Phil Kessel is going to be a father.
The forward played in 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 he could make it back in time.
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 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.
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