Tom: Hello everyone.

And welcome into once again to the Talking Puck Podcast, Tom

Callahan, Mike Haynes here with you.

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And today, Mike, a little bit more of a broader topic, but one that unbelievably,

well, I don't know if it's unbelievable.

We'll talk about this.

It's completely under the.

That Keith Yandle is approaching Doug Jarvis's record for all time.

consecutive games played and he's doing it in an era of COVID-19

running rampant in the NHL.

And now of course, anything can happen between now.

And I think he's projected to break the record may be at the end of

next week or early the following a couple of days, but man, the fact

that he's even within a whisper of it right now, Is incredible to me

Mike: You don't hear enough about it.

I have not read that many stories regarding this, but it seemed like

one of those records that might not ever get broken isn't in hockey isn't

the Glen Hall for consecutive starts.

Isn't that considered the most unbreakable?

I think he had 502 games.

I think that's considered the most unbreakable record that that

will never, ever be broken just because goaltenders don't play.

Entire 82 game schedules by themselves.

Uh, and start every game I should say.

Um, so that, that record never be broken.

I think you could put the Jarvis on the next tier of, you know, what that, that

record might stand for a long, long time.

Great.

Chances gotta happen.

I will not have picked a Keith Yandle as the guy to do that.

That seems that that's, that to me is the one that makes me shake my hand and

go Yandle is going to do that because that's also a guy, I think it's hard it's

harder when you're not with one team.

He went, he went with Arizona, Rangers, and then down to Florida, right?

So he's, he's moved around a little

Tom: bit.

That's and Mike remember in Florida, it almost ended for him

because he was playing poorly.

And then it became the question of boy, what happens if the

coach breaks the streak for you?

You know?

And then he ended up, he kept going, but I mean, a lot of people questioned

whether or not he should be in the lineup.

And that's a tough call for anyone to make.

Mike: Especially, I remember, uh, I'm of that age.

I remember when Cal Ripken was going through, his a consecutive

games played with Baltimore, and there was a lot of crying about,

look, he's not the same player.

You gotta get, you gotta rest this guy, but he was just a, you know, who,

what manager would dare not play him?

At some point when you get this close, the coach, that that would be

such a gutsy move to take him out of the lineup, just strictly on play.

But you know, is this tantamount to, it's indicative of, of how

great of shape these guys are now.

But I just think that the word they just take care of themselves, the way they

travel is better than it used to be.

I mean, is this a record, if, if Yandle sets it - could it get, um,

broken, uh, not that far away now.

I thought for a while wasn't, um, Cogliano , wasn't he, wasn't he a guy,

I think from his first game of the NHL.

Did he go through a stretch where he didn't miss any games

for years and years and years?

Right there?

Am I remembering that right?

Tom: Yeah, I think, yeah, that was Cogliano that played, but nowhere near.

And this is the crazy thing.

When you think about these.

974 games

Mike: I know , I know

that.

I mean, if you get, because if you get to, if you get to, as a player,

just a thousand games in your career, they give you the silver stick.

They have a big ceremony at center ice...

I mean, there's a big deal.

So he's close to getting to a thousand games, consecutively played it is mind

blowing or what do you give, what do you give credit to Yandle for doing this?

I don't know him that well saw him, saw him playing thought,

especially in, in Arizona.

He was a good player on a team that was mediocre.

Um, w what are you getting a sense of is the reason he's been able to do this.

Tom: Well, I think part of it is that Yandle certainly, he's

not a massively physical player.

I think if you're a big time physical player, it works against you.

But you know, Mike, actually, something I think is completely remarkable about this.

He's doing this.

Pardon me?

It was 964 games for Jarvis, not 9 74, 9 64.

Um, what's remarkable to me, as I look at this is Jarvis was a center

and, Yandle's doing it as a defenseman where you have an exponentially higher

chance of getting drilled by a shot, breaking a toe, breaking an ankle,

um, you know, something happening.

It is a higher contact position.

Um, there is so much that can go wrong with a defenseman over the course of time.

I think.

Number one, yes.

Being in the shape these guys are in today certainly helps.

I think that that's remarkable for Yandel the fact that he has been able to keep

himself in playing shape for this long.

Um, I think it's Mike, he has not missed a game since he was 22 years old

it's unbelievable to me, but he is, he's just somehow avoided the

injury stayed healthy and, and you do, you have to eat, right.

You have to take care of yourself mentally and physically, like

there's so much that goes into it.

I think his style of play has helped him.

Uh, but I also think too, That, you know, when you're a gifted defenseman.

And certainly Yandle much earlier in his career was, was, you know, much

more heralded than he is now, but he's still useful to the Philadelphia Flyers.

And a lot of people are saying, well, the reason he's able to get

the streak cause he's on Philly.

Philly's terrible.

Nobody cares.

They have nothing going on.

And maybe that's part of the reason there's not much coverage.

Um, but you know, he's still a viable NHL player.

And I look at, I look at him and I think, you know, could Yandle of course in

the COVID era, even more remarkable, but could he push a thousand games who

knows that's 40 more games to get there.

If he can play healthy through the end of the season.

Now mind you, this is regular season games, uh, and maybe have a chance

to push into early next season.

That's mind blowing to me.

Mike: You'll just reading some quick stories on what he's

going through in Philadelphia.

Now he signed a one-year deal last year.

Started out pretty well, his first three games, he had five

assists getting over 20 minutes.

But then he went 20 games without another point.

And you know how it is in Philadelphia, those fans turn

on you and, and they're smart.

They know their hockey, and he's taking a beating right now from the fans.

Just just hasn't produced offensively, uh, for them.

And there's just word that, uh, once he breaks this record and you gotta let

him, I mean, that would be insane if, if you don't like break this record,

but they look, it's not a good team.

Chances are chances, I guess, that they could start going the younger

players and maybe he doesn't get.

Uh, to continue with that streak but he, if he stays healthy, he

they're going to let him get there.

But I don't know, Tom, he's guaranteed to keep going to a thousand, but that would

be pretty cool if they just said let's, let's just let them be Cal Ripkin and he

can just go as long as he possibly can, but he's not playing great right now.

And the fans have turned on

him now.

Tom: He doesn't have a goal yet this year.

And yeah, he does have.

The assists are okay but I mean, Philadelphia is bad.

They're looking to throw batteries at anything they can.

Right now in Philly, so, which, I mean, that's kinda how they roll,

but you know what I would like to say to Flyers fans in a season where

everything's going wrong, appreciate this.

That's fine.

Whatever happened to every breaks, the record, if they sit him down or whatever.

Okay.

Um, but, man, this is, I understand why they're angry.

It's a, it's a team that wasn't supposed to be this bad.

Yet.

they're well, under 500, they're struggling along in a

division where let's face it.

I mean, they could have put themselves with a decent run in the

orbit of that potential crossover playoff spot, but there there's

just nothing there in Philly.

There's nothing at all.

And no, there's not much to hang your hat on.

So.

I'd be celebrating this, I think a little bit more than they are all everything

against players aside I know I'd be mad too, but man, how can you not root

for this guy to break this record?

Mike: Yeah.

And they show it and he is remarkable.

As you said, we're in the COVID era and all it takes is even if you

don't have, COVID just, you get sick.

You miss a game as a defense and you say, you take a shot

off the foot or whatever, and

Tom: you can get food poisoning.

Mike: Absolutely.

There's just little things that could happen that guys missed,

just, you know, just whatever.

So anything happens during the course of the game, you get nicked up and you got

to sit out a game, but to his credit.

Wow.

I, I, I just remember the reading, uh, watching and talking to people about

the Cogliano thing and thinking, wow, I it's remarkable what he's done.

But that Jarvis record, that that thing's going to hold for a long time.

And, and this really snuck up on me.

I, it wasn't like I was really following Yandle and his games consecutively

played, but, uh, credit to him, it's a real true accomplishment in this

day and age, where you look at other sports where, you know, guys, you know,

the NBA, you get, you know, that, that cliche, they get the hang nail and

they're, they're out of the lineup.

But some for him to get in there night after night and play.

Yeah.

Ah, boy.

And it also just was your though you think about the numbers and

you think about what Ripton did that, that just blows your mind.

It's not as obviously it's physical sport, but you're

playing almost every single night.

So if, if, if you show up, I really wouldn't mire this.

If you show up and you play.

And you're there every night, man.

Hats off to you.

I just, I just think that that's such a cool thing in this day and age where

a guy just night in, night out and he's there and he plays, I think it's very

admirable

Tom: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Well, all right, Mike, let's wrap this podcast up.

I'll ask you this question.

You already said Glen Hall.

502 starts.

The record won't be broken.

Mike: That's the most unbreakable record in hockey.

Tom: And I don't, I don't disagree with you just because goaltenders

aren't played that way anymore.

It just will never happen.

Um, so let's just tuck that one aside.

What then becomes the unbreakable record.

What becomes the one where it would take super human effort to

break?

Mike: Well, I think the obvious is Gretzky's points Now we will talk

soon about this Ovechkin thing.

Uh, you know, it has, you know, he's about around 140 goals away from breaking

Gretzky's record, but I think total points, uh, for Gretzky, uh, boy, it's

hard to picture somebody could do that.

Do you think there's anybody playing in the NHL right now?

Uh, that could break that.

And then I'd like to like your opinion on what you think is the

most unbreakable record besides,

Tom: oh, well, I will say this if somehow Draisaitl and McDavid stayed together.

For a long time, they have a chance.

Mike: Oh really?

Tom: They and McDavid specifically, I think because he he's.

Yes.

I think he would have a chance because at 441 games, he's at 627 points.

Now he would really need to turn it on.

I may look Gretzky.

Had impossible seasons.

Mike: Let me give you the numbers.

Okay.

So people in case they don't know this.

Okay.

Gretzky had 2,857 points.

Second place, Tom.

Second place Jagr is 936 behind.

So it was 936 is to second place.

Tom: Here.

You want the more stunning breakdown of that stat try this.

Gretzky is the all-time goals leading.

Take away every goal he ever scored, he has more assists

than anyone else had points.

Mike: I know, I know.

Tom: That's, that's the kind of player Gretzky was.

Mike: You're saying that McDavid's got a chance.

For 2,857.

Tom: So what I'm saying is McDavid number one would have to play.

He'd have to play probably 12 or 1300 games.

I don't even know if that's possible.

Um, but he came into the league young enough and is producing at a high

enough rate where maybe law of averages and so much would have to go, right.

He could.

I don't know, maybe creep to 2000.

Um, but even that's an insane number to throw out there.

Mike: Nobody's done that nobody's done.

Nobody else has 2000 and Jagr played, you know, a hundred years in the NHL.

Uh, it's

Tom: He did play a hundred years in the NHL

Mike: and the thing is.

Um, for Gretzky, he played on some great teams and, and let's be honest,

the way that they did I'm please, nobody attack me here, but there were,

they did the off ice officials were a little different than they are now.

Everything is.

Yeah, you're making a face at me.

I hate this.

I hate like, you know, the, the deity of Wayne Gretzky, but he got a lot of

second assists where I've had enough people tell me, this is just my opinion.

I've had enough people tell me in that era.

Where, you know, what if Kurri would score, uh, and whatever

McSorley we get an assist.

And then somehow Gretzky had the, a second assist right.

But, but you know, let's face it.

He is the greatest player of all time, 2,857.

Even if you do throw in a few gimmes from the local off ice officials

there, and Edmonton, it is still.

Phenomenal.

That's a record, I think will never, ever, ever be broken.

I can't picture that at least with the players in the league now, but, or if

you think the other, well, I was trying to say was he was on a great, he was

on a great team for a lot of years.

Yes.

McDavid.

Uh, right now that's not a great team he's played on.

No, no, he's he's he had to do more by himself.

And with Draisaitl , but more basically by himself, I should say he has to

do more with less help than Gretzky.

Tom: And at a time where it's harder to score goals.

Mike: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Goaltending is way different than it used to

be.

Tom: So I'm going to pick a different Gretzky record.

I'm going to say that the, the hardest one is, and look, I don't

think anyone's ever going to break Gretzky's points record either, but

you put me on the spot to pick a guy.

Here's what I think though is 50 goals in 39 games.

Mike: Hmm.

Tom: I don't think we'll ever see that now.

Is that one possible?

Yes.

Okay.

So Timo Meier for the Sharks just scored five goals in a game earlier this week.

Okay, great.

Nice job, Timo.

Um, Gretzky actually scored, I don't know how many people know this he

scored nine goals in his last two games.

We always talk about that five goal game to get there, but he scored

four in the game, a game before that.

So he scored nine goals in two games to hit 50 in 39.

It could be done.

If you get insanely hot, it can, it can happen.

I just don't know who can get enough of a hot streak where you can score.

I don't know, 10, 15 goals in a four or five game stretch to be able to hit that

mark, because there's going to be nights where you might only get one or two and

you pretty much have to score every game.

You can't miss.

Mike: Yeah.

You can have a streak where you're going five games without anything.

You've just got to be on fire every night.

And part of what he was doing, you mentioned four goals, five goals.

He had 50 hat tricks in his career come on.

I know.

That's, that's amazing that that is a that's that's, that's a great record.

I mean, you can go through a list of what Gretzky did his playoff

points, whatever, and there's a whole list of, of great records.

Uh, I, I just find it hard to believe this day and age that

there's going to be anybody that's going to catch him on those things.

But, you know, again, go circle back.

Congratulations.

You know, we hope in the next few games for Keith Yandle, it's

a really great accomplishment.

Tom: Absolutely.

And give us your unbreakable records and your thoughts on Keith.

You handle catching Doug Jarvis.

Reach out to us.

As I said on Twitter at Callahan on air at Buster, the dog 33.

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