It never stopped for Cogliano, who hasn't missed a game since he made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 4, 2007. Only Doug Jarvis, with the NHL record of 964 consecutive games, has played more to start a career than Cogliano, who moved into a tie with Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin for sixth place on the all-time list when he played in a 5-2 win against the Canucks on Thursday.
Anaheim defenseman Kevin Bieksa has been a teammate of Sedin and Cogliano, and said their streaks are more impressive because of the roles they play.
"Obviously, Henrik endures a lot of abuse out there and against the top physical guys on the other team; they are pounding on him every night," said Bieksa, in his first season with Anaheim after 10 with Vancouver. "But Andrew is one of our leaders in hits. He's up there in blocked shots and penalty kills, he's out there at the end of the game in big situations where he is putting his body in the way. This guy is just extremely durable and really takes care of his body, and makes sure he is doing the right things to make sure he is healthy."
Sedin had his almost 10-year streak end on Jan. 18, 2014, after a cross-check injured his ribs. He returned to play all 82 games last season but has missed six this season with injuries; he also played through a few, including one that forced him to stand on the bench.
Cogliano, who declined to talk about his streak, has endured a few close calls.
"I've seen him take some knee-on-knee shots, I've seen a guy knock out all his teeth and he didn't miss one shift," Boudreau said. "He's tough like that."
Bieksa credited the way Cogliano trains for his durability.
"Andrew is really in tune with his body and how to keep it fresh. He's always thinking about it," Bieksa said. "The joke with Andrew is his legs always feel [bad]. If we're out somewhere, he's always asking, 'Hey, how do your legs feel? Mine feel terrible.'"
Cogliano is in his fifth season with Anaheim after four with Edmonton. The 28-year-old, who can pass Sedin when the Ducks host the Calgary Flames on Sunday, is the eighth player with a streak of at least 600 games. St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (737 games) and Sedin are the only other players to do so in the past 20 years.
"It's impressive," Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows said. "You need a little bit of luck for sure, but they are guys that prepare the right way, train the right way, and they don't milk any injuries. They are pretty strong guys that always want to help their teams."
MOST CONSECUTIVE NHL GAMES PLAYED
1. Doug Jarvis, 964
2. Garry Unger, 914
3. Steve Larmer, 884
4. Craig Ramsay, 776
5. Jay Bouwmeester, 737
6. Andrew Cogliano, 679
6. Henrik Sedin, 679
8. Andy Hebenton, 630
