With the Vegas Golden Knights winning hockey's top prize last night, Kessel will have his name etched on the Cup for the third time. As his teammates were celebrating, Kessel made sure to remind members of the Toronto Media that they never thought he would get there.
While being asked for his thoughts after getting to lift the Stanley Cup again, Kessel went back to his days in Toronto. The 5th overall draft pick was thought to be the saviour of the team, and one that would lead the Leafs out of some dark times. That didn't happen, and Kessel was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won his first two Stanley Cups. He made sure to reference that in his interview.
Kessel did not play in any of the five games of the Stanley Cup Final. He did, however, play in all 82 regular season games, more than enough to get his name on the Cup, as well as another four games in the playoffs. There are names on the Stanley Cup that did much less the year their team won it.
