PHIL KESSEL: IT’S OFF TO WORK HE GOES (EVERY DAY)
Not that he’ll talk about it, but his consecutive games streak climbed to No. 8 all time this weekend
Phil Kessel’s Twitter bio is succinct.
“Nice guy, tries hard, loves the game.”
Kessel reportedly borrowed that phrase from one-time Boston teammate Marc Savard who, when giving scouting reports on Bruins opponents, would use it to describe any player with whom he was not familiar.
But while Kessel is, of course, free to characterize himself however he likes, it might be time to update that bio.
Something like “Nice guy, tries hard, plays every game.”
Not because there’s any reason to think Kessel’s fondness for his line of work has changed, but because one of the NHL’s top ironman streaks extends every time the Penguins play.
Kessel appeared in his 735th consecutive game, the ninth-longest such streak in league history, when they defeated Florida Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena.
That positioned him to tie Jay Bouwmeester for eighth place on the list by dressing for the Penguins games at Anaheim and Los Angeles this weekend.
For all that Kessel has done in his career — like scoring nearly 350 goals, piling up almost 800 points and winning two Stanley Cup titles — that might be his most impressive achievement.
Precisely how Kessel feels about it isn’t known because he declined a request to discuss it.
No surprise there, since there are few things Kessel enjoys less than submitting to interviews. Stick-handling naked through a thicket of overgrown bramble bushes, perhaps. Or maybe not.
Then again, it’s possible that Kessel feared that if he spoke publicly about his streak, he could be jinxed into spending a game in street clothes.
A teammate renowned for the number and intensity of his superstitions was reluctant to delve into Kessel’s gamesplayed streak for just that reason.
“I don’t even like talking about it,” Sidney Crosby said.
Crosby, of course, is all too familiar with having to sit out games because of medical issues. He has missed the equivalent of more than two full seasons since entering the NHL in 2005 for reasons ranging from concussions to a fractured jaw to mumps.
Kessel has managed to avoid all of those injuries and ailments, as well as anything else that might have landed him in the press box, since he previously missed a game Oct. 31, 2009.
Which is not to suggest that Kessel has been functioning at 100 percent every time he has reported to work since then.
“There have been times when he’s been banged up pretty good and he’s been a game-time decision and he ultimately chose to play,” coach Mike Sullivan said.
“We’ve always, for the most part, left that decision up to him because only he can decide where his injuries are at that given time and whether he can be productive for the team. That’s usually the discussion I have with him.”
So far, the bottom line of those conversations — that Kessel would play — has been unwavering.
Kessel’s preferred style of play likely has been a factor in his durability — he rarely is in danger of breaking an ankle by hurling himself in front of an opponent’s shot, or of separating a shoulder by driving it into someone’s sternum — but it would be folly to attribute it solely to that.
After all, just because Kessel doesn’t go out of his way to initiate contact doesn’t mean players on other teams do the same when defending him.
“He’s a top player in the league, so other teams are looking for him,” defenseman Jack Johnson said. “Looking to make his night tougher, looking to hit him.
“Hitting might not be a part of his game, but guys are trying to hit him, give him some extra whacks here and there. He’s still got to battle through that. That’s part of the game. All the top guys in the league have to go through it. And he’s battled through it.”
Ironman streaks merit attention, in part, because they are so fragile. One deflected puck to the face, one tainted piece of fish at a team meal, one exposure to a stomach virus making the rounds at the local elementary school can be all it takes to end one.
Good fortune, then, can be a major contributor, but it doesn’t overshadow the role that intangibles like determination and commitment play.
“It takes a certain level of resilience and mental toughness and competitiveness to play that many games in a row because, let’s face it, over the course of that amount of time, there could be lots of circumstances where a player could decide, ‘Hey, this isn’t my night. I’m tired. I’m sore. I’m hurt. I don’t feel well,’ ” Sullivan said.
“Whatever it may be, and Phil plays through those things. Phil’s always answered the bell for us.”
Quiet guy. Accumulates points. Doesn’t miss a game.