Over-analyzed Kessel quickly flashing A skills for B's
Several hours before his NHL debut, as he quietly went about his business in a near-empty Boston Bruins dressing room, Phil Kessel had to repeat an answer he'd already given dozens of times.
It didn't seem to bother him.
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| Phil Kessel led the last two World tournaments in scoring. (Getty Images) |
That isn't hard to believe because Kessel has spent much of this year feeling kind of deflated. That's what happens when you're so talented that everyone simply concedes you'll be drafted first overall in your year, and you end up dropping all the way down to No. 5.
For an introverted type like Kessel, it was like taking a slap shot in the mid-section. Only 18 months earlier, the Madison, Wis., native was touted as one of the greatest American prospects ever. He was being compared favorably enough with Sidney Crosby to spark a debate about who would be No. 1 had they been in the same draft year.
Crosby's two-month age advantage made him eligible last year, but instead of following the Pittsburgh Penguins pick as a first overall this time around, Kessel dropped several rungs. Along the way, he lost the cache of being a potential franchise player, even if it was clear he hadn't lost any skill.
"Yeah, it was tough to deal with at times," Kessel said. "I just stopped reading the papers."
Kessel's fall from grace, if that's what you call going fifth overall, began at last year's World Junior Tournament, where he starred a year earlier and showed the kind of dazzle that pulls fans out of their seats. One of his goals at his first Christmas time get-together was scored while he flew through the air a la Bobby Orr, an instant highlight-reel classic that got Kessel identified as a 16-year-old prodigy.
Kessel was even more dominant in an international tournament a few months later, so by the time he got to last year's Worlds, expectations were immense. At the time, Kessel was hockey's top-ranked prospect and in the midst of a conference rookie of the year season at the University of Minnesota as the second-youngest player in Division I.
But he managed only one goal in six games for a disappointing Team USA that was eliminated early. Kessel also picked up 10 assists and led the tournament in scoring, but that didn't seem to matter much because the scuttlebutt at the scout- and GM-infested conclave described him as immature and maybe a bit selfish on the ice.
"I don't think I was playing any different, but people start badmouthing you," Kessel said.
That didn't scare off the Bruins, who caught a break to climb to the fifth slot in the draft order because the Columbus Blue Jackets surpassed them with a victory in their final game. Assistant GM Jeff Gorton, who ran the draft for Boston, said the consensus within the organization was that the top five-rated players were all good bets, and that Kessel's "reputation" wasn't an issue.
"Obviously, he's a special player," Gorton said. "He led the last two World tournaments in scoring, but they say he slipped, so it's no wonder he sinks his head and wonders what's going wrong.
