Murray Murdoch, the first player to achieve the feat.
Current record holder, Phil Kessel, pictured in 2019 with the Arizona Coyotes. He is also the first player to play 1,000 consecutive games.
Keith Yandle, pictured with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013, broke Jarvis' record in January 2022, and held it himself until October 2022.
Doug Jarvis, pictured in 2008, held the record for 36 years, from 1986 to 2022.
Brent Burns, pictured with the San Jose Sharks in 2016, has not missed a game since 2013.
Glenn Hall, the only goaltender to accomplish the feat, played 502 consecutive games between 1955 and 1962.

For ice hockey players in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing 500 consecutive regular season games is considered a highly significant achievement. This is often referred to as an "iron man streak".

As of the completion of the 2022–23 NHL season – the 105th regular season of play of the NHL – 26 players had played at least 500 consecutive regular season games in their NHL career, making it one of the most exclusive 500-clubs in the NHL.

The first player to play 500 consecutive games was Murray Murdoch, who played his 500th consecutive game during the 1936–37 season, the 20th season of the NHL. Phil Kessel is the current record holder, having played 1,064 games consecutively; likewise, he is the only player to have recorded 1,000 consecutive games. Glenn Hall is the only goaltender to play 500 consecutive games (1955–1962), and Henrik Sedin is the only European player to do so (2004–2014).

Several streaks ended for reasons other than player injury. Both Steve Larmer's and Johnny Wilson's streaks ended due to contract disputes. Andrew Cogliano's run ended at 830 games because of a two-game suspension, while Patrick Marleau's streak ended at 910 games with his retirement. During his consecutive games streak, Marleau broke the NHL all-time record for games played, playing his 1,768th game on April 19, 2021. Other streaks ended because the player was a healthy scratch, or was sent down to the minors.

As of the start of the 2023–24 season, there are two players with active 500 consecutive game streaks: Phil Kessel and Brent Burns. Burns is the most recent member of the 500 consecutive game club, playing his 500th game on December 3, 2019. In addition to the formal record, Kessel has the unofficial all-time record for most consecutive games played including playoffs (1,149 games).[1]

Keith Yandle initially broke Doug Jarvis' consecutive games played record on January 25, 2022, when the Philadelphia Flyers took the ice against the New York Islanders. Kessel passed Jarvis on March 27, 2022, when the Coyotes played the Winnipeg Jets, and became the NHL's active iron man on April 2, 2022, when Yandle was scratched from the Flyers' starting lineup.[2] Kessel then passed Yandle for the record on October 25, 2022, as his Vegas Golden Knights played the San Jose Sharks;[3] he then became the first player to play 1,000 consecutive games on November 17, 2022.[4]

500 consecutive games played

This is a list of the 26 NHL players who have played at least 500 consecutive regular season games in their NHL career, updated through games played on January 17, 2024.


Legend

  active streak

  NHL record at the time streak completed

( ) denotes games played in current season

(C) streak is from the start of their career

Rank Name Games Start End Notes
1 Phil Kessel 1,064 (0) November 3, 2009 Active (Free Agent) Last game missed was on October 31, 2009, while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs (game 12 for the team). He played the last 70 games of that season and, to date, every game since. Kessel broke Yandle's record on October 25, 2022, skating in his 990th consecutive game; he then skated in his 1,000th consecutive game on November 17, 2022. Kessel was scratched in the playoffs on April 24, 2023 during Game 5 of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, his first missed game since October 31, 2009; however, his ironman streak remains intact due to only counting regular season games.
2 Keith Yandle 989 March 26, 2009 March 29, 2022 Yandle broke Jarvis' record on January 25, 2022, skating in his 965th consecutive game. Streak ended when Yandle was made a healthy scratch by Flyers interim coach Mike Yeo.[5]
3 Doug Jarvis 964 (C) October 8, 1975[6] October 10, 1987[7] Never missed a game in his career. Broke Garry Unger's record by playing in his 915th NHL game on December 26, 1986.[8] He was a scratch in the third game of the 1987–88 season while playing for the Hartford Whalers. He never played another NHL game.
4 Garry Unger 914 February 24, 1968 December 21, 1979 Streak ended when Unger was benched by Atlanta Flames coach Al MacNeil.
5 Patrick Marleau 910 April 9, 2009 May 12, 2021 Marleau did not play the opening few games of the 2019–20 season, while he was an unrestricted free agent. He signed an NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks on October 9, 2019. Because Marleau was not under contract at the time, the four games that the Sharks had previously played are not considered for the purposes of the streak. Marleau additionally became the all-time leader in games played in game 899 of his streak, surpassing the record previously held by Gordie Howe. Streak informally ended with Marleau's final game of the 2020–21 season, and formally ended with his retirement on May 10, 2022.[9]
6 Steve Larmer 884 October 6, 1982[10] April 15, 1993[10] Did not miss a game during 11 years with the Blackhawks.[11] Streak ended as a result of a contract dispute after the 1992–93 season ended.[12]
7 Andrew Cogliano 830 (C) October 4, 2007 January 13, 2018 Consecutive games streak ended as a result of a two-game suspension. The NHL Department of Player Safety later ruled that Cogliano hit Kings' forward Adrian Kempe with a "high, forceful hit", after Kempe had completed a pass.[13]
8 Brent Burns 804 (43) November 21, 2013[14] Active Burns' streak started on November 21, 2013, when he returned from facial injuries. He played his 500th consecutive NHL game against the Washington Capitals on December 3, 2019. Burns is the fourth defenseman to play 500 consecutive games and is first player to play 500 consecutive games while playing both forward and defense.[15]
9 Craig Ramsay 776 March 27, 1973 February 10, 1983 Dave Lewis ripped a slap shot off Ramsay's left foot, afterward Ramsay was not in the lineup for the next game.[16]
10 Jay Bouwmeester 737 March 6, 2004 November 22, 2014 Streak ended as a result of a lower body injury, believed to be from stepping on a crack on the ice.[17]
11 Henrik Sedin 679 March 21, 2004 January 18, 2014 Missed game as a result of a rib injury. At the time of the completion, Sedin's streak was the sixth longest streak in NHL history.[18]
12 Andy Hebenton 630 (C) October 7, 1955 March 22, 1964 Was the first player to break Johnny Wilson's consecutive games played record. Hebenton's streak ended as a result of being sent to the minors. After being sent to the minors, Hebenton never played in the NHL again. Hebenton's consecutive game streak (including the minor leagues) was 1062 games, which included 216 games prior to his time in the NHL and an additional 216 games after his NHL career. His career streak came to end as a result of attending his father's funeral.[19]
13 Karl Alzner 622 October 8, 2010 April 7, 2018 Alzner's streak started at the beginning of the 2010–11 season. He did not play in the last game of the 2009–10 season while playing for the Washington Capitals. Streak ended as a result of being a healthy scratch for the opening game of the 2018–19 season on October 3, 2018, while playing for the Montreal Canadiens.[20]
14 Johnny Wilson 580 February 10, 1952 March 20, 1960 Played eight consecutive seasons of 70 games along with the final 20 games of the 1951–52 NHL season. Streak ended as a result of a contract dispute. At the time of the completion, Wilson's streak was the longest in NHL history.[21]
15 Billy Harris 576 October 7, 1972 November 28, 1979 Harris played the first 576 games in Islanders history. On November 30, 1979, he was made a healthy scratch by Al Arbour on the 20th game of the season, ending his streak.[22]
16 Mark Recchi 570 October 4, 1991 December 11, 1998 Streak ended due to a case of pneumonia that Recchi had been fighting for several weeks. Recchi said in an interview that he no longer had the energy and the best way to help the team was to rest.[23]
17 Danny Grant 566 December 4, 1968[24] December 19, 1975 Streak ended as a result of a torn right thigh muscle that required surgery.[25]
18 Alex Delvecchio 548 December 13, 1956 November 11, 1964 Delvecchio was accidentally struck by a Red Kelly shot. He suffered a hairline fracture of the jaw, but missed only two games.[26][27]
19 Brendan Morrison 542 February 27, 2000 December 12, 2007 Morrison's streak ended as a result of wrist surgery. He had injured his wrist in the preseason but had continued to play through the pain. At the time of completion, Morrison's streak was the eleventh longest streak in NHL history.[28]
20 Craig MacTavish 519 October 12, 1986 January 2, 1993 Streak ended as a result of a lower back strain. At the time of its completion, it was the second-longest active streak in the league.[29]
21 Brad Boyes 513 (C) October 5, 2005 November 23, 2011 Streak ended as a result of a lower body injury.[30]
22 (tie) Andrew Brunette 509 January 2, 2002 February 19, 2009 Brunette appeared to injure his knee in a game in January and aggravated the injury several weeks later, causing his streak to end at 509 games.[31]
22 (tie) John Marks 509 October 27, 1973 December 30, 1979
24 Murray Murdoch 508 (C) November 16, 1926 March 21, 1937 First player in NHL history to play 500 consecutive games.[11]
25 Glenn Hall (G) 502 October 6, 1955 November 7, 1962 Streak ended on November 7, 1962, game 13 of the 1962–63 season. Hall's streak ended when he was fastening the toe strap on his skate and suddenly "feeling his back go out". Including playoffs, Hall played a total of 551 consecutive games.[32]

References

  1. ^ Phil Kessel has an active streak of 981 (from November 3, 2009 to May 8, 2021) that includes 900 consecutive regular-season games.
  2. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (April 2, 2022). "Philadelphia Flyers to end Keith Yandle's NHL-record iron man streak". ABC News. abc.go.com. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kessel of Golden Knights breaks NHL consecutive games played record". NHL.com. October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Pietrangelo helps Golden Knights defeat Coyotes". NHL.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  5. ^ Kimelman, Adam (April 2, 2022). "Yandle's NHL-record consecutive games played streak ends at 989". NHL.com. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Jarvis, The Iron Man". Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  7. ^ ChicagoTribune.com: Jarvis' Record Streak Ends At 964 Games, October 12, 1987
  8. ^ Patrick Johnston (2007-04-24). "One game at a time: 31 years on, Canucks coach Doug Jarvis' Iron Man streak still stands". The Province.
  9. ^ Marleau, Patrick (May 10, 2022). "Thank You, Hockey". The Player's Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Legends Of Hockey: Steve Donald Larmer". Hockey Hall Of Fame.
  11. ^ a b Erik Karlsson among longest games-played streaks in NHL history, March 31, 2017
  12. ^ Tim Wharnsby (January 13, 2017). "Steve Larmer: I Have No Regrets". NHLPA.
  13. ^ "Andrew Cogliano suspended 2 games, snapping his ironman streak at 830". CBC.ca. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  14. ^ "As Marleau prepares to continue games-played streak, who are the NHL's active ironmen?".
  15. ^ Curtis Pashelka (December 4, 2019). "Sharks' Brent Burns set to reach rare milestone for a defenseman". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  16. ^ "Craig Ramsay: The Sabres Ironman". Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  17. ^ Josh Cooper (November 23, 2014). "Jay Bouwmeester's 'Iron Man' streak ends at 737 straight games". Yahoo.com.
  18. ^ Kevin Woodley (January 21, 2014). "Henrik Sedin's ironman streak ends". NHL.com.
  19. ^ Joe Pelletier (February 7, 2007). "New York Rangers Legends: Andy Hebenton". New York Rangers Legends.
  20. ^ "'They're never easy decisions': Habs to sit Alzner, Plekanec". TSN. October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  21. ^ Richard Goldstein (January 2, 2012). "Johnny Wilson, N.H.L. Star, Dies at 82; Held Consecutive-Game Record". New York Times.
  22. ^ Charlie Husher (November 19, 2017). "November 30, 1979: Al Arbour makes Billy Harris a historic healthy scratch". Lighthouse Hockey.
  23. ^ CBS Sportsline Staff (December 12, 1998). "Iron Man Streak Ends For Recchi". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  24. ^ "Dallas Stars' History". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on October 20, 1996.
  25. ^ Stan Fischler (May 2012). Detroit Red Wings: Greatest Moments and Players. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781613213049. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  26. ^ "50 Years Ago in Hockey – Mahovlich Mystery Continues". 14 November 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  27. ^ "Alex Delvecchio: The NHL's True Ironman?". 19 March 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  28. ^ AP (December 12, 2007). "EWrist injury ends Morrison's ironman streak at 542 games". NHL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  29. ^ "Edmonton Oilers history: Craig MacTavish's consecutive games-played streak ends at 518 games". Edmonton Journal. January 3, 1993. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  30. ^ CBS Sportsline Staff (November 23, 1993). "Ironman Brad Boyes "out for a period of time"". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  31. ^ John Shipley (February 20, 2009). "Andrew Brunette's iron man streak ends at 509 games". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  32. ^ E.M. Swift (October 27, 1992). "Iron Man Of The Ice". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
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