It can't feel good to be Phil Kessel tonight. Sure, he's an All-Star. And no one will ever be able to take that away from him. But he was also the final player chosen in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game fantasy draft tonight. 36th out of 36.
Many of us who are not professional athletes know the feeling. Only for us, being chosen last for dodgeball at recess wasn't quite as big a deal because the drafting wasn't broadcast on basic cable.
But for Kessel, this must have been a rare sensation. He has been one of the best players on his hockey team his entire life. He got a gold medal for the World Juniors in 2005, and a silver medal last year with the U.S. Olympic Team. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward was once considered one of the top prospects in North America, right up there with Sidney Crosby.
Now Kessel gets the honor of being picked last by Nicklas Lidstrom, and the opportunity to face Alex Ovechkin and on Team Staal. It would only be fitting if Kessel played like an MVP on Sunday, but he'll have to go against defenseman Mike Green to do it.