Phil Kessel

[hedgehog]

Phil Kessel- 6 goals and 10 assists in 11 games. That puts him in 5th place for scoring in the Western Conference (WCHA). His first college goal came on a penalty shot, and the rest have mostly been on power plays. Probably a little less then what people expected, but I predict he will score more as the season goes on.The coach has been experimenting with different lines and people and once that gets established his production should increase.

 

[hedgehog]

Last night against number one ranked Michigan, Kessel scored two goals and one assist. Giving him 8 goals and 11 assists in 13 games, moving him up to 3rd place in scoring in the Western Conference. Tonight he plays against Michigan State.

 

[Realgeorge]

Hi KJV1. Great post for a great kid. Got a picture of him anywhere?

 

[hedgehog]

Here are two links to pictures of Phil Kessel. I tried to insert them in here using the "add image" feature but didnt have any luck. Maybe someonecan email some instructions.





http://www.gophersports.com/sportsNews/press_release.asp?new s_id=11583&sport_id=mhock


[url]http://www.gophersports.com/sports/player.asp?player_id=2663 &sport_id=mhock[/url]http://www.startribune.com/stories/512/5744880.htmlEdited by: KJV1

 

[sunshine]

Consider that Kessel should follow in the footsteps of number one draft picks Alex Ovechkin(2004) and Sidney Crosby (2005). He is rated number one for 2006 and word on the street is he has blazing speed along with highlight reel ability. He will be a member of the World Juniors team which plays Dec. 26-Jan 5 in Canada.

 

[hedgehog]

Kessel scored the game winner last night against the penguins and had two goals the night before vs the Sabres. For those that do not know, he just returned to the rink after recovering from surgery on his testicles.(cancer)

 

[Ground Fighter]

When I heard Barry Melrose say that Kessel was actually recovering from cancer, I actually got a little choked up. The first thing I thought of was Saku Koivu a few years ago, when he fought back against some form of cancer as well. Kessel's defintely a fighter just like Koivu is, and I hope everything works out for him. Hockey players are by far some of the toughest athletes on Earth, both physically and emotionally.


We hockey players are fit, lit, and for damn sure ain't takin' no...well, you know.

 

[son of Radovan]

Mario beat Hodgkin's Disease and Koivu beat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which is generally much more dangerous. I remember well when he was diagnosed, and the outpouring of support and prayer for him by fans of the sport from all over North America and Europe. It was quite touching. Let's pray that Kessel makes a full recovery and continues to play this beautiful sport for years to come, even if he beats my beloved Pens

 

[Ground Fighter]

Mario beat Hodgkin's Disease and Koivu beat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which is generally much more dangerous. I remember well when he was diagnosed, and the outpouring of support and prayer for him by fans of the sport from all over North America and Europe. It was quite touching. Let's pray that Kessel makes a full recovery and continues to play this beautiful sport for years to come, even if he beats my beloved Pens

Absolutely. As a diehard hockey player and fan, I hated Montreal even more than I hate Philly, but I was still praying that Koivu was going to make a full recovery. Some things are more important than hockey...and life is one of them.

 

[son of Radovan]

I completely agree Ground Fighter. Tell me if you don't mind, are you a Devils fan? I have always liked that team almost as much as the Pens (just below them

) and the 1990s-early 2000s were great years for me as a hockey fan. Until, of course, hockey was banished from ESPN, so we could have more "suitable" sports shoved down our throats (as well as hours upon hours of inane "analysis")Edited by: son of Radovan

 

[Ground Fighter]

I completely agree Ground Fighter. Tell me if you don't mind, are you a Devils fan? I have always liked that team almost as much as the Pens (just below them

) and the 1990s-early 2000s were great years for me as a hockey fan. Until, of course, hockey was banished from ESPN, so we could have more "suitable" sports shoved down our throats (as well as hours upon hours of inane "analysis")

I am a HARDCORE Devils fan. But yeah, ESPN did us real dirrrty when they cancelled hockey coverage altogether. But, I live in Jersey so I get other channels that cover hockey almost every night like MSG, Fox Sports Net, Fox Sports Net 2, etc. Also, we'll get the occasional college hockey game on one of these stations which I love to watch more than NHL hockey. My last year of playing Div. III college hockey was a year ago, so I miss it a lot. Now its pick-up games and men's leagues for me. My God I'm depressed. lol.

 

[son of Radovan]

Well, at least you know what it's like to play what is in my opinion the greatest sport known to man. I have always been a Devils fan, when I was a child I always supported the Pens and (who can believe this)...the Colorado Rockies. So for sentemental reasons I've always been a Devils fan as well.

 

[C Darwin]

A Rockie, Islander, and a Devil

And a German-Canadian.

 

[son of Radovan]

C Darwin, I couldn't figure out who he is by the number (didn't remember a no.1 goalie), so the old reliable source Goaltender Home Page set me straight: Glenn Allen "Chico" Resch

I have to admit I didn't remember him playing for the Rockies (I was a very small fry then); I did remember
Hardy Astrom from Sweden...as well as the team generally not being particularly competitive

.

Nice pic of Resch by the way.Edited by: son of Radovan

 

[Ground Fighter]

A Rockie, Islander, and a Devil

And a German-Canadian.

lol...Oh man, nice Chico Resch photo. Must be from the 70's, right before the Rockies moved to NJ in 1981 when they became the Devils. Unfortunately, Chico makes for a better announcer than he did a goalie. Gotta love those old school blue Rockies jerseys though. The Devils should adopt it as a third jersey, and wear it once in a while for home games, as a tribute to their roots.

However, since I'm half-Italian, I'd much rather see the Devils go back to their "original" colors of: red, white, and GREEN. Best team colors ever.

These jerseys kick ass...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/OldDevils.pngEdited by: Ground Fighter

 

[son of Radovan]

The Devils should adopt it as a third jersey, and wear it once in a while for home games, as a tribute to their roots.

Now that is an EXCELLENT idea! That, the jersey you linked Ground Fighter, and this one (Kansas City Scouts) would be awesome throw-back jerseys for special games, a nod in appreciation of the hard-working past that built the great Devils dynasty (3-1 in the Stanley Cup - Bravo!!!)

 

[jaxvid]

Ugh, Rockies, Devils, Islanders, what about the greatest hockey franchise ever? The Detroit Red Wings. Those Rockie/Wings playoffs were some good hockey.

 

[Realgeorge]

Speaking of Jerseys:

Gary "The Butt" Bettman is certainly behind the "new uniform" push for the NHL. The players, coaches, fans, and union don't want them. But The Butt will get his way. Originally wanting to put hockey players in tight toppies to make them look phaggy, he settled for "sleek" and certainly tacky.

The classic NHL hockey sweater doesn't need a fix, and only a White-hater like Bettman and the sympathetic owners and TV moguls could foist such stupidity onto the NHL. Even Sidney Crosby voiced some reservations.

NHL owners have shown stupendous idiocy in uniform designs. Look at the goofy new Sabres uniform. Fortunately a "throwback" Third Jersey was adopted for certain home games, and Sabres look great in the traditional uniform. But many new uniforms are just stupid. The Coyotes uniform is amazingly stupid with boring maroon and the howling dog (Should have stayed in Winnipeg !!). The Anaheim Ducks new uni is a travesty! The old teal ones were flashy, and the new logo is moronic. What WERE they thinking?

A good innovation is the Vancouver Canucks' throwback Third Jersey with the angle hockey stick, and bright green and blue. Unfortunately the black-at-all-costs trend continues, with the Flyers and Blackhawks in boring black. The Calgary Flames wisely have gone back to scarlet home colors. And I wish the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild would adopt a bright green instead of Philadephia Eagle sludge green, which looks just black on television.

Bettman, you butthead! You barely survived your stinking, self-inflicted Lockout Year. Now you will sabotage the NHL's uniforms. The players should wrap you up in a straighjacket and ship you to Siberia or BorneoEdited by: Realgeorge

 

[Ground Fighter]

A good innovation is the Vancouver Canucks' throwback Third Jersey with the angle hockey stick, and bright green and blue.

Even better, what about the REAL old school Canucks jersey. The black one with the HUGE orange and yellow "V" on the front from the 70's. Now that was a kickass jersey. Even the Canucks jerseys from the 90's were cool, being all black, with orange and yellow trim.

 

[cslewis1]

Hate to say it, because Ground Fighter is allright by me, but I can't stand the Devils. Never have, never will. They hurt hockey badly in the mid 90's with their trap style, and unfortunately winning ways.

The Devils, the 4 straight stanley cup sweeps and of course, the INSANE F'ING STRIKE!!!! knocked the NHL down so far it's hard to seem them ever coming back above ground.

So, I actively root against them. I've noticed their on top of their division with a measly 120 goals for or something like that. Not good.

 

[Ground Fighter]

Hate to say it, because Ground Fighter is allright by me, but I can't stand the Devils. Never have, never will. They hurt hockey badly in the mid 90's with their trap style, and unfortunately winning ways.

The Devils, the 4 straight stanley cup sweeps and of course, the INSANE F'ING STRIKE!!!! knocked the NHL down so far it's hard to seem them ever coming back above ground.

So, I actively root against them. I've noticed their on top of their division with a measly 120 goals for or something like that. Not good.

Yeah, thats the one thing that bothers me about my team...they win without scoring very many goals. They're used to beating teams by scores of 2-1 or 1-0, but that crap doesn't fly come playoff time. The Devils are a team built around solid defense and good goaltending, but their offense needs to score more. With players like Elias, Gionta, Gomez, Pandolfo, Parise, etc., they should be racking up four or five goals a game, at least.

But once NJ gets rolling, theres no stopping them.

 

[C Darwin]

Other notable athletes with this affliction are Lance Armstrong, John
Kruk, Steve Scott, and Brian Piccolo. Unfortunately, Piccolo's cancer
spread to his lungs, which lead to his passing.

Cancer cells that develop in the testies are highly radio-sensitive,
which makes radiation treatment very effective. Lance Armstrong's
cancer spread all over his body, but due to the pathology of his
tumors, traditional treatments gave him a clean bill of health.

In honor of Phil Kessel, all of the members of Caste Football should
give themselves a testicular self-exam today. As long as you don't
get carried away, it only takes a minute or two.

You should say hello to the boys at least once a month.Edited by: C Darwin

 

[Realgeorge]

One more New Jersey Devils comment:

The "zone trap" and tight defense are one thing; Clutching and Grabbing are another. The Devils of the 1990s performed the identical function of the New York Knickerbockers basketball team of 1980s Patrick Ewing days. They stretched, flaunted, and finally abrogated the rules by turning the sport into a Clutch-and-Grab affair, totally illegal even by the exsiting rules, but winked at by officials of both sports because they wanted the NHL and the NBA to slow to a crawl

Why would they desire the new, slow game? For the NBA, it was to allow teams with inferior Black players to prosper by performing thuggery on the court, turning the game into a mugging like an NFL football game. For the NHL, the cynical NWO maggots at the top wanted to sabotage the fast, skillful, entertaining game and turn it into a grinding, NBA-style sludgefest. Essentially the New Jersey Devils of the 1990s were a Clutch-and-Grab NBA team on ice. They were the Pat Riley Bunch of the NHL, and they succeeded in dragging down all the rest of the league to their putrid level of incompetence. They defeated a superior Red Wings team in ~1994 simply by -- CHEATING! Clutch and Grab, hook and interfere.

There IS a difference between the Devils of 1994 and 2007. The 2007 variety has real talent, and could score in bunches if management so desired. The 1994 overrated team had GOONS like Daneyko and Scott Stevens and lots of others, who Clutched and grabbed and hooked and interfered and got away with it. It was totally akin to the Pat Riley Punks of the NBA. They won by cheating.

The new NJD management is just stupid. They waste their new-found speed and skill but forcing the Trap. You watch -- You watch -- when their current skill players get older and slower, the Devils will drop like a rock

 

[son of Radovan]

Also in the case of Brian Piccolo, he had a very rare form of cancer (embryonal cell carcinoma) Now IIRC, this cancer can result from embryonal tissue that remains in the body (in Brian's case the lungs) and is highly aggressive (again, IIRC, he was treated, seemingly all trace of the cancer was removed, and then it showed up again, relentlessly)

 

[Lance Alworth]

I am a diehard Penguins fan, but my favorite all time player was Tie Domi (mainly because bad-ass Albanian, and I am half Albanian on my dads side) As for the uniforms posted, i really love those old rockies jerseys, and i even own an authentic white one (with the fight strap) with my last name on it, and i have a pair of game used pant shells worn by lanny mcdonald in which i wear during practice and pick up games. My current favorite player is Jordan Staal who was recently drafted #2 overall by Pittsburgh, who is looking more an more like the best player coming out of this years draft every day. He wasnt even expected to make the team this year, but not only did he make it, he's contributing on a significant level