ICYMI: Former NHL ironman passes away at age 89

In case you missed it, former New York Rangers and Boston Bruins winger Andy Hebenton has passed away at age 89.

Andy’s death was confirmed by his son Clay Hebenton and reported by Richard Goldstein of the New York Times.

Hebenton was only five foot, 9 inches and 180 pounds but was a real life ironman and nearly indestructible throughout his professional career. He played mostly right wing in the Original Six era of the NHL of the 1950s and ’60s.

Read below for the full report courtesy of Goldstein:

He appeared in 216 straight games in the minors before the Rangers obtained him in 1955 and, coincidentally, another 216 in the minor leagues after the Bruins released him in 1964.

Hebenton’s streak of 1,062 consecutive professional games, in both the minor and major leagues, ended in the 1967-68 season, when he left the Portland Buckaroos of the Western Hockey League to attend the funeral of his father, Robert, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Hebenton eclipsed the NHL record of 580 consecutive games played, set by Johnny Wilson. Doug Jarvis is now No. 1 on the ironman list, having appeared in 964 straight games with three teams in the 1970s and ’80s.

Hebenton’s closest call to missing an NHL game came in the 1956-57 season, when he won the league’s Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play combined with exceptional talent.

Hebenton was among the top 10 goal scorers three times in the NHL. His highest point total came in the 1958-59 season when he scored 33 goals and had 29 assists.

But, as he told it, he wasn’t especially a home-crowd favorite; many Rangers fans, he said, felt he wasn’t tough enough. He incurred only 80 penalty minutes as a Ranger and appeared six times among the top five in balloting for the Lady Byng award.

When Hebenton lost seven teeth on the ice in a two-week period in January 1961, the New York Times took notice with an article headlined “Hebenton Puts Teeth in His Game: Quiet Ranger Is Still Not Angry after Losing Seven.”

RIP, Andy Hebenton. Gone, but never forgotten.