CENTENNIAL, Colo. — It is time for the return of Brennan’s Beat! The month of August brings about many things for some. The return of kids to school marks the end of summer for many. But for hockey fans, it has to be the worst time of the year. Nothing happens in the hockey world. Most players and teams go on vacation while posting occasional video updates about training. For me, it marks the beginning of the hockey season. My little guy heads back to school, and players trickle in to do informal practices. Usually at first, there are few players as they try to get the most out of their summer break (understandably). But as September nears, you can catch whole-team informal team practices.

The Start of the Season

On Monday, a couple of fans got to get their first taste of newly signed defenseman Brent Burns. It was the first time that we got to see Burns in Colorado Avalanche gear. He was joined by local goalie Kaeden Edstrom and former captain Milan Hejduk. Edstrom is from Fairplay, Colorado and has played the last three seasons in the USPHL Premier, a league that has U15, U16, U18 and collegiate development teams.

It was a day that was filled with a lot of edge work to start the day and then passing drills to finish up. Hejduk and the other coach on the ice were introducing Burns to the Avalanche system, and he was showing a willingness to learn. His enthusiasm for the game is still there for sure. Edstrom stopped his first shot on the net, and Burns gave a congratulatory yell. He even put his arms up to celebrate the stop. Burns showed the true reason the Avalanche signed him. During one drill, his ability to move and shoot the puck, even at 40-years-old, was still shocking.

The Avalanche have ice time scheduled for the rest of the week at Family Sports Center in Centennial. It will be fun to see if any other players show up early to take part in the informal skates along with Burns.