The New York Islanders’ Zdeno Chara set the NHL record for most games played by a defenseman when he appeared in his 1,652nd game by starting for the visitors against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
Chara broke the record previously held by Chris Chelios — who played in the NHL from 1984 through 2010 — when teammate Casey Cizikas won the opening faceoff against Tomas Hertl. Chara was the first Islanders player to touch the puck after Cizikas.
Chara, 44, started on the blue line along with Noah Dobson — who was born Jan. 7, 2000, by which point Chara had already played 122 NHL games for the Islanders, who selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft.
The Sharks acknowledged Chara’s achievement during the game’s first stoppage 8:56 into the first. The team displayed an image of Chara with images of the defenseman playing with the Islanders during his first stint with the club as well as other three teams — the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.
The hosts also aired a congratulatory video from former San Jose star Patrick Marleau, who played in an NHL-record 1,779 games.
Chara, seated on the Islanders’ bench between Dobson and fellow defenseman Ryan Pulock, watched the tributes before standing up, smiling and waving to the crowd.
–Field Level Media