The biggest night of Coburn's NHL career came after a game when he was a healthy scratch.

Coburn, a defenseman who had played 935 games during 15 NHL seasons and 137 more in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, was the third player to lift the Cup after the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Sept. 28, 2020, to win their second championship since entering the NHL in 1992. He received the Cup from Conn Smythe Trophy winner and fellow defenseman Victor Hedman; that came after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman presented the trophy to Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who handed it to Hedman.

He played 40 regular-season games for the Lightning in 2019-20, scoring four points (one goal, three assists) and did not have a point in three playoff games.

The Atlanta Thrashers selected Coburn with the No. 8 pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, and he established himself as a reliable stay-at-home defenseman and veteran presence. He played 38 games over parts of two seasons with Atlanta before being sent to the Philadelphia Flyers at the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 24, 2007.

Coburn found his game in Philadelphia, becoming a stalwart on the Flyers defense for the next eight years. During that time he helped the Flyers reach the postseason six times, including a berth in the Eastern Conference Final in 2008 and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

His time with the Flyers came to an end during a rough 2014-15 season. He twice sustained a fractured foot before being traded to the Lightning on March 2, 2015. Four games after the trade, he was injured again when a puck struck his foot, forcing him to miss the rest of the regular season. However, Coburn returned for the start of the playoffs and scored the winning goal in Game 7 of Tampa Bay's first-round victory against the Detroit Red Wings. The Lightning got as far as the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks.

His steady play continued in 2015-16 and he was rewarded with a three-year contract extension before the trade deadline. Coburn then helped Tampa Bay reach the Eastern Conference Final. He continued to play a solid, stay-at-home game and had his best offensive season in seven years with 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) in 2018-19, helping the Lightning win the Presidents' Trophy and finish with 62 victories, tying the NHL single-season record set by the Detroit Red Wings in 1995-96.

Before reaching the NHL in 2005, Coburn helped Canada finish second in 2004 and first in 2005 at the IIHF World Junior Championship.