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No player in the history of the NHL has ever played consecutively for 1,000 games. Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle is only less than a dozen straight appearances on the ice away from attaining that incredible feat, but he has to kiss that chance goodbye.
According to Kevin Weekes of ESPN, Yandle's record streak of 989 consecutive games played is going to end this Saturday night, as the Flyers have decided to sit out the vet for the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Barring any changes, I’m told@NHLFlyers D Yandle’s @NHL record Ironman streak of 989 consecutive games played will end tonight. Only 11 games from 1000, with Flyers out of playoff picture this is an odd decision to sit the highly respected veteran. #HockeyTwitter
It was not that long ago when Yandle became the newest Cal Ripken Jr. of the NHL. He set the new record for most games played consecutively back in January when he broke his tie with Doug Jarvis for his 965th straight appearance in a contest.
The decision to keep Yandle out of the game against the Maple Leafs is likely not a popular one for at least some Flyers fans. For one, Philadelphia is already out of contention for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so why not just let Yandle keep on harmlessly pad his record? Flyers head coach Mike Yeo recognizes the disappointment it must have made Yandle feel, while trying to remind people to admire Yandle's body of work.
Via The Athletic:
“My only hope is that he just recognizes how amazing it is what he's done,” Yeo said. “Obviously for sure, for him, it's disappointing, no question, but not many people can say that they've done something that nobody in the history of the NHL has done. No way does this diminish what he's accomplished. It is remarkable.”
It's possible that Yandle's record will be broken as soon as next season, as Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessell is currently at 968 games played straight.
