When Team USA left Phil Kessel off their roster for the World Cup of Hockey, many were surprised. After the United States roster got eliminated from the tournament during round-robin play Tuesday against the Canadians, Kessel made sure to get the last laugh at the hockey program that had rejected him.
Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it.
— Phil Kessel (@PKessel81) September 21, 2016
Kessel has always been one of the more talked-about players in the media throughout his career. From his battle with Cancer to his time in Toronto where he clashed with media on more than one occasion, Kessel has become a household name both on and off the ice. Despite this, Kessel has been very quiet on Twitter throughout his career.
Kessel’s Twitter account has been open since October of 2011, but he’s only tweeted out 178 times since then. In 2016, Kessel has only tweeted three times; once after winning the Stanley Cup, once for the Pittsburgh Penguins annual golf tournament, and once to take a shot at Team USA. The timing was just too perfect to pass up for the 28-year-old winger, who’s received upwards of 60,000 “retweets” and 80,000 “likes” on his most recent tweet, and counting. Kessel wasn’t the only player to take a jab, though, as Bobby Ryan also joined in. Even Roberto Luongo had his fun with the situation.
Regardless of who coaches the United States in the next international tournament for Team USA, Kessel will likely get his shot assuming he’s healthy, and available (in the case of the World Championships where players are often left off of rosters due to playoff obligations.