When the Vegas Golden Knights won its first-ever Stanley Cup last week, it also meant that Phil Kessel was a three-time Stanley Cup champion.
Kessel, one of the most beloved players in the NHL, won his first two cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins as one of the most important players. Kessel was involved in most things offensively those times around, but now when Vegas won it, he wasn’t as crucial to the team.
Kessel was a healthy scratch for most of the playoff. However, he was still praised for his leadership abilities, experience, and his incredible ability to always make those around him happier and calmer.
Kessel is a natural-born winner, and the fact that he didn’t hold any grudge for being scratched proves what a fantastic teammate he is. Although he was a reserve or in the stands during the games, he made sure to always have a smile on his face and to keep a positive vibe in the locker room.
Kessel didn’t play in Game 5, where Vegas clinched the Stanley Cup title. But he did have something to do with the win, as he got his teammates going with a fantastic pre-game speech. Vegas star Jonathan Marchessault joined the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast and shared the fantastic story with hosts Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney.
”He comes in before Game 5, the practice day, and he’s like, ’If you f*cking guys loose the game, and I have to f*cking fly to Florida and back, I’m going to be pissed.’ It was so much fun to just be around that guy this year,” Marchessault said.
Marchessault said Kessel’s brought such a great vibe to the Vegast team all year.
”He’s a character, and the way he speaks, the way he says things. Now everybody talks like him on the team. Like all the expressions, like we all talk the same way as him. He’s like, ’You have to stop saying my lines here, eh? When I’m gone, you guys have to stop saying my lines.’ He’s so funny.”
If it was Kessel’s incredible pre-game speech that got the Vegas Golden Knights winning Game 5 or not, we’ll never know. But we just have to think it had a positive effect on his teammate. What a legend!
