News Article: Kessel May Take Gary Roberts' Fitness Program

[leaffaninvancouver]

oh you mean games 49 to 55, you mean THAT long and grueling season?

He was PPG both years in the playoffs with Boston do those not count?

 

[EN4CER]

As I expected, our fanbase seems to have yet again expressed what I call off-season amnesia. We all suddenly forget how disgraceful our players were a few months earlier and the 3 seasons prior to last year's embarrassment.

Some of you guys are buying into this way too much yet again, thinking Kessel will suddenly change just because Gary Roberts will yell at him.

I can't speak for everyone, but I think you're confusing optimism for being gullible. I'm just optimistic about this year. If we can't trade Kessel for good value, then I'm not worried about him coming back. The reason why is because we have a coach that demands respect. There is no way in hell this core comes back and repeats last year. Simple as that. In Shanny and Babs we trust.

 

[The Apologist]

He was PPG both years in the playoffs with Boston do those not count?

Nothing positive counts. Ever.
The only things that count are made up bs and error filled assumptions.

 

[The Apologist]

As I expected, our fanbase seems to have yet again expressed what I call off-season amnesia. We all suddenly forget how disgraceful our players were a few months earlier and the 3 seasons prior to last year's embarrassment.

Some of you guys are buying into this way too much yet again, thinking Kessel will suddenly change just because Gary Roberts will yell at him.

The good news is our 'intelligent' fans never change. We can never forget how disgraceful and disrespectful they are. And embarassment doesnt even begin to describe them.

Kessel is already in great shape. Comes into camp in great shape. Working with Roberts can only improve that.

I guess Id rather have off season amnesia than Steve Simmons toxic delusions.

 

[Mitchy]

Brace yourselves, Le Phil is coming.

 

[ChrisCall]

I really think Kessel wants to play out his career here. I think he wants to have his number raised to the rafters and to bask in a lifetime of being a Toronto god, like other past players. I'll bet he likes the thought of having a statue built of himself outside the arena.

I'm not joking. I'll bet he does.

But if he doesn't get into shape none of that will happen.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

I really think Kessel wants to play out his career here. I think he wants to have his number raised to the rafters and to bask in a lifetime of being a Toronto god, like other past players. I'll bet he likes the thought of having a statue built of himself outside the arena.

I'm not joking. I'll bet he does.

But if he doesn't get into shape none of that will happen.

Not sure about the statue thing but he definitely wants to play here. He had every opportunity to jump to a much easier market and didn't. He could of easily signed in a place where hockey gets minimal coverage, racked up his points and not been under a microscope.

He took the hard road and chose to stay despite the rampant speculation he'd head south. He loves playing here and man do we try to make him regret it.

 

[The Apologist]

Not sure about the statue thing but he definitely wants to play here. He had every opportunity to jump to a much easier market and didn't. He could of easily signed in a place where hockey gets minimal coverage, racked up his points and not been under a microscope.

He took the hard road and chose to stay despite the rampant speculation he'd head south. He loves playing here and man do we try to make him regret it.

What a terrible human being he is. No wonder the fans want him gone.
We dont want players that WANT to be here....

 

[VL]

Have any intrepid members of the Toronto media contacted Kessel's mother yet to confirm?

 

[deletethis]

Too late for Toronto, not too late for his next destination. The time for this was last summer. The same time as showing an open mind to new coaching schemes.

 

[TeamBester]

See you in October Phil

 

[BrannigansLaw]

The good news is our 'intelligent' fans never change. We can never forget how disgraceful and disrespectful they are. And embarassment doesnt even begin to describe them.

Kessel is already in great shape. Comes into camp in great shape. Working with Roberts can only improve that.

I guess Id rather have off season amnesia than Steve Simmons toxic delusions.

His fitness is an issue but that's just one of many. His tendencies to bail on plays is embarrasjng and has nothing to do with fitness or coaching. He is what he is, a streaky 30 goal scoring forward. When he isn't scoring(which is often), he is a massive detriment to this team along with bocrap and JVR.

 

[YearsintheWilderness]

What a terrible human being he is. No wonder the fans want him gone.
We dont want players that WANT to be here....

If the standard for players is that they only have to WANT to be here, the franchise is in a world of ****.

Why on earth wouldn't fat boy want to be here?

Huge payoff.

To date, no meaningful consequences for gutless attitude and long periods of slacking off.

Extended summer breaks with plenty of fishing, poker and ice-cream.

Legions of apologists.

Treated as a primadonna who doesn't have to adhere to any standards. If disputes arise with coaches, so far, Kessel has gotten his way.

Because of his weird personality (shameless? simply doesn't care?), the criticism is apparently meaningless to him.

To be shipped out would mean he would have to go through the entire cycle again of seeing if there is a franchise and group of fans who are so invincibly gullible that he could get away with his self-serving attitude and performance.

With such a set-up, I would imagine he would be content, like a bloated hog wallowing in a pit of cash and all the desserts he can cram down his flabby neck.

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

Brace yourselves, Le Phil is coming.

It's funny, I used to work at Coles (the bookstore) and I remember this exact book in the romance section.

 

[Bravid Nonahan]

Nor should it until there's any kinda of extended evidence he has taken a more serious and professional approach to training and playing responsible hockey.

If the standard for players is that they only have to WANT to be here, the franchise is in a world of ****.

Why on earth wouldn't fat boy want to be here?

Huge payoff.

To date, no meaningful consequences for gutless attitude and long periods of slacking off.

Extended summer breaks with plenty of fishing, poker and ice-cream.

Legions of apologists.

Treated as a primadonna who doesn't have to adhere to any standards. If disputes arise with coaches, so far, Kessel has gotten his way.

Because of his weird personality (shameless? simply doesn't care?), the criticism is apparently meaningless to him.

To be shipped out would mean he would have to go through the entire cycle again of seeing if there is a franchise and group of fans who are so invincibly gullible that he could get away with his self-serving attitude and performance.

With such a set-up, I would imagine he would be content, like a bloated hog wallowing in a pit of cash and all the desserts he can cram down his flabby neck.

And no consequences for you for your mud-slinging ignorant gossip on the internet. Literally, you have less than zero clue what Kessel does in the offseason, and pretty much nothing when it comes to his presence in the locker room or reputation with coaches. The fact that you even pretend to have some knowledge about these things is just a sad joke.

And the above message goes for everyone on this website. Pretty easy to sit behind your computer and criticize someone. It would at least be somewhat understandable if you had a clue, but your'e using the same garbage, misinformed speculation that the corrupt, biased, agenda-driven Toronto media uses.

 

[TeamBester]

Seems to be buying into the new system and they have decided to keep him. Now Shanny is giving the tankers lip service. He'll be back, better than ever.

 

[ConnorTO]

Phil Kessel is staying !

 

[ITM]

What a terrible human being he is. No wonder the fans want him gone.
We dont want players that WANT to be here....

Let's not pretend that multiple coaches and multiple players and implied statements by new management don't have and haven't had legitimate grounding for legitimate criticism respectfully directed at Phil Kessel for his inconsistency, on and off the ice.

Numerous fans have defended Kessel's character in the beginning by citing his battle with cancer. They've apologized all over these boards for his awkward media presence as something that comes with the territory for hockey savants.

You also recently posted:

Nothing positive counts. Ever.
The only things that count are made up bs and error filled assumptions

That's opportunism of the worst sort and it's hypocritical to the very character of the assertion you chastise other Leafs fans for.

Somewhere beyond the hyperbole and error filled assumption, I think most informed Leafs fans, most hockey fans know that something rotten has been festering in this Leafs core for a while. And that Kessel, by commission or omission has a large portion of the responsibility of the blame.

I bet Phil Kessel wants to be in Toronto. He signed here. He's comfortable here, etc, etc...But as to this charge of assumptions by fans, let's give the benefit of the doubt to Kessel that he wants to be here for reasons he's demonstrated.

Salutegate. 64 Million dollars is enough to shut your damn mouth when you've got nothing good to say and 64 million dollars is enough to turn your fat ass 180 degrees to face a throng of a nigh worshipful media and fanbase for 2 minutes to explain why you didn't score for the tenth straight game and didn't back check for the eightieth straight game. 64 Million dollars is enough for you to take the loss you contributed to - again - and respect and salute the fans who know full well you don't care as much as you should about the game they're paying you to play while making .80% of what you make to do so.

Day after firing Carlyle...Who's all of a sudden become the Leafs' locker room Drew Carey? Why it's happy-go-lucky, all-smiles, interview lead, Phil Kessel. What's the topic? Carlyle's firing.

I bet Kessel WANTS to play in an environment, where his summers are free, where the cost of professional excellence is mitigated by the most forgiving fanbase in the NHL, quick to say, "We'll get 'em next year" and believe it to the point of it almost being incantational.

Tell you what I want...I want full value for what Kessel has been. If I can't have that in a trade, I want Babcock to barrage Kessel with a missed career's worth of Motor City discipline into the ten months or so that's either going to reveal the Kessel we know he can be and who wants to play here, or to reveal the Kessel we know he can be and wants to play as well as he can here so he can get the hell out.

And as a fan unaccustomed to asserting bs and relying on error filled assumptions, can I indulge in the appearance of an assumption and offer, that one malcontent distorting the faith, perspective and worth of this fanbase is enough?

 

[Menzinger]

But the Kessel defenders were adamant that he was actually one of the most well conditioned players on the team. Why would he go to Roberts if what he has been doing was working?

Stank is regularly uses Roberts as well - does that this imply he's out of shape? Of course not...

 

[ITM]

And no consequences for you for your mud-slinging ignorant gossip on the internet. Literally, you have less than zero clue what Kessel does in the offseason, and pretty much nothing when it comes to his presence in the locker room or reputation with coaches. The fact that you even pretend to have some knowledge about these things is just a sad joke.

And the above message goes for everyone on this website. Pretty easy to sit behind your computer and criticize someone. It would at least be somewhat understandable if you had a clue, but your'e using the same garbage, misinformed speculation that the corrupt, biased, agenda-driven Toronto media uses.

Then there must be another common denominator that players like Polak, and coaches like Wilson and new management alike mean to address when through coincidence describe in a complimentary/supplementary fashion a player that Kessel "appears" to best fulfill...You can still defend Kessel's dignity without pretending his issues don't exist.

 

[tooncesmeow]

Let's not pretend that multiple coaches and multiple players and implied statements by new management don't have and haven't had legitimate grounding for legitimate criticism respectfully directed at Phil Kessel for his inconsistency, on and off the ice.

Numerous fans have defended Kessel's character in the beginning by citing his battle with cancer. They've apologized all over these boards for his awkward media presence as something that comes with the territory for hockey savants.

You also recently posted:

That's opportunism of the worst sort and it's hypocritical to the very character of the assertion you chastise other Leafs fans for.

Somewhere beyond the hyperbole and error filled assumption, I think most informed Leafs fans, most hockey fans know that something rotten has been festering in this Leafs core for a while. And that Kessel, by commission or omission has a large portion of the responsibility of the blame.

I bet Phil Kessel wants to be in Toronto. He signed here. He's comfortable here, etc, etc...But as to this charge of assumptions by fans, let's give the benefit of the doubt to Kessel that he wants to be here for reasons he's demonstrated.

Salutegate. 64 Million dollars is enough to shut your damn mouth when you've got nothing good to say and 64 million dollars is enough to turn your fat ass 180 degrees to face a throng of a nigh worshipful media and fanbase for 2 minutes to explain why you didn't score for the tenth straight game and didn't back check for the eightieth straight game. 64 Million dollars is enough for you to take the loss you contributed to - again - and respect and salute the fans who know full well you don't care as much as you should about the game they're paying you to play while making .80% of what you make to do so.

Day after firing Carlyle...Who's all of a sudden become the Leafs' locker room Drew Carey? Why it's happy-go-lucky, all-smiles, interview lead, Phil Kessel. What's the topic? Carlyle's firing.

I bet Kessel WANTS to play in an environment, where his summers are free, where the cost of professional excellence is mitigated by the most forgiving fanbase in the NHL, quick to say, "We'll get 'em next year" and believe it to the point of it almost being incantational.

Tell you what I want...I want full value for what Kessel has been. If I can't have that in a trade, I want Babcock to barrage Kessel with a missed career's worth of Motor City discipline into the ten months or so that's either going to reveal the Kessel we know he can be and who wants to play here, or to reveal the Kessel we know he can be and wants to play as well as he can here so he can get the hell out.

And as a fan unaccustomed to asserting bs and relying on error filled assumptions, can I indulge in the appearance of an assumption and offer, that one malcontent distorting the faith, perspective and worth of this fanbase is enough?

I don't think many people bring up Kessel's cancer in arguments of support. It's actually really rare, but regardless most of your argument just seems to say that Kessel is lazy or uninterested.

The Leafs collapsed this season, yeah, but like Shanhan said it's never one guy and I'd think if we're talking over accountability it's the guys like Bozak who are gifted spots moreso then the guy who can pump out 30 goals on the regular. As for the goal drought? Most players who score under 30 go long stretches of games without scoring. When Phil is on point, we all know what he can do and the bigger issue is that in his entire time here he hasn't gotten a skilled center to play with. Hell, Lupul went what? 4 months without scoring a goal? Wheres the vitriol for the 5.25Million dollar man who can't put a puck in the net?


I think the issue in all of this is that Kessel is a scapegoat, unneccesarily, due to being the face of the Leafs. It evokes images in Leaf fans, from Mahovlich to Gilmour to Sundin, usually guys that were clutch, led their team to (almost) success, who worked hard and came up with big moments. Kessel hasn't had that clutch moment, but people act like this guy faded in the playoffs, when he was one point shy in a Boston series brutally mismanaged by Carlyle. He can produce in the playoffs, he's done every time he's been there, its just about getting there that's been the issue but we all know how night and day the offense and defense and goaltending has been. Every year something else seems to break down on the team. Maybe Babcock puts a stop to that but don't blame just Kessel.

When interviewed about Kessel, Wilson said that Phil's problem wasn't being rude, or controversial, or adversarial, he was just emotional. He took things a little to personal maybe, and he let the fans, the media and maybe other player's criticism of him to his head and it affected his play. Why is that bad? Why is a guy that shows his feelings bad? Yeah we all seen Kessel with his head slumped down or banging his stick or being frustrated but Kessel also has been jumping for joy or had that big ass smile when he scores on Thomas/Rask. That's just the kind of guy he is, so why's it a bad thing? Also why is Kessel considered fat at 6'0/202 but Kadri 6'0/188 is considered undersized and Polak 6'0/236 is considered fine?

I think if Kessel could just work a little harder people would be ok with him, seeing him sprint and maybe win board battles a couple times would be ok but any expectation that any hockey player will suddenly get to the NHL spend 8 seasons there and suddenly change his style of play is moronic. Kessel's a sniper and an underrated passer with blazing speed, let's just appreciate that and hope for a good season.

 

[Cotton]

As I expected, our fanbase seems to have yet again expressed what I call off-season amnesia. We all suddenly forget how disgraceful our players were a few months earlier and the 3 seasons prior to last year's embarrassment.

Some of you guys are buying into this way too much yet again, thinking Kessel will suddenly change just because Gary Roberts will yell at him.

#playoffs2016

This needs a bump

 

[KPower]

See you in October Phil

I'd love to be able to bet on Phil NOT coming to Toronto in July to train with Roberts or anybody else.

 

[slozo]

First off - shout out to Magic Mitch, bless you for that awesome Harlequin romance novel with Phil's chubby face lovingly spliced in there. That was a beaut!

Secondly, I won't waste space by quoting the whole thing, but really nice, heartfelt and articulate write-up by ITM. I am with you, dude. Only thing you had incorrect was, remember that salute gate happened after a victory, not a loss. It really drives home the point of how actually spiteful the move was, unprecedented really amongst such gentlemanly conduct that hockey really prides itself on (one of the reasons I always hold our dear sport up to such high regard. Hockey players are polite gentlemen, and gosh-golly gee farm kids for the most part). Anyways, I agree with your sentiments totally.

Ok - so here is the article that it seems like no one had the time to read:

If Phil Kessel wants to fish, golf, and play poker this summer, it appears as though those leisure activities will be between workouts.

The Toronto Maple Leafs polarizing sniper could be returning to Toronto as early as July to work out with fitness and nutrition guru Gary Roberts, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Kessel has been slammed for his lack of fitness in recent seasons, an issue that peaked at training camp last season when he admitted to skating "maybe" 10 times in the summer.

It's unknown if the Maple Leafs are advising this decision, but it does jibe with head coach Mike Babcock's mantra, and recent reports suggest Kessel could potentially return for another season.

Roberts, a former Maple Leaf, has been celebrated for his work with the likes of Steven Stamkos, Jeff Skinner, and, most recently, Connor McDavid.

So . . . it's a rumour from Darren Dreger, and no one knows the original source where he got it from.
And the rumour is . . . Phil Kessel MIGHT come back to Toronto as early as July (could be the beginning of July, could be the last day of July) to work out with Gary Roberts.

As is usually the case in crack reporting from a newspaper source . . . nobody had the temerity to call Roberts to confirm; ask Dreger for his source, or if he was asked, provide his answer; ask anyone who would know affiliated with the Leafs to confirm/deny such a story.

So, it could be made up by Dreger, or maybe Shanahan told him to float out a puff piece that makes people think Kessel might not be traded, to ease up on the feeling that we're desperate to unload him. Who knows.

Point is, it's a fluff piece. Think, softer than squeeze the Sharmin. Fluffier than those white hairball kittens you see spread around Facebook like a fuzzy cotton ball factory. Fuzzier than . . . well, you get the picture.

So, let's think about that first before commenting.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Going into next season(2016-17):

JVR Marner Kessel
Kadri Nylander Brown