Pittsburgh Penguins

Phil Kessel reflects on little sister's big gold medal victory

PITTSBURGH — It was around 2 a.m. Thursday when the U.S. women's hockey team completed a shootout win over Canada in the gold medal game, but Penguins star Phil Kessel, like many hockey fans and Olympic viewers across the country, was wide awake.

“Obviously I was nervous. It was a tight game," Kessel said after the Penguins practice on Thursday.

Kessel had a special interest in this game. It was an opportunity to watch his sister Amanda Kessel reach the peak of her sport.

"I talked to her before the game and after the game," Kessel said. "She can’t believe it. They work so hard."

Kessel has been following his sister and Team USA every step of the way. He said his Penguins teammates all knew he was nervous about Wednesday night's game, but in the hours after the win, he was calm, reflective and bursting with pride.

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"To be able to win a gold medal - it’s a special accomplishment. I’m really proud of her," he said.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan did not stay up for the game, but said he checked the score first thing Thursday morning. Sullivan was overflowing with patriotism.

"As an American, we’re proud of them. They’re really good players. They work extremely hard for the opportunity to compete in the Olympics. They’re a really good team. That's a huge accomplishment. They should be proud. We’re certainly proud of them," he said.

Amanda Kessel was instrumental in the win, scoring an important goal in the shootout. Her older brother was impressed.

"It was great. I mean, she came down. It was lot of pressure. Down 2-1 in the shootout," Kessel said. "She made a great shot. Proud of her."

There is, however, some debate on the format for ending the game. Many people, including Sidney Crosby, don't feel that a shootout is the best way for a gold medal to be decided.

Generally speaking, even Phil Kessel would agree with that, but at least for this one game, Kessel is a big fan of the shootout and the outcome for Team USA Wednesday night.