From the Game Day thread:
Good to see that the top line rediscovered their moral character.
Kessel got unfat.
And are we are still doing that strange Kessel loves cheeseburgers thing (I still don't understand why this started other than Kessel having a wide face). If so, I don't think it's a coincidence that Kessel puts up 3 points on the day that Hammond doesn't play.
There can be only one!
Phil has had something to do with it over the years. It's a mixed bag.
The criticism probably got wider spread when Gare Joyce closely followed the 2006 draft and wrote a book about it and
an ESPN article on it that came out shortly after Phil was drafted. Among other things, the book revealed a scouting report that portrayed Phil as needing
"to work a little harder in the gym, practise a little harder" which Phil partially agreed with and did not heartily dispute in the book and documented Kessel's poor fitness testing at the 2006 draft combine (which was corroborated by others).
Blue Jackets GM Doug MacLean appears to feel sorry for him. “If what they’re saying about this kid isn’t true, it’s criminal,” MacLean says. “Because I don’t know if I’ve ever heard the negative stuff like I have with this kid.”Understandably, Kessel, his agent were upset by the article. The Bruins looked into it and tried to defend their recent #1 pick. But I saw no public threats of defamation lawsuits, demands for retractions, apologies or specific rebuttals. At the time, the Kessel camp couldn't muster much of a credible assault or defense to change the public record or perception.
The kicker was that Kessel's response to the July 2006 ESPN article was to show up a little chubby to training camp the following September. That raised a few more eyebrows in the Boston media and basically cemented the perception.
Those were followed by other anecdotes or video clips over time that didn't flatter his conditioning.
Now, the other side of the mixed bag is: there's no way a player can have the explosive speed and shot Kessel does and be totally out of shape. One cannot be 4th in NHL goal scoring over the past four seasons and be in terrible physical condition. It is just
NOT possible. I think Cox reported good fitness test results this past September.
So both things have been shown to exist somewhat at the same time. Phil kind of has physical talent to spare and arguably isn't as good as he could be because he isn't in the best possible shape he could be. It's an aspect about him that confounds.
When a player follows the above with comments like this:
Kessel: ‘I skated 10 times maybe all summer’“Honestly, I skated maybe—I don’t want to tell you this—but I skated 10 times maybe all summer,” Kessel revealed to reporters Thursday in Toronto as training camp opened.
Kessel said he spends most of his summer “living a normal life” by relaxing, golfing, hanging out with family and friends and fishing. He added that one of the highlights of his off-season was catching an 11-foot, 450-pound shark.
“I don’t talk hockey or have anything to do with hockey in the summer,” Kessel explained. “I probably take a month off. I live in Florida in the summer, so I go down there and golf and fish and do that kind of stuff and get away, and then I’ll start working out again.”
When asked about the team’s fitness testing, Kessel said he’s not worried.
“I think I’ll be fine in that,” he said. “It’s easy.”
Kessel said he’ll use training camp and the pre-season as a means to get into hockey shape.
“It’s pre-season, so it’s time to get used to the games and get more in shape and kind of get a feel for the game a little bit again,” Kessel said. “It’s been a while since I’ve played.”
While Kessel is sometimes ribbed for his not-quite-Herculean physique, he has proven to be one of the elite scorers in the NHL.... I think in this hockey media crazed market, making comments like those is just asking for it. Not too smart. Raises doubts. Misleads one from his true fitness levels. And fuels the hamburger cracks and ridicule.
A bunch of this is Phil's fault or responsibility.