#NHLPeachy @NHL #NHLStats Pack: Keith Yandle Sets NHL Record for Most Consecutive Games Played

Flyers defenseman plays in 965th consecutive game to surpass Doug Jarvis for longest “Ironman” streak in League history

Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle skated in his 965th consecutive regular-season game Tuesday and passed Doug Jarvis (964 GP from Oct. 8, 1975–Oct. 10, 1987) for sole possession of the longest “Ironman” streak in League history.

* Jarvis had held the distinction since Dec. 26, 1986, when he played in his 915th straight contest to grab the League record from Garry Unger (914 GP from Feb. 24, 1968–Dec. 21, 1979). Jarvis extended his career-opening streak to 964 consecutive games before it ended when he was sent down to the Binghamton Whalers of the AHL.

* When Yandle’s run began on March 26, 2009: Instagram had not yet officially launched; the first Uber ride had yet to happen; Netflix was not available in Canada; Barack Obama was two months into his first term as President of the United States; and it had been less than a year since Iron Man (2008) began the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

THE ROAD TO 965 CONSECUTIVE GAMES: YANDLE’S JOURNEY TO PASSING JARVIS

Keith Yandle’s consecutive games played streak has spanned more than 12 years (4,688 total days), four franchises and parts of 14 seasons – a stretch that has seen him cross paths with many NHL legends.

* Yandle was chosen by Phoenix in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Draft (105th overall) and played parts of his first nine campaigns with the Coyotes from 2006-07 to 2014-15. The head coach of the team during his first three seasons was none other than Wayne Gretzky, who manned the bench for the opening nine games of Yandle’s “Ironman” streak (March 26–April 11, 2009). Yandle has outdone "The Great One" by 603 games during his run – the longest Gretzky ever had was 362 consecutive contests from Nov. 2, 1979–Jan. 28, 1984.

* Yandle yielded a double-digit goal total in four consecutive campaigns with Phoenix, which included a career-high 12 tallies in 2009-10 (12-29—41 in 82 GP). At the time, only two Coyotes defensemen had scored more in a single season following the franchise’s move to Arizona.

* Yandle was traded from the Coyotes to the Rangers on March 1, 2015 and his “Ironman” streak of 448 consecutive games at the time remained intact when he suited up for New York the following day. Yandle, whose tenure with the Rangers included helping the club claim the Presidents’ Trophy and reach the 2015 Conference Finals with teammates Henrik Lundqvist and Martin St. Louis, extended his run to 551 contests before being sent to the Panthers on June 20, 2016.

* Yandle played five seasons with Florida and recorded career highs for assists and points in 2018-19 (9-53—62 in 82 GP), which remain the most in a single campaign by a Panthers defenseman. Yandle also skated in 82 games alongside Jaromir Jagr during his stint in the Sunshine State, which came to an end on July 28, 2021 when he signed with Philadelphia while owning an active “Ironman” streak of 922 consecutive contests.

* Jagr is one of seven teammates Yandle has had since March 26, 2009 who has at least 800 career NHL points – the others are Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, St. Louis, Shane Doan, Claude Giroux and Rick Nash. Doan suited up in more games as Yandle's teammate during his streak than any other player.

* Yandle made his Flyers debut in their season opener Oct. 15, 2021, and had five helpers through his first three games with the franchise which included the 500th assist of his NHL career. He entered his 43rd game with Philadelphia with 13 assists in a Flyers uniform and ranking second in team scoring among defensemen.

* Entering his 965th consecutive game, Yandle had posted 572 of his 613 career points since the start of his “Ironman” streak (93-479—572 in 964 GP) – 169 more points than Doug Jarvis had over the course of his run (139-264—403 in 964 GP). Yandle’s 613 career points rank among the top 40 on the League’s all-time list among defensemen, while his 511 assists are nine back of Teppo Numminen and former teammate Mathieu Schneider (both w/ 520) who share 28th place among NHL blueliners.

BY THE NUMBERS

A look at some of the numbers behind Keith Yandle’s “Ironman” streak:

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).

480 – Wins by Yandle’s teams during his streak entering game No. 965.

269 – Power-play points registered by Yandle during his streak, the most among defensemen during that span entering game No. 965.

84 – Number of regular-season games played by Yandle in 2014-15, two more than any single team played that season. He is one of just four defensemen to play as many in a single campaign since the NHL introduced the 82-game schedule in 1995-96.

58 – Playoff games played by Yandle, all since his “Ironman” streak began – including trips to the Conference Finals in 2012 with the Coyotes and 2015 with the Rangers.

48 – Number of contests Yandle has played against the Stars during his run of consecutive games, his most against one club. Game No. 965 will be his 27th against the Islanders during his “Ironman” streak.

22 – Age, in years, of Yandle when his streak began March 26, 2009. He was the youngest defenseman in the Coyotes’ lineup that night against the Oilers.

8 – Percentage of current NHL players who were in the League when Yandle’s streak began.

4 – Number of players who skated in the Coyotes-Oilers game March 26, 2009 who remain in the NHL – Andrew Cogliano (SJS), Sam Gagner (DET), Kyle Turris (EDM) and Yandle.

1 – Number of times, at a minimum, that Yandle has thanked his goaltender for settling the puck behind the net.

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