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.