3 reasons why everyone loves Brent Burns

Brent Burns had himself a night Tuesday in St. Louis.

In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, the San Jose Sharks defenseman scored a pair of goals to help his team draw even in the third-round series with the Blues.

Burns also set the franchise records for most goals and points by a defenseman in a single postseason, and put himself right in the conversation for the Conn Smythe Trophy, provided the Sharks make good on this long-awaited run of playoff success.

Even for non-Sharks fans, Burns is emerging as one of the game's best and most popular players, as well as one of hockey's great characters.

Here's the proof.

The game

For those who haven't been paying attention, Burns has not only established himself as one of the best defensemen in the NHL, he's also been outproducing most forwards since the beginning of the regular season.

Only four players have recorded more points in that span: Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, Sidney Crosby, and fellow-Shark Joe Pavelski.

Rare air, indeed.

Not only is Burns a viable Smythe candidate based on his postseason play, he's already been named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best defenseman.

He may not overtake Erik Karlsson or Drew Doughty for the award, but he'd certainly be a worthy winner.

The look

At this point, few words are necessary when it comes to Burns' beard.

The missing teeth only add to the majesty.

And, of course, there's the mane.

Finally, his suit game is second to none.

The lifestyle

Burns is possibly the most interesting man in hockey, one who loves life and lives to the fullest, along with his wife and two children.

How he spent last offseason speaks volumes about how he approaches the roles of husband, father, and professional hockey player.

From Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated:

Last summer the Burns clan left their San Jose home on the morning of Aug. 3, three months after Brent had won a gold medal and best defenseman honors with Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF world championships and two months before he began his 12th NHL season and fifth with the Sharks. For 15 days Brent, his wife, Susan, and their two kids drove around North America, covering some 6,000 miles and stopping whenever roadside attractions caught their fancy.

Really, the only routines came at dawn, when Burns awoke at the campsite and pedaled toward the nearest highway entrance ramp, and at night, when he worked out wherever there was room. He squatted with weighted vests on the porch of a Michigan family they had met at Disneyland. He practiced yoga in the garage of his wife’s family ranch in Texas. He sprinted up grassy hills near gas stations and trained in supermarket parking lots. "Unreal setup at the Walmart," he says.

On top of that, he cooks, breeds snakes, raises Siberian huskies, studies martial arts, carries a deep interest in Asian culture, and is an herbal tea nut.

By all accounts, he's a great teammate, and his vivacious personality off the ice only helps to further endear him to those who fully appreciate what he's able to do during the course of action.

Brent Burns is quickly becoming the face of hockey, wild facial hair and all. Embrace it, because uniqueness is all too rare in sports these days.