Phil Kessel officially set to become the NHL's new Ironman
Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel officially tied Keith Yandle for the most consecutive games in NHL history, with 989.
The veteran also appeared to score his 400th career goal last night, but it was taken back after an offside review.
When asked about it being reversed, he had the most Kessel answer ever:
He tied Yandle's record last night when Vegas hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now, he'll sit alone at the top tonight when he and the Golden Knights travel to play the San Jose Sharks.
Originally selected fifth overall by the Bruins in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Kessel was traded from Boston to the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 18th, 2009, for a 2010 first-round pick (Tyler Seguin), a 2010 second-round pick (Jared Knight) and a 2011 first-round pick (Dougie Hamilton).
That's when Kessel's ''Ironman Streak'' began, his debut with the Maple Leafs on November 3rd, 2009, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- 22, 051 shifts logged by Kessel entering game number 990 of the streak.
- 18,415 minutes of TOI during his streak entering game No. 989.
- 15,034 NHL regular-season games played from November 3rd, 2009, through October 24th, 2022.
- 3,348 power-play TOI during his streak entering game 990, third highest over that span behind Alexander Ovechkin (4,108:25) and Keith Yandle (3,413:27).
- 1,070 consecutive games played, including playoffs, during his streak entering regular-season game number 990.
- 832 points recorded during his streak, which ranks among the top ten in the NHL over that span.
- 499 assists collected during his streak. He needs just one to become the 13th player with 500 or more in that span.
- 471 wins by Kessel's teams during his streak entering game 990
- 333 goals scored during his streak, trailing only seven players for the most in the NHL over that span.
- 298 power-play points recorded during his streak, making up 35.7% of his 831 total points since November 3rd, 2009.
