Phil Kessel Ironman Streak: How the Golden Knights forward’s NHL record stacks up against all-time leaders in NFL, MLB and NBA

Bryan Murphy

Phil Kessel Ironman Streak: How the Golden Knights forward’s NHL record stacks up against all-time leaders in NFL, MLB and NBA image

History was made on Oct. 25 in San Jose, as Phil Kessel became the NHL's new ironman leader for the most consecutive games played in league history. 

The forward played in his 990th NHL game in a row when the Golden Knights took the ice against the Sharks, breaking the record set last year by Keith Yandle. 

Three weeks later, Kessel is set to become the first NHL player to ever play in 1,000 consecutive games played, as his ironman streak hits quadruple digits when he suits up tonight. Kessel's Golden Knights will be taking on his former team, the Coyotes, in the historic contest. 

It is a streak that dates back to 2009, as the first game as a part of this long run by Kessel took place on November 3, 2009. That was Kessel's first season in Toronto, where he would spend seven seasons with the Maple Leafs. 

Since his consecutive games mark began, Kessel has played for the Maple Leafs, Penguins, Coyotes and now the Golden Knights. In that time, the native of Madison, Wisc. has lifted the Stanley Cup twice, going back-to-back in 2016 and 2017 with Pittsburgh. 

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It's a very impressive feat, especially for a player who has been the center of criticism for his physical form and diet decisions. Who knew the key to a long and healthy career in the NHL was hot dogs?

NHL's ironman streak list

On Oct. 25, Kessel became the ironman king in the NHL by playing in his 990th consecutive game, breaking a tie with Yandle. 

Doug Jarvis had been the long-time record holder, however, Yandle passed him last season. Yandle was close to becoming the league's first player to ever hit 1,000 games played, but he was ultimately scratched in a game late in the Flyers' season last year. 

Kessel will become the first player to play 1,000 games in a row when he suits up for the Nov. 17 contest. 

Player Streak
Phil Kessel 1,000
Keith Yandle 989
Doug Jarvis 964
Gary Unger 914
Patrick Marleau 910
Steve Larmer 884
Andrew Cogliano 830
Craig Ramsey 776
Jay Bouwmeester 737
Brent Burns 684

How Phil Kessel's Ironman streak stacks up vs. NFL, MLB, NBA

NFL

In the NFL, it is Brett Favre that sits atop the list of most consecutive games started. He got the starting nod in 297 games in a row during his 20-year career in the NFL, an extremely impressive feat considering he played in 302. 

Player Streak
Brett Favre 297
Jim Marshall 270
Mick Tingelhoff 240
Philip Rivers 240
Bruce Matthews 229
Will Shields 223
Alan Page 215
Ronde Barber 215
London Fletcher 215
Jim Otto 210
Eli Manning 210

However, if you want to talk about consecutive games played, meaning someone did not have to start, that honor in the NFL goes to Jeff Feagles. The punter played in 352 games consecutively over the course of more than 20 years in the NFL. 

Player Streak
Jeff Feagles 352
Brett Favre 299
Jim Marshall 282
London Fletcher 256
Shane Lechler 254
L.P. Ladouceur 252
Morten Andersen 248
Chris Gardocki 244
Bill Romanowski 243
Philip Rivers 241
Mason Crosby 241

MLB

Cal Ripken Jr. is the ironman for the MLB, playing in 2,632 consecutive games in his career. His streak began in May of 1982 and ran all the way until September 1998. 

The former infielder passed Lou Gehrig's mark, which was once considered unbeatable and had stood for 56 years. The two are the only players to play in 2,000 games in a row. 

Considering how many games are in a baseball season, it's an impressive feat for Ripken Jr. and likely a record that won't be broken. But to put in perspective just how insane the record is, among the active players in the MLB, only five have even played in 2,000 games.

Player Streak
Cal Ripken Jr. 2,632
Lou Gehrig 2,130
Everett Scott 1,307
Steve Garvey 1,207
Miguel Tejada 1,152
Billy Williams 1,117
Joe Sewell 1,103
Stan Musial 895
Eddie Yost 829
Gus Suhr 822

Ripken took notice of Kessel's feat, congratulating him on his longevity in a tweet saluting the veteran's "passion for and love of his sport."

NBA

In basketball, A.C. Green owns the record for the most consecutive games played, competing in 1,192 contests in a row. 

His streak went all the way until the final game of his career, as the season finale of the 2000-01 season was Green's last one in the league, ending the streak at 1,192. In total, he missed just three games over his 17-year tenure in the NBA. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.