Playing as a left winger, he spent the majority of his career in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks and was known as an agitator,[2][3] before developing into a skilled, top line fixture.

[3][4] Before making it to the NHL, Burrows also enjoyed a prolific ball hockey career, competing in national and international tournaments in the summers.

Late in his professional rookie season, he transferred to the Baton Rouge Kingfish and finished with a combined 32 points in 66 games between the two teams.

[16] Having worked his way up from the ECHL, Burrows' energetic play in the minors earned him a two-way contract[notes 1] with the Moose's NHL affiliate, the Vancouver Canucks, on November 8, 2005.

[19] After recording 30 points in 33 games with the Moose, he was recalled by the Canucks on January 2, 2006 and made his NHL debut that day against the St. Louis Blues.

Burrows' ascension to the NHL has been attributed to his hard-working and abrasive style of play, generating momentum for his team and aggravating opposing players.

In 2007–08, Burrows formed an effective duo with centre Ryan Kesler on the third line as defensive forwards, countering opposing teams' top players while contributing offensively, as well.

[27][28] During the season, he was fined an undisclosed amount by the league after spearing Detroit Red Wings forward Aaron Downey at centre ice during the two teams' pre-game skate on February 23, 2008.

[38] Late in the campaign, he was selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association as the Canucks' nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded for perseverance, dedication and sportsmanship.

[42] In the subsequent first round of the 2009 playoffs, Burrows scored the series-winning goal in overtime in game four to sweep the sixth-seeded St. Louis Blues.

Burrows' level of play was noticeably diminished in the Chicago series and it was revealed afterwards that he required surgery to remove bone chips in his left wrist.

The half way into the 2009–10 season, Burrows recorded back-to-back hat tricks against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes on January 5 and 7, 2010, respectively.

[48] With three seconds to go in regulation, Burrows skated by Auger and protested the interference penalty, resulting in an unsportsmanlike minor and a ten-minute misconduct.

[50] Burrows claimed that Auger told him before the January 11 game: "you made me look bad [for calling the Smithson penalty] so I'm going to get you back tonight."

"[51] Later that week, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)'s Hockey Night in Canada telecast aired an 11-minute segment hosted by Ron MacLean and NHL vice-president Colin Campbell reviewing Burrows' past transgressions, spanning two years.

[52][53] Burrows' parents subsequently issued a formal letter of complaint to the CBC, accusing MacLean of "verbal assassination" and for displaying "no journalistic balance.

"[54] The following Saturday after the segment aired, the Canucks refused any interviews with the CBC before, during or after their game against the Chicago Blackhawks, which was broadcast on Hockey Night in Canada.

After defeating the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks in rounds two and three, the Canucks reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 17 years.

[68] Burrows recorded 28 goals, 24 assists and 52 points in 80 contests through the 2011–12 season, helping Vancouver to a second consecutive Presidents' Trophy.

This surpassed the previous record of nine seconds set by Trevor Linden and was also the fourth-fastest goal scored to start a game in NHL history.

[70] On December 1, in a 3–2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Burrows would get re-injured as he would suffer a broken jaw after getting hit in the face with the puck from a clearing attempt from teammate Chris Tanev.

Towards the end of the season, it was speculated the Canucks would buy-out the final year of Burrows' contract in favour of playing a younger player.

[84] On July 6, 2018, it was announced that Burrows had retired from active play and that he would join the Laval Rocket, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, as an assistant coach.

[87] Following his seventh NHL season, Burrows received his first invite to the Canadian national team for the 2012 IIHF World Championship, held in Finland and Sweden.

[59] Making his Team Canada debut against Slovakia in the first game of the tournament, he fell to the ice and hit his head after colliding with two opposing players.

[89] Returning to the line-up a week after the hit,[90] he scored his first career international goal against Finnish goaltender Kari Lehtonen in a 5–3 win.

[95][96][97] In 2005, Burrows scored two goals in a 5–2 win against the Toronto Midnight Express in the national final to capture his fifth consecutive Canadian title with the Red Lites.

They are renowned for being accessible to everyone and bringing together the largest number of dek hockey players in one place and offering the most prestigious tournaments across Canada.

[112] In the hockey season following his death, Burrows occasionally celebrated goals with a bow-and-arrow mime, a gesture that Bourdon himself did after scoring during his junior career.

Police were called to an arena in Kirkland, Québec, on July 21 after Burrows allegedly struck a goaltender, 19-year-old Koray Celik, in the face.