Ryan James Kesler (born August 31, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey player. A center, Kesler spent the first 10 years of his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Vancouver Canucks; in 2014 he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, with whom he spent the rest of his career. He is best known for being a two-way forward and his agitating style of play, winning the Selke Trophy in 2011 while also being a finalist for the award in 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2017.
Kesler played junior ice hockey with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from which he then accepted a scholarship to play college ice hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). In one season with the Buckeyes, he was an honorable mention for the CCHA All-Rookie Team and was named CCHA Rookie of the Week three times and CCHA Rookie of the Month once. In addition to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and the Ohio State Buckeyes, Kesler has also suited up for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he was named to the 2005 AHL All-Star Game.
Kesler has represented the United States at seven International Ice Hockey Federation-sanctioned events, winning one World U18 Championship gold medal, one World Junior Championship gold medal, one Winter Olympics silver medal, and one World U-17 Hockey Challenge gold medal.
Early life
Kesler was born on August 31, 1984, in Livonia, Michigan, to Linda and Mike Kesler. He is the youngest of three children, after brother Todd and sister Jenny. His father, Mike, played college ice hockey at Colorado College and was a supervisor with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association for 37 years. He introduced his children to the ice at a very young age; Ryan recalls skating at around age four. Mike also coaches a Junior B ice hockey team and runs an ice hockey school in Livonia, which Kesler attended as a child every summer from the age of six to seventeen. In April 2007, Mike was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer and had seven inches of his small intestine removed in order to be rid of it. He played in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Little Caesars team. Around age 13, Kesler was cut from every AAA team he tried out for. Consequently, he played for his dad's Livonia Hockey Association bantam team, which he coached. Kesler credits his brother, who is nine years older than him, for getting him into hockey. During his minor career, he established a lasting friendship with Chris Conner, who went on to be drafted by the Dallas Stars.
Despite growing up in Michigan near Detroit, he was a Minnesota North Stars fan. As a young hockey player, Kesler looked up to North Stars center and fellow Livonia native Mike Modano as a role model. He has also listed Joe Sakic of the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche as a favorite player during his childhood. Despite being drafted by a Canadian OHL team, Kesler chose to play in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) because of its close proximity to Livonia. This allowed Kesler to continue his high school education without leaving Winston Churchill High School. As a freshman, Kesler scored 11 goals and 20 assists to finish fourth in team scoring behind junior and Hobey Baker Award finalist R. J. Umberger. Over the course of his freshman year, Kesler helped the Buckeyes to a third-place finish in the CCHA's regular season standings. At the 2003 CCHA Tournament, Kesler scored two goals as the Buckeye's finished in fourth place, losing to Northern Michigan 4–1 in the third-place game.
Kesler's play as a freshman earned him an honorable mention for the CCHA All-Rookie Team. On June 21, 2003, he was drafted 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks.
Upon being drafted, Kesler considered returning to Ohio State for his sophomore season or joining the Brampton Battalion, who still held his OHL rights. After attending Canucks training camp and playing in five preseason games, Kesler was cut by the Canucks and sent to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
Professional
Vancouver Canucks (2003–2014)
Kesler began his first professional season with the Manitoba Moose, but was recalled by the Canucks in November and made his NHL debut on November 24, 2003, in a 2–1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, recording one shot on goal and 12:12 of ice time. He scored his first career NHL goal on November 29 against Calgary Flames goaltender Jamie McLennan in a 4–4 tie. For the remainder of the season, Kesler split time between the Canucks and the Moose, finishing his season with five points in 28 Canucks games and 11 points in 33 Moose games.
The 2004–05 NHL lockout, which cancelled the 2004–05 NHL season, forced Kesler to spend the entire season with the Moose. With Manitoba, Kesler emerged as one of the Canucks' top prospects. Midway through the season, Kesler was named to the PlanetUSA All-Star team for the 2005 AHL All-Star Game where he helped PlanetUSA defeat Team Canada for the first time in five years. Kesler finished third in team scoring with thirty goals and 57 points to be named the Moose's Most Valuable Player. Kesler added an additional nine points in 14 playoff games as the Moose advanced to the Western Conference finals before being swept by the Chicago Wolves.
thumb|upright|Kesler with the Canucks in October 2005. The [[2005–06 NHL season|2005–06 season was Kesler's first full season in the NHL]]
When the NHL lockout ended and play resumed for the 2005–06 season, Kesler joined the Canucks for his first full season with the team, playing in all 82 games and finishing the season with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) as the Canucks came three points short of a playoff spot.
With his entry-level contract expiring in the 2006 off-season, Kesler rejected a $564,000 qualifying offer from the Canucks before becoming a restricted free agent on July 1, 2006. Unable to come to terms on a new deal with the Canucks, Kesler signed a one-year, $1.9-million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers on September 12. The offer sheet from Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke was the first in the NHL since the Tampa Bay Lightning extended one to Brett Hauer in July 1999. After playing 48 games in the 2006–07 season, Kesler suffered a torn acetabular labrum in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on January 19, 2007, and missed the remainder of the season, finishing the season playing in 48 games with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists). Kesler returned to the Canucks lineup for the first game of their first round series in the 2007 playoffs on April 13 against the Dallas Stars, making his Stanley Cup playoff debut that day. Despite finishing the game, Kesler was forced to undergo surgery to repair his finger and missed the remainder of the playoffs. In comparison to his previous contract, facilitated by the Flyers' offer sheet, the deal represented a $150,000 pay cut in terms of average annual salary. On October 10, three games into 2007–08, Kesler was cross-checked in the face by Philadelphia Flyers forward Jesse Boulerice. The cross-check was an immediate response to Kesler hitting Flyers defenseman Randy Jones and resulted in Kesler leaving the game with a sore jaw. Later in the season, on March 12, 2008, Kesler was involved in another violent on-ice incident when Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger used his skate blade to stomp on Kesler's calf. Kesler was not injured on the play. Although the NHL originally announced Pronger would not receive a suspension on the play, he later received an eight-game suspension when new video emerged of the incident. Over the course of the season, Kesler established himself as a solid two-way center, scoring what was then a career-high 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points in 80 games and playing a regular shutdown role against opposing teams' top players and on the penalty kill with linemate Alexandre Burrows. Despite his improved individual play and increased role within the team, the Canucks failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, coming three points back from the last playoff spot.
With the departures of Markus Näslund, Brendan Morrison and Trevor Linden following the 2008 off-season, the Canucks were left without any captains for the 2008–09 season. On September 30, 2008, Kesler was announced as a Canucks alternate captain with Willie Mitchell and Mattias Öhlund, while Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was named captain. While he at first continued to play on the third line in a largely defensive role with Burrows, head coach Alain Vigneault eventually split the duo in the midst of a poor January for the team. As a result, Kesler was placed on the second line with free agent acquisitions Pavol Demitra and Mats Sundin. Playing in a more offensive role, he set then-personal bests for the 2008–09 season, with 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in all 82 contests played as the Canucks returned to the playoffs, finishing third in the West. As a result of his breakout season, he was awarded the Cyclone Taylor Award as team MVP ahead of higher-profile teammates Luongo and Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Kesler gained additional recognition on a league-wide basis as a Frank J. Selke Trophy finalist along with Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers. He finished as second runner-up with one first-place vote. In the 2009 playoffs, Kesler would record two goals and assists for four points in all 10 games as the Canucks went on to sweep the St. Louis Blues in round one before getting defeated in the second round in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks.
thumb|left|Kesler in April 2010 during the first round of the [[2010 Stanley Cup playoffs]]
In the midst of another career year, Kesler signed a six-year, $30 million contract extension with the Canucks on March 19, 2010. The deal was structured to pay Kesler $5 million per season and came a month and a half after general manager Mike Gillis announced he had suspended contract negotiations with all the Canucks' pending free agents until after the 2009–10 season. The Canucks were reportedly looking to sign him at $4.5 million per year while Kesler was asking for $5.5 million. Kesler had made remarks the previous season in March 2009, after Burrows had recently signed a four-year, $2 million per season extension, that more players need to sign contracts below market value in order to develop a winning team. His comments later prompted his agent to refute the idea Kesler would not seek full market value in contract negotiations. Kesler was also contacted by National Hockey League Players' Association director of affairs Glenn Healy, who discouraged Kesler from making similar remarks in the future. His 26 power play points ranked second on the team to Henrik Sedin. Playing on the second power play unit, he earned many of his points controlling the puck along the half-boards. He also averaged a career-high 19:37 minutes of ice time per game, which ranked second among team forwards to Henrik Sedin. An MRI did not reveal any serious injury. He admitted following the defeat to not having played his best during the playoffs. He ranked second in the league to Datsyuk in takeaways with 83, while blocking 73 shots and recording 95 hits.
In the 2010 off-season, goaltender Roberto Luongo resigned his team captaincy. As Canucks management waited until the beginning of the 2010–11 season to announce his replacement, Kesler was seen by media and fans as a strong candidate, alongside Henrik Sedin. Henrik was eventually named captain prior to the season-opener and Kesler retained his alternate captaincy. The 2010–11 season marked an expanded focus on Kesler's offensive role. He began the season playing on the power play with the Sedins, as part of an effort by the Canucks coaching staff of head coach Alain Vigneault along with assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown to "load up" their first power play unit. Kesler scored his 100th career NHL goal in a 4–2 win against the Colorado Avalanche against Avalanche' goaltender Peter Budaj on November 24, 2010. He earned his first NHL career hat-trick, scoring all three of the Canucks' goals in a 3–2 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 15. On January 7, 2011, he recorded a second hat-trick against the Edmonton Oilers in a 6–1 win. On January 11, Kesler was named to his first NHL All-Star Game; he was one of three Canucks along with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Kesler was chosen to be an alternate captain alongside Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green representing Eric Staal's team. He went without a point as Team Staal was defeated by Team Lidstrom 11–10. Prior to the Canucks' final home game of the regular season on April 7, Kesler was presented with the team's Most Exciting Player Award, as voted by the fans. Playing the Minnesota Wild that night, whom they would go on to blank 5–0, he recorded his third hat-trick of the season and third of his career, reaching the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his career. Kesler finished the season with a career-high 41 goals; he added 32 assists for 73 points over all 82 contests for the third straight season and third among Canucks scorers. His 41 goals tied Daniel Sedin for leading the team in goals and both were tied for fourth in the NHL overall trailing only behind the league leading 50 goals scored by Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry, the 45 goals scored by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos and the 43 goals scored by Calgary Flames forward and captain Jarome Iginla, respectively. His efforts helped the Canucks to the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy. After opening the 2011 playoffs with a seven-game, first-round victory over the eighth-seeded and defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, the Canucks faced the Nashville Predators in the second round. Kesler recorded five goals and six assists for 11 points, leading them past the fifth-seeded Predators in six games. He was one point short of Pavel Bure's franchise record of most points in a playoff series (Bure had 12 points in a seven-game series against the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 1995 playoffs). Playing the San Jose Sharks in the third round, Kesler appeared to injure either his left hip or groin while pursuing opposing defenseman Dan Boyle in the series' deciding fifth game on May 24. After leaving the bench for several shifts and with the Canucks down 2–1 near the end of the game, he returned to score the game-tying goal on Sharks’ goaltender Antti Niemi, tipping a Henrik Sedin shot with 13.2 seconds remaining in regulation. The Canucks went on to win 3–2 in double-overtime against the second-seeded Sharks with Kevin Bieksa scoring the game and series winner on Niemi, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. Having suffered a torn labrum on the play, Kesler required cortisone shots to continue playing for the remainder of the playoffs (his injury was not revealed until the off-season, however). Prior to the Finals, he was believed by many in the media to be a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP if the Canucks were to win the Cup. Consequently, Kesler's performance (and the Canucks as a whole) diminished in the Finals. Playing the Boston Bruins, the Canucks lost the series in seven games, one win short from winning the Stanley Cup and surrendering a 3–2 series lead in the process. After recording an assist on the game-winning goal by Raffi Torres in Game 1 on June 1, he failed to register any points in the remaining six games, while also recording a –7 rating while the Canucks as a team only scored eight goals within the whole series while the third-seeded Bruins as a team recorded 23 total goals within the series. With 19 points (seven goals and 12 assists) in all 25 games played, he ranked third among Canucks scorers (behind the Sedins) and tied for sixth among the NHL overall. On June 22, a week after the Canucks' Game 7 loss in the Finals, Kesler was awarded the Selke Trophy after finishing as a runner-up the previous two years. He received 1,179 voting points in comparison to runners-up Jonathan Toews' 476 and Pavel Datsyuk's 348. Kesler was also ranked eighth in Hart Memorial Trophy voting as the league's most valuable player.