Phil Kessel made more than one smile on Tuesday night. The 34-year-old forward played only one appearance for the Arizona Coyotes in order to keep his streak alive.
Posted at 8:15 p.m.
Kessel is on the ice for the first 30 seconds of the game against the Red Wings in Detroit. He barely had time to direct a puck to the net before heading to the locker room.
The Coyotes then announced on Twitter that the veteran would not be back for the rest of the game because he had to return to Arizona for the birth of his first child.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the team had planned a flight to allow the player to return to Phoenix.
This short appearance at the game allowed Kessel to continue his streak of consecutive games, which stretches to 956. He is third in NHL history in this regard. Only one player still active ahead of him: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle, with 977 games.