David Backes Found Phil Kessel's Tweet About Team USA To Be 'Distasteful, Aggravating'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Team USA went into the World Cup of Hockey and ... very quickly got sent home.
The team lost its two games -- losing 3-0 to Europe and 4-2 to Canada on Tuesday night -- thus ending the team's contention. They'll play one more game on Thursday that won't matter before the players head back to their NHL clubs.
Considering the failure of the team to compete, some players who didn't get chosen for the team let their opinions be known after Thursday's beatdown by Canada.
One of those players was former Bruin, current Penguin and reigning Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel.
Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it.
— Phil Kessel (@PKessel81) September 21, 2016
Considering Kessel's 273 goals give him the 25th-most of all time among American-born players, and considering he's third among active Americans in the NHL, one would assume he would've been a lock for the team. Alas, John Tortorella and the U.S. brain trust opted to go in a different direction.
Understandably, the players that did make the team didn't much appreciate hearing comments from the peanut gallery. One such player was new Bruins forward David Backes.
"It's disappointing," Backes said, per Yahoo. "It's almost to say that we were coasting or don't care, weren't representing our countries as well as we could have and for other guys that have worn the jersey, it's disappointing. I understand there's hard feelings if you weren't picked for the team or if whatever, but the comments are, I think – as a team guy and as a guy that stands by my teammates, win lose or draw, it's a little distasteful and aggravating but everyone's got a Twitter account and you can have freedom of speech to say whatever you want and so be it. But those comments don't get lost in the fray and those comments are there and have been read and I think will be remembered when whatever happens going forward happens going forward."
It sounds like Backes will save a little extra something for Kessel when the Bruins and Penguins meet. He'll have to hang on to that feeling for quite some time, though, as the Bruins don't play Pittsburgh until Dec. 14.