Ryan Kesler: Ohio State’s Best Goes For The Stanley Cup

Sixteen months ago Ryan Kesler played in the biggest game of his life.

The previous two weeks had been somewhat of a coming out party for the Livonia, Mich. native.  The star of the hometown hockey team was now the new face of Canada’s toughest Olympic competition.

Wednesday night Kesler will play the biggest game of his life, again.

And this time there will be no encore.

With all the respect to the Olympics, which I love, when you play shinny you pretend you just scored the game winning goal in the third overtime of game seven for the Stanley Cup.  That is the dream.

This time around Kesler will have the support of the hometown fans.  He and a set of Swedish twins look to return Stanley to his home and native land for the first time since 1993.

If the Canucks do beat Boston Wednesday, the story belongs to the people of Vancouver and Canucks fans, but Kesler story also is a symbol of a growing sport and providing some good news to a place and fan base that could use some.

Like many top American players Kesler spent two seasons playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Kesler’s next stop was the campus of The Ohio State University.

In one year with the Buckeyes, 2002/03, Kesler played 40 games, scoring 11 goals, 20 assists, 3 game winning goals, a +6 rating, and taking 22 penalties.

Kesler was a CCHA All-Rookie Team Honorable Mention, December CCHA Rookie of the Month, and a three time CCHA Rookie of the Week.

Now Kesler will look to become the second Buckeye player to ever win the Stanley Cup.  The other Buckeye was Jamie Macoun who won two Cups, in 1989 and 1998.

Kesler’s year in Columbus earned him a pro contract and the next season he played 28 games for the Canucks, while splitting time with Manitoba.

Now, Ohio State hockey will never produce players for the NHL at the rate Ohio State football produces players for the NFL.  But at this moment, Ryan Kesler is the best professional player in any league to come out of Ohio State.

That last sentence may not seem like a big deal at first, but think about it.  Ohio State has the biggest athletic department of any college in America.  It is also one of the most recognized and popular brands in the NCAA.

Ohio State is not known as a hockey school, it is a football school. Period.  But for the first time the best pro Buckeye is a hockey player and that is something every Buckeye should be proud of.

As you may have also heard Ohio State is going throw some rough times right now.  Nothing like a shiny new Stanley Cup to make the old Scarlet and Gray heart proud again.

Kesler is just one player, but he is one of a continuing number of great players coming from America and coming from a college that is not located in Minnesota, Michigan, or Massachusetts.

The greatest game on Earth continues to grow, and there is nothing like a Stanley Cup Final game 7 to celebrate that.

If Stanley heads back home north of the 49^th Wednesday night it will be Vancouver’s party, but there should be some smiles in Buckeye country too.