The Montreal Canadiens will be without captain Nick Suzuki for 2-4 weeks after he suffered an upper-body injury, a setback that pauses his chase of Doug Jarvis' franchise ironman mark and leaves the team facing its first game without him since the start of his NHL career.
Suzuki had reached 546 consecutive games, leaving him just 14 short of Jarvis' Canadiens record of 560, before Tuesday's overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks changed the picture. The Canadiens were scheduled to face the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago on Friday, and Suzuki was set to miss that game after the club confirmed the injury on Thursday.
How close was Suzuki to the record?
This was not just another injury update. Suzuki was within touching distance of one of the most durable streaks in Canadiens history, and the timing makes it especially frustrating for both player and team. He had scored a goal and added an assist against the Sharks before taking a shot off his left hand with 5:34 left in the third period, then watching San Jose win 4-3 in overtime.
Jarvis, whose streak began on Oct. 8, 1975 and ended on April 4, 1982, knows exactly what that kind of run means. He said: "I've not met Nick but boy, I sure love watching him play." He added that Suzuki "seems like the epitome of a team player who plays 180 feet of the ice" and said, "I get great enjoyment out of watching his game."
That is the part that matters most here. Suzuki is not merely a scorer for Montreal; he is the captain and a player the franchise leans on in every area of the ice. Jarvis also said: "I feel bad for him, that this has happened," before noting that the emotional side of missing games can be just as difficult as the physical injury.
Jarvis' mark looks safe for now
The immediate impact is obvious: Montreal loses its captain for at least two weeks, and possibly four, at a moment when the schedule keeps moving. The longer-term impact is more symbolic. Suzuki's run stops at 546, while Jarvis' 560-game mark remains intact for now.
Jarvis said he was surprised, but not fully surprised, that the record still stands. That may be the fairest way to frame it. The Canadiens have had active streaks from Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky, but those runs are far shorter, which means Jarvis' number appears safe for a long time yet.
For Suzuki, the challenge now is simpler and more immediate: recover properly, return to the lineup, and get back to being the player Montreal know they can build around. The streak will wait. The Canadiens, though, must go into Friday's meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks without the man they have relied on from the start of his career.
