C Ryan Kesler (Anaheim Ducks, 2011 Selke Trophy, All Star)

[Buckskin86]

Ryan Kesler has hip surgery, could miss 12 weeks
Posted on: August 2, 2011
By: Adam Gretz

On Tuesday the Vancouver Canucks announced center Ryan Kesler underwent successful hip surgery and could be sidelined for as long as 10-12 weeks.

Said general manager Mike Gillis, ?After consultation with our team physicians following the playoffs, it was deemed that Ryan would require a procedure on his hip. We expect a full recovery and determined this procedure would best serve both Ryan and the team?s long term goals.?

Assuming the timeline of 10-12 weeks is how long it will take for a complete recovery, it will force him to miss all of training camp and the preseason, as well as the start of the regular season. Kesler is coming off a sensational 2010-11 season with the Canucks where he scored a career high 41 goals while also taking home the Selke Award, which is given to the NHL's best defensive forward. He had been a finalist the two previous seasons, having finished second in 2010 and third in 2009.

The 26-year-old Kesler, who was a first-round pick by the Canucks in 2003, has been one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL for a couple of years now, while also being able to chip in around 20 goals on the offensive end. This past season the goal numbers skyrocketed to the point where he finished fourth in the league, trailing only Corey Perry, Steven Stamkos and Jarome Iginla.

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/27694626/31057241

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsk9JK7V7EI"]‪Hockeys Finest - Ryan Kesler (College Days) [HD]‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Kesler flexes views on rehab, Rypien and life
Recuperating Canuck discusses hip surgery, the tragic loss of a friend and his 2011-12 expectations
By Ian Walker, Vancouver Sun August 23, 2011

Ryan Kesler is recovering from his hip surgery four weeks ago and says he hopes to be ready for the Canucks' regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 6. That gives him 78 days for rehab, almost a week more than the 72 days he took to recover from similar surgery in order to play in the 2007 playoffs.
Photograph by: Getty Images Files, Vancouver Sun

It wasn't riveting stuff by any stretch of the imagination. Two guys in golf shirts standing in a rink in Livonia, Mich., talking hockey. Worse yet, the sound was bad. You could plainly hear the voice of the new host of Canucks TV, but his guest was a little muffled.

Yet, the three-minute clip did have one overwhelming quality - it had Ryan Kesler.

Take into consideration it was Kesler's first public interview since undergoing hip surgery four weeks ago, the fact the B.C. Lions are in the midst of a byeweek, and most importantly, the boss wanted something on the progress of the Vancouver Canuck and there's no way we're going to get him until the team is good and ready to make him available, we'll take it.

Twice in the segment - shot Thursday and uploaded to canucks.com on Monday

- Kesler mentioned playing in Vancouver's regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Which means, based on his sheer will and determination - not to mention the news coming out of Steel City - fans will have a better chance of seeing him on Oct. 6 than Sidney Crosby.

"It's going good; small victories here and there," Kesler told Joey Kenward, who replaces Kristen Reid as the face of Canucks TV. "I just got off my crutches and I'll start strengthening so everything is back to normal. I'll start skating here in the next couple of weeks and hopefully be back by that first game."

Cont...

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/...+Rypien+life/5293274/story.html#ixzz1Vr3L4aLN

 

[Tonyank]

i follow both of these guys on Twitter. good stuff

Last season, Ryan Kesler(notes), center for the Vancouver Canucks, introduced NHL fans to "Kes-lurking," in which he would randomly appear in the background of his teammates' interviews doing all sorts of odd things, from eating pizza to wearing a goalie mask.
The kids call this "photobombing."
Also a bomber: Nick Mangold, center for the New York Jets, who has been gaining notoriety among NFL fans recently for his own cameo appearances ("Mang-hunting?"), such as when he stole an interview from Jets QB Mark Sanchez with his goofy antics.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/pu...master-of-t?urn=nhl-wp11489#remaining-content

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChL4vpWCL5A"]Ryan Kesler - Interview Bomber - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Kesler doubtful he?ll start the regular season
Says he feels like he won't be ready for opening game
By Jim Jamieson, The Province September 9, 2011

Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler underwent hip labrum surgery near the end of July
Photograph by: Ben Nelms, REUTERS

It?s looking more and more like Cody Hodgson will get his shot at playing in the Canucks top six. Although Canucks management said this week that Ryan Kesler thinks he?ll be ready for the start of the regular season, that?s not what he told NHL.com during the Player Media Tour in New York on Friday.

The Canucks centre and last season?s Selke Trophy winner had hip labrum surgery near the end of July.

Asked if he thought he might be ready to start the regular season (Oct. 6), Kesler told NHL.com?s Dan Rosen: ?Uh, maybe, but who knows,? Kesler said. ?I?m telling the truth when I tell you I don?t know. To be honest, right now if you ask me if I?ll be ready for the start of the season, the way I feel right now I?d say no.?

?But things change just like that.?

Kesler also had labrum surgery in 2007 and came back 10 weeks later. But he told NHL.com the tear this time was larger so it required more rehab time.

?And obviously I?m older now, so that goes into play, too,? Kesler added. ?I?m going to take my time and be smart about this, make it right.?

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/K...gular+season/5379456/story.html#ixzz1XeB5Y4Zl

 

[TexasBuck]

Another Kes-lurking victim: Alex Ovechkin

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/pu...s-lurking-Ovechkin-Devils-den?urn=nhl-wp12374

 

[Buckskin86]

Kesler won't rush return to health, action
Recovering centreman says he has no intentions of limping his way into the season
By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun September 17, 2011

No one has had a shorter summer than Ryan Kesler, who may not have enough time to be ready for the start of the National Hockey League regular season.

The Stanley Cup Final and brief off-season shortened preparation time for Vancouver Canuck players. But injury rehabilitation cannot be compressed, and the delay in surgery to repair Kesler's hip means the Selke Trophy winner may not be fit to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 6.

The centre didn't sound Friday like a guy who will be playing in three weeks.

"My original goal was obviously the beginning of the season, but I'm not going to set a time frame," Kesler told reporters as training camp began with fitness testing at Rogers Arena. "My main goal is to get back to 100-per-cent health, however long that takes.

"Everybody knows the way I play and I'm not going to help the team if I'm not 100 per cent. My goal is to get back to 100-per-cent health and be bigger and stronger than last year. By no means am I going to limp my way into the season."

cont..

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Kesler+rush+return+health+action/5418852/story.html#ixzz1YDMCLF6H

 

[Buckskin86]

Reading creates a 'sanctuary' for Ryan Kesler's family
Canucks star shares the same classics with his daughter that his father read to him
By Yvonne Zacharias, Vancouver Sun September 28, 2011

Win Livoni

When Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler was growing up in Livonia, Mich., not far from Detroit, reading was a rich part of his childhood.

His mother probably read to him the most, although his older sister Jenny did so as well. His favourite reader, however, was his father, who worked as a project manager for an insurance company and ran a hockey school in the summer that Kesler attended throughout his childhood.

"He was probably the best at it," the 27-year-old recalled recently in the sunny Yaletown condo he shares with his wife, Andrea, and their children, Makayla, who is three and a half, and Ryker, nine months. "It was just the way he read stories. He would really get into them."

cont...

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/...esler+family/5468837/story.html#ixzz1ZFcHp3LM

 

[Buckskin86]

Ryan Kesler cleared for contact
ESPN.com news services

Ryan Kesler has been cleared for contact for the first time since having hip surgery a little more than two months ago, the Vancouver Canucks announced Wednesday.

Kesler practiced with the team on the eve of Vancouver's season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but there is still no timetable for his return.

"It was good. It's another step. It's a step in the right direction. I felt good out there," Kesler said after practice Wednesday.

The forward had surgery in early August to repair a torn hip labrum. Kesler also had surgery to repair a torn hip labrum in late January 2007.

Kesler said he will return when his hip is strong enough.

"Whenever I feel good, I will play," he said. "By no means do I want to limp in and play 10 minutes a night. I want to come back in and get my minutes and play with more normal linemates. I want to come back in, have an immediate impact and help the team."

Kesler, a 2010 U.S. Olympian, was injured in the last game of the Western Conference finals against the San Jose Sharks.

He had a career-high 41 goals and added 32 assists in 82 games with the Canucks, who lost to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals.

In 25 playoff games, he had seven goals and 12 assists.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7064095/ryan-kesler-vancouver-canucks-cleared-contact

 

[Buckskin86]

Canucks' Ryan Kesler getting closer to return
Wednesday, 10.12.2011
By Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Staff Writer

Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler was one of the nine skaters on the ice at the Wells Fargo Center this morning for the team's optional skate as he continues to work his way back from offseason hip surgery.

Kesler has been on the ice with the Canucks since Oct. 5. Wednesday marks the 10-week anniversary of the Aug. 2 surgery that repaired the labrum in his left hip. The initial recovery time was pegged for 10 to 12 weeks. He's not quite ready yet, but said this morning, "I'm getting closer. It?s a matter of time."

That time could come as soon as the Canucks return home from their current four-game road trip, which would be Oct. 18 against the New York Rangers.

Kesler wouldn't commit to any date, saying, "I don't want to come in the lineup and not be at full speed, be in the best condition I can be in. That's what they have me doing."

Henrik Sedin, who was on the ice with Kesler this morning, said his teammate doesn't look too far removed from the All-Star who scored 41 goals last season.

"I don't know how he feels out there, but he looks good," Sedin said. "He's got a good stride out there, skates hard. Should be pretty close. ? We'll see. It'll take some time for him to get back to game shape. We've got to give him some time."

Roberto Luongo, who also took part in this morning's skate, said he thought Kesler looked awfully good, too, but wasn't going to rush him back into the lineup.

"Health-wise I think he's feeling pretty good," Luongo told NHL.com. "With an injury like that you want to make sure you're 100 percent before you come back because it's a long season and we don't want to take any chances there."

Whenever he does return, the players know just how important Kesler is to the Canucks' success.

"We all know what he can do when he's healthy," Sedin said. "He's huge for the team, and when he comes back he'll help us big time. It's nice to see him getting closer."

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=595648

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtR8pdeTecU"]Ryan Kesler Professional Interview Bomber hockey. - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Kesler itches to be back in fray
All-out style of play means need for caution about returning too soon
By Ben Kuzma, The Province October 17, 2011

His teammates didn't skate Sunday, but Ryan Kesler did. Hard and fast for an hour.

It was another significant step following late July surgery on his left hip but the Vancouver Canucks centre was also guarded in projecting a return to the lineup - even though he's entering the 10-12-week recovery window with the procedure.

However, this is where it gets tricky. The Selke Trophy winner plays through people and not around them. He willingly blocks shots, sets picks and screens and has the war wounds to show for unselfishness that produced a career-high 41 goals last season.

And as much as Kesler wants to return as soon as possible knowing the spotty 2-2-1 Canucks could use his two-way presence, caution is the calling card.

"Obviously, I'm a competitive guy and I don't like to see the team lose," said Kesler. "You think about coming back sooner, but it wouldn't be smart for me. I have to keep reminding myself to be patient and let my hip and body tell me when I'm ready and not my mind and my heart.

"It's smart for me to take my time now and let everything heal. I'm not a guy who plays on the perimeter, I want to get in there and battle. I'm getting closer but obviously I still feel it [hip] at times out there - just certain movements I don't feel comfortable doing yet. I'm not going to come back until I feel comfortable or I'm 100 per cent."

Kesler has been skating with teammates since Oct. 5 and joined them on the four-game road trip that concluded with a 4-3 win in Edmonton on Saturday. A strong stride would suggest that Kesler is close to a return, but replicating timing and battle drills in practice is one thing. Doing that in a game is completely different.

cont...

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Kesler+itches+back+fray/5560685/story.html#ixzz1b2fle5fg

 

[Buckeye Maniac]

I swear I wasn't searching for nudes of Kesler!!

If it wasn?t already quite apparent that Canuck fans are a strange lot, consider some of the curious Canuck-themed jack-o-lanterns featured on the NHL's official Facebook page. Or, better yet, just key in on the one that features a carving of Ryan Kesler's nude photohttp://vansunsportsblogs.com/2011/1...odd-thats-because-ryan-kesler-is-naked-in-it/ from ESPN Magazine?s ?The Body Issue?. That one should do it.

http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2011/10/28/weird-crafts-naked-kesler-now-on-the-side-of-a-pumpkin/

 

[Buckskin86]

Kesler gaining strength, still not fully fit
By Iain MacIntyre, Postmedia News November 8, 2011

LOS ANGELES ? Ryan Kesler has a hard time accepting the free passes people want to give him.

No player from the Vancouver Canucks? core group gets less criticism when he?s inert than Kesler, who?s rarely scorched in print or on airwaves the way goaltender Roberto Luongo is and forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin are. Or any of the other Canucks whose helmets must be made of tin for amount of lightning strikes they attract from critics.

The good reason for this, of course, is that Kesler plays with such overt drive and heart and other noble attributes we?d call ?Canadian? if he weren?t American, that if his bottom line is disappointing there?s surely a reason for it.

When he went pointless in the final six games of the Stanley Cup final loss to the Boston Bruins last season, Kesler must have been playing hurt. Which he was.

When he opens this season with six points in 10 games and appears unable to power his way to the net with the puck or establish his usual physical presence, he must still be hurting. Which he is.

Some days Kesler?s surgically-repaired hip still hurts like heck.

The Canucks organization and head coach Alain Vigneault are trying to be patient with Kesler. The 27-year-old is trying to be patient, too. But it?s hard. Kesler is accustomed to one gear, and neutral is not it.

?There are good days and bad days, but overall, I think I?ve been pretty positive,? Kesler said Tuesday after the Canuck practised for Thursday?s game against the Los Angeles Kings. ?That?s the biggest thing. I need to keep going day by day and stay positive and look for little victories here and there. Focus on what I can do to help the team win and do everything I can to get back to where I was last year.

?I thought I was going to come back and step right in. But thinking about it now and knowing the last time I had four extra months to really strengthen it. . . it?s very different.?

cont..

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Kesler+gaining+strength+still+fully/5677858/story.html#ixzz1dDMEtUkh

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJcbX115e-w"]CanucksTV: Heart of a Canuck - Kesler Part 1 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhoWG5AcTPU"]CanucksTV: Heart of a Canuck - Kesler Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APcTYOXkSBI"]CanucksTV: Heart of a Canuck - Kesler Part 3 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eApShwtJ074"]CanucksTV: Heart of a Canuck - Kesler Part 4 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Ryan Kesler is back baby!
3rd period goal a jaw dropper
By Jim Jamieson, The Province November 30, 2011

Ryan Kesler helped light a fire under the Canucks Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a killer goal early in the third period after rejoining play following his stick breaking seconds earlier.

Ryan Kesler helped light a fire under the Canucks Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a killer goal early in the third period after rejoining play following his stick breaking seconds earlier.
Photograph by: Ric Ernst, PNG

If Ryan Kesler isn't back, he was close enough that the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't notice the difference.

On another night when goaltender Cory Schneider grabbed all the attention with spectacular saves, Kesler provided the glue to put together a fifth straight victory for the Canucks ? a less-than-perfect 4-1 win over the stubborn Blue Jackets.

Kesler showed the form that won him a Selke Trophy last season, shutting down the Blue Jackets' loaded-up first line of Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal.

But that wasn't all of Kesler's game, just as it wasn't last season, either.

cont...

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Ryan+Kesler+back+baby/5789692/story.html#ixzz1fHzW79GN

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWZUM6knQ6g"]Canucks vs Blue Jackets Ryan Kesler Goal 3-1 11/29/11 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[OSU_D/]

I swear I wasn't searching for nudes of Kesler!!

Me neither...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...cruits-mom/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_bf1_a3

routes you to this....

http://www.holdoutsports.com/2011/12/vancouvers-green-men-are-back-taunting.html


Vancouver's Green Men Are Back, Taunting Predators' Shea Weber With Naked Ryan Kesler (Video)



Last night in Vancouver, the Canucks renewed their rivalry with the visiting Nashville Predators. Predators defenseman (and captain) Shea Weber and Canucks forward Ryan Kelser have been known to have their battles out on the ice.

Some Canucks fans made a note of this for future reference, most especially the "Green Men". So, when Shea Weber got a holding penalty in the first period and was sent to the penalty box, the Green Men were waiting.

Making their season debut, the Green Men came especially prepared to taunt Shea Weber with a cutout of the naked Ryan Kesler photo from ESPN The Magazine's 2011 Body Issue. Naturally, they couldn't resist the chance to use Kesler's pose themselves for the cameras.