just by the gigantic zoo Burns was running in his house, but also how intricately he labeled and categorized his snake pit:

In conclusion, Brent Burns is pretty unique.