Former GM reveals instructive secrets about Kessel

Rival teams WILL use this to their advantage...

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Former GM reveals instructive secrets about Kessel
Zuma Press

Let's be honest, when you look at Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel, your first thought isn't that the guy is a great shape. That he is indeed an ironman in the National Hockey League. 

But he is. 

His current 656-games played streak is the third-longest active mark behind Florida Panthers' Keith Yandle (676) and Toronto Maple Leafs' Patrick Marleau (669). Former Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, who acquired Kessel back in 2009 from the Boston Bruins, had a lot to say about his former player and revealed his secret on what he manages to stay healthy and playing entire seasons. He revealed some information he got from former Leafs prospect Joe Colborne, straight from the dressing room. 

“’The heaviest weights in the room in Toronto, there’s only two guys that can throw the heaviest weights around,'” Burke recalled Colborne saying. “‘Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel.’ And Phil would blow a 68 V02 max, he’d come to camp in phenomenal shape.”

“Part of the durability is Phil’s not a big hitter,” Burke said. “He is very, very diligent about avoiding getting hit and that’s why he stays healthy. That’s not a knock, that’s a fact of life. This is a guy that’s not going to get hurt throwing a body check."

The Penguins had a much longer summer than the past two years and Kessel could be even more rested this time around for another 82-game season. On top of that, he has managed to perform during the playoffs and could be back with a vengeance for 2018-19, despite the numerous trade rumors that circling around him this summer. 

Burke knows Kessel also has a secret weapon when it comes to all that is being said about him. 

“Here’s the part that aggravates fans: He doesn’t care what you think about him. He doesn’t care if the media likes him, he doesn’t care if the fans like him. He shows up, he plays, he goes home.”

Kessel might not care about what is being said about him, however, rival teams might be looking in this, and might choose to hit Kessel a little harder. Who knows if the ironman streak will keep going this season after all... 

Source: Sportsnet