Most hated Anaheim Ducks players around the league – Part Two, RK17
The Anaheim Ducks have more than their share of despised players on the roster. This is second in a three-part series, listing “The O.C.’s Most Wanted.” In today’s hot seat is Ryan Kesler.
Every team has a few players on their roster opposing fans just can’t stand. If you are a Ducks fan, what kind of emotions do the names Dustin Brown, Joe Thornton, or Connor McDavid stir up? The Anaheim Ducks are no different. If anything, Anaheim has more hated players on their team than anyone else.
When I started this project, I knew Ryan Kesler was disliked, but after doing some research he might be slightly less popular around the NHL than Mephistopheles. The level of hate for the Anaheim Ducks center is astounding.
In the last article, we covered numbers three, four, and five on the list. Kesler isn’t ranked second. Due to the sheer amount of venom he’s drawn, Kesler comes it a number 1B.
The Instigator
Go to Google and type in “hate Kesler,” there are pages of results.
Let’s face it, RK17 is a master of getting under other player’s skin. If there were an NHL award, like the Hart Trophy, for pissing opponents off, Kesler would be shoe-in every year. There are plenty of examples, for now, Ryan Johansen is in the crosshairs.
Maybe you remember this epic comment from the Nashville pivot after Game 2 of the 2017 Western Conference Final:
“He just blows my mind, I don’t know what’s going through his head out there. His family and friends watching him play, I don’t know how you cheer for a guy like that. It just doesn’t make sense how he plays the game. I’m just trying to go out there and play hockey, and it sucks when you have to pull a stick out of your groin after every shift.”
I laugh when I read that too. What is Kesler’s main job? Keep the other team’s best center from scoring. On that night RK17 did his job by frustrating Johansen so much it took the younger player out of his game. Mission accomplished.
For his part, Kesler is obviously used to the criticism, judging by his public response, and he may have taught the kid a lesson in the process:
“Doesn’t matter. He’s not my friend, he’s not going to be my friend, so he can say whatever he wants. Obviously, I know he doesn’t like it now and I’m not gonna let up just because he said something.”
In case you were wondering, the next day, Kesler told Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times his family still roots for him. “I laughed. Got a lot of text messages from my friends and family saying they still cheered me on”
Diving
There is plenty of heat on Kesler for diving. Back to Google. Search under “Kesler Diving.” What you get is a bunch of results from 2012. Your honor, we agree that six years ago the defendant had a diving problem. That was a long time ago and the NHL has cracked down on embellishment. Unfortunately, the perception hasn’t changed. Kesler’s reputation still precedes him.
We asked some of our FanSided cousins about why their fans don’t like Ryan Kesler. This was the response from Mile High Sticking, our Colorado Avalanche affiliate:
“Avs fans don’t like him because he’s an instigator and a diver. He gets under people’s skin but usually refuses to back it up with his actions. What’s more, he dives. Generally speaking, we see no honor in that — Avs players don’t really dive. Maybe they should, to draw more penalties, but they don’t. So, when we see a player like Kesler NOT powering through a hit but actually diving like he’s been shot, we look down on him.”
People are entitled to their own thoughts and opinions and as you can see Kesler isn’t thought of highly.
Dirty Player?
Kesler has played on the west coast for the entirety of his 14-year career. Fans in Edmonton, Los Angeles San Jose, Arizona, and Calgary have had enough of him.
This is what our cousins at Flame for Thought in Calgary had to say about the Anaheim Ducks #17:
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To be honest, I don’t remember a specific reason why I hate Ryan Kesler, I just do. He’s one of those guys that just gets under players skin and is somewhat of a dirty player. It also doesn’t help he’s played in the same division as the Flames so Flames fans are bound to hate him for that alone, throw in a couple of cheap shots, and they’ll despise them.
He’s even managed to draw the ire of his former Vancouver captain Henrik Sundin. That verbal bashing stemmed from a high hit by Kesler on Canucks forward Derek Dorsett. A hit, by the way, that didn’t draw a penalty or a league suspension.
By now it should be obvious that I’m a Kesler fan. I have been since he broke into the league. It doesn’t mean I’m naive.
Do I think Kesler is a dirty player? I think there is a line and he pushes it to the very limits. Has he crossed that line? On occasion he has in order to get the job done, however overall I believe RK17 plays the game hard in order to win. It will rub his opponents and their fans the wrong way.
The series will conclude later this week with number 1A, also known as “he who shall not be named.” I don’t mean Voldemort from Harry Potter.