Skrastins absorbs the pain

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Feb 5, 2007 | by BRIAN GOMEZ THE GAZETTE

ENGLEWOOD - He has broken his left wrist. He has bruised his ribs. He has taken countless pucks off his face and nearly every part of his body.

Most of the injuries suffered by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Karlis Skrastins during the past six seasons have been serious. None has been so serious that he has missed a game.

Skrastins has played in 485 consecutive games, one shy of the NHL record for consecutive games played by a defenseman. He can tie the late Tim Horton's record Tuesday when the Avalanche hosts Florida and break it Thursday in a home game against Atlanta.

The last time Skrastins, 32, of Riga, Latvia, missed a game was Feb. 18, 2000, when he had an injured shoulder. He played 269 consecutive games in three-plus seasons with Nashville and has played 216 consecutive games in two-plus seasons with the Avalanche.

"I'm having a lot of luck. I am lucky," said Skrastins, who has five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 52 games this season. "Almost every game, players will get some injuries. For me, the things weren't serious enough to stop me from a game."

Montreal assistant coach Doug Jarvis holds the NHL record for consecutive games played with 964 from 1975 to 1987.

The NHL record for consecutive games played by a goaltender is 502, set by Glenn Hall from 1955 to 1962.

Horton, a Hall of Fame player who won four Stanley Cup titles in 24 seasons with Toronto, the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, died in a single-car crash in 1974. He played 486 consecutive games with Toronto from 1961 to 1968.

Horton died before Skrastins was born, but Skrastins called Horton a "good defenseman and a tough defenseman to play against." Skrastins said he has enjoyed more than a couple of cups of coffee at Tim Hortons, the largest coffee and doughnut chain in Canada.

Skrastins has gained respect for his combination of toughness, durability and discipline.

This season, he leads the Avalanche with 146 blocked shots and ranks second behind Brett Clark with an average of 21 minutes, 17 seconds of ice time per game. He has made 25 hits and has offset 19 giveaways with 35 takeaways.

"There are bumps and bruises and things like that. I guess he doesn't feel any pain," said left wing Andrew Brunette, who has played in 341 consecutive games, the fourth-longest active streak in the NHL. "I saw him the other night taking a slap shot, and he was trying to catch it with his hands. He hasn't run into a shot he doesn't want to block."

Said right wing Ian Laperriere: "He's facing shots, he's hitting, he's getting hit, he's playing against the top lines. He's doing everything, the grinding stuff. He's doing it the hardest way you can do it in our business."

Coach Joel Quenneville said Skrastins' streak almost ended last season because of "chest issues that probably would have kept out a number of players."

"It's a great testament to his strength, his courage, his pain threshold, playing through some of the adversity he plays with on a game-to-game basis," Quenneville said. "The way he blocks shots, he exposes himself. He doesn't miss a beat and doesn't complain."

Skrastins said he can't predict how long his streak will last.

"That's not my choice. It depends how it goes," Skrastins said. "If I get some injury some day, if I can't play my best game, I'm not going to play. Health is first."

Asked if someone will break the record he's about to set, Skrastins said, "It's a lot of pain, but if you can get through those pains, you're going to play. A lot of players can do it. I'm not the only one who can play so many games."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com