Phil Kessel — yes, that Phil Kessel —is your new NHL ironman.
The Vegas Golden Knights forward surpassed Keith Yandle to set the league’s new consecutive games record on Tuesday versus the San Jose Sharks after hitting the ice for his 990th straight contest. With 10 more, Kessel will become the first and only player in NHL history to skate in 1,000 straight games — a ridiculous, absurd feat and another feather in the cap of a perpetually under-appreciated talent.
At first glance, and from an outsider’s perspective, Kessel’s ironman run appears to defy all logic and science. The unconventional body type. His awkward shyness behind the camera. His seemingly nonchalant style of play. His love for candy and junk food. The “lazy” reputation. The voice. Those wildly untrue hotdog stories.
They were, for the longest time, the unfair anecdotal narratives that followed him around for a good chunk of his career. Hell, even Kessel’s own former teammates — ones who shared a dressing room with the young phenom early in his career — shared some of those same sentiments before they really got to know him.
“If you had told me when I first met Phil that he would set the NHL’s ironman record, I would have called you absolutely crazy. I would have said you are out of your mind. I would have taken whatever odds were on it at the time,” former Bruins defenseman Shane Hnidy, who played with Kessel early in his career, told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.
“You still kind of shake your head. To play that many games in a row is near impossible. So all the respect in the world for what he’s been able to do.”
Though absolutely nobody, and I do mean nobody, would’ve thrown any cash down on Kessel to even be in the conversation for such a fitness- and durability-focused milestone based on the aesthetics alone, it’s time once and for all to squash the notion that Kessel is in any way lazy, out of shape, or doesn’t care. He just proved — as he has been season after season for the last 13 years — that nothing could be further from the truth.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins and a fresh member of the 400 club, the 17-year NHL veteran has not missed a single game since 2009. That’s 12 seasons in a row playing a full schedule. Every single night. No rest, no sick days, no maintenance days, nothing. It’s hard to put into words how crazy it is to even play every single game of one full NHL season, let alone doing that 12 years in a row.
How is it even possible? The grind of skating almost every single day. The ridiculous amount of travel. The mental and physical toll this sport takes on your body during games, practices and workouts. This freak was never kept out of the lineup with a flu bug, an ankle sprain, a concussion, a sore knee or shoulder, a hernia, — nothing.
That unexplainable, superhuman durability is made even more impressive when you take into account the kind of player Kessel is and the impact he makes on the game night in and night out. At 399 career goals and within striking distance of 1,000 NHL points, Kessel’s offensive production could be bordering on Hall of Fame consideration if he grinds out a few more season at even a half-decent scoring rate. To be a perennial 25-35 goalscorer means you have to live in those physical, high-traffic, high-intensity scoring areas a lot more than most.
He might make it look that way sometimes, but there’s nothing easy about the way Kessel plays the game. It’s a truly astounding accomplishment from the NHL’s new ironman and one of the game’s great characters.
What former teammates are saying about Phil
The best part of all this, besides watching Phil absolutely thrive, is reliving some of the legendary stories and quotes that make him so beloved.
As his record-breaking day drew closer, former teammates spoke out and offered some of their best Kessel memories. Here’s a roundup of some of the best Phil Kesselisms that have surfaced this week.
On Kessel’s competitiveness:
“I think sometimes he’s misunderstood as aloof, but he does care. He wants to win. You’ve seen that in his career. He hasn’t changed. There’s this mystery about him, as this laid-back guy. And he is one. But it’s all about in the room. He’s always been a popular teammate,” – Former Bruins teammate Shane Hnidy via ESPN.
On Kessel’s chirping ability:
My favorite Phil Kessel story is when he was playing in Pittsburgh. It was the first game after he was traded from Toronto. My line’s lining up against him on the opening draw. So just to f— with him a little bit, I chop him on top of the laces. Not too hard. Maybe like 50%. And he looks over at me, doesn’t smile, and he says, “James … don’t forget who made you a player in this league. No one calls me James, either. He’s the only guy that calls me James. It was priceless,” – Former Leafs teammate James van Riemsdyk via ESPN.
On his legendary diet habits:
“I remember walking into his room in the Olympic village [in 2014], and the amount of candy wrappers stacked up next to his bed — I think that was what he brought from home to Sochi,” said former Team USA Olympic teammate Blake Wheeler via Sportsnet’s Kristina Rutherford. “And I don’t know if this still holds true, but for the longest time, he never drank water. He would only drink blue Powerade. He didn’t like the taste of water.”
On the infamous “breath” exchange with Pierre McGuire:
“My favorite story is probably the one with Pierre McGuire and the breath,” former Penguins teammate Nick Bonino told ESPN. “Phil came back into the room after that. He looked at us and just shook his head. He said, ‘Boys … you’re gonna get a kick out of this when it comes out.’ Like, he knew what was going to happen. So the next day, he had a bunch of Tic Tacs and gum piled high in his stall.”
On his casual sense of humor:
“Playing against Phil you’re always just chatting him up a little bit and he always makes you laugh. You don’t want to smile but you generally can’t help it with that voice of his, right?” Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds via SI.com.
On Kessel’s sneaky athletic ability:
“Part of what made him hilarious is he’s very unassuming. He’s able to fly up and down the ice, he’s incredibly strong in the gym, he can hit the golf ball a mile, he can hit a three in basketball, he’s a good soccer player — that’s just his ability, he’s an incredible athlete. But if you look at him, his stature, you wouldn’t think it.” – Former Leafs teammate Morgan Rielly via Sportsnet.
On his dedication to keeping his streak alive:
“We all knew the situation [with his daughter’s birth]. It was pretty crazy and awesome for the team to do that. Everyone kind of had an idea, but no one knew exactly what was going to happen. You didn’t know when the baby was going to arrive. So he played one shift, got on a plane and he was back with us the next game. We all got him something for the kid.” – Former Coyotes teammate Clayton Keller.
Kessel, on his own streak:
“It’s a cool thing, it means I’ve played a lot of games, right?” Kessel said Monday. “It’s fine. Obviously, I got to win a couple of Cups, so I guess that’s better than this. But tomorrow will be another fun game and hopefully get a W.”
More from Yahoo Sports
