The 10 biggest particular person streaks in NHL historical past

Phil Kessel, iron man? Barring some brutal luck, it gained’t be lengthy earlier than we are able to name him that. ‘The Kessel Run’ sits at 986 consecutive video games performed following his Vegas Golden Knights’ tilt with the Calgary Flames Tuesday evening. He’ll tie Keith Yandle’s report of 989 Monday evening at house towards the Toronto Maple Leafs and will set a brand new report of 990 by Tuesday Oct. 25 on the street towards the San Jose Sharks.

Doug Jarvis held the ironman report at 964 from 1987 by 2022. Yandle gained’t even maintain the honour for a 12 months. What as soon as appeared like an unbreakable report instantly wasn’t – and is about to be damaged once more.

So the ironman streak has slipped out of the “unbreakable” tier of essentially the most spectacular particular person streaks in NHL historical past. Which ones nonetheless maintain up the perfect?

Here’s a tiered take a look at the best particular person streaks.

Breakable

Keith Yandle: 989 consecutive video games performed, 2009-2022

The Kessel Run will surpass 990 and it gained’t be lengthy earlier than he’s the primary 1,000-game ironman. At 35 and nonetheless taking part in properly sufficient to be a top-nine NHL ahead, he ought to have a pair extra seasons in him, presumably pushing his quantity into the 1,100s or 1,200s, except it’s a case by which he chooses to relaxation some nicks and strains as quickly as he owns the report.

Will anybody threaten Kessel as soon as he has it, although? Brent Burns owns the next-best energetic streak at 682, and Burns is 2 years older, so he’s no contender. And no different participant has an energetic streak even inside 100 of Burns. So there’s nobody on the horizon making a push. That stated, if two gamers can beat Jarvis’ mark in a calendar 12 months, it’s established that the ironman streak isn’t unconquerable. It simply could also be a long term for Kessel on the high if he can hold on for an additional week and surpass Yandle.

Long Shots

Patrick Lalime: 16-game undefeated streak to begin profession, 1996-97
season

The situations have to be good for this to occur, positive. Lalime joined a strong 1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins staff with the league’s main scorer on the time in Mario Lemieux. But it’s not utterly inconceivable {that a} rookie stopper might get scorching after being referred to as as much as a contender. Ilya Samsonov had an 11-game successful streak as a rookie in 2019-20, for example.

The catch: ties existed when Lalime set his mark. Any goalie setting an undefeated streak at the moment has to win 17 consecutive choices to surpass Lalime. Given the league’s parity and the randomness of shootouts, it’s a troublesome mountain to summit.

Wayne Gretzky: 51-game level streak, 1983-84
season

I might’ve filed this streak within the untouchable bin just a few years again. The solely gamers this century to even make it previous midway to 51 have been Patrick Kane in 2015-16 and Taylor Hall in 2017-18, each shedding their streaks at 26 video games. But league-wide offense reached its highest mark in 26 years final season, and we simply can’t rely Connor McDavid out. He’s carrying out issues offensively that no participant since Gretzky and Lemieux has. If anybody can rip off a 51-game streak, it’s McDavid.

Bryan Trottier: 27-game playoff level streak, 1980-1982

One might argue a 27-game playoff scoring streak trumps the 51-game common season streak given the shortage of area and the officers’ tendencies to permit extra defensive liberties within the postseason. Again, although, I consider McDavid –- and Leon Draisaitl for that matter. We noticed what they completed final spring. The Colorado A-Z Eventz’s Mikko Rantanen fairly quietly strung a 17-game factors streak collectively throughout the 2020 and 2021 postseasons. So, eclipsing 27 is unbelievable however not not possible.

Ray Bourque: 17 consecutive first- or second-team all-star picks, 1979-1996

Imagine being so good for therefore lengthy that the PHWA considers you a top-two defenseman within the NHL for 17 years in row. Absolutely staggering. Only one different NHL participant even has 17 all-star nods, not to mention 17 straight.

Will we see one other participant keep this extremely good for this lengthy? It’s not utterly out of the query. Sidney Crosby did it 5 instances in a row and 7 instances in a 10-season stretch. Alex Ovechkin did it 9 instances in a 10-season window. Nicklas Lidstrom acquired 12 all-star nods in a 13-year stretch.

McDavid and Cale Makar are generationally nice sufficient to be regarded among the many greatest at their positions 17 years in a row, however McDavid could already be out of the working. He did it 5 instances in a six-year interval however completed third within the vote in 2019-20, that means his present streak is barely at two. Makar, nonetheless, was a first-team all-star in season 2 and three of his profession. He’s beginning his streak early sufficient that you simply simply by no means know.

Untouchable

Bobby Orr: eight consecutive Norris Trophies, 1967-1975

This generally is a shared entry with Gretzky’s eight straight Hart Trophies. I lean towards Orr’s Norris streak being much more untouchable as a result of the Norris is a extra subjective award than the Hart, which regularly goes to the highest scorer within the NHL. It’s troublesome sufficient to conceive of 1 defenseman being sufficiently dominant to win eight Norrises in a row. It’s one other to think about it within the Twitter discourse period. Narratives alone would persuade PHWA voters that another person was “due.” We’ll by no means see eight straight Norrises go to at least one particular person ever once more. Shoutout to Lidstrom for successful six in a seven-year interval from 2000-01 by 2007-08, although.

Punch Broadbent: 16-game purpose streak, 1921-22
season

Broadbent’s streak is seven years older than the Great Depression. In the early Twenties, he buried 26 objectives over a 16-game interval by which he scored in each contest. The recreation has merely modified an excessive amount of for one participant to smell that invincibility once more. That stated, we’ve seen a handful of gamers get midway there at eight in recent times: Mitch Marner, Nikita Kucherov and Elias Lindholm final season and Connor Brown the season prior.

Alec Connell: 460:49 shutout streak, 1927-28
season

It’s nearly unfair to incorporate this stat, as a result of Connell’s report got here earlier than the ahead move was launched. Brian Boucher’s 333:01 set with the Coyotes 2003-04, a.ok.a. the nadir of Dead Puck, appears barely extra attainable. To hit 460 minutes, you’d want greater than seven consecutive shutouts. Not even six time beyond regulation shutouts in a row would get you to 460.

Wayne Gretzky’s 4 consecutive 70-goal seasons, 1981-1985

Think concerning the hoopla round Auston Matthews scoring 60 objectives final season. He’s certainly one of three NHLers to succeed in that benchmark this millennium. Even if he’s the one energetic participant able to flirting with 70, the considered him doing it 4 instances in a row simply foolish. Speaking of foolish: that was Gretzky’s stage of dominance. Before anybody dusts off the ignorant “scoring was easy in the ’80s” argument: throughout his four-year streak of 70-plus (92, 71, 87, 73), he outscored the second-best sniper by 90 objectives – 22.5 per 12 months. He’s essentially the most dominant staff sport athlete who ever lived.

Beyond Untouchable

Glenn Hall’s 502 consecutive video games began in web, 1955-1962

If a goaltender even began 50 straight video games at the moment. The thinkpieces would explode throughout Twitter. The staff would just about face legal expenses for abusing the poor netminder. Imagine multiplying that quantity by 10, and then you definately get Hall. A goaltender must begin each recreation for greater than six seasons. We’re extra more likely to see a canine begin one NHL recreation than a human begin 502 straight video games once more.

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