Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel broke the NHL record for consecutive games played when he took the ice against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. In doing so, Kessel played in his 990th consecutive game and broke the tie between himself and recently retired Keith Yandle, who set the mark last season.
On Jan. 25, 2022, Yandle broke Doug Jarvis' record when he played in his 965th consecutive game while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. Yandle's streak came to an end at 989 games on April 2 when the Flyers decided to list him as a healthy scratch.
Entering the 2022-23 season, the Golden Knights winger was right behind Yandle with 982 consecutive games played. Kessel began his streak on Nov. 3, 2009, as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and has also played for the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes, and now the Golden Knights during his lengthy career.
"It's a cool thing. It means I played a lot of games, right?" Kessel said before Monday night's game in which he tied Yandle's record. "I don't know. I just try to play no matter what. I've been fortunate over the years."
Kessel hasn't had too many bouts with injury over the years, but the streak nearly came to an end last season.
On March 8, 2022, the 35-year-old star played just a single 30-second shift against the Detroit Red Wings before leaving the game. That's because Kessel was flying to be present for the birth of his daughter, Kapri Mary Kessel, and the team had set up a charter flight so that he wouldn't miss the once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Over the course of his NHL career, Kessel has tallied 399 goals and 559 assists while winning a pair of Stanley Cups with the Penguins.
