SAN JOSE, Calif. — Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup champion.
Let that soak in.
His long, winding road — through Boston and Toronto, and the unflattering narrative that followed him — led the American winger to the greatest moment in his NHL career Sunday night at SAP Center.
There he was on the ice, bearded and smiling, hoisting the Stanley Cup above his head, then smacking it with a kiss, after the Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks, 3-1, to win it all.
“I mean, how can you ask for anything better than this?” said Kessel, beaming, with a glint of emotion in his eyes. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s special. A year ago you don’t think of this. But we got it done.”
Everything changed for Kessel in Pittsburgh.
He became a member of the Penguins last summer in a blockbuster deal the franchise could only have imagined would lead to this.
In Game 6, he came inches from scoring on multiple chances and finished the playoffs scoring 10 goals, 11 assists in 22 games — making him a strong candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy, ultimately awarded to Sidney Crosby.
Kessel was long a dominant playoff scorer, entering this postseason with 21 points in 22 career postseason games, but had just one trip to the postseason during his six seasons in Toronto.
He was a target for criticism there, earned or not. Then the narrative began to change this spring.
Kessel played as if he were immune to the pressures of big games, and started scoring big goals in big moments.
It wasn’t on Crosby’s line. Or Evgeni Malkin’s either.
It was alongside center Nick Bonino, the cerebral playmaking center, and the speedy Carl Hagelin. The three brought out the best in Kessel.
“There’s speed, there’s smarts, there’s a shot,” said Bonino. “Defensive play. We do everything we can to help the team win and it paid off.”
On the “HBK” line as it was nicknamed, Kessel got away from the constraints of the top lines and settled into a role he was clearly comfortable in.
“We all played for each other,” said Kessel. “We knew where each other was going to be. We just found a way.”
Coach Mike Sullivan asked Kessel to improve in certain areas away from the puck this year, along the wall, in the defensive end, the “battle areas.”
“He’s embraced our message. He’s been very receptive. I think he’s really gained a whole lot of admiration from his coaching staff and his teammates with how his game has evolved here in the second half of the season,” said Sullivan.
Bonino sarcastically joked on Sunday that the credit should be all his.
“I had a few talks with him and got him playing defensively and then you know his year took off so I’ll take all the credit for it,” he said. “He didn’t talk to me for week or two and then he did so we’re good friends now. He’s thanking me for it.”
By Game 4 in San Jose, when the Penguins stormed to the doorstep of the championship, it was Kessel who threaded that perfect pass to Malkin for the eventual winning goal.
“I love Phil’s overall game,” Sullivan said at the time.
“Not just tonight. I’ve liked it through this whole playoffs. Phil’s game right now, when you watch him play, for me when I watch him play, I say to myself, ‘He’s committed, he’s committed to helping us win.’ ”
Jenn Menendez: jmenendez@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JennMenendez.
First Published: June 13, 2016, 5:26 a.m.
