St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has officially become the franchise’s all-time leader in games played among defensemen as the Blues open their home schedule against the San Jose Sharks.
His 804th regular season game officially moves him past Barret Jackman and into sole possession of the blue-line record. It also puts him now into second on the franchise’s overall list, only behind Bernie Federko who sits alone at the top with 927 games played.
In what can only be called fate, Parayko officially notches this mark in his career on the date he made his NHL debut back in 2015 at home against the Edmonton Oilers. The Blues’ third-round pick was selected 86th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft out of the University of Alaska Anchorage. The 6-foot-6 defenseman from St. Alberta, Alberta, has never played for another team in the NHL and looks like he could continue his tenure as a member of the Blues organization until he officially hangs up his skates.
A decade of heavy minutes and a championship
Parayko has held his own throughout his career in a league that commands the best out of its players. He has spent most of his career as a top-four defender, averaging more than 22 minutes per night. Entering tonight’s game against the Sharks, he has 81 goals and 314 points in a Blues uniform, along with a plus-60 rating, 20 game-winning goals and two short-handed goals.
While the points are not the towering defender’s calling card, it has been the shot-blocking, penalty killing shifts, and nights where he was the biggest body on the ice that have truly set him apart and among Blues legends.
Parayko was on the blue line for the only Stanley Cup in franchise history, and he is still here after the core that won it has mostly turned over. Through a mixture of trades, departures, and leadership turnovers, Parayko has remained a constant presence in the locker room and on the ice.
Just as the legend that he is surpassing, Parayko has become the stuff of Blues royalty in St. Louis. Jackman played every one of his 803 games in St. Louis from the early 2000s through 2015-16, and truly set the standard for durability and leading by example for his team. Now, his task will be to help his team and the new core captained by Robert Thomas back to the postseason once again.
At only 33-years-old and four years remaining on his contract, the 927 game mark held by Federko is well within reach. Regardless if he reaches the mark with the organization or not, 804 games with a single organization is a feat all on its own. For now, it is business as usual and a home-opening night against the Sharks to win.
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