Phil Kessel’s everyman persona just took a turn for the adorable.
In a Tuesday post for the Players Tribune, his former teammate Tyler Bozak recounted playing with the mercurial Penguins winger in Toronto, and it turns out Kessel, like many of us, would rather have a deep conversation with his dog than other humans.
I got to know [Kessel’s dog] Stella after Phil asked me if I wanted to be roommates. It was a few years after I got to Toronto, and the way he did it was totally Phil. He just said, “So you wanna live together or something, or…?” I wasn’t going to say no — he had a sick apartment downtown. It was a no-brainer.
Some nights I’d be in another room in our place and I’d hear Phil’s voice.
“No, no, I just didn’t play well tonight. Yeah, I dunno really …”
I’d walk into the room, and he’d be in mid-conversation with Stella.
I understood why. Sometimes I did the same thing — Stella was a good listener and a big hockey fan.
Why talk to reporters who spread rumors of your hot dog consumption when you’ve got a best friend like that to lend an ear? One who is apparently conversant enough to prompt a response like “no, no”? I mean, look at that face.
That’s the type of pal you can turn to when you’ve won two Stanley Cups, but all anyone wants to talk about is how you get along with your coach.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: July 3, 2018, 4:00 p.m.
