What is the record for the most missed game in a season?

[Kunta Kinte]

Trying to find the stats but the only thing I found I had to pay ($$) to have the stats?

I'm wondering what is the top-5 or top-10 of the most freak season ever.

The Canadiens only have Suzuki who played all the game this year.

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[North Cole]

Wasn't it mtl last season, at over 650 man games lost?

 

[McGarnagle]

2004-2005: Everybody

 

[NHLInjuryViz]

Free, transparent resource for historical injury data here: Index
Weekly updates of current season also here: https://twitter.com/nhlinjuryviz

On the "most MGL ever" question, not a simple answer.

TLDR version: I'd go with 637 by the 03/04 Kings but with some caveats.

Longer explanation:

Firstly, it's not an official record. Teams don't consistently record or publish the numbers, hence an amateur hack like me tries to fill the void. I only have numbers going back to 2000/01 (and only compiled retroactively prior to 2008/09). Not aware of any references to any record numbers going back further than that.

Secondly, there's some interpretation required as to which players count towards the MGL total. Most obviously, "retired but under contract" players, such as Shea Weber last year and Carey Price this year for the Habs (among many others over the years) would be counted by some but I exclude them. There are also frequently prospects or non/marginal-NHLers who get hurt in the offseason and sit on Season Opening IR until they can be reassigned when healthy, which sometimes means a whole season of games being "missed" by players that wouldn't have played in them anyway. I exclude these cases too but not always clear if teams themselves or other sources do that.

Media reports from the time have the 03/04 Kings as the historical record holders with 629. My reconstruction of this came to 637. That number does include a whole missed season by Adam Deadmarsh, who never played again and announced his retirement later on. Unclear today whether he'd actually already retired in effect (pre-cap days, so no real LTIR shenanigans required). The number also includes 67 games missed by Jared Aulin, a prospect who played 17 games in 02/03 but missed the whole of 03/04 (still got traded at the deadline by the Kings) and never made it back to the NHL, although didn't retire.

I had last year's Canadiens at 599, which would beat the Kings' number without either Deadmarsh or Aulin, but if you wanted to add other pieces on to that:

+13 for games missed by Price while (apparently) in the Player Assistance Program (though still injured too)
+82 for the retired Weber
+2 for games missed by Gianni Fairbrother while in Covid protocol as a taxi squad member
+38 for games missed by Joël Teasdale while on SOIR
+41 for games missed by Josh Brook while on SOIR

This season, I had the Canadiens at 524 through 76 games, with other pieces not counted being Price now assumed retired (+76) and a few games missed by Emil Heineman and Logan Mailloux while on SOIR (+17). So they'll probably end up close to 600 again before the extras.

 

[Kunta Kinte]

Thank you very much thats amazing!