BY AIDAN CARLSEN

(Correction: The title previously stated the Sharks won in his 1,000th game, but he was honored for it on Saturday. He played it on Dec. 27. The title has been corrected )

Saturday was a big night for the Sharks.

The organization celebrated Brent Burns’ 1,000th NHL game with a fantastic tribute and some interesting gifts for the big man. Surrounded by his immediate family, Burns received a silver stick, a portrait of himself, a fat-ass bottle of wine, one fossilized megalodon tooth (awesome) and two antelope for his ranch in Texas. (editor’s note: this is the most Brent Burns shit I’ve ever heard in my life)

Hitting the 1,000-game mark is no small feat, and seeing a player as great as Burns reach that milestone is wonderful. The dude has been a cornerstone for the Sharks for years now and his wacky personality makes him that much more deserving of this.

He continued to shine during the game, as he had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. Burnzie now has 17 points in his last nine games.

Joe Pavelski opened the scoring in the second period for his 26th goal of the season, while Joe Thornton and Melker Karlsson each potted one to give the Sharks their NHL-leading sixth straight win. Special thanks to Tampa Bay and Vegas for making this win-streak possible.

But while this seemed like an easy win on paper, the game was closer for a lot longer than some would care to admit.

The Sharks looked slow in the first period and Ottawa certainly had chances to take a lead. Thankfully, Martin Jones continued his ascendence and turned away 27 shots, standing tall long enough for the rest of the team to get its game going and put one in. Jones has now allowed two goals or less in his past four games. Throwback to when some people were saying Aaron Dell should start over him!

On the injury front, Justin Braun returned to action after missing a few games with a lower-body injury and replaced Joakim Ryan in the lineup. He logged just over 18 minutes of ice time and had the primary assist on Burns’ goal.

Meanwhile, Joonas Donskoi left the game in the first period after sustaining an upper-body injury. This comes at a time when the forward was on a three-game goal streak and had been playing some of his best hockey of the season. Hopefully he will be back in the lineup when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit SAP Center on Tuesday.

P.S. If you’re wondering what Burns’ ranch is like, the Sharks did a whole Youtube series on it.

*Header from San Jose Sharks Instagram*