by With his 989th consecutive regular season game under his belt, Phil Kessel has officially tied the National Hockey League’s “Ironman” streak.
The record, set last season by now-retired Keith Yandle, was equaled by Kessel on Monday when he took the ice for the Vegas Golden Knights against his former club, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Kessel was playing for the Leafs when his streak of consecutive games began, and the 35-year-old forward hadn’t missed a game since Nov. 3, 2009.
“A lot has happened to me (since then). I guess I’m old now,” Kessel said at the Golden Knights’ morning skate on Monday.
“It’s still fun for me. I just try to play no matter what and I’ve been lucky over the years. Obviously there is a lot of luck. Some nights you could have gotten lost, and in the end you didn’t. And we are here now.
Yandle’s streak ran from March 26, 2009 to March 29, 2022 and came to an end on April 2, when the Philadelphia Flyers opted to scratch the defenseman. After 16 seasons, he announced his retirement from the NHL on September 20.
/* if ( “1” == true && ‘undefined’ !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}} }; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( ‘http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640×360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env= vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6314291609112&cmsid=384’, so permalink); } else { adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640×360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output =vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6314291609112&cmsid=384”; } */ adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640×360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output =vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6314291609112&cmsid=384”; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes(“cust_params”); var queryString=”; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem(“theRED_loc”)
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += “dufiid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’; queryString += “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’; var ppid = “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’; }
var DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem(“DUFI_IP”)
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += “dufiip=” + DUFI_IP + ‘&’; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + ‘cust_params=” + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=\”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “https://sb” : “http://b”) + “.scorecardresearch. com/beacon.js\” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );
$( document ).one( “done’, function() { $( “#video_container-650050” ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: “1704050871”, bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”, //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch : false, bc_videos: 6314291609112, is_has_continuous_play: “false”, adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: “”, thumbnail: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/6314291609112-1024×576.jpg ” , direct_url: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/keith-yandle-details-able-set-incredible-iron-man-streak/” }); });
Before Yandle took over the longest Ironman streak, the record belonged to veteran starter Doug Jarvis, who appeared in 964 consecutive games from October 8, 1975 to October 10, 1987.
Originally drafted by the Boston Bruins fifth overall in 2006, Kessel’s NHL career has seen him play for the Bruins and Maple Leafs, as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes and, currently, the Golden Knights.
Vegas acquired Kessel in the offseason, signing the three-time NHL All-Star to a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
“It’s great to be a part of him and we’re happy for him,” said Morgan Rielly, of his former Maple Leafs teammate. “It takes a lot to do what he has been able to do. A lot of games, a lot of travel, a lot of things have to go your way to get to where he is now. Good for him, but in the end, our team has to be focused on winning the game.”
Monday’s matchup will also mark Madison, WI. The 1,211th NHL appearance of the native’s career. In over 1,210 games, Kessel has amassed 399 goals and 588 assists for a total of 957 points overall. He has appeared in 96 postseason games and won the Stanley Cup twice with the Penguins, twice in a row in 2016 and 2017.
Internationally, Kessel has represented the United States three times at the IIHF World Championships (2006, 2007, 2008) and twice at the Winter Olympics (2010, 2014).
Kessel will have a chance to break the record by playing his 990th consecutive game on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. If his streak continues further, the 1,000th game would be against another former club, the Coyotes, on Nov. 17.
/* if ( “1” == true && ‘undefined’ !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}} }; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( ‘http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640×360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env= vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6314279380112&cmsid=384’, so permalink); } else { adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640×360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output =vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6314279380112&cmsid=384”; } */ adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640×360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output =vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6314279380112&cmsid=384”; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes(“cust_params”); var queryString=”; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem(“theRED_loc”)
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += “dufiid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’; queryString += “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’; var ppid = “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’; }
var DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem(“DUFI_IP”)
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += “dufiip=” + DUFI_IP + ‘&’; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + ‘cust_params=” + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=\”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “https://sb” : “http://b”) + “.scorecardresearch. com/beacon.js\” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );
$( document ).one( “done’, function() { $( “#video_container-494266” ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: “1704050871”, bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”, //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch : false, bc_videos: 6314279380112, is_has_continuous_play: “false”, adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: “”, thumbnail: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/6314279380112-1024×576.jpg ” , direct_url: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/outlifts-reading-magazine-friedman-kessel-nhls-iron-man/” }); });
