List of NHL players with 1,000 games played

Patrick Marleau with the San Jose Sharks
Patrick Marleau appeared in 1,779 games, the most in league history.

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a major professional ice hockey league which operates in Canada and the United States. Since its inception in 1917–18, 398 players have played at least 1,000 regular season games, varying in amounts between Patrick Marleau's 1,779 to Bernie Federko's 1,000. Of these players, a number have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. From 1961 until being surpassed by Marleau on April 19, 2021, the record for most games played was held by Gordie Howe, who played 1,767 games. A player who reaches the milestone is awarded a silver stick.[1]

Nicklas Lidstrom appeared in 1,564 games, 14th overall, but the most by anyone who played with only one franchise.
Martin Brodeur appeared in 1,266 games, the most of any goaltender.

Fifty of the listed players have played for only one franchise (of which 17 are still active as of the current 2023–24 season). Five of those players played exclusively for the Detroit Red Wings and four played for the Montreal Canadiens, those teams having the most such players. The record for most teams played for by a player who has competed in over 1,000 games is held by Mike Sillinger, who played for 12 teams in his career; Sillinger played his 1,000th game with his 12th and final NHL team, the New York Islanders. Brothers Eric, Jordan, and Marc Staal became the only trio of brothers to play 1,000 games each in the NHL, with Marc making this achievement possible by playing his 1,000th game in the 2021–22 season. Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, and Marc-Andre Fleury are the only goaltenders with at least 1,000 games played. The first 1,000 game goaltender was Roy, marked in the 2002–03 season while Brodeur has a goaltender-leading 1,266 games.

Only 21 players have played in over 1,500 games; of those, 15 have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and four more are not yet eligible for induction. Three of those 21 (Nicklas Lidstrom, Alex Delvecchio and Steve Yzerman) played their entire careers with Detroit; Shane Doan, of the Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona franchise, is the only player to play over 1,500 games with a single franchise other than Detroit. In addition, eight of the 21 spent at least some portion of their career with the Red Wings, also more than any other team. Lidstrom's 1,564 games is the most for any player in a career spent with only one franchise. The record for most teams played for by a player who has competed in over 1,500 games is held by Jaromir Jagr, who has played for nine teams in his career. Jagr played his 1,500th game with New Jersey, his seventh NHL team.

Due to the much greater number of teams, the greater salaries paid to today's players, and the greater number of games played in a season, the list is dominated by post-expansion players. No NHL player surpassed 1,000 games before Gordie Howe on November 26, 1961, against the Chicago Black Hawks. Only 17 players in the top 100 started their careers before the expansion era, and only two players—Red Kelly and Bill Gadsby—played in more than 1,000 games and finished their careers before the expansion era.

  1. ^ Myers, Dan (April 24, 2020). "The silver stick at Parise's 1,000 games celebration ... wasn't his". NHL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2021.

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