In addition to being one of the most popular and talented players in the NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins star Phil Kessel has become known as somewhat of a hot dog aficionado. He even celebrated the Penguins’ 2017 championship by eating some out of the Stanley Cup on a golf course last summer when he had his day with the trophy.
Trading card company Upper Deck noticed Kessel’s affinity for delicious cylindrical meat products and now that image has been immortalized in hockey card form.
Upper Deck released a new series of cards this week and a Penguins fan tweeted out a couple photos of Kessel’s.
The back of the card features an image of Kessel and another dog in the Cup…except this one’s a better kind of dog.
As Sean Leahy of Pro Hockey Talk pointed out, this isn’t the first time a player with a hot dog has been featured on a hockey card. Former Washington Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig was captured holding a hot dog in a Pinnacle set from the 1995-96 season.
The genesis of Kessel’s love of hot dogs is unknown, however it began long before the Penguins acquired him in 2015.
A diet that includes hot dogs seems to be working for the 30-year-old winger as Kessel hasn’t missed a regular-season game since the 2009-10 campaign and is currently in the midst of a career year. He was tied for third in league scoring prior to Thursday’s slate of games with 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points in 58 games.
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