Vegas Golden Knights winger Phil Kessel is expected to play his 989th straight game on Monday, a streak that will tie Keith Yandle for the NHL’s all-time ironman mark.
That achievement will come for Kessel against one of his former teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he spent six seasons from 2009 to 2015. Kessel’s current Ironman streak began with Toronto against the Tampa Bay Lightning on 3 November 2009.
Viewers in the Maple Leafs area can watch tonight’s game LIVE on TSN4 with coverage starting at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.
Doug Jarvis’ Ironman record of 964 games held from 1987 until January when Yandle broke the record. Yandle, who retired earlier this month, saw his streak end later last season at 989 games in total.
Jarvis has never played a game outside of his streak, unlike Yandle – who has played a total of 1,109 games – and Kessel, who will play his 1,211th career game on Monday night.
Kessel admitted to NHL.com that he suffered from several ailments during the streak, which also saw him win two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
“There were a lot,” Kessel said of minor injuries. “But I always said, ‘Fuck you. I’ll go over there and play because I like to play.’ I’d rather play than sit in the stands.”
“Yes, there is luck,” added Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy. “And sometimes you’re lucky not to put yourself in danger when you know that some guys get hurt in the wrong place at the wrong time. They turn around and run into someone. Phil was pretty good at avoiding them .
“At the same time, what he’s about to do, all credit goes to him.”
If Kessel takes the record Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, he should keep it for at least several years.
Among active players, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns has the second-longest active game streak with 684. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau is next on the list with a streak of 301 games, nearly five full seasons behind Kessel.
Phil Kessel (35) | VGK | 988 | – |
Brent Burns (37) | SELF | 684 | 304 |
Johnny Gaudreau (29) | JCB | 301 | 687 |
Ryan Suter (37) | DAL | 294 | 694 |
Rasmus Andersson (25) | CGY | 277 | 711 |
Kessel ends on American history
Kessel, 35, could join another elite group on Monday as he is one goal away from becoming the 12th American-born player in NHL history to reach 400 career goals.
The Madison, WI. The native has 399 goals and 957 points across his 1,210 games played so far.
Only three active players are currently in the roster – Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski and New York Islanders veteran Zach Parise.
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews (260 career goals) also hopes to join this group one day and spoke on Sunday of his appreciation for Kessel’s Ironman race.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Matthews said. “…I’ve been hanging out with him in Arizona the last two summers. He’s a great guy, obviously he’s a very popular guy in the play.
“When you look at him you wouldn’t think he would be that guy – the Ironman series – but obviously he’s had an incredible career. He’s great fun to watch, great fun to be around too.”
Kessel, who started his career with the Boston Bruins before being traded to Toronto, has nine goals and 15 points in 34 career games against the Maple Leafs.
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