Phil Kessel's wife, Sandra, shares adorable picture of NHL Ironman with their daughter, Kapri, on his 38th birthday

This week, longtime NHL forward Phil Kessel celebrated his 38th birthday. His wife, Sandra Pereira, marked the occasion with a sweet family moment on Instagram.

On Thursday, Sandra shared a photo of Kessel at home, smiling alongside their daughter Kapri who sat on his lap in pajamas. The father-daughter duo posed in front of a birthday cake decorated with sparklers.

“Hbd @phil_kessel_81,” Sandra captioned her post.

via Instagram /@sandramarysays

The three-time Stanley Cup champion is best known as one of hockey’s most durable players earning the nickname “Ironman” for his remarkable streak of consecutive games played. Drafted fifth by the Boston Bruins in 2006, Kessel went on to star with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017.

He then spent time with the Arizona Coyotes before finishing his most recent NHL stint with the Vegas Golden Knights, lifting a third Cup in 2023. Kessel didn't play in the 2023-24 season but has left the door open to a possible return to a career that has spanned over 1,200 NHL games and nearly 1,000 points.

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Phil Kessel signed with the World Poker Tour

Last winter, NHL veteran Phil Kessel announced an unexpected career shift while remaining unsigned by any team. The three-time Stanley Cup champion revealed he was partnering with the World Poker Tour.

In an Instagram post, Kessel wrote:

“Excited to join WPT GLOBAL! Poker & hockey have always been a passion of mine. I look forward to playing poker with everyone on [WPT Global] and at WPT events. Good luck trying to stack me. Follow @wptglobal to see where you can play with me."

Kessel also shared a promo code for fans to join him.

Despite stepping away from the ice, reports indicated that Kessel remained interested in returning to the NHL. Sportsnet analyst Elliotte Friedman noted that the winger was actively contacting teams and confirmed multiple sources had described his interest as serious.

“He wants to play, I've heard this,” Friedman said. “I was looking at it because I had heard, and I was gonna check, that Kessel was calling teams and really wanted to play. That seems to confirm it, and then I heard from a couple of people that he's legit about it.”

There were also discussions linking Phil Kessel to a proposed three-on-three hockey league although the project hadn't launched at the time. The Vancouver Canucks reportedly came close to signing him last year, but negotiations ultimately fell through.