Elite League Iron Man

[ashfieldpanther]

With Phil Kessel playing his 990th consecutive game in the NHL and therefore breaking the previous record, I wondered, who is the current EIHL iron man, either still playing or no longer playing, or even going back to Superleague days. I know that very few imports last more than a couple of seasons, but have any of the Brits logged a number of consecutive games, even if they've switched clubs. Look forward to receiving some replies.

[Yotes]

This is an interesting question, and not one I can answer (Mick, Bob). But I was just about to post about Phil Kessel - isn't that an astonishing thing, to be able to never miss a game in the NHL for almost a thousand games? Just mind boggling when you think about how physical the game is at that level. Extraordinary.

[ashfieldpanther]

Oct 26, 2022 12:26:56 GMT Yotes said:

This is an interesting question, and not one I can answer (Mick, Bob). But I was just about to post about Phil Kessel - isn't that an astonishing thing, to be able to never miss a game in the NHL for almost a thousand games? Just mind boggling when you think about how physical the game is at that level. Extraordinary.

One of those marmite players - opposition teams and fans hate him until he plays for you and then you notice all he does. Rather like Corey Perry.
Or Brendan Connolly. And I bet Connolly doesn't get mentioned in the same company as those two very often.

[wgray]

I suspect Lacho might be up there, can’t recall him ever being injured and certainly not suspended.

[pantherlee]

I would imagine it would be someone like Myers, Clarke, J Phillips, Tait, Shields

[spik]

Oct 26, 2022 14:02:23 GMT wgray said:

I suspect Lacho might be up there, can’t recall him ever being injured and certainly not suspended.

This is it. Free of injury. So he or another who has put in a few seasons.
I can only look at seasons and hope one game wasn’t missed. But 77 seasons to check are a lot. Lol
EDIT... that be 57 seasons

[Deleted]

Oct 26, 2022 13:39:08 GMT ashfieldpanther said:

Oct 26, 2022 12:26:56 GMT Yotes said:

This is an interesting question, and not one I can answer (Mick, Bob). But I was just about to post about Phil Kessel - isn't that an astonishing thing, to be able to never miss a game in the NHL for almost a thousand games? Just mind boggling when you think about how physical the game is at that level. Extraordinary.

One of those marmite players - opposition teams and fans hate him until he plays for you and then you notice all he does. Rather like Corey Perry.
Or Brendan Connolly. And I bet Connolly doesn't get mentioned in the same company as those two very often.

Yet you fail to mention Brad marchant in the same conversation

[Yotes]

Oct 26, 2022 14:02:23 GMT wgray said:

I suspect Lacho might be up there, can’t recall him ever being injured and certainly not suspended.

I seem to remember him sitting out a game or two for us in one of his later seasons at the club. Might be misremembering. But he'd probably have clocked up a good number straight by then anyway.

[Deleted]

Jono Phillips?

[iginla]

Oct 26, 2022 14:28:57 GMT pantherlee said:

I would imagine it would be someone like Myers, Clarke, J Phillips, Tait, Shields

It most certainly wouldn’t be Clarkey.
Mark Richardson or Josh Batch might be a fair bet.

[iginla]

Oct 26, 2022 15:55:40 GMT @pidge said:

Jono Phillips?

Nah he’s had a few sizeable injuries with long lay offs.
Matt Haywood could be a fair bet.

[bobness]

For a start you have to find someone who's played in the league multiple seasons.
So going to be a Brit.
Then an injury free one. Not the odd game off, injury free, ever present, over a few seasons.
Ollie is my shout. Well over 200.

I did think Lacho but he had one game off in 13/14, otherwise he would've had nearly 300.

[ashfieldpanther]

Oct 26, 2022 15:39:12 GMT @pidge said:

Oct 26, 2022 13:39:08 GMT ashfieldpanther said:

One of those marmite players - opposition teams and fans hate him until he plays for you and then you notice all he does. Rather like Corey Perry.
Or Brendan Connolly. And I bet Connolly doesn't get mentioned in the same company as those two very often.

Yet you fail to mention Brad marchant in the same conversation

Well yes, my NHL knowledge isn't as extensive as some, but I'd put Perry and Kessel in the role of role players who contribute and get under the skin, where as Marchand is a top line points scorer. I dare say every team has players like Perry and Kessel.

[Deleted]

Oct 26, 2022 18:27:25 GMT ashfieldpanther said:

Oct 26, 2022 15:39:12 GMT @pidge said:

Yet you fail to mention Brad marchant in the same conversation

Well yes, my NHL knowledge isn't as extensive as some, but I'd put Perry and Kessel in the role of role players who contribute and get under the skin, where as Marchand is a top line points scorer. I dare say every team has players like Perry and Kessel.

I wouldn't put kessel in there.. I've never seen him as a edgy type player myself.

[langer]

Perry was a first line winger with the Ducks alongside Ryan Getzlaf all though his hey days, won a Hart Trophy as MVP, a Memorial Cup, MVP over Sidney Crosby, a Stanley Cup, two Olympic Gold Medals, two Worlds Gold, was always an agitator but only a role player in his last few seasons, he's 37. Kessel was always a first or second liner and like Perry only a role player as his career is winding down. Both go into the Hall of Fame. Phil doesn't have the medals Perry has other than a Stanley but his points totals get him there.

[Bagheera]

This instantly reminds me of a stat that i've just always known since it happened/ended. I used to watch a lot of baseball on channel 5 in my teenage years and remember Cal Ripken Jr finally ending his streak. A streak that ended up at 2,632 consecutive games from 1982 to 1998. He could've gone longer and he actually played MLB until 2001, however he got the the point himself where he knew he was being selected at times because of the streak and not the best decision for the team. He made the decision to pull himself from the line up one night so that the team could then move on going forward. He played his entire career with Baltimore.

Now, I know there will be an arguement that baseball doesn't have the same physical demands as hockey or even a number of other sports(and I'd agree), but to go that long without picking up an injury capable of taking you out of a game is quite remarkable. You have to at least consider that baseball regular season is approx 160 games in give or take 190 days too.

[kievthegreat]

Oct 27, 2022 8:21:49 GMT Bagheera said:

This instantly reminds me of a stat that i've just always known since it happened/ended. I used to watch a lot of baseball on channel 5 in my teenage years and remember Cal Ripken Jr finally ending his streak. A streak that ended up at 2,632 consecutive games from 1982 to 1998. He could've gone longer and he actually played MLB until 2001, however he got the the point himself where he knew he was being selected at times because of the streak and not the best decision for the team. He made the decision to pull himself from the line up one night so that the team could then move on going forward. He played his entire career with Baltimore.

Now, I know there will be an arguement that baseball doesn't have the same physical demands as hockey or even a number of other sports(and I'd agree), but to go that long without picking up an injury capable of taking you out of a game is quite remarkable. You have to at least consider that baseball regular season is approx 160 games in give or take 190 days too.

It's always the same with all sports, they are have differing fitness requirements. However that long without injury, especially as you'll average about 3 games every 4 days across an entire season is remarkable.

He also played the vast majority of his career at shortstop which is the probably the most strenuous fielding role. All it needed was a bad landing when diving or tweaking your arm when at bat. I mean England lost a cricketer after he stepped on a boundary in practice and rolled his ankle. Going nearly 17 seasons without issue is crazy good luck.

[ashfieldpanther]

Oct 27, 2022 8:21:49 GMT Bagheera said:

This instantly reminds me of a stat that i've just always known since it happened/ended. I used to watch a lot of baseball on channel 5 in my teenage years and remember Cal Ripken Jr finally ending his streak. A streak that ended up at 2,632 consecutive games from 1982 to 1998. He could've gone longer and he actually played MLB until 2001, however he got the the point himself where he knew he was being selected at times because of the streak and not the best decision for the team. He made the decision to pull himself from the line up one night so that the team could then move on going forward. He played his entire career with Baltimore.

Now, I know there will be an arguement that baseball doesn't have the same physical demands as hockey or even a number of other sports(and I'd agree), but to go that long without picking up an injury capable of taking you out of a game is quite remarkable. You have to at least consider that baseball regular season is approx 160 games in give or take 190 days too.

I was surprised when reading up on the NHL Iron man streaks that some of them ended by players being healthy scratches (Yandle, Unger). Imagine being the coach having to tell some-one on that sort of streak that they aren't playing tomorrow. Or if you are the player. On a side note, how many out there remember Garry Unger playing for in the UK. He was with Dundee in my first ever season at Panthers (1985-86) and when I read the programme I thought they had made a mistake, how could someone who played 16 yrs in the NHL be playing in the British league ?

[humbucker]

I certainly remember “Iron Man Gary Unger of the NHL and of course the Dundee Rockets. What a player and to think he ended his playing career in the uk I believe.

[spik]

Gary Ungar of Peterborough too.