Open Letters and Doing Better

Today, CityNews posted an article on their website covering the story of Phil Kessel’s big “screw you” open letter to Toronto, days after he hoisted the Stanley Cup. They weren’t the only ones, either. There are so, so many things wrong here.

Let’s start at the very beginning, you know, where Phil Kessel did not write a damn thing about Toronto. An outlet that prides themselves over covering legitimate news published an entire news article based off of a satire piece written by a blog on Medium. The best part? They fully acknowledge that the piece is satire for a full three seconds before continuing to quote it in a way that gives the illusion of legitimacy, mixing it with actual, unrelated quotes.

We’re approaching the one-year mark of the trade that sent the star forward to Pittsburgh, and the local media is still writing targeted stories about him. He’s been victimized for hot dogs he didn’t eat, and now for words he didn’t say. Let’s turn the tables and give him what he actually deserves. An open letter to Phil, from those of us in Toronto:

Thank you.

Like the players, fans here in Toronto have a dysfunctional relationship with the media, and rightfully so. We don’t always see eye-to-eye, and more often than not, the most disagreeable voices are the ones that are the loudest. But make no mistake; on the whole, we are so, so happy for you. 

We’ve shared some amazing memories together and some that were downright heartbreaking. As crazy as it is to say this, your departure last July has lead us both into different (and amazing) paths. While some may still be bitter to watch you succeed, it fills a lot of us with even more admiration and respect for you. Your departure, which some of us felt it be premature when it happened, appears to be a key part of an unprecedented rebuild process; we have no reason to be bashful towards you. While some of the media may still be trying to throw fuel on a fire that has already been extinguished, we want to say congratulations.

We know first-hand what you have been through to get to this point, even long before us. The road to this moment has not been easy for you, but you have overcome every obstacle while laughing in the face of adversity. Don’t let anyone get it twisted – you are a fighter, a superstar, and now a Stanley Cup Champion.

Even though you are sniping those goals in another city, we haven’t stopped watching or cheering. Congratulations!