Before his record was broken by Doug Jarvis, Garry Unger was considered the NHL’s Iron Man. Unger played in 914 consecutive games which was a phenomenal accomplishment, considering the rough nature of Professional Hockey. Unger did not just play in those games; he was a seven-time All-Star who was able to acquire 804 career points. Because Unger was dependable, he was not considered flashy. The latter might be what has caused people to forget about the first true “Iron Man” of the NHL.

Considering that Steve Thomas went undrafted, the fact that he made the NHL is an impressive feat. Throw in that he lasted 19 seasons and that feat is extraordinary. Steve Thomas became a solid goal scorer and a dependable player on both ends. He managed to get over 900 points in his long career and though he had a high career point total, he was never an All-Star. Without at least one major season to his credit, it may be difficult for Thomas to crack the Hall.

As a skill player for the Philadelphia Flyer,s the speedy and undersized Andre Lacroix was a star but not necessarily a superstar. Lacroix was one of the many who took the pay increase to join the WHA, and the more open game worked towards his style of play. Lacroix may have bounced around that struggling league but wherever he went he was scoring profusely. Lacroix would go down in history as the all-time leading scorer of the World Hockey Association finishing with 798 points and six consecutive seasons hitting the 100 point plateau. Likely, because all his great moments were in the WHA (and with teams that were struggling even by WHA standards) his contributions have gone largely unnoticed. Had there ever been a WHA specific Hall of Fam,e however, Andre Lacroix would be on the first ballot.

It is always impressive when a man plays 964 games in the National Hockey League. What made Doug Jarvis’ 964 games so special is that he played them in a row setting the “iron man” mark for consecutive games played. Jarvis didn’t just play in those games: he was a gritty defensive-minded forward who was the master of the penalty kill. He didn’t light up the lamps, but that was not what he was paid to do. Considering he is the “iron man” of Hockey, an induction is not impossible.