There has been a lot of talk about the current cold streak of Phil Kessel. Some are quick to criticize for his inability to score with regularity since October, while some are quick to defend the young forward who has proven to be a dangerous player on a weak team. My personal feelings are a little different, but Gabe Desjardins of Behind the Net Hockey has a few words for Kessel's detractors:
Between 12/18/2009 and 1/29/2010 - 21 games - Kessel had just two goals. And lo and behold, he recovered his scoring touch. Unless you know that a player is injured, short-term performance means nothing. Phil Kessel is a career 10.4% shooter. He didn't lose that skill in the last three weeks. Even the best shooters in the world have 1-for-49 stretches - Kessel wasn't broken when it happened last year and he wasn't broken when it happened two years ago.
Will good goal scorers like Kessel go through slumps? Absolutely. Happens to the best of them. The good news is eventually they break out of those slumps. Maybe tonight, Couldn't imagine a better game to do so.
Links after the jump.
Saturday links:
Signs your players have quit on you
New DGB
Leafs respond to waffle-throwing
Mirtle updates on the NHL story of the year
Puckin' Eh has some neat thoughts on the Leafs and fighting
Eddie Chadwick: that name means Maple Leaf to me
VLM has some happy thoughts about a great former Leaf
NHL links:
