She’s Gone. Oh I, oh I’d better learn how to face it. She’s Gone. Oh I, oh I’d
pay the devil to replace her. She’s Gone. What went wrong? -Hall & Oates
Public Service Announcement: Ok, here we go! Hockey Krishnas rejoice. Hockey hockey! Krishna Krishna! That’s right. Hockey talk. Phil Kessel Hockey talk. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Phil Kessel was the Boston Bruins’ trash. Phil Kessel is the Toronto Maple Leafs’ treasure.
This off-season, my Big Bad Bruins tried to re-sign Kessel. He was given a contract offer believed to be in the ballpark of the four-year, $16 million deal Jordan Staal signed with Pittsburgh. That offer was rejected. That opened the door for a deal that sent Kessel to Toronto for first-round picks in 2010 and 2011 and a second-round pick in 2010. Was it worth it?
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. Dy-no-mite! 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-two years old. Phil Kessel is finally turning into the player the Toronto Maple Leafs hoped he’d be.
Last night, Kessel scored a pair of goals in the Maple Leafs’ win at Columbus. Toronto fans everywhere are loving it. Why shouldn’t they? Among all players who made their debut for the Leafs in the expansion era, the only other player to score his first 10 goals for Toronto in 15 or fewer games was Dave Andreychuk back in 1993. Not a bad guy to be compared to.
How much wood could an Andreychuk chuck if an Andreychuk could chuck wood? A whole bunch. His best seasons offensively were in 1992–93 and 1993–94. His best seasons offensively were in Toronto. He posted 99 points in each season. He carried the Leafs on his back into the playoffs. He carried the Leafs on his back into the Conference Finals. Yes, they lost to the Los Angeles Kings. Yes, they lost to the Vancouver Canucks. But don’t you think all those Maple Leaf fans out there right now wouldn’t give their eye teeth for such losses? If Kessel keeps playing like this, they just may get them.
Public Spectacle:
[pro-player width='455' height='260' type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxrr3n29Nfk[/pro-player]
Peace out homies. Six two and Even!
Need More? Boston Bruins,NHL,Phil Kessel,Toronto Maple Leafs
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