A couple of Pittsburgh Penguins fans love Phil Kessel so much, they named their baby after him.
Nicole and Adam Hillman welcomed baby Kessel Ryan on Mother’s Day. The little bundle of hockey fandom was born at 6:55 p.m., almost exactly 24 hours before Kessel scored the winning goal of Game 2 Monday night to even up their series against the Ottawa Senators.
Another happy coincidence: the couple was placed in bed No. 81 upon their arrival at the hospital.
New dad Adam Hillman showed his support in an… interesting way.
“As the contractions are coming, he’s sitting their playing the ‘Let’s Go Pens!’ with the blow horn,” said new mom Nicole Hillman (who somehow didn’t seem annoyed about it).
Even though he’s just a few days old, Baby Kessel’s parents say he’s already a huge hockey fan.
“He loves listening to the hockey games. He definitely recognizes that as a sound as he has gone to the games before with me,” Nicole Hillman said.
In addition to registering Game 2’s only goal Monday night, Kessel the hockey player was also in the spotlight—and all over social media—thanks to several emotional outbursts on the bench throughout the game. (See the clips at the top of this post.)
“We’re OK with an emotional boy,” said the Hillmans.
It’s all part of Kessel’s quick rise to “fan favourite” status since arriving in Pittsburgh in the 2015 off-season. He even has toddlers wishing they were him.
Pittsburgh Penguins on Twitter
We think we have a Phil Kessel fan on our hands. https://t.co/kxHYSFEPOE
Little Kessel isn’t the only Pittsburgh-born baby named after a member of the Penguins. Two years ago, a pair of superfans welcomed Malkin Crosby Long to the world.
(We’re guessing that Beau Bennett name idea got changed…)
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