The Philip Joseph Kessel Jr Appreciation Thread

[Turin]

Can we lock this until he's actually traded?

Well, he’s either gone this month or next guaranteed. It’s good to reflect on the positives while we justify we he needs to leave

 

[Andy99]

There's a good subsection of this board which is composed of the type of person
"who'll stay in a failing relationship for that extra 1-2 years to make it truly bitter instead of getting out at the right time with some happy memories left intact", isn't there?

I feel that way about JR and the coaching staff too ... time to get out...

 

[The Old Master]

That way he knows how much he was appreciated

or starts to think someone knows something that he doesn't.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Right. We are still at the point where he is appreciated. But look how frustrated we got during the season at his play. Imagine if he stayed for the rest of his contract....these cup wins would probably be forgotten just like people did with Orpik lol. He played a big role in our matchups against the Wings yet nobody could stand him by the time he left.

Let Phil leave now while we are only 2 years removed from back to back cups. And keep the 2 on 1's he lets up from a turnover on the PP under 50 and he will still be remembered as the difference

Oh I get it, and trading him now would probably be the best way to preserve Phil's status as Penguins legend, I'm just going to miss him something fierce.

And honestly I do think we'd have come around to thinking more fondly of Orpik had he not gone to Washington and instead pulled his old vet routine in, say, Colorado or something.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

or starts to think someone knows something that he doesn't.

How does he not know at this point? There a hot dog convention in the Bermuda?

 

[cheesedanish87]

He helped them win his first 2 years here, but i'm more then ready to move on from him.

I don't got much appreciation for a player that takes games off the way he does, the lack of effort and lack of desire to play any defense in many games was very frustrating for me to watch.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

He helped them win his first 2 years here, but i'm more then ready to move on from him.

I don't got much appreciation for a player that takes games off the way he does, the lack of effort and lack of desire to play any defense in many games was very frustrating for me to watch.

And while he did put up points on the PP he hurt it just as much.

But this is an appreciation thread...

 

[Andy99]

I love this appreciation non-appreciation thread lol....

 

[Crosbyfan]

Phil we hardly knew ye.

 

[Crosbyfan]

...but we'll relish the time he spent here.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Lettuce remember the good times

(what? you don't put lettuce on your hot dogs?)

 

[JackFr]

The period from about a week before we got Kessel to the 2017 cup win will always be my favourite time as a Penguins fan. From the anticipation, to the joyous feeling of acquiring him, to the early struggles, to the perfect 2016 run, to somehow going back to back, it was perfect. Every unnecessary refresh of the Kessel Watch thread at work was worth it. He was a brilliant Penguin and I'll be sad to see 81 in a different Jersey. He's a Pittsburgh legend no doubt about it, no matter what happens.

 

[Andy99]

Lettuce remember the good times

(what? you don't put lettuce on your hot dogs?)

Hopefully we can ketchup when he returns for a game....

 

[Crosbyfan]

Hopefully we can ketchup when he returns for a game....

I'll still follow his career...keep an eye on what the catsup to...

 

[KIRK]

Remembering THIS classic interview after JR acquired Kessel from Toronto

Kessel just sent a statement to TSN. Here's the unofficial copy:

First of all, I would to thank the many, many fans throughout this country that wrote cards and letters to Phil Kessel, The American Dream, while I was down. Secondly, I want to thank Jim Rutherford promotions for waitin' and takin' the time, cause I know how important it was, Stanley Cup '16 it is to the Penguins fans, it is to Jim Rutherford promotions, and Phil Kessel The American Dream. With that wait, I got what I wanted, chance to play with Sid to be the Stanley Cup Champion. I don't have to say a whole lot more about the way I feel about Shanny; no respect, no honor. There is no honor amongst thieves in the first place.

Shanny put hard times on Phil Kessel and his family. You don't know what hard times are daddy. Hard times are when the Penguins GM's around this country are out of clues, they got Simon Despres and can't play them, can't keep em' cause they eat too much food. Hard times are when the Sid and Geno are out of wingers and they tell ‘em to go it alone. And hard times are when JR has worked at a job for thirty years, thirty years, and they give him a watch, kick him in the butt and say IC at HFBoards took your place, daddy, that's hard times! That's hard times! And Shanny you put hard times on this country by takin' Phil Kessel out, that's hard times. And we all had hard times together, and I admit, I don't look like the athlete of the day supposed to look. My belly's just a lil'big, my heiny's a lil' big, but brother, I am bad. And they know I'm bad.

There were two bad people. One was John Wayne and he's dead brother, and the other's right here. Brendan Shanahan, the Cup title belongs to these Penguins people. I'mma reach out right now, I want you at home to know my hand is touchin' your hand for the gathering of the biggest body of people in this country, in this universe, all over the world now, reachin' out because the love that was given me and this time I will repay you now. Because I will be the next Stanley Champion on this hard time blues. Phil Kessel tour, '16.

And Shanny, Toronto Boy. Let me leave you with this. One way to hurt Shanny, is to take what he cherishes more than anything in the world and that's a shot at the Stanley Cup title. I'm gonna' take it, even if Shanny been there twice. This time when I take it daddy, I'm gonna' take it for you. Let's gather for it. Don't let me down now, 'cause I came back for you, for Sid and Geno who been dyin on ice since 6 years ago and never got the opportunity win the cup ridin with a World's Champion winger. And I'm proud of you, Pens HFBoards, thank god I have you, and I love you. I love you!​

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

Didn't know the man was a Philip J.

 

[Gurglesons]

I think as one of the main contributors to the move Kessel movement around here people are wwwwwaaaayyyyyy too hard on him.

Kessel is paid to produce. He has done that every playoff run and regular season he has been here. Has he left other sides of his game to be desired? Occasionally, but he certainly wasn’t a defensive liability here most nights.

The real issue with Kessel is our roster. Sid and Malkin play a similar style to Kessel, Malkin especially. They don’t need a top flight winger that can only score on their wing. They need Jake / Hossa types if we are going for perfect fits. Players that produce, but find holes and exploit teams in both the ozone and dzone.

I hope the best for Phil, but I think even he’d agree he’s never quite fit in as a top six forward here and that is where he deserves to be. His production is simply not worth the cost in our top six.

 

[BrookswasHere44]

This thread has way too many words and not enough cool videos for me to look at

 

[hooverdam]

I'm surprised at how popular moving Kessel is around here. He's an affordable PPG or close to it playmaker on a team that struggled to find that in a winger outside of Neal for years and years. This requirement that he play defense was weirdly unnecessary during the Cup runs when the Penguins' entire identity was keeping the play moving the other way; Kessel was a huge part of that in front of a really mobile, fantastic defense. To me, this represents yet another step away from that identity, following the dismantling of that defense and speed on the roster.

Kessel has his warts but he's a streaky scoring winger; there are like three scoring wingers in the league that actually bring what people seem to want out of Kessel. The rest of them don't bother to play defense and struggle through cold spells too. There's a certain level of production where the good is worth the bad and in my opinion Kessel clears that.

How many points does Sullivan have to chase off the roster before he's the problem?

 

[Konstantin Koltsov]

I'll miss him. I was so pumped when we got him from Toronto.

 

[3074326]

I will be a huge fan of Phil until he is done as a hockey player. Dude steps on the ice and produces points. That will certainly be missed, especially if we replace him with a 40-50 point player who can't produce like Phil on the PP.

Best of luck to you, Phil. Thank you for helping us win two cups.

 

[Turin]

I'm surprised at how popular moving Kessel is around here. He's an affordable PPG or close to it playmaker on a team that struggled to find that in a winger outside of Neal for years and years. This requirement that he play defense was weirdly unnecessary during the Cup runs when the Penguins' entire identity was keeping the play moving the other way; Kessel was a huge part of that in front of a really mobile, fantastic defense. To me, this represents yet another step away from that identity, following the dismantling of that defense and speed on the roster.

Kessel has his warts but he's a streaky scoring winger; there are like three scoring wingers in the league that actually bring what people seem to want out of Kessel. The rest of them don't bother to play defense and struggle through cold spells too. There's a certain level of production where the good is worth the bad and in my opinion Kessel clears that.

How many points does Sullivan have to chase off the roster before he's the problem?

Kessel is older, will not play on the third line, is getting worse defensively than he already was, has betrayed the trust of the coaching staff since those Cups when it comes to his stupid Ironman streak, etc. Phil is not a ppg winger elsewhere, much like Neal in 2014 (except worse defensively).

BUT

This thread is to celebrate the positives of Phil.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Love Phil but it’s time to board. Here’s to the next step.

 

[BrookswasHere44]

I'm in a weird spot of 100% knowing Phil doesn't finish his contract here and also not wanting him traded. It's playing on my mind!

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Kessel is older, will not play on the third line, is getting worse defensively than he already was, has betrayed the trust of the coaching staff since those Cups when it comes to his stupid Ironman streak, etc. Phil is not a ppg winger elsewhere, much like Neal in 2014 (except worse defensively).

BUT

This thread is to celebrate the positives of Phil.

Sums it up