Gophers men's hockey has new top dog in NHL scoring

Or Coyote, after Phil Kessel's four assists on Tuesday.

December 30, 2021 at 2:47AM
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Janis Moser, left, is congratulated by Phil Kessel (81) after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Phil Kessel, right, congratulated Arizona teammate Janis Moser on Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. (Tony Avelar - Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The University of Minnesota football team wasn't alone in making Gophers news late Tuesday: The school's men's hockey program has a new top scorer in the NHL as Phil Kessel passed Neal Broten.

Kessel totaled four assists Tuesday in Phoenix's 8-7 loss to San Jose, giving him 925 points. That's more than Broten, the previous Gophers record holder with 923 points.

Other noteworthy distinctions Kessel holds among Gophers playing in the NHL: games played (1,152) and goals (396) plus the only two-time Stanley Cup winner as a player, according to the university. And speaking of Kessel's assists, he ranks second among Gophers in the NHL with 529.

It wasn't the only Minnesota tie to the game: Former Wild defenseman Brent Burns played in his 1,200th NHL game to become the fourth active defenseman to play that much.

about the writer

Vince Tuss

Night home-page producer

Vince Tuss is a producer working on the StarTribune.com home page most evenings. Before that, he was a copy editor and a night police reporter. 

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