Ryan Kesler was a fan favourite of Vancouver Canucks fans during his 11 seasons in the organization.
Drafted 23rd overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Kesler played in 655 regular season games as a Canuck. Still, his reputation grew to another level in his postseason performances through his 57 playoff games.
Fans who remember the 2011 Stanley Cup run do not need to be reminded about the hurt that Kesler put on the Nashville Predators in the second round of the playoffs, but we love to talk about it, so, why don’t we reminisce for a minute?
Kesler either scored or assisted on 11 of the Canucks’ 14 goals in the six-game series. He scored game-winning goals in games three and four and had the primary assists on the series-winning goal in game six. In total, he put up five goals and six assists en route to the Canucks, beating the Predators in six games. He averaged 24:53 of ice time and four shots on net per game.
In the regular season, he scored 41 goals and won the Selke Trophy for the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.
Kesler is in Vancouver and will be attending game two of the Canucks and Predators opening-round series. It is going to be a flash from the past that should help get Rogers Arena even louder as they can remember some of the great moments of Kesler as a Canuck.
He is joined by his son, Ryker, and the two helped set up towels before the game to prepare the arena for the thousands of Canucks fans who will be in the seats.