The acquisition of forward Phil Kessel by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2015 turned out to be one of the most important pickups in recent franchise history.
Kessel, who had spent the last several years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, immediately began paying dividends for the Penguins, helping them win back to back Stanley Cup titles and forever getting his name engraved on the hallowed trophy.
Kessel, who won the Stanley Cup one more time in his career as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, has now earned another career accolade by being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.
Additionally, his sister Amanda Kessel, a former player who now works with the Penguins as their Director of Minor League Operations and Assistant GM of the AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, is being inducted.
Former Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Winning Forward Phil Kessel Earns U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Nod
Kessel, who represented the United States on multiple occasions on the international stage, was grateful for the honor being bestowed upon both himself and his sister Amanda.
“Obviously, this is a great honor,” Kessel said via NHL.com. “I loved playing for USA Hockey over the years, enjoyed my time, enjoyed all the friends I made. It was always a great honor to play for the team, and I’m just happy to be inducted. This is a great class. Obviously, I’m excited to go in with my sister. She was a great player.”
“We were competitive from a young age, obviously, and I think that kind of pushed us along,” Kessel said of he and Amanda. “Me, my sister, my brother (Blake), who was a great player, an all-American (at the University of New Hampshire), also. We were competitive, and I think when you grow up in a competitive household, and in no matter what we played, whatever kind of games we played, it was always who wanted to win and a battle.”
Meanwhile, Amanda Kessel is proud and honored to be inducted along with her brother.
“Obviously, this is a tremendous honor and not one that I really thought of during my playing career,” she said. “It’s something that was unexpected … it really hasn’t sunk in just because this is what I did my whole life. We didn’t really have a steady professional women’s hockey league at the time, so USA Hockey really was everything for the women’s game, and the world championships, the camps, all of that, that was our Stanley Cup. So, it’s quite an honor.”
Phil Kessel Helped The Penguins To Consecutive Stanley Cup Wins
Kessel, who was acquired in a multi-player trade with the Maple Leafs in 2015, turned out to be the missing piece that Pittsburgh needed to get back over the hump.
Kessel helped Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup in his first season with the club, and then helped them repeat as Cup winners the following season.
During those postseason runs, Kessel scored 18 goals with 27 assists in 49 postseason games.
Kessel suited up for the Boston Bruins, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Arizona Coyotes, and Golden Knights in his NHL career.
Former Penguins Forward Phil Kessel Bestowed With Major Honor