EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — You take a five-hour flight and step off the plane on the other side of the continent. Within seconds, a road-tripping Toronto Maple Leafs fan approaches with a question: “Is Phil going to be in a better mood now that he’s in California?”
It’s the kind of query that strikes to the heart of a hockey team, with the “Phil” in this case of course being Phil Kessel.
The concern about his state of mind comes at the end of a week where the all-star winger had a terse exchange with a reporter and his character debated widely following Randy Carlyle’s firing and Ron Wilson’s claim that “you can’t rely on Phil.”
And yet, the answer to that gentleman’s question about if Kessel’s mood might be improving, is a resounding yes.
It was Happy Phil that smiled through selfies with fans and signed autographs following Sunday’s practice at the Los Angeles Kings suburban facility. It was Happy Phil that responded to a reporter’s question about his favourite memory of the NHL all-star game by saying “I won a car one time” — a reference to that event’s inaugural fantasy draft in 2011, when he was selected last.
Yes, with the Leafs embarking on a tough four-game road swing through the Western Conference, we have a Happy Phil.
“We’ve changed some little things up,” said Kessel, a nod to life under interim coach Peter Horachek. “Obviously, I think there’s a little different feel. … It’s all positive. We’re just going to try to grow as a team and build here.”
This is example No. 372 (or so) about why all of the debate around whether the Leafs can win with Kessel is bunk.
Even after a stretch as tumultuous as this one he is completely unfazed. We know that playing in a hockey-crazed Canadian city is not for everyone, but Kessel doesn’t just love it, he thrives in it.
There he was breezing through the eye of the storm to score a goal and set up another in Friday’s tension-releasing 5-2 victory over Columbus. He is now on pace for 37 goals (which would match a career high) and 83 points (which would set a career high) and a fourth straight top-10 finish on the NHL’s scoring chart.
What’s more: His average of .93 points per game ranks seventh in Leafs history among players with at least 400 games for the organization. His current string of 406 consecutive games is also second all-time for the club behind Tim Horton’s 486.
Kessel laughed when asked what it would take for him to miss a game.
“Something’s got to be really wrong,” he said. “I like to play. I’m a gamer.”
There are still a few warts, naturally, but the good here so far outweighs the bad that all of the debate around Kessel seems misplaced. Even Horachek acknowledged after Sunday’s practice that he doesn’t hold his best player to the same defensive standard as others because of how much he produces.
“All offensive guys sometimes have a little leeway, but they still have to fit into the team structure,” said Horachek. “Wayne Gretzky wasn’t held to the same accord as somebody else; it’s never been that way.”
While a strong push towards a more sound game was to be expected from Horachek, he’s also made a point of loosening the Leafs up. That’s something he tried after taking over the Florida Panthers on an interim basis last season and liked the results.
He’s held individual meetings with players and plans to sit down with his leadership group — captain Dion Phaneuf, alternates Stephane Robidas, Tyler Bozak and Cody Franson, plus goaltender Jonathan Bernier — once a week to get input on travel and practice schedules.
It may have been a coincidence, but Sunday’s skate didn’t start until almost 3 p.m., which is unusual. (There was also a delivery of In-N-Out Burgers afterwards).
“I encourage them to voice their opinion and to open up because most of the players were kind of quiet and they weren’t talking a lot,” said Horachek. “I wanted to encourage them to speak and to be heard. They have an ownership (stake) in this moving forward.”
Bernier referred to the atmosphere inside the dressing room as a “new perspective.”
“I think everyone is seeing the game differently,” he said.
While it will be a major challenge to keep the happy times rolling with games against the Kings, Ducks and Sharks over a four-day span, things certainly seem to be off to a nice start here.
Winning is about the only way to ensure that the smiles stay around. At least Kessel, Toronto’s all-star, appears to be in the proper frame of mind to perform.
“We’re all positive here,” he said. “We’re all going to try to do the little things and keep going and try to win games. We want to be in the playoffs and I think everyone here wants to do whatever they can to get there.”
They have a much better shot with him than they would without him.