Phil Kessel And Other Consecutive Appearance Records In Sport

Kessel featured in his 990th consecutive match to take the NHL record on Tuesday night
17:29, 26 Oct 2022

Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel has broken the National Hockey League's 'ironman' record by playing his 990th consecutive match - a truly remarkable achievement. 

The 35-year-old American surpassed the milestone set by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle last season. Kessel’s incredible run began way back in November 2009 in what was his first game for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Adding to his stunning landmark, he grabbed another impressive accolade in the same match on Tuesday night. Kessel scored his 400th career goal as the Golden Knights claimed a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

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In celebration of Kessel’s mind-blowing record, we have decided to dig around to see who holds the records for most consecutive appearances among other sports.

Major League Baseball - Cal Ripken Jr (2,632 consecutive matches)

Nicknamed ‘The Iron Man’, Ripken Jr spent the entirety of his baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles between 1981-2001. He was a World Series champion with the team in 1983. In 1995, Ripken Jr surpassed the previous record of 2,130 for consecutive MLB appearances set by Lou Gehrig.

National Football League - Brett Favre (299)

Former NFL quarterback Favre posted an impressive 299 consecutive appearance streak in his career that totalled 302 matches. He enjoyed a lengthy 15-year spell with Green Bay Packers between 1992-2007, winning the 1997 Super Bowl. Favre’s streak began in 1992 with the Packers and ended in 2010 with the Minnesota Vikings, where he ended his career.

National Basketball Association - A.C Green (1,192)

Green was a three-time NBA champion, all with the Los Angeles Lakers but across two different spells. His extraordinary 1,192 consecutive appearance streak began on November 19, 1986 and ended with the last game of his career on April 18, 2001, when the Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic in Orlando. 

And what’s an even more ridiculous stat regarding Green, he only missed three matches in his entire career which spanned 16 seasons.

Football (Britain) - Harold Bell (375)

Former Tranmere Rovers centre-back Bell holds the record for most consecutive matches played with 375. Bell spent the entirety of his career with Rovers. 

In the Premier League, the current record-holder with 310 consecutive appearances is former Tottenham Hotspur and United States goalkeeper Brad Friedel between 2004-12.

Formula 1 - Lewis Hamilton (265)

Current Mercedes driver Hamilton started 265 races back-to-back starting with his debut in the 2007 Australian Grand Prix and ending at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020 as Covid-19 ruled him out of the Sakhir Grand Prix. 

The Englishman has won a stunning record-equalling seven Drivers’ Championships alongside Michael Schumacher.

Rugby League - Keith Elwell (242)

Former fullback and hooker Elwell made 242 consecutive appearances, including two as a substitute, for Widnes. The incredible run started at Wembley Stadium in the 1977 Rugby League Challenge Cup final against Leeds on 7 May. Elwell began every match from then until his run of starting appearances ended at 239 after he played in a Lancashire Cup-tie at home to St. Helens on 5 September 1982.

Cricket (Test Match) - Alastair Cook (159)

Englishman Cook surpassed Australian cricketer Allan Border in 2018 when he featured in his 154th straight Test Match for England in their fixture against Pakistan in 2018. He stretched the record by a further five appearances. Cook's record-breaking streak started all the way back in 2006 against India.

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