Amazing interview.
You can tell the topic of game 7 still gets to him. Still thinks about it every time. He laid it all out on the ice in the playoffs, truly one of the greatest hard nosed two way forwards to ever play for us, and in the game for a time. He admits JT is “the better player”, and who knows, JT might be that next guy for us, but Kesler sells himself short imo. There simply wasn’t a more dominant, two way centerman between 09-12 like him. I remember saying if Kesler put up more points he would’ve won Selke’s over 09 and 10 Datsyuk. Scoring 41 goals in 2011 essentially forced voters to choose him as the #1.
I’m amazed he still follows the Canucks and his words ring true when it comes to needing hard nosed players to win playoff games and it being the difference of a good team and a cup contender. He says we have that with Miller, Garland, Myers, Zadorov (you can put Cole, Soucy, Joshua, Hoglander, and Blueger in that group).