WATCH: Phil Kessel continues ironman streak, promptly leaves for birth of child
Phil Kessel is going to be a father.
The Coyotes right winger played all of one shift Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, took one shot on net and left the ice so he could return to Arizona for the birth of his child.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the club even chartered a private flight so Kessel could make it back in time.
phil kessel took one shift, got a shot on goal, and promptly left the ice with fist bumps from teammates so he could return to arizona for the birth of his child. the coyotes set up a private charter so he could do so.
his ironman streak lives on. pic.twitter.com/2Xy95CxRVv
While you don’t typically see these things happen, it allows for Phil Kessel’s ironman streak, now at 956 games, to live on. He’s nipping on the heels of Doug Jarvis’ second-place spot at 964 games, and it keeps him in line with Keith Yandle, who holds the streak at 977 games, at the time of writing.
Kessel’s longevity in the league dates all the way back to his time in Toronto and the 2009-10 season. The last game Kessel missed was on October 31st, 2009 when he had to sit out the first dozen games of the season following shoulder surgery.
The streak, however, kicked off with Kessel’s first game with the Maple Leafs on November 3rd, 2009, when the Leafs welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning. He fired a whopping 10 shots on net, but couldn’t get one past Lightning netminder Antero Niittymaki.
Kessel ended up going on an immediate tear scoring five goals and eight points in the next six games.
What a great night tonight is for Kessel and his entire family.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.