Undrafted, Burnett played primarily in the then-named
East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) before signing as a
free agent with the
San Jose Sharks of the
National Hockey League (NHL) on June 2, 1998. Used solely as an
enforcer, Burnett was largely a journeyman. In Burnett's
minor league career, he amassed 2,562
penalty minutes for 13 different teams. In the
1999–2000 season, in only 58 games with the
Kentucky Thoroughblades of the
American Hockey League (AHL), he had 506 penalty minutes. After signing with the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on July 25, 2003, Burnett made his NHL debut in the
2003–04 season. Burnett's first career NHL goal came against
Brent Johnson of the
Phoenix Coyotes on March 17, 2004. The enforcer played 39 games and registered 184 penalty minutes while scoring one
goal and adding two
assists. Burnett participated in 22 fights in his sole NHL season with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. His reputation for having a "face of stone" was solidified in his March 19, 2004, fight against San Jose's
Scott Parker, who sustained a broken hand from fighting Burnett. Burnett signed an NHL
one-way contract for the 2004–05 season plus a one-year option, but due to the
2004–05 NHL lockout only played briefly as the player-assistant coach for the
Danbury Trashers of the
United Hockey League (UHL) in 2004. Burnett became a free agent and was signed by the
Dallas Stars for the 2005–06 season, in which he played for Dallas' minor league affiliates the
Iowa Stars and
Phoenix RoadRunners. His last game played was in the
Quebec-based
Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH) on December 17, 2006, playing for the
Summum Chiefs. The league suspended him for throwing a net at an opposing player. == Two-sport athlete ==