CNN
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Vegas Golden Knights star Phil Kessel broke the National Hockey League (NHL) Ironman record after playing his 990th consecutive game on Tuesday.
In facing the San Jose Sharks, Kessel surpassed the previous mark set by Keith Yandle of the Philadelphia Flyers last season.
Kessel, 35, began his impressive streak on November 3, 2009, when he made his debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He had started this season missing 12 games while recovering from shoulder surgery and had already battled a cancer diagnosis when he was just 19.
Not content with the ‘Ironman’ title, Kessel celebrated his record by scoring his 400th career goal as his team beat the Sharks 4-2.
“It’s something cool. That means I’ve played a lot of games, right? It’s neat,” a low-key Kessel told reporters when he initially tied the record on Monday. “I was lucky.”
He added: “I love playing, I love going there. I’ve been doing it for a long time and it’s always fun for me.
The American hasn’t missed a game in nearly 13 years, including 12 full seasons in the NFL.
It’s a career that has seen him play for the Boston Bruins, Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes and, most recently, the Golden Knights.
Kessel won the Stanley Cup twice with the Penguins, winning back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.
Yandle, who set the previous record in January, has since retired from the sport but sent a video message to Kessel.
“To play even one NHL game is a remarkable achievement, but to play every game for 13 years, it takes incredible talent to stay in the lineup day after day, tremendous determination to play despite the pains, and a whole lot of luck,” he said.
Ten more and Kessel will become the first player to appear in 1,000 consecutive games, but he certainly isn’t getting carried away.
“There is obviously a lot of luck. There are nights you might have missed over time, but I didn’t end up doing it,” he told reporters.
