SAN JOSE, Calif. – Phil Kessel turned to the Pittsburgh Penguins fans amassed near the glass at SAP Center in San Jose, the ones that had just watched him skate the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career after the Penguins’ Game 6 victory over the Sharks.

“Yeah, it was way heavier than I thought it was going to be,” said Kessel, laughing.

They chanted his name. He let out a guttural yell and pumped his fist at them, and in turn they yelled right back. Mutual admiration. Mutual adulation.

“The city of Pittsburgh is great. They have awesome fans. And they were behind us, right?” he said. “This last year has been a crazy year. And it’s obviously been the best year of my life.”

A year ago, Kessel was in limbo. Regime change had arrived for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His $8 million salary, and his almost comical scape-goating in the Toronto media, made it a near-certainty he’d be traded. The Washington Capitals were mentioned a possibility. Ditto the Nashville Predators, where his ties to USA Hockey architect David Poile would have made sense. (Indeed, what a difference a year makes.)

Instead, it was the Pittsburgh Penguins who surprised the NHL by acquiring him on July 1. And with that trade came a phone call from his new captain, Sidney Crosby.

“He said they’re excited to have me, and we’re going to try and win a Cup,” Kessel said. “And we got it done. How could you ask for anything better than this? Winning the Cup is what you dream about, by far. And we did it.”

View photos SAN JOSE, CA - JUNE 12: Phil Kessel #81, Nick Bonino #13 and Carl Hagelin #62 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate after their 3-1 victory to win the Stanley Cup against the San Jose Sharks in Game Six of the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Final at SAP Center on June 12, 2016 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) More

As the Penguins players lingered on the ice in celebration, Kessel found teammates Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino, the fabled “HBK Line” that sparked the team’s offense, managed to lure professional wrestler Shawn Michaels to a Stanley Cup playoff game and inspired a triple-meat sandwich that somehow didn’t become yet another Phil Kessel conditioning punchline. (Indeed, what a difference a year makes.)

Kessel finished with 10 goals and 12 assists. Carl Hagelin had six goals and 10 assists. Nick Bonino had four goals and 14 assists. Kessel fell short of the Conn Smythe himself; perhaps if they had one for lines, the HBK trio would have secured it.

Kessel said his linemates were on his mind has he hoisted the Cup. “I thought about my teammates, how hard we worked. And how proud I am of them. We played together. We played for each other,” he said.

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