Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle was in the Flyers’ starting lineup Tuesday night against the Islanders at UBS Arena, breaking the NHL’s ironman record in his 965th consecutive NHL game.
Doug Jarvis, who never missed an NHL game from Oct. 8, 1975, to Oct. 10, 1987 while with Montreal, Washington and Hartford, held the record of 964, which Yandle tied Monday against the Stars.
Yandle’s streak (he hasn’t missed a game since March 26, 2009) is made all the more impressive by the tumult faced by the NHL over the last two seasons.
“It’s unbelievable,” the Islanders’ Andy Greene said. “To stay healthy, it takes a lot of luck, especially these last couple years, right? These last two years with COVID, to be able to play that many games, for that long, it’s remarkable. It’s unbelievable and good for him.”
Yandle has projected a low-key demeanor about the whole thing. The former Ranger was honored Monday night in Philadelphia when he tied Jarvis’ record.
“I tried to keep it as normal as possible,” Yandle told reporters following that 3-1 loss to the Stars. “Do my same thing, same routine, just kinda worry about the game. I think for me it was just kinda go about my day as normal as possible.”
Yandle said his family would be in attendance Tuesday at UBS Arena to watch him make history, but he was uncomfortable to be in the limelight for very long.
“I don’t know if it’s one of those things where I kinda get uncomfortable,” Yandle said. “I’m not really a guy that likes to talk about myself or have a spotlight on myself. If guys do talk about it, it’s one of those things for me, try to change the subject.”
Greene, who broke into the NHL the same year as Yandle (2006), hit the 1,000-game mark this season. Yandle could soon have played that many games in a row.
“For him to be able to play through that, gotta be a testament to how hard he works and how he prepares,” Greene said.
The game Tuesday will be the Islanders’ third against the Flyers in eight days, a stretch reminiscent of the scheduling the league implemented last year as a way to cut down on travel amid the pandemic. The Islanders won the first two last week, part of a 12-game losing streak for the Flyers.
“The challenge is they’re gonna be very desperate,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said Monday. “There’s a lot of pride, a lot of good players on that team. The danger is letting our guard down against them. We can’t.”
Kyle Palmieri was on the ice at the morning skate Tuesday, but remains on injured reserve. … Scott Mayfield carried a three-game assist streak and four-game points streak into Tuesday.