Phil Kessel is finally getting the praise he deserves.
The Kessel narrative has long been an unfair one. Since joining the NHL, Kessel has become one of the best scorers in the league. He’s also survived cancer. But after getting traded from the Boston Bruins to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2009, Kessel had drawn mostly ire, not praise. He became the daily target of columnists, who called the sniper out of shape, a difficult player to coach (to his face) and one writer even went as far to make up stories about his hot dog eating habits. Despite consistently leading the Leafs in scoring with subpar linemates like Tyler Bozak, Kessel’s play was constantly unfairly called out. Was he perfect? No. But, considering his talent he was treated like dirt in Toronto.
“Lots of people, for some reason, don’t like Phil Kessel. For some reason. He was only the best player Toronto had for eight years. Year in and year out,” Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told Dan Kingerski of the Pittsburgh Postgame. “He got the blame for everything, which is very unfair.”
When the Leafs traded Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a package which included Niko Kapanen and draft picks, the fit seemed perfect. The trade would be a fresh start. Kessel could become a secondary scorer behind Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, two of the greatest players currently in the NHL, and would get a chance to play with linemates who could elevate his game.
Kessel didn’t immediately gel. It’s why it was stunning that with just nine games to play, Kessel had only scored 21 times. Was Kessel still a star goal scorer? Or had his game fallen off? It turns out, Kessel could still play. He would finish the season with 12 points in his last nine games, including five goals. The 28-year-old was on fire.
Despite a ‘down season,’ Kessel still finished 22nd in the NHL in even strength goals with 22 and 26 in all situations. In the previous eight seasons, Kessel has made a living of scoring 5v5. From 2007-2015, Kessel has scored the fifth-most goals in the league with 152 even strength markers, only trailing names like Ovechkin, Nash, Iginla and Perry.
Kessel has kept the flame alive in the playoffs, with seven goals and 16 points in 14 games. He’s been the Penguins best player and is a big reason why Pittsburgh has become so deadly offensively. As is the case this year, the right winger has always delivered come playoff time in his career, with an impressive 20 goals in 36 playoff appearances. Kessel has been called out for his competitiveness when in reality, he’s been one of the game’s best crunch-time performers on the big stage.
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/733119740533563392
Following Wednesday’s two-point performance, where Kessel was a dynamic offensive threat, heaps of justifiable praise was being thrown his way. It was a complete reversal of how he was treated in Toronto. For once, he’s getting the respect he deserves. Even Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said Kessel hadn’t been getting the necessary praise.
Jon Cooper: "Phil Kessel doesn't get near the respect he deserves."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 19, 2016
What’s rare, at least compared to recent years, is Kessel seems to be having fun playing the game. Take his interview with Pierre McGuire, where he laughed off a question he misinterpreted. Kessel admitted himself he’s having fun with Pittsburgh.
“It’s a lot of fun. This is the best time of year, you know. It’s enjoyable,” Kessel told Jen Menendez of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Obviously it was a big win for us [last night] now we’ve just got to keep going.”
It’s great to see Kessel happy and enjoying himself.
If anyone deserves it, it’s him. He’s been put through the ringer in past seasons, so to continue success in Pittsburgh and get love for doing so, is so damn good to see.
