Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel has broken the NHL “iron man” record, stepping onto the ice for his 990th consecutive regular-season game Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks.
The record was previously held by Keith Yandle, who played his 989th game last season on March 29 with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 35-year-old Kessel has not missed a game since November of 2009, when his iron man streak started with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has since spanned three more NHL teams.
“It’s still fun for me. I just try to play no matter what and I’ve been fortunate over the years,” Kessel said Monday, just before tying the iron man streak against the Maple Leafs. “There’s obviously a lot of luck. Some nights you could have missed — and ended up not. And we’re here now.”
Initially drafted fifth-overall in 2006 by the Boston Bruins, Kessel has now played in his 1,212nd game in the NHL — a storied career that includes three selections to the All-Star game and two Stanley Cups, won back-to-back with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Across the previous 1,211 games, Kessel has scored 399 goals and 559 assists for 958 points. He is still chasing that 400th goal after an offside challenge Monday night denied him the milestone against his former team.
“He’s incredibly athletic,” former teammate and Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler told Sportsnet’s Kristina Rutherford. “He’s the type of guy that, he’s good at everything he does. I just think he likes to put out this persona that he kind of doesn’t care, and just goes out there and whatever. But he cares a lot and I think he invests a lot more into himself than he would let people know.”
“His love for the game is undeniable. I don’t think he would ever tell anyone that, but I think that Phil is one of those guys that’ll play as long as there’s a spot for him,” Wheeler continued. “He genuinely loves hockey.”
Kessel spent the previous three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, making headlines last season when he took the ice for one shift, spanning 30 seconds, against the Detroit Red Wings in Michigan to keep the streak alive before flying back to Arizona for the birth of his daughter.
On Aug. 24, the Golden Knights signed the free agent to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. If Kessel continues the streak, his opportunity to play his 1,000th consecutive game will come against the Coyotes, his former club, on Nov. 17.
