Trade to Penguins will cost Jeff Petry his only NHL record.

Veteran National Hockey League defenseman Jeff Petry is now officially a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins after Petry and fellow former Montreal Canadien Ryan Poehling were traded by the Canadiens to the Penguins over the weekend.

On Sunday, Petry spoke to members of the assembled media for the first time as a member of the Penguins organization and it was during that media availability that he revealed just how happy his family was at the news. Petry's family had struggled during his time with the Canadiens, with his wife often expressing her displeasure openly on social media, so no doubt the move to Pittsburgh comes as a huge relief. That being said it will also come at the cost of what I believe to be Petry's only record in the National Hockey League.

You see Petry holds something of an obscure record as an American born player, as he is currently the American with the most games played for a Canadian franchise in the history of the NHL. Petry, who was drafted in the second round (45th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, currently holds the record with 803 games under his belt as a member of a Canadian franchise. That record is a testament to his durability and longevity in the sport, but now for the first time in his NHL career he will be playing for an American franchise. That means that Petry's record is suddenly in jeopardy and, considering the fact that he was barely holding onto it in the first place, it now seems a forgone conclusion that his record will soon be broken.

The closest man to Petry is Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler who has played 802 games with a Canadian franchise, this in spite of the fact that he played the first several seasons of his NHL career with the Boston Bruins and Atlanta Thrashers. Barring Wheeler being traded to an American team in the offseason, it would appear to be a near-guarantee that he will match and subsequently surpass Petry's record for playing the most games with a Canadian team as an American born player.