Kessel Vs. teamates

[FlamesFan22]

In my opinion on-ice relationships are a whole lot different than off-ice relationships. I have been on teams where i don't necessarily get along with a guy outside of hockey, but everytime we stepped on the ice everything was fine.

These types of relationships are common in sports, if both sides are concentrating on winning and only winning, they will be fine. I think all of those players are professional enough to put any rift behind them and concentrate on winning.

 

[Sammy*]

These types of relationships are common in sports, if both sides are concentrating on winning and only winning, they will be fine. I think all of those players are professional enough to put any rift behind them and concentrate on winning.

Perhaps,perhaps not.
These sorts of things if true have affected many teams in the past. I'm not saying it will this time, just that it could.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Perhaps,perhaps not.
These sorts of things if true have affected many teams in the past. I'm not saying it will this time, just that it could.

That's a fair statement. I think I came across as a bit too assured in this situation, so I apologize for my tone. Things could flair up on the U.S. team to be sure. I hope it doesn't, but you never know. Hopefully Coach Kyle has things under control.

 

[BlueAndWhite]

If their rifts or whatever DOES cause a problem then does it effect Kessel's draft outlook?

A long shot, but debatable.

I doubt it. These "rifts" seem to indicate that Kessel (or his family) has a problem with Skille and Johnson specifically (or their families...)

It doesn't necessarily indicate that Kessel has problems getting along with other teammates.

Unless a team that already had Skille/Johnson was planning on drafting Kessel...

 

[Sammy*]

That's a fair statement. I think I came across as a bit too assured in this situation, so I apologize for my tone. Things could flair up on the U.S. team to be sure. I hope it doesn't, but you never know. Hopefully Coach Kyle has things under control.

Frankly, playing hockey all my life I have never really seen anything like this (players disliking each other in any real way, which I am certainly not saying is the case here), never mind affect a team. Situation may be a little different cause its an All Star team of sorts and the kids are only together for a short period of time, but I really doubt it.
I was just really playing devils advocate.

 

[MN_Gopher]

I am not on the inside. But Kessel is a very quiet kid. If any of you have ever seen him around campus, heard an interview he has done? He is a shy soft spoken kid. Most of what he is related to him is from his family or his non-hockey friends who brag how good he is. What hockey mom hasn't taunted the other teams best player. I know not all, but she is not the first mom to do so. I have never heard Kessel say he does not like Skille or J. Johnson outright. It is clear they are not going to hang out. I did not hang out with all my running backs or quarterback but i still blocked for them.

 

[ZombieMatt]

Just spending some time around the American team and locker room yesterday doing interviews, I agree with Gopher, it's obvious that Kessel isn't the loudest guy on the team. I don't think this is a real issue for the team. They look fantastic, very crisp, this is definitely their tournament to lose.

 

[weezman]

Lots of teammates don't like each other. It's like that on almost every team. Some people just don't get along, and there's a lot that goes on in the behind the scenes that people don't know about. Just because this particular situation is public knowledge doesn't mean it's going to be a huge problem.

Probably the most accurate thing to be said inside this thread IMO.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Just spending some time around the American team and locker room yesterday doing interviews, I agree with Gopher, it's obvious that Kessel isn't the loudest guy on the team. I don't think this is a real issue for the team. They look fantastic, very crisp, this is definitely their tournament to lose.

I guess you saw the team on the ice? Who stood out to you skill-wise?

 

[ZombieMatt]

I guess you saw the team on the ice? Who stood out to you skill-wise?

Just practice, so it's very difficult to really gauge all that much.

But from what I saw:

Phil Kessel was very underwhelming. Maybe I was expecting too much, or maybe it means nothing because it was just practice. But they were doing a lot of transition drills and that seems to me something that should be a strong point for a guy with blazing speed and a booming shot. Again, it was just practice, and I didn't really watch him that much.

Lee: The most visible defender, and not just because of his appearance. He played very, very well positionally, although he caught an edge and went crashing to the boards once. Very crisp passing, good defensive sense.

Schremp: Absolutely unreal moves in close. He scored an unbelievable goal during an in-tight drill, totally undressed Frazee.

Frazee: Looked VERY shaky, gave up lots of goals. Very out of control. Again, just practice.

Schneider: Looked very, very good. Very poised, very calm, flashed the leather on a few plays to rob players on goals. Very good positionally and used his size well in the crease. Seemed to be working on turning rebounds into the corners a lot.

Mueller: Needs a smaller helmet, it kept falling down on his face. Every time he was skating up the ice he was adjusting it. Seriously though, good wheels for a big, big 17 year old. I really liked how he played.

Paukovich: This guy is huge. He was much more skilled than I realized. Showed surprisingly good hands.

Oshie: Very slick. Good wheels, quick hands, nice little stick handling moves. I think that anyone questionning the Blues for taking him late in the first round should re-evaluate their concern.

Jack Johnson: He didn't stand out on the ice for me. But I noticed while interviewing him that he really doesn't seem very big.

Chorney: Seemed to be fighting the puck all practice. Kept having it bounce off his stick in all sorts of situations.

Ryan: Big guy, probably going to be a leader on teh team regardless of whose wearing the letters. Nice slapshot.

Bourque: Nice shot, nothing else stood out for me. Small.

Skille: One of the more impressive guys to me. Very big, good wheels, he really does remind you of Bill Guerin (who he acknowledged he's most compared to in our interview). Good shot, definitely going to be a force coming down the wing in this tournament.

Just a few brief thigns I noticed on some of the players. I will be attending the exhibition game tonight (US vs SWE) and hopefully talking to a few more guys tonight as well. Look for a number of interviews/articles to come up about players on the American team starting today and running through the rest of the tournament.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Thanks for the comments Matt. I don't think you'll find goaltenders with such differant styles as Schneider and Frazee. Schneider just doesn't get rattled and is very poised in the crease, while Frazee is very emotional and is all over the place. I hope Schneider retains that poise throughout the tourney.

 

[usiel]

Just practice, so it's very difficult to really gauge all that much.

But from what I saw:

Phil Kessel was very underwhelming. Maybe I was expecting too much, or maybe it means nothing because it was just practice. But they were doing a lot of transition drills and that seems to me something that should be a strong point for a guy with blazing speed and a booming shot. Again, it was just practice, and I didn't really watch him that much.

Lee: The most visible defender, and not just because of his appearance. He played very, very well positionally, although he caught an edge and went crashing to the boards once. Very crisp passing, good defensive sense.

Schremp: Absolutely unreal moves in close. He scored an unbelievable goal during an in-tight drill, totally undressed Frazee.

Frazee: Looked VERY shaky, gave up lots of goals. Very out of control. Again, just practice.

Schneider: Looked very, very good. Very poised, very calm, flashed the leather on a few plays to rob players on goals. Very good positionally and used his size well in the crease. Seemed to be working on turning rebounds into the corners a lot.

Mueller: Needs a smaller helmet, it kept falling down on his face. Every time he was skating up the ice he was adjusting it. Seriously though, good wheels for a big, big 17 year old. I really liked how he played.

Paukovich: This guy is huge. He was much more skilled than I realized. Showed surprisingly good hands.

Oshie: Very slick. Good wheels, quick hands, nice little stick handling moves. I think that anyone questionning the Blues for taking him late in the first round should re-evaluate their concern.

Jack Johnson: He didn't stand out on the ice for me. But I noticed while interviewing him that he really doesn't seem very big.

Chorney: Seemed to be fighting the puck all practice. Kept having it bounce off his stick in all sorts of situations.

Ryan: Big guy, probably going to be a leader on teh team regardless of whose wearing the letters. Nice slapshot.

Bourque: Nice shot, nothing else stood out for me. Small.

Skille: One of the more impressive guys to me. Very big, good wheels, he really does remind you of Bill Guerin (who he acknowledged he's most compared to in our interview). Good shot, definitely going to be a force coming down the wing in this tournament.

Just a few brief thigns I noticed on some of the players. I will be attending the exhibition game tonight (US vs SWE) and hopefully talking to a few more guys tonight as well. Look for a number of interviews/articles to come up about players on the American team starting today and running through the rest of the tournament.

Paukovich? Or do you mean Pokulok?

 

[ZombieMatt]

By Paukovich I mean Paukovich.

As in Geoff Paukovich (http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospect/geoff_paukovich).

Sasha Pokulok is a Canadian.

 

[usiel]

Duh, I'm an idiot, hahah.

 

[espo*]

Just practice, so it's very difficult to really gauge all that much.

But from what I saw:

Phil Kessel was very underwhelming. Maybe I was expecting too much, or maybe it means nothing because it was just practice. But they were doing a lot of transition drills and that seems to me something that should be a strong point for a guy with blazing speed and a booming shot. Again, it was just practice, and I didn't really watch him that much.

Lee: The most visible defender, and not just because of his appearance. He played very, very well positionally, although he caught an edge and went crashing to the boards once. Very crisp passing, good defensive sense.

Schremp: Absolutely unreal moves in close. He scored an unbelievable goal during an in-tight drill, totally undressed Frazee.

Frazee: Looked VERY shaky, gave up lots of goals. Very out of control. Again, just practice.

Schneider: Looked very, very good. Very poised, very calm, flashed the leather on a few plays to rob players on goals. Very good positionally and used his size well in the crease. Seemed to be working on turning rebounds into the corners a lot.

Mueller: Needs a smaller helmet, it kept falling down on his face. Every time he was skating up the ice he was adjusting it. Seriously though, good wheels for a big, big 17 year old. I really liked how he played.

Paukovich: This guy is huge. He was much more skilled than I realized. Showed surprisingly good hands.

Oshie: Very slick. Good wheels, quick hands, nice little stick handling moves. I think that anyone questionning the Blues for taking him late in the first round should re-evaluate their concern.

Jack Johnson: He didn't stand out on the ice for me. But I noticed while interviewing him that he really doesn't seem very big.

Chorney: Seemed to be fighting the puck all practice. Kept having it bounce off his stick in all sorts of situations.

Ryan: Big guy, probably going to be a leader on teh team regardless of whose wearing the letters. Nice slapshot.

Bourque: Nice shot, nothing else stood out for me. Small.

Skille: One of the more impressive guys to me. Very big, good wheels, he really does remind you of Bill Guerin (who he acknowledged he's most compared to in our interview). Good shot, definitely going to be a force coming down the wing in this tournament.

Just a few brief thigns I noticed on some of the players. I will be attending the exhibition game tonight (US vs SWE) and hopefully talking to a few more guys tonight as well. Look for a number of interviews/articles to come up about players on the American team starting today and running through the rest of the tournament.

nice report.The guy i'm probably more worried about then anyone else is Shremp.He's just hard to contain working from the half boards on the p.p...................he'll do damage sooner or later and kill a team if the opposition takes too many penalties.Gotta stay outta the box as much as possible with this team.

 

[Chief]

Things could flair up on the U.S. team to be sure. I hope it doesn't, but you never know. Hopefully Coach Kyle has things under control.

Let's not forget that these young men are also maturing. Had this tournament taken place a few years ago, there's no way Skille and Kessel coexist but that's not the case. They finally realized that when they're on the same team, they are no longer competing against each other, they're competing with the guys in the other uniform. It's possible that situations could still flare up but I think their troubles in the past were petty and they're both over it. I don't know firsthand about any issues between Jack Johnson and the other guys so I won't comment on that.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

The post comparing the Kessel and Skille/JJ stuff to the antics of T.O. is one of the most boneheaded and utterly Pejorative Slured posts on this board since it's inception. Are Canadian fans that worried about this team that a few need to make idiotic statements like that?

 

[Hunter Gathers]

You are frickin homer (& apparently, an "insider").

So what the hell are you if he is a homer? RR is passionate about US hockey and most US hockey fans are. I am also.

But he's at least objective. You attack Kessel and USA hockey whenever you get a chance.

If he's a homer, what are you? King of the Homers?

 

[Habs Icing]

The post comparing the Kessel and Skille/JJ stuff to the antics of T.O. is one of the most boneheaded and utterly Pejorative Slured posts on this board since it's inception. Are Canadian fans that worried about this team that a few need to make idiotic statements like that?

Talk about boneheaded statements. Can you be any more of a bigot? For starters it's not a few but one Canadian fan and somehow one Canadian fan expressing an opinion (that you don't agree with) does not make all Canadian fans worried about this team. Maybe you should gloat after you win.

 

[Sammy*]

So what the hell are you if he is a homer? RR is passionate about US hockey and most US hockey fans are. I am also.

But he's at least objective. You attack Kessel and USA hockey whenever you get a chance.

If he's a homer, what are you? King of the Homers?

Hey donkey, show one 1 post where I attacked Kessell or US hockey.
And btw, before you embarass yourself anymore, try to figure out that there is a difference between what pointing to an example of a player disrupting a team (the TO example, & how it can adversly affect a team) & actually saying the two situations are similar (which was never said).
In short, grow up.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Hey donkey, show one 1 post where I attacked Kessell or US hockey.
And btw, before you embarass yourself anymore, try to figure out that there is a difference between what pointing to an example of a player disrupting a team (the TO example, & how it can adversly affect a team) & actually saying the two situations are similar (which was never said).
In short, grow up.

Go and read any of your posts involving USA and especially when you and RR go at it. You jump on the team any chance you get. C'mon, Sammy. You've posted here long enough to know that you do. No need to cover it up. I don't fault you for it since when it comes to international hockey there are huge rivalries and EVERYONE is a homer.

And you KNOW what you were trying to do with the TO statement. Don't even try to cover that crap up.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Talk about boneheaded statements. Can you be any more of a bigot? For starters it's not a few but one Canadian fan and somehow one Canadian fan expressing an opinion (that you don't agree with) does not make all Canadian fans worried about this team. Maybe you should gloat after you win.

How in the world is there any form of "bigotry" in my post? Learn the ****ing definition before you sit there and throw out big words like that there, buddy.

Maybe if you would've been posting here long enough you'd see that, yes, there are a number of FIERCELY biased Canadian fans on these boards and USA is trashed on quite a bit.

But seriously. Learn the definition of a word like "bigot" before you sit there and toss it around.

BTW, I wasted my 7000th post on replying to this comment.

 

[Randall Graves*]

I remember seeing an interview with Crosby and Jack Johnson at last year's draft and they told the story of how Kessel's mom always heckled Crosby at Shattuck-St. Mary's.

Apparently one time, Kessel's mom was over the glass screaming at Crosby, so Crosby lines up for the faceoff in the offensive zone, turned back to Johnson at the point and said "watch this". He put the puck through the other guy's skates walked right to the net and buried a goal 3 seconds after the puck dropped.

Johnson said in the interview Kessel's mom shut up pretty quick

what a lame mother, these are KIDS...you're also embarrassing your child.

god knows what I would have done if my mom ever did anything like that.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

Great post Matt. The Yanks are going to be a lot of fun to watch, especially with such a different blend of offensive talents. When you go through Mueller, Schremp, Kessel, Skille, Oshie and Ryan, their strengths, skills and styles are so different, and yet so unique, that the line combinations are probably going to be very important (and tricky in some cases). Ryan likes to cycle, Kessel likes to fly, Skille likes to crash. Canada will really have to beat them in the chemistry department, although I think some people aren't giving Canada enough credit in the skill department.

Any word on the U.S. line combinations yet?

 

[Sammy*]

Go and read any of your posts involving USA and especially when you and RR go at it. You jump on the team any chance you get. C'mon, Sammy. You've posted here long enough to know that you do. No need to cover it up. I don't fault you for it since when it comes to international hockey there are huge rivalries and EVERYONE is a homer.

And you KNOW what you were trying to do with the TO statement. Don't even try to cover that crap up.

I do not hammer on US hockey & certainly not on Kessell. You may think pointing out obvious biases & taking issue with people stating things with certainty as attacking, but it is far from it. I also take issue with ridiculous comparisons (ie. Kessell = Crosby as a prospect. I'd say the same thing if somebody wrote Toews = Crosby. I'd think there would be an even bigger uproar over that, but it seems whenever one doesnt say the golden boy is the next coming (ie Crosby), people fly into a rage ) .
In terms of the T.O. issue, you should read a little closer. I didnt say they were analagous. I used it as an example to counter the argument/point that internal strife doesnt affect a team. I thought that was abundantly clear.