Battling all the way through the postseason just to come up short in a championship series is a crushing blow for any professional athlete. Some find healthy ways to channel that dejection, others don’t.
For Sharks star Brent Burns, picking up a new hobby helped take his mind off San Jose’s loss in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“When we lost in the Stanley Cup finals, that was my first hunt. I went and hunted a buffalo or bison,” Burns told The Athletic. “I’m very beginner still. It’s not very pretty when I do it. I’m still learning. It takes a long time to learn how to do it.”
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Burns’ father was a butcher, and helped build a fascination in his son for quality wild meats.
“Yeah, he worked at a meat market before I was born and was a butcher at the grocery store.”
The six-time All-Star lives with his family on a 420-acre ranch in Texas, allowing him to utilize some of that space to fulfill his outdoor hobbies.
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With the NHL’s season remaining on an indefinite hiatus, Burns now has plenty of time to pursue any and all of his off-the-ice passions.