Phil Kessel and Amanda Kessel are both headed to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
The former Penguins forward and his sister, who now works as the Penguins’ Manager of Minor League Operations, were named to the 2026 class on Tuesday. They will be inducted on Nov. 30 in Washington, D.C., as part of a five-person group that also includes former NHLers T.J. Oshie and Ryan Suter, along with long-time Team USA athletic trainer Stan Wong.
For Pittsburgh fans, Phil Kessel’s place on the list carries a familiar ring. He spent four seasons with the Penguins and was a major piece of their two Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017.
In 328 regular-season games with Pittsburgh, he put up 110 goals, 193 assists and 303 points. When the games got tighter in the playoffs, he was just as dangerous, finishing with 20 goals and 56 points in 65 postseason games.
During the back-to-back Cup wins, he scored 18 goals and totaled 45 points in 49 games.
Kessel’s NHL resume stretched well beyond Pittsburgh. Drafted fifth overall by the Boston Bruins in 2005, he also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights.
He appeared in just four playoff games with Vegas, but still managed two assists and was part of their 2023 Stanley Cup team. He also owns the NHL’s "Iron Man" record, with 1,064 consecutive regular-season games played.
Over 17 seasons, he finished with 413 goals, 579 assists and 992 points in 1,286 regular-season games.
His international record is just as decorated. Kessel was a two-time Olympian, helped Team USA win silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and was named best forward at the 2014 Winter Games after posting 8 points in six games.
Amanda Kessel’s case for the Hall is built on a dominant run with Team USA. She was part of the American team that won the country’s first gold medal in women’s hockey since 1998 in 2022, beating Team Canada in a shootout.
Amanda scored in that shootout victory. She also won silver at the 2022 and 2014 Winter Games.
Her medal collection at the IIHF World Championships is even more staggering. Amanda played for Team USA seven times at the tournament and medaled every single time, with four golds and three silvers.
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