As soon as the opening puck was dropped in the New York Islanders‘ game against the San Jose Sharks game on Thursday night, Zdeno Chára made history.
Chára was on the ice to start the game for the Islanders. With that, he set an NHL record for most games played by a defenseman, with 1,652. He broke the record previously held by Hockey Hall of Famer, Chris Chelios.
Congratulations Zdeno Chara for setting the NHL record for the most games played by a defenseman! 👏
Truly a remarkable achievement and a testament to your dedication to the game. pic.twitter.com/P5yc7bbhI3
— NHL (@NHL) February 25, 2022
Once the game got going, Chára did something he’s done a lot of over 1,652 games — he got into a fight.
Chara now has most fights by a guy breaking the all time games played by defenseman #isles pic.twitter.com/qteK2vkRo6
— YESUV🚙 (@IslesWhiteSUV) February 25, 2022
Chára earned congratulations throughout the hockey world on Thursday for his record-setting milestone.
With tonight’s game in San Jose, Chara has played in 1️⃣6️⃣5️⃣2️⃣ games, the most games played by a defenseman in the NHL.
Congrats Chara! 👏 pic.twitter.com/T7oMcxG1Ya
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 25, 2022
1,652 NHL games… 👀
Take a look back at the incredible journey Zdeno Chara's been on to get to this point. pic.twitter.com/FCBGiFyOpr
— NHL (@NHL) February 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/ZigFracassi/status/1497053959458115591
Big Z, what an incredible career for this man https://t.co/RlJppYUu2M pic.twitter.com/oSZsvT4zuA
— Joe Moore (@JMooreHockey) February 25, 2022
Congrats to Zdeno Chara. What a remarkable accomplishment. #Isles #NHL
— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) February 25, 2022
'Big Z' record breaker 👏
Zdeno Chara breaks Chris Chelios’ record for most games played by an NHL defenceman pic.twitter.com/Fy3egXZtFD
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) February 25, 2022
Congrats to Zdeno Chara on a tremendous achievement. https://t.co/fxKHaiF5Ih
— Jackie Spiegel (@jackiespiegel93) February 25, 2022
With his 1,652nd NHL game tonight, Big Z now tops the all-time games played list for NHL defencemen.
Congratulations to Zdeno Chara! pic.twitter.com/Mld5XsP6sE— NHLPA (@NHLPA) February 25, 2022
Chára is likely best known for his time with the Boston Bruins. He played more than half of his career games for the Bruins and was the captain of Boston’s Stanley Cup-winning team in 2011. The Bruins congratulated their former star.
A big night for Big Zee.
Congratulations, Zdeno, on this incredible achievement. 👏 pic.twitter.com/TdyLOIAv5G
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 25, 2022
Unmatched dedication, perseverance, and competitiveness.
Well done, Big Zee! Enjoy your special night. pic.twitter.com/GagP7fyDf9
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 25, 2022
And while Chára’s best days were in Boston, it’s fitting that he was a member of the Islanders when breaking the record. New York was the team that drafted Chára and the team he made his NHL debut with.
It was also a fitting opponent and while it was a road game, it was also a near-ideal location. San Jose was the longtime home of Patrick Marleau, who holds the NHL record for most games played, regardless of position. Marleau was among those to congratulate Chára, though it wasn’t on Twitter. Marleau recorded a message, which was played at the SAP Center as the San Jose crowd acknowledged Chára’s record.
The San Jose Sharks acknowledge Chara's most games played by a defenseman record and Patrick Marleau shares his congratulations pic.twitter.com/cEt6mglycJ
— Isles on MSGSN (@IslesMSGN) February 25, 2022
Most games played 🤝 Most games played by a defensemen pic.twitter.com/2GARlUqSmY
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) February 25, 2022
Chelios also could not be in San Jose but congratulated Chára during his broadcast on ESPN.
"I'm not going to sit here and say it doesn't bother me."
Chris Chelios being honest about Zdeno Chara passing him for most games played by a defenseman 😂 pic.twitter.com/1hYwmQEriM
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) February 25, 2022
Chára, who made his NHL debut in 1997. When you play in that many games over four different decades, you’re naturally going to make an impression on a lot of people in the game. Clearly, that’s been the case for Chára.
