I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd but when they said sit down, I stood up. Ooh-ooh growin’ up. -Bruce Springsteen
Public Service Announcement: Ok, here we go! Hockey Krishnas rejoice! Move over Evgeni. Move over Sidney Lady Bing Crosby. Move over El Ocho Ovechkin. Move over cool dogs, a hot dog’s movin’ in.
His name is Phil the Thrill Kessel. The Boston Bruin’s own Phil Kessel. The pride of Madison, Wisconsin Phil Kessel. A natural born scorer. Mickey Knox style. He’s a Harlem Globe Trotter on ice. Electric? Try high voltage. Boogie oogie oogie. He has explosive speed. TNT. Dynomite. This kid can skate. This kid can make plays. This kid can score. He can pass. He can see the ice. Think pocket Kovalchuk. And, he’s only twenty-one years old. Phil Kessel is finally turning into the player the Big Bad Bruins hoped he’d be.
Last night, in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kessel was both the Bruins’ only goal scorer in regulation as well as in the shootout. Last night, Kessel scored his fifth goal of the season. Big deal you say? Who cares you say? I say, Kessel and Marc Savard both have five goals in the team’s five games this season. I say no other Bruins duo has done that since Espo and Hodgy back in 1973-74. I say that’s pretty pretty good.
This is what the Bruins were expecting when they drafted him with the number five overall pick in the 2006 draft. This is what the Bruins were expecting after they watched him at the 2005 World Junior Championships. Took every possible honor at the 2005 World Junior Championships. Top scorer by a landslide. Top forward. Tournament MVP. This is what the Bruins were expecting after watching him at the University of Minnesota. Inside College Hockey 2005-06 Rookie of the Year. WCHA All-Rookie Team. WCHA Rookie of the Year. Led WCHA in freshman scoring, assists and points. Ranked 11th in the nation among all players in points. We’re finally starting to see Phil play up to those expectations.
Last season in the playoffs, coach Claude Julien benched Kessel after Game One against the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Said he was too soft. But after being reinserted into the lineup in Game Five, he was the most dominant player on the ice. The most dominant player on the ice. Bar none. He was pretty dominant last night. Last night, there was Kessel at the top of the circle. Pass from Ferrence. He shoots! He scores! He scores on a blistering wrist shot that Pittsburgh goaltender Danny Sabourin never saw coming. Look out Crosby, here comes Kessel.
Public Spectacle:
Peace out homies. Six two and Even!
Need More? Boston Bruins, NHL, Phil Kessel
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