At 13-21, the Flyers don’t have a lot to celebrate this season. That is going to change soon, though. On Monday, Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle tied the NHL record for most consecutive games played. Yandle has played in a whopping 964 straight games dating back to March 26, 2009.
He now shares the record with former forward Doug Jarvis, who did not miss a regular-season game from Oct. 8, 1975 to Oct. 10, 1987, spanning multiple teams. Yandle’s record-tying night came against the Dallas Stars and he can break the record on Tuesday against the New York Islanders.
“It wasn’t really something I expected,” Yandle said on Monday night, according to ESPN. “I just kind of never really thought about it. I saw the guys standing for me, cheering. All the fans. It definitely meant a lot.”
Flyers interim coach Mike Yeo spoke highly of the moment.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment,” Yeo said. “No. 1, you have to love the game, you have to battle through sickness, injuries. A level of professionalism to come to the rink every day and be ready to go. And he’s a phenomenal teammate and I thought he played a hell of a game tonight.”
If Yandle does end up breaking his streak soon, we could have another record-breaker right behind him. Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel, 34, has the second-longest active streak at 940 games, according to NHL.com.
