Things were noticeably tense at the Penguins' practice in Newark, N.J. on Nov. 16, less than 24 hours after their worst loss in five years. A listless performance in Washington had infuriated Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who opened this session by having his players skate laps.
Afterward, with players dressing inside two cramped rooms, Phil Kessel was one of the last to leave the ice and began bragging about this rare occurrence to the team's franchise centers, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
They lost it. Malkin nearly choked on his post-practice snack. Crosby couldn't believe what he had heard. Instantly, the mood lightened. Phil Kessel the last off the ice? It was like they had seen Halley's Comet.
"I don't think I'm that funny," Kessel insisted during a one-on-one interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week. "If (my teammates) think I am, I guess am. I don't know. I guess I like to chirp and just have fun."
It can be argued that nobody inside the Penguins dressing room has more fun than Kessel, a stark contrast to how he was portrayed in his former place of employment.
Eighteen months ago, Kessel was labeled as a liability in Toronto. A lazy player. Not accountable. An issue in the room. Capable of doing more harm than good.
The Penguins have taken that perception of Kessel and blown it to hell. Here, Kessel is beloved. A fan favorite. A cutup around his teammates. More of a complete player. And growing increasingly comfortable around media.
Following practice on Nov. 11, Penguins senior director of communications Jen Bullano told Kessel that a group of reporters wished to speak with him. Kessel didn't complain. He laughed _ more on this aspect of Kessel's game in a bit _ dutifully walked to his stall and fielded questions for several minutes.
Bullano has even persuaded Kessel to appear on the radio, and he has regularly been available to media. But none of that matters when it comes to winning hockey games. Being universally beloved by his teammates, and finding a seamless fit into a new team the way Kessel has, carries a ton more weight.
"I've always been pretty relaxed, to be honest," Kessel said. "I just go out there and play and do the best I can."
The way the Penguins have treated Kessel is textbook when it comes to how human beings should treat one another, forget hockey. And it has formed a delightfully funny marriage.
"I never judge anyone for how the media portrays him," goaltender Matt Murray. "The Toronto media painted Phil Kessel to be this awful guy. In this case, they were dead wrong. Couldn't be any more wrong.
"As a kid growing up in Ontario, you see a lot of Leafs guys on TV. People are judging them all the time.
"When I met Phil, my first reaction was that it couldn't be more different than how he appeared to be. He's the most likable guy I think I've ever met. You can't help but laugh along with him."
(EDITORS: ND OPTIONAL TRIM)
