Phil Kessel tired of being called fat, loses significant weight this summer, how much revealed

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Josh tupper
September 25, 2022 (10:29)

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Phil Kessel has developed a reputation of not necessarily caring about his overall fitness. The 1,200+ game NHL veteran was once plagued by a story from Toronto sports writer, Steve Simmonds that claimed Kessel's pregame meal would consist of multiple street meat hot dogs. Despite the lack of fitness Kessel was always able to find the back of the net.

In his career Kessel has scored 399 times and added 557 assists. He's also added multiple Stanley Cup rings to his trophy case over that stretch. After 3 seasons in the Arizona desert Kessel signed this summer with the Vegas Golden Knights. Not only did Kessel agree to come to Vegas, he opted to do it in a much different shape.

According to Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, he shared just how surprised he was:

Mark Stone said he expected to see a guy "way out of shape" from what he's heard, and was very surprised at the strength and fitness level of Kessel.

Over the summer Kessel turned his attention to his fitness level and was able to lean out dropping 15 lbs. This could potentially mark the best shape Kessel has come to camp in, in years. If Kessel can use that trimmed down figure to add some speed into his game he could be a significant add for the Knights.