For whatever reason, Phil Kessel has been a divisive figure in the NHL when he should instead be a source of inspiration.
Just look at his rookie year: character issues were sited as he dropped a bit in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, but that hurdle didn’t compare to what happened about a month into that 2006-07 season. Kessel was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2006, yet he only took about two weeks to return from the surgery that resulted.
Today marks the five-year anniversary of Kessel being cancer-free, as TSN’s Katherine Dolan covers in this video.
Kessel already has an assist on a Joffrey Lupul goal, pushing his points total to an astounding 37. Obviously, that battle with a scary disease is far behind him, but it makes his amazing season that much more impressive.