Jarvis enjoyed watching Suzuki, 'epitome of a team player,' chase Canadiens ironman mark

MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens all-time ironman Doug Mohns had just concluded a 14-day, 185-mile hike with his wife, Linda, when he heard the news Thursday in Porto, Portugal.

The four-time Stanley Cup champion's 46-year-old consecutive games streak with the Canadiens again is well out of reach, Montreal captain Nick Suzuki sidelined after 546 straight games, just 14 from catching Jarvis' ironman franchise run of 560.

Having scored a goal and assisted on another against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, Suzuki got his left hand in the path of a shot by San Jose Sharks defenseman Michael Kesselring with 5:34 left in the third period, the game tied 3-3 in what would be a 4-3 Sharks win in overtime.

Suzuki finished the game, but on Thursday, without elaboration, the Canadiens announced that their captain and leading scorer with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in nine games, would be sidelined for 2-4 weeks because of an upper-body injury.

Nick Suzuki celebrates with teammates following his first-period goal against the San Jose Sharks at Bell Centre on Oct. 20, 2026.

On Friday in Chicago, the Canadiens to play the Blackhawks at United Center (8 p.m. ET, CHSN, NHLN, TSN2, RDS), and Suzuki will miss the first game of his NHL career.

"I've not met Nick but boy, I sure love watching him play," Jarvis said Friday. "He seems like the epitome of a team player who plays 180 feet of the ice. I get great enjoyment out of watching his game. 

"I feel bad for him, that this has happened. I can only imagine inside the competitive spirit that Nick displays in the game that he just wants to be in the lineup. He doesn't want to be missing any games, he wants to be helping his teammates, be a part of it. More than being a physical injury, I think emotionally it must hurt as well."

Planning his Saturday return to Canada, two weeks of hiking from Portugal into Spain under his shoes, Jarvis, 71, learned Thursday that his record Canadiens streak, from Oct. 8, 1975 through April 4, 1982, was safe from Suzuki's pursuit. And it should be safe for a long time to come.

Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki (r.) passes the team's ceremonial torch to Jesperi Kotkaniemi before Montreal's season-opener at Bell Centre on Oct. 10, 2019. This would be Suzuki's fourth career game.

The current ironman streak among active Canadiens is the 175 games of defenseman Lane Hutson, which started April 15, 2024. Behind Hutson is forward Juraj Slafkovsky, his 164 having begun on Oct. 29, 2024.

Should Hutson not miss a game, he'd be poised to catch Jarvis roughly three-quarters of the way through the 2030-31 season, Jarvis' record by then almost a half-century old.

Phil Kessel sits atop the NHL all-time ironman list with 1,064 consecutive games, from 2009-23. Hot on the retired Kessel's heels is workhorse Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, his 1,017-game streak having begun on Nov. 21, 2013.

Retired defenseman Keith Yandle is ranked third with 989, from 2009-22, having passed Jarvis' 964 that the latter put up from 1975-87.

Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel poses with the pucks from his 990th consecutive NHL game, breaking the NHL all-time ironman record held by Keith Yandle, and his 400th career goal, at SAP Center on Oct. 25, 2022 in San Jose.

"I guess I'm surprised, but I'm not, that my (Canadiens) record still stands," Jarvis said. "Today's players take great care of themselves with their physical health and with their conditioning. But on the other hand, the game can present some pretty major obstacles -- the constant travel, the physical nature of the game, size of the players, the equipment now. A lot of things can happen that can keep a player out of the lineup. There's still that element in any game that an injury can take place."

Forever known as an industrious player who excelled at both ends of the ice, Jarvis chuckles at the idea that there might be a common thread between his game and that of Suzuki.

He does, however, see a similarity between Suzuki and Bruins Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron, whom he coached as an assistant in Boston. Bergeron won the Stanley Cup in 2011, and six times was voted the Frank J. Selke Award as the League's best defensive forward, the award Suzuki won last season.

"Maybe I can relate on the defensive side of the puck but man, Nick's talent on the offensive side, and how he sees the ice as well, that's way beyond anything that was part of my game. He's a joy to watch," Jarvis said.

"Seeing how Nick handles himself and his game, I see the kind of player that Patrice was, a great leader within the team who sets a great example for the rest of the group."

Doug Jarvis salutes Bell Centre fans on Oct. 22, 2024 during a pregame ceremony. At right is defenseman Lane Hutson, who currently is the team's ironman leader.

A total of nine Canadiens through history have had runs of 300 or more consecutive games, though none were in the same league as Jarvis and Suzuki.

Ranked third is Dickie Moore's 379 straight from 1954-60, Jarvis having passed Moore into the franchise lead Feb. 21, 1980, with 380 games.

Next is Steve Shutt with 347 from 1974-78, followed by Donnie Marshall (327, 1957-62), Jeff Petry (321, 2017-21), Peter Mahovlich (313, 1973-77), Mark Recchi (312, 1995-98), and Aurel Joliat (312, 1930-37).

Suzuki's 546 ranks him 20th all-time, two behind Detroit Red Wings legend Alex Delvecchio, and second among active players behind only Burns. Hutson's 175 ranks him 28th among active skaters.

Jarvis played his final NHL game Oct. 10, 1987, with the Hartford Whalers, holding the ironman record until Yandle passed him on Jan. 25, 2022, with No. 965.

Yandle's record of 989 games would be overhauled by Kessel on Oct. 25, 2022, with Burns sliding past Yandle into second place on March 14, 2026.

Doug Jarvis in action with the Washington Capitals, and with Montreal Canadiens teammate Bob Gainey.

Jarvis' streak of 964 ran from his first NHL game with the Canadiens, on Oct. 8, 1975, through his final game. He passed Garry Unger's 914 on Dec. 26, 1986, adding 50 more games before he was a healthy scratch for the Whalers on Oct. 11, 1987, retiring to a coaching career in the minor pros and the NHL.

"People have said to me that my record is one that wouldn't be broken, but to be honest, I've always thought, 'Why won't it be?'" Jarvis told NHL.com in 2022 as Yandle was about to pass him.

"I played the game that I loved, one game at a time. Before I knew it, they had all added up to Garry's number of 914. It just kind of happened. It's one of those marks that you can't set out to break, right? There are just so many things out of your control that can have an effect on it."

Jarvis played 560 games at center for the Canadiens from 1975-82, his next 265 with the Washington Capitals from 1982-85, then 139 with the Whalers from 1985-87 to end his career, having been traded to Hartford on Dec. 6, 1985.

His most special hockey memories are as a member of the Canadiens' 1976-79 dynasty and its four consecutive championships; the 1984 Selke Trophy with the Capitals; and the 1986-87 Bill Masterton Trophy with the Whalers for perseverance and dedication to hockey.

Doug Jarvis with his parents, Richard and Millie, and his wife, Linda, celebrated by the Hartford Whalers on Dec. 26, 1986 upon becoming the NHL ironman for consecutive games played.

He passed Unger into top spot playing for the Whalers in a 1-1 tie against the Canadiens in Hartford, "ironic, kind of nice," he said, that the milestone came against his first NHL team, having been feted pregame with an award that featured Canadiens, Whalers and Capitals pucks and a giant 915 above a plaque celebrating the event.

His streak would continue with No. 916 the following night back in Montreal, receiving a standing ovation from Canadiens fans.

Speaking on behalf of the Canadiens in Hartford was captain Bob Gainey, Jarvis' linemate with Jimmy Roberts in the record-breaker's first NHL game, a 9-0 demolition of the Los Angeles Kings at the Montreal Forum. Gainey and Jarvis had been major-junior teammates with Peterborough in 1972-73, then played seven seasons together with the Canadiens, from 1975-82.

As he claimed an ironman record he would hold for more than 34 years, fellow players lauded the perseverance of a forward who played the game much larger than his 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds.

"He's not a hashmark-to-hashmark player," Whalers goalie Mike Liut said of Jarvis upon his 915th game. "He's not coasting out there, he's involved all over the ice."

Doug Jarvis skates during the 2008 Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic game at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Gordie Howe, who finished his 1,767-game career with Hartford in 1979-80, just shook his head.

"It's an unbelievable record," Mr. Hockey said. "I can't believe the guy went that long without catching a cold."

Said Whalers coach Jack Evans, who would scratch Jarvis to end his streak: "It's like never missing a day of school or a working day in your life. It will be very difficult to break."

Whalers captain Ron Francis said that Jarvis "never gave in, to an injury or the flu. It's not like he accomplished this feat cheap. He's played hard every game. He's never been taped up to play one shift and keep the thing going."

Doug Jarvis (r.) with Guy Lafleur before a casual Canadiens alumni game at Bell Centre before the team's Centennial game against the Boston Bruins on Dec. 4, 2009.

Dave Tippett, a fellow Whaler, said that Jarvis "has given so much to the game of hockey, I'm happy the game can give something like the record book back to him."

And then, with Jarvis' milestone game scheduled the day after Christmas, Tippett joked, "We told him not to cut himself carving the turkey."

The Canadiens are hoping that Suzuki is back before U.S. Thanksgiving, the durable captain's ironman streak set to restart at one.

"Please wish Nick my best," Jarvis said. "Tell him to get healthy quickly, get back in there and get started on another streak. We all love watching him play."

Top photo: Doug Jarvis poses with a steel-armored knight in 1986 as he closed in on the NHL all-time consecutive-games lead.