Keith Yandle sets new NHL ironman record with 965 consecutive games played

After nearly 13 consecutive calendar years without taking a night off, some 20,901 NHL shifts logged, Keith Yandle didn’t have to wait very long to make his record-setting night official.

Yandle was in the Philadelphia Flyers’ starting lineup on Tuesday night on Long Island and when the puck dropped, he officially became the NHL’s new ironman.

Yandle, 35, appeared in his 965th consecutive NHL contest, breaking the record of 964 set by Doug Jarvis nearly 35 years ago in 1986, when Yandle was barely a year-old. He is the first defenseman to become the NHL’s reigning ironman.

His Flyers teammates donned special shirts pre-game to mark the occasion, while the Islanders feted Yandle for his accomplishment during the first television timeout at UBS Arena at Belmont Park.

It’s a record many thought would never be broken. Jarvis, who spoke to Daily Faceoff on Sunday, said he planned to contact Yandle directly to congratulate him on the incredible accomplishment.

“My emotion is I’m just happy for him,” Jarvis said.

Yandle’s run began on March 26, 2009. He was scratched from the previous game by then-Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky, but never left the lineup again – surviving five coaching changes, a trade, a lockout, a buyout and two free agent signings.

(The most games Gretzky ever played consecutively in his career was 362.)

Only 18 defensemen are still active in the NHL since Yandle’s streak began in 2008-09. All of them have missed significant chunks of time from the lineup.

Here is Yandle’s run by the numbers, courtesy of NHL stats:

25,091 – Shifts logged by Yandle during his streak entering game No. 965.
20,877 – Minutes of time on ice accumulated by Yandle during his streak entering game No. 965.
14,596 – Number of NHL regular-season games played from March 26, 2009 through Jan. 24, 2022.
2,186 – Shots on goal recorded by Yandle during his streak entering game No. 965.
941 – Blocked shots logged by Yandle during his streak entering game No. 965.
572 – Points accumulated by Yandle during his streak, third-most among defensemen in that span entering game No. 965. Yandle’s 479 assists during that stretch rank second among blueliners behind Erik Karlsson (500).

What will be interesting to follow is how long Yandle can keep the streak alive. He has flirted with a healthy scratch during the streak and his play has wavered throughout the Flyers’ disappointing season.

Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel is hot on Yandle’s heels at 941 games.