SAN JOSE -- Brent Burns solidified his chances to be a Norris Trophy finalist with a season unlike any other for a Sharks defenseman. But the wheels were set in motion well before Burns and every one of his teammates showed up for training camp in October.
On the day he was announced as the Sharks' next coach, Pete DeBoer declared that Burns would be a defenseman. He wasn't going to be a forward anymore, and it wasn't up for debate.Since then, through his work and with the help of DeBoer, assistant Bob Boughner and his teammates, Burns became one of the NHL's premier blue liners.