Brent Burns Continues Support of Troops

Brent Burns has once again shown his undying support of the troops who defend our freedoms. He and his wife, Susan, have purchased four tickets to every Wild home game and donated them to Defending the Blue Line, an organization dedicated to keeping the dream of hockey alive for children of military families.

This year's package also includes a gift certificate from Faces Restaurant.

Make the jump for more details and how register to be one of the families to be part of "Burnsie's Battalion."

This will be the second year that the Burns' have donated tickets to DTBL. As noted earlier, Burns is a steadfast supporter of our troops, having participated in many fundraisers and events aimed and helping them and their families.

Why does Burns do this, you ask? From the man himself:

"With my Grandfather and Great-Grandfather both having been in the military, I have a great appreciation and respect for the sacrifices our service members make to defend our freedom everyday.  I think Defending The Blue Line is doing a great job of taking care of military families by helping out with equipment and other costs related to hockey.  Susan and I wanted to do our part by helping out as well. I'm proud to be associated with these programs, and look forward to working with them on future projects."

It is always good to see professional athletes give back, especially when the cause is one that deserves it so much. DTBL does nothing short of amazing work, offering free gear through donations from partners such as the NHL, NHLPA, the Wild, individual players such as Burns, Derek Boogaard, and George Parros. The list of partners has grown to be extensive, and all are listed on DTBL's website. The work they do is accomplished through countless hours of hard work for themsleves and their volunteers, and have no expectation of payment in return.

If you have children, try an imagination exercise with me. The rest of you are also welcome to join.

You have three children, all in ice hockey. You have a full time job, maybe your spouse does too. One or both of you also answer the call to serve, and join the National Guard, or full time service. As with any family, the money at the end of the month does not always match the demands on that money. You prioritize, you trim the fat, anything to make sure those kids are happy and fitted with gear and ice time.

Then, you get the call. You are being deployed to Iraq. Or to Afghanistan. Or to any number of other theaters in the War on Terror. Your full time job is required to grant you leave to serve, but they are not required to pay you while you are gone. Sure, the military steps up the pay a bit, but it doesn't come close to matching what you made in the private sector.

Something has to go. What are you going to cut after everything you can trim has already been trimmed? We're looking at you, hockey. It's a luxury, and a rather expensive one at that. So now, in addition to the trauma of their parent being deployed for a year or more, your kids now have to deal with the loss of one of their favorite things to do, and one of the best coping mechanisms they had for dealing with your temporary loss in the household.

That's where DTBL steps in. There is no reason why a deployment, a combat injury, or God forbid, a military service member making the ultimate sacrifice should mean that the kids need to give up their passions.Donations such as this one make it that much easier for DTBL to accomplish their mission.

Defending The Blue Line knows just how fortunate they are to have this wonderful gift from the Burns'.

From Shane Hudella, President of DTBL:

"We are very excited to partner with Brent & Susan again this year.  Military families sacrifice so much, attending a Wild game courtesy of the Burns’ is a great way for our families to relax and take their minds off the stresses of deployment. Our service members’ children and families are so excited to have this great opportunity, and we are very grateful."

Hockey Wilderness would like to extend a very warm and heart filled "Thank You" to Brent and Susan Burns for this wonderful gift to our troops. We would also like to thank Shane and Defending the Blue Line for fighting the good fight and keeping hockey alive for these kids. And, as always, a huge and humble thank you to our troops. Words cannot express the tanks we have for your service.

To sign up for tickets, go to DefendingTheBlueLine.com and fill out the form on the front page. DTBL also has some excellent products to purchase on their site, with all of the proceeds going to the organization. You can also make a free will donation of any amount on the site.