Kennedy Packs A Punch In More Ways Than One
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
May 12, 11:42 AM | Hype this story!
He may be in his first NHL season, but young Tyler Kennedy seems to be built for the playoffs.
He has the desire, the passion and the intensity needed to win games, and while he hasn’t scored a goal — the only Penguins forward to dress in the playoffs without one — he is doing everything else that could be asked of him.
Take for example last night. When the intensity ratcheted up, Kennedy came to life with an intense, Gary Roberts-like fight against a much bigger Scottie Upshall.
“It was a mutual agreement,” Kennedy said, according to FanNation. “I looked at him. He looked at me. I wanted to do something for my team. He wanted to do the same thing for his team.”
According to HockeyFights.com, Kennedy won by a large margin — 87.2 percent have voted in his favor, while 8.5 percent concluded it was a draw and 4.3 percent sided with Upshall.
This passage from Deadspin.com sums it up:
“Georges Laraque challenged the entire Flyers roster after shooting a puck into their bench. Immediately afterwards, Tyler Kennedy and Scottie Upshall, two mite-sized enforcers, dropped the gloves in the continuation of the brawl at the end of Game 1. Upshall pulled Kennedy to the ground, but the young Pen stood up again and thoroughly beat down the larger Flyer.”
Kennedy isn’t known for his fighting, but he did it quite well, and took one of the Flyers’ more dangerous playoff performers off the ice for five minutes.
He also isn’t known for his size, standing at 5’11, 183 pounds, he’s average at best.
Actually, average seems to be the appropriate word to describe Kennedy. His shot is average. His passing is average. And his defense is average.
He has seen an average of 10:22 of ice time per game during the playoffs, 53 seconds of which has come on the power play. He has not touched the ice with a man down.
And while his contributions rarely show up on the scoresheet, the stat sheet, or even the RTSS stat sheet, his heart has cemented him into a third line wing position alongside veteran agitator Jarkko Ruutu and second year defensive stud Jordan Staal.
Kennedy may not be the type of player who general managers can build a team around, but he certainly is one of those supporting players which every championship team needs.
Comments
Stupor Dave
May 12, 11:55 AM
He is battling on every shift and he is about as good as Hossa at picking up peoples sticks and taking the puck. He deserves a goal and I hope he scores a big one during the playoffs.
DaBich
May 12, 11:58 AM
Great write up, Matt, and I couldn’t agree with you more. TK is one of the players one rarely notices. He doesn’t score lots of goals, he doesn’t make the big plays. But what he DOES do, enables others to do those things. He always makes hits. His speed is fairly good and he can move the puck well.
When he took on Upshall, I was astounded. But I shouldn’t have been. A kid taking on a player who has been around a bit longer and beating him fair and square. I give him a lot of credit. TK comes to every game ready to play and play his heart out he does. He’s one of my favs.
KG
May 12, 12:14 PM
I thought that was classic what BGL did. He totally shot that puck into their bench on purpose. Nobody answered the bell for the Flyers…Poor BGL, nobody to fight!
Eric
May 12, 07:46 PM
I’m hoping his goal comes at a great time.. Maybe a game winner? He deserves it. He’s taken his role, played it well and then some. I love his dedication to use his speed to forecheck. It’s probably one of my favorite things to watch, aside from goals. And he does it well.
I think he’s starting to find his niche. I’d like to see him get better defensively, thus almost making a Max Talbot clone on the wing, which would help his overall game immensely.
Goals will come for him as long as he continues to work.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 12, 11:09 PM
Eric, you hit the nail on the head with regards to his defensive development. Kennedy has all the making to be a Talbot on the wings, but his defense just isn’t there — as evidenced by absolutely no time on the penalty kill. And, if you dig deeper, his defensive stats (blocked shots, etc) aren’t good either. What he does well, however, is pick-pocket, as Stupor Dave mentioned. This is a solid sign that the defense is within, it just needs time. I, for one, can’t wait to watch him develop into Talbot west (left wing) or east (right wing).
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