Montreal Canadiens: Keith Yandle Breaks Doug Jarvis “Unbreakable” Record

The Montreal Canadiens have set many records over the years.

Most Stanley Cups (24). Most points in season (132). Fewest losses in a (full) season (8). Those are some records that may never be broken. The Tampa Bay Lightning came close to matching the points record when they had 128 a couple years ago, but they fell short.

Eight losses in a full season is ridiculous. The last time the league played a 48 game schedule only one team had less than eight losses.

That is a record that will never be broken. It was also believed for a while that former Canadiens centre Doug Jarvis held an all-time record that would never be broken but that didn’t prove to be true.

Jarvis was a third line centre for the Canadiens on perhaps the greatest team of all time. His rookie season in 1975-76 saw the Canadiens win 58 games. They won 60 the following year and then won 59 in this third season. They would win 52 the next year and also take home their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup.

Not a bad way to start a career. A 229-46-45 team record and four Stanley Cups in four seasons. It led to Jarvis being so excited about playing games he never took a day ever.

Literally.

Jarvis would go on to play seven seasons with the Canadiens and suited up for all 560 of the team’s games in that time. He was traded to the Washginton Capitals in a major trade that also involved Brian Engblom, Rod Langway and Craig Laughlin heading to Washington for Ryan Walter and Rick Green.

Jarvis continued to play every game before being traded to the Hartford Whalers in 1985. At the end of the 1986-87 season, Jarvis had played 962 games in the previous 12 seasons. It was only an 80 game schedule at the time so the most games he should have been able to play was 960, but when he was traded from the Capitals to Whalers, Hartford had played two less games to that point in the season so Jarvis played 82 games in an 80 game season.

He retired in 1988 having played all 964 games in his career. He played just two games in the 1987-88 season before ending his NHL career.

The 964 consecutive games played was the most any player played in a row without missing a game. It was a record that many thought would never be broken. However, it has been.

Last night, Keith Yandle suited up for the Philadelphia Flyers on Long Island as they faced the Islanders. It was his 965th consecutive game which officially made him the NHL’s ironman.

Jarvis retired with 403 career points and had 245 of them in seven seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.