WATCH: Kessel Receives Bottle, Trophy, and Tribute In 1,000th Straight Game

Current NHL Ironman and Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel was honored before Thursday night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. With his first shift, Kessel officially played in his 1,000th straight NHL game, a streak that began in Nov. of 2009 when he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Present for the ceremony were Kessel’s wife Sandra and daughter Kapri as well as Golden Knights president of hockey operations George McPhee. Kessel was given a special 1,000-game straight trophy as well as a bottle of wine for his overall Ironman streak.

Fans in attendance at T-Mobile Arena received special “Phil 1Kessel” rally towels, and Kessel himself was given a special “Phil the Thrill” jacket by his teammates.

On Oct. 25, Kessel passed retired defenseman Keith Yandle for 990 straight games to become the sole leader of the NHL’s Ironman record. He scored his 400th career goal in the Golden Knight’s 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center, the building in which he won his first Stanley Cup.

“It’s a lot of games. Obviously, you got to get a little lucky to get that, but it’s pretty cool,” said Kessel.

Kessel fittingly tied the Ironman record against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and on Thursday reached 1,000 straight against another one of his former teams, the Coyotes.

His current streak combines 446 games with the Maple Leafs, 328 with the Penguins, 208 with the Coyotes, and 18 with the Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights signed Kessel to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million on Aug. 24. So far this season, he has three goals and four assists for seven points in 17 games.