Phil The Thrill Goes Job Hunting
The following story appeared in ESPN The Magazine this week. The article follows the Columbus Blue Jackets around as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Part of the article dealt with University of Minnesota star foward Phil Kessel.
Day 3 of four days spent interviewing prospects. The Blue Jackets will have interviewed 109 teenagers by the end of business tomorrow. They come through the doors, one every twenty minutes.
The scouts sit through all 109 interviews, and Williams enters notes from each into a database. But no interview is more important to the Blue Jackets than Kessel's. No prospect has more to win or lose than he does. Kessel walks into the room. The Blue Jackets are the first of 20 interviews on his schedule. He is barely in his seat before Boyd says, “Teammates.”
Silence.
“Do you know what I'm talking about?”
“No,” Kessel says.
He most certainly does.
Kessel has a reputation for being disliked by teammates wherever he's played. Jack Johnson, third overall in last year's draft, called him “a dirtbag” during one of his combine interviews.
Silence.
“I don't have a problem with my teammates.”
More silence.
“I don't have a problem with Jack Johnson.”
More silence.
“I had lunch with him practically every day.”
What about that TV report about that bar serving underage Gophers?
“Happens everywhere,” Kessel says.
Only 18 goals last season when you were compared to Sidney Crosby the year before?
“I was on the third line...we rolled four lines.”
Kessel's time is up. He leaves, seemingly aware that his was a less-than-stellar performance.
Boyd is unfazed. “Helluva talent,” he says to no one in particular.
Another excerpt:
Kessel walks in holding an empty water bottle.
He shakes hands, sits on the couch and starts tapping the bottle against his palm, a drum beat.
"How would you look with Nash?" the GM asks.
"I think I'd look pretty good."
"Do you dish the puck well enough to play with him?"
"I think I dish it pretty well."
"I'm not sure that you'd get it back."
Boyd jumps in. "Phil, I watched you test at the combine. How do you think you did?"
"I think I did pretty well. It was tough. I just came back from the world championships. Didn't have that much chance to prepare for it."
"You walked around that room," Boyd says. "You saw the conditioning level of the other guys. Where do you think your conditioning is? A lot of guys look like they've been in the gym longer than you. I'm talking about the past year, year and a half."
"I doubt that."
"You train pretty hard?" Boyd says.
"Yeah. I mean, I didn't have a chance to work out for practically a month and a half.
There are other questions. About his relationships with teammates. About his rep as a party guy. Then Boyd goes directly to the scouting report. "How would you respond to this: 'A little bit immature, needs to work a little harder in the gym, practice a little harder, needs to lean some social skills, people skills.' We'll leave it at that."
Kessel's voice falls to a whisper. "I'd say, okay...yeah a little bit...some of that stuff...it's a little hard...work on some of that stuff, I guess."
It's soon over after that. Kessel looks disheartened as he leaves. MacLean looks sad. "If what they're saying about this kid isn't true, it's criminal. Because I don't know if I ever heard the negative stuff like I have with this kid."
"It would be a tragedy.", Boyd agrees.
The scouts sit through all 109 interviews, and Williams enters notes from each into a database. But no interview is more important to the Blue Jackets than Kessel's. No prospect has more to win or lose than he does. Kessel walks into the room. The Blue Jackets are the first of 20 interviews on his schedule. He is barely in his seat before Boyd says, “Teammates.”
Silence.
“Do you know what I'm talking about?”
“No,” Kessel says.
He most certainly does.
Kessel has a reputation for being disliked by teammates wherever he's played. Jack Johnson, third overall in last year's draft, called him “a dirtbag” during one of his combine interviews.
Silence.
“I don't have a problem with my teammates.”
More silence.
“I don't have a problem with Jack Johnson.”
More silence.
“I had lunch with him practically every day.”
What about that TV report about that bar serving underage Gophers?
“Happens everywhere,” Kessel says.
Only 18 goals last season when you were compared to Sidney Crosby the year before?
“I was on the third line...we rolled four lines.”
Kessel's time is up. He leaves, seemingly aware that his was a less-than-stellar performance.
Boyd is unfazed. “Helluva talent,” he says to no one in particular.
Another excerpt:
Kessel walks in holding an empty water bottle.
He shakes hands, sits on the couch and starts tapping the bottle against his palm, a drum beat.
"How would you look with Nash?" the GM asks.
"I think I'd look pretty good."
"Do you dish the puck well enough to play with him?"
"I think I dish it pretty well."
"I'm not sure that you'd get it back."
Boyd jumps in. "Phil, I watched you test at the combine. How do you think you did?"
"I think I did pretty well. It was tough. I just came back from the world championships. Didn't have that much chance to prepare for it."
"You walked around that room," Boyd says. "You saw the conditioning level of the other guys. Where do you think your conditioning is? A lot of guys look like they've been in the gym longer than you. I'm talking about the past year, year and a half."
"I doubt that."
"You train pretty hard?" Boyd says.
"Yeah. I mean, I didn't have a chance to work out for practically a month and a half.
There are other questions. About his relationships with teammates. About his rep as a party guy. Then Boyd goes directly to the scouting report. "How would you respond to this: 'A little bit immature, needs to work a little harder in the gym, practice a little harder, needs to lean some social skills, people skills.' We'll leave it at that."
Kessel's voice falls to a whisper. "I'd say, okay...yeah a little bit...some of that stuff...it's a little hard...work on some of that stuff, I guess."
It's soon over after that. Kessel looks disheartened as he leaves. MacLean looks sad. "If what they're saying about this kid isn't true, it's criminal. Because I don't know if I ever heard the negative stuff like I have with this kid."
"It would be a tragedy.", Boyd agrees.
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