Would you like to see Kesler in the Ring of Honour?

[Kevin Biestra]

42 minutes ago, IBatch said:

Horvat might follow in his footsteps - but only if he also discovers his inner Beast mode.  I mean come on that's a moniker specifically created for one guy ... if that's not a lasting impact on the organization I don't know what is.  Luongo should also be inducted.   Glad Burrows is in too ... but if he's in the bar is definitely low enough for an actual star in Kesler.   Some fans think Salo should be in (talk about support player - one that plays 40 games a year too ha ha )....

 

Im fine either way - but he was undeniably just as important to that team as the Sedins and Luongo...Burrows - well he's loved so get that too.   But in that case where the heck is Snepts? 

 

Heh, Snepsts is in the Ring of Honour.  And rightfully so if you ask me...

 

I agree with pretty much everything you say about Kesler but I am able to see a line that can be used to put the cutoff below Burrows and above Kesler...  That being the 700 or 800 game mark in a Canucks uniform.  As it stands, everyone who has 700 games is in the ROH, and Burrows cleared that by another 100 and some...

[Coconuts]

Maybe someday down the line, but not any time soon. Lot of people still don't like him. 

 

I forgave him shortly after he left, hockey's a business and careers don't last long. I hated how he left, but it is what it is. 

 

I do love his podcast with Juice and appreciate how he's been trying to mend his relationship with Canucks fans. At the very least I'd like to see him involved in alumni stuff once he retires if he'd be willing.

[oldnews]

14 hours ago, RowdyCanuck said:

I guess we have to agree to disagree cause I feel his done enough to be honoured some way by the Canucks cause that's what teams do for great players....

say what you want but kesler was great and great for awhile...

It's a good argument imo.

No one can deny that Kesler became a great two-way player - exceeded any projections or expectations- and became part of a 'secondary' core of two way players who were a huge part of propelling the team to contend.  The team never gets where it did without Kesler, Burrows, Hansen, Higgins type players imo - and on-ice he was generally as pr more important as any of them

 

At the same time, there were things about Kesler's mindset that never quite raised to his on-ice abilities.  When he struggled - he visibly struggled - he'd squeeze his stick, he'd leak that frustration all over the place, he'd fail to play with/utilize his wingers....the range of effectiveness would swing radically, from a guy that could be downright dominant, to an impotent, borderline counterproductive presence (at least in the offensive aspects of the game).  And moreover, he was the kind of guy that utterly lacked self-awareness = in spite of his reputation around the league as a diver/embellisher and borderline rat-chirper, he nevertheless considered himself leadership material / seemed to have expected to be elevated in the leadership 'structure'.  As great a two-way player as he was capable of being, I just never saw much merit in the idea that he was a 'leader' - his 'leadership' was limited to his on-ice performance/effort - at times when he was living up to his ability.  Those times he did not was not a result of lack of effort imo - he deserves credit for the type of work and drive he exhibited - but is that enough?  I don't know - it's a subjective standard.

 

And while he arguably - in my mind - did not necessarily make his linemates better - I would qualify that (or walk it back) to the extent that he did, nevertheless, make some of his team-mates better (albeit, perhaps, indirectly).  Without guys like Malhotra eating endless hard minutes, dzone starts - and generating a whole lot of territory/opportunity for guys like the Sedins, it's hard to see the Sedins being quite as successful as they were - and likewise, having Kesler in that 2C spot - able to both produce and play matchup simultaneously -was a serious luxury - and he drove opponents mad in the process (Horvat is a similar luxury in the present, with the exception that he isnt quite the menace, while considered more of a 'character' guy in general.).

 

Anyhow - it's an interesting debate - somewhat difficult to resolve - because while he was an integral part of the best run in franchise history, it's hard to weight his on-ice 'beastmode' against the rest of it.  And as others have pointed out - he's still not embraced by the 'fanbase' in general - which runs deeper than leaving under circunstances where he leveraged heavily - and publicly - against the team he was departing.  He legitimately owned a limiting clause, but then there was also the backdrop of the Olympics - leaks from USA team-mates, the whole "Kesler didn't ask for a trade" vs repeated actual trade requests - it became a bit of a gongshow that the franchise didn't need - and it became concentrated at a time the franchise was struggling - and overlapping with aTortorella that made none of it less volatile.  Between Kesler and Tortorella (devaluing the team's potentially tradeable assets in more ways than one, including public "stale, declining" comments - it was a forgettable chapter.  

In the end, I don't know - but I also don't really care much about a ceremonial 'ring of honour' - so I don't really care that much if it's a yeay or nay.

[kylecanuck]

4 hours ago, IBatch said:

Like it or not it's a fact Kesler was a Selke winner, runner up, or finalist five times in a row.   Not many players in the history of the game accomplished that and yes he was competing with Toews and Bergeron for the best two way center in the game..even after he left he was nominated a couple times.   He was as important to the US teams as Toews and Bergeron were to the Canadian team, arguably more so given he's really all they had - and he almost willed the US to a gold medal over a heavily favoured Canadian team - and yes he played better then his counterparts in 2010..so don't be a d!ck about it.   If we won a cup instead - he might have a Conn Smythe too - and a resume strong enough for the HHOF given recent inductions lowered the bar...

I'm not saying he's a bad player, far from it!! But these comparisons are not on point. You can't compare kesler to toews, whos accolades bury kesler into the minors. bergeron maybe, even though the point totals and accomplishments are vastly different in edge of bergeron as well. In fact bergeron has won it four times and been a finalist a record eight times..... 

 

 

So top three to five defensive player for five seasons, which is very impressive. I don't see much past that, that warents any acknowledgement. Is it a single silver medal, is it almost winnig the selke, is it one successful playoff series? Throw them all together and you have a good player, but the league is full of good players and it always has been. 

[kylecanuck]

4 hours ago, RowdyCanuck said:

I started watching kesler when he went to the moose so yea I've been following his career for awhile ha

 

also Toews is a great two way centre and so was kesler.....Jesus kesler played a shut down role and similar style as Toews so yea I put them in the same boat as two of the best two way forwards of their time.....kopitar makes that list too and acouple players from the east but that's it. During keslers time it was the time of the two way centres , I've never seen so many great ones in one time......

 

kesler proved he could hang with the best like Toews and such cause we all remember USA vs Canada and how kesler almost won it for the states......

 

kesler a god.....maybe a Greek god.....

 

Bergeron is arguably the best two way center for the past 10 seasons, Toews was so good and respected that Crosby called him to smooth things out when he was picked captain over him for the Olympics. 

 

Kesler played good those Olympics for sure, but he didn't carry team USA. USA had a crazy solid team and arguably better goaltending then Canada. 

 

Hahaha I think the sports illustrated cover he was trying for the Greek god look for sure!

 

 

 

[Metal Face Doom]

Kesler had a short run of being a top 2 way player able to put up points.  

[Silky mitts]

 

[saucypass]

12 hours ago, Metal Face Doom said:

Kesler had a short run of being a top 2 way player able to put up points.  

Sadly the whole team had a short run of being the top players that they were. Had they held out their peaks for even 2-3 more seasons we'd at LEAST be looking at another cup final. 

[Pickly]

No, because of how he left Vancouver. Heart and soul guy for sure and had a 2 year stretch of being a premier two way forward in the league but his story is NOTHING compared to Burrows’. 1st round pick who planned out as expected vs an undrafted, former ECHL player earned everything he was given in Vancouver and left like a class act not like a selfish, entitled baby. 

[Patel Bure]

On 1/21/2020 at 8:22 PM, iBlueGreen said:

I listened to Sportnet Ryan Kesler on Sportsnet 650 on my way home today, listen at 11:30. He mentions how he'd feel if he was inducted like Burrows.  In the interview he states, as well he regrets how he left the Canuck market.  

 

What do you think about Ryan Kesler in the Ring of Honour? 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/650/the-program/ryan-kesler-discusses-importance-confidence-team-2/

 

I'd really like to see him there sometime in the future.  I understand he's was an ass the way he left, but we all know that type of personality got us to the cup final as well.  

 

The greatest line from him is: "I think about the loss almost every month' and even imagined how the parade would be.

 

Share your thoughts. Also vote in the poll.

Kesler deserves the ROH treatment.  Regardless of how he left from here, he was an absolute playoff beast for us.   Can’t blame a guy for wanting to get another shot at a cup.

[Gurn]

14 minutes ago, DarkIndianRises said:

Can’t blame a guy for wanting to get another shot at a cup.

True, however you can blame a guy that reneges on a NTC that he signed; and really lay the blame down on a guy that reneges on a NTC by leaving only two possible destinations for a trade.

[Boudrias]

Selke winner, 2x NHL All-Star; U18 Gold medal; WJC Gold; Olympic Silver; If it was all about awards Kessler would warrant the ROH. When he left I could understand that he wanted a crack at a CUP and Van was on the skids. All the stuff that was talked about afterwards I don't dwell on. 

 

What really made me a Kessler fan was when he came up with Burrows and the two of them took on the NHL to show that Van wouldn't be stepped on anymore. Those two had some pretty wild nights as they countered the 'turn the other cheek' attitude. That isn't a shot at the Twins as it takes different players to make up a winner. Kesler was a big part of that. 

 

Sure Kessler had a attitude. If he had not he wouldn't have likely been as good a player as he was. I suspect he regrets leaving Van at all. His best years were here. That said his personality was not one for a rebuild. Give it a few years and then yes up into the ROH. Put him next to Burr.

[oldnews]

49 minutes ago, gurn said:

True, however you can blame a guy that reneges on a NTC that he signed; and really lay the blame down on a guy that reneges on a NTC by leaving only two possible destinations for a trade.

He also signed a Bobby Clarke offer-sheet after his rookie season - came in as he went out - leveraging against the team that drafted and developed him.

If this were a 'hall of fame' debate where it's a question of on-ice merit I think it would be different, but the "honour" thing raises all the rest of it imo.

 

I'm not against the concept of 'forgiveness' - however, when it comes to 'honour' and what we'd hope from out of the young players - it's a bit harder to ask young emerging talent to take the team into consideration, to compromise somewhat to enable their team overall - based on the Kesler model.

Edited January 26, 2020 by oldnews

[aqua59]

This is about his play on the ice, not his attitude off it. 

[oldnews]

9 minutes ago, aqua59 said:

This is about his play on the ice, not his attitude off it. 

maybe you should propose a name change to the "ring of on-ice performance."

[oldnews]

On 1/24/2020 at 9:50 PM, Silky mitts said:

 

that's nice - and I think we all know - the Sedins would never say a word otherwise.

 

I think they should decide it by secret ballot lol.

[Ballisticsports.]

If HONOUR means playing for your paycheck, then we will have to add a lot more names up there

Kesler didn't use honour and  wanting to play on a cup team as a reason for signing an offer with Philly

 

Kes wanted to be captain (and the legacy most likely), and how well did he show he is committed to the  team , by putting the Canucks in a handcuffed position while jumping ship?

Now he is playing up to the same fans to make a lasting legacy in the ROH , because he won't get it from the Ducks, where he went for the sun and  supposed cup

 

They knew Kes better Not to give him the C, and glad he never got it 

 

I have moved on from Kes, and I hope the Canucks have as well

He earned his cheque while here and that is good enough for me, without the ROH

 

[Slegr]

Forget about Kesler. When is Jiri Slegr getting into the ring of honour?

[aqua59]

On 1/26/2020 at 11:54 AM, oldnews said:

maybe you should propose a name change to the "ring of on-ice performance."

I love the guy. 

[Kevin Biestra]

On 1/26/2020 at 8:59 PM, Slegr said:

Forget about Kesler. When is Jiri Slegr getting into the ring of honour?

If it's any consolation, every other slapshot of his ended up in the Ring of Honour.