Historic Knight: Kessel the NHL's new 'Iron Man'

And present Phil Kessel stands alone.

Kessel became the NHL's caller "Iron Man" connected Tuesday aft taking the crystal successful the Vegas Golden Knights' crippled against the San Jose Sharks astatine SAP Center successful San Jose, California. The 35-year-old winger has present appeared successful 990 consecutive games, a streak that started Nov. 3, 2009.

"I've played a batch of games and it's amended erstwhile you win," Kessel said aft Monday's 3-1 triumph implicit the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier the squad near for San Jose. "If we tin bash it tomorrow, that'd beryllium great."

It did not instrumentality agelong for Kessel to acceptable the record. He started the crippled alongside William Carrier and Nicolas Roy. Kessel's record-breaking displacement lasted 26 seconds earlier a interruption successful play led to him going backmost to the bench. During the broadcast, Kessel could beryllium seen looking up astatine the SAP Center video committee with a grin connected his face.

The Sharks acknowledged Kessel's grounds during the archetypal tv timeout. It led to the assemblage applauding Kessel portion the Knights winger waved astatine them successful gratitude.

"Obviously, I've played a agelong clip and I'm getting old," Kessel told ESPN's Ryan Callahan during the game. "I had a amusive clip doing it."

On Monday, Kessel tied the grounds that was antecedently held by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle successful the Golden Knights' triumph implicit the Leafs, 1 of Kessel's erstwhile teams. Yandle became the grounds holder January 25, 2022 aft helium appeared successful 965 consecutive games, a streak that started March 26, 2009.

Yandle, who retired earlier the commencement of the 2022-23 season, extended his streak to 989 games which officially ended March 29, 2022. Prior to Yandle, the erstwhile grounds holder was erstwhile Montreal Canadiens guardant Doug Jarvis, who appeared successful 964 games successful a streak that ended Oct. 10, 1987.

Kessel was 8 days aged erstwhile Jarvis' streak ended.

Jarvis held the rubric arsenic the NHL's "Iron Man" for astir 35 years earlier Yandle claimed the record. But determination was ever a content Yandle's reign could beryllium short-lived. Kessel had already played successful 941 consecutive games astir the clip erstwhile Yandle broke Jarvis' record. By comparison, Yandle held onto the rubric for 9 months earlier helium was overtaken by Kessel.

On Monday, Kessel saw a extremity overturned due to the fact that of an offside telephone successful the archetypal period. It would person been his archetypal extremity arsenic a Golden Knight, and the 400th of his career. He did station an assistance successful the win.