Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle sets NHL record for consecutive games played at 965

ELMONT, N.Y. — Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle became the NHL’s new “Iron Man” on Tuesday night, skating in his 965th consecutive regular-season game to break Doug Jarvis’s all-time record.

Yandle set the record when the puck was dropped for the opening faceoff against the New York Islanders. According to the NHL, all he needed to do was take one shift for the appearance to be official. After the opening faceoff, he tapped his stick once on the ice and skated back to defend the Flyers’ goal. The Islanders won, 4-3.

Yandle’s streak began in his third NHL season, on March 26, 2009. For his career, Yandle has now played in 1,075 games with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and the Flyers, who signed him as a free agent last offseason.

Jarvis, a forward, didn’t miss a regular-season game from his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 1975, with the Montreal Canadiens through the end of the streak on Oct. 10, 1987, with the Hartford Whalers. He officially set the record on Dec. 26, 1986, when he played in his 915th straight game to pass Gary Unger’s benchmark.

With 12:36 left in the first period, the Islanders PA announcer told the crowd that Yandle had just set the record for consecutive regular-season NHL games. Fans applauded and cheered, about half of them standing to celebrate the achievement of a visiting player. Yandle skated out from the Flyers bench and raised his stick to acknowledge the ovation and the moment.

Yandle had tied Jarvis’s record of 964 straight games in the Flyers’ loss to the Dallas Stars in Philadelphia on Monday night.

“To be honest with you, it’s not something I talk about too much,” said Yandle after the game, regarding the record. “It’s one of those things where I kind of get comfortable. I’m not really a guy who likes to have the spotlight on myself. If guys do talk about it, I try to change the subject.”

The achievement was announced to Flyers fans during the first period and was met with cheers. “It wasn’t really…