Keith Yandle finally reacts to the Flyers' controversial decision to end his stunning sequence

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MarcO
April 4, 2022 (11:52)

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It was certainly one of the most talked about stories (and decisions) in the hockey world this weekend, as Philadelphia Flyers head coach Mike Yeo decided to remove veteran Keith Yandle from his team's lineup, even though he was healthy and could have played.

It created quite a controversy and so, it's official, the mind-blowing streak of consecutive games played ends at 989 for Yandle. Mike Yeo has ended that streak.

Let's emphasize. Before he was scratched from his team's lineup on Saturday, Yandle had just played 989 games (in a row), without missing a single one in between. Basically, he never got hurt.

That's really amazing, he was just about to hit the 1000 mark.

Plus, the Flyers are completely out of the playoff race. Several NHL players and GMs have already (anonymously for some) harshly criticized the decision, saying it was strange and even, horrible.

It may not seem like a big deal, but it's the kind of sequence that NHL players and executives have a lot of respect for.

It's unheard of in the history of the league (a player playing 1,000 games in a row) and the Flyers intentionally prevented Yandle from reaching that milestone, even though the games no longer have any meaning for them.

Let's also add that Yandle is a highly respected veteran in the locker room and around the league. In short, no more "Iron Man steak", for him.

Now that we've recalled the facts, let's move on to Keith Yandle's reaction. As the dust begins to settle, we know more about what happened internally on Saturday with the Flyers.

We learn (not surprisingly) that several players on the team were very unhappy with the decision and in some cases downright frustrated.

Some wanted to go to the head coach to try to convince him to play their respected teammate (for at least another 11 games), but Yandle intervened:

"Don't worry about it, boys. It's really not a big deal. It's just part of the business." - Keith Yandle, who added that he will continue to be the best teammate he can be and will always respect every decision his bosses make.

Wow! No matter what you think of him, you have to admit he handled it well.

The last game he missed was in March 2009, over 13 years ago.

Among those who denounced it loud and clear was Jeremy Roenick :