New York Islanders' Zdeno Chara breaks Chris Chelios' games-played record by defenseman

Zdeno Chara stands alone.

The New York Islanders blueliner set a record for most games played by an NHL defenseman after he skated in his 1,652nd career contest Thursday in San Jose.

Hall of Fame defender Chris Chelios had held the previous mark since 2010, when he retired after 26 seasons in the NHL. Chara is also tied for having played the seventh-most games ever at any position in the league.

Out of deference to Chelios and what he accomplished, Chara has opted not to speak publicly on the impending milestone until it's officially passed. For his part, Chelios told NHL.com earlier this week that, «I'm not going to say I'm happy [the record is being broken], but it doesn't bother me one bit that a guy like him is the guy breaking the record. Congratulations to him, it's a heck of a feat.»

Chara, who turns 45 next month, is in his 24th pro campaign, putting in 18:31 average time on ice while adding eight assists in 43 games. Over the course of his career between the Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, Chara has amassed 207 goals and 674 points and sits 32nd overall in that span with an average time on ice of 23:34. Checking in at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Chara has been an intimidating force patrolling NHL blue lines since day one. The Trencin, Slovakia, native was drafted in the third round, 56th overall, by the Islanders during the 1996 Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 19, 1997.

Chara spent parts of four seasons with New York before he was traded to Ottawa in 2001. After four years there, Chara would leave to begin the most celebrated phase of his career in Boston.

In July 2006, Chara was an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Bruins, who immediately named him the team's