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San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic has been in the league for 19 seasons and has solidified himself as one of the best shot blockers in the sport. He officially put his name in the record books in that category on Tuesday evening.
In a victory over the Buffalo Sabres, Vlasic surpassed Mark Giordano for the most blocked shots in NHL history. The 37-year-old has played in just 12 games this season due to injury but has blocked 22 shots.
“That's a lot of blocked shots,” Vlasic said, via AP. “It's pretty cool. I take pride in playing good defensively.”
Vlasic has blocked 100+ shots in 12 different seasons in the NHL and had 108 in 2023-24. He's tough as nails and everyone around him on the Sharks, from coaching staff to players, knows it:
“He knows how to play the position, puts his body in the lanes, blocked big shots his whole career. You guys have seen it,” coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “I know how proud each of his teammates are. They gave him a standing ovation in the locker room. It was quite a scene and well-deserved.”
“Just incredible, an incredible achievement,” said goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who stopped 20 shots in the victory. “It feels like he hasn't played in a while, but he got back into the lineup and just making all the right plays at the right time. You can see that he's a special player. Very nice player.”
The Sharks D-man is never afraid to put his body on the line to help his team, even if it means dealing with some pain:
“When it's your turn to block, you block it,” Vlasic said. “I'll step in front of any puck I need to to make sure it doesn't get to the goalie.”
The Sharks have won two in a row and will be looking to make it three on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche.
