On Tuesday night, Phil Kessel became the NHL's new ironman. The Vegas Golden Knights forward broke recently retired defenseman Keith Yandle's record by playing his 990th consecutive game in Vegas' 4-2 road win over the San Jose Sharks.
His consecutive game streak began on November 3, 2009, while with Toronto. Yandle, meanwhile, passed Jarvis to claim the record last January. His run ended on March 29 when he was sidelined by his coach on April 2, 2022. Yandle then retired in September.
Kessel is in his 17th season and first with the Golden Knights. The veteran winger played the previous three with the Arizona Coyotes and the four before that with the Pittsburgh Penguins, helping them win the Stanley Cup twice. He also played six campaigns with the Leafs and his first three were with the Boston Bruins.
Wheeler notes that most of the other guys brought things like protein bars, but, for Phil, these were his favorite candies.
