"Yeah, him and Tock have this little spitfire relationship when they talk back to each other about plays … on the ice," Kunitz said. "It works well. It gets him into the game. It gets him to see different areas of the ice. That's one of the things of Phil wanting the puck. That's why he's an elite player in this league."
The Penguins, especially Tocchet and Sullivan, have no issues with Kessel's, shall we say, mode of communication. Sullivan, in fact, said they call it a "man's argument" on the bench. He said they usually move past it quickly, unless it becomes a distraction, in which case a conversation the next day is warranted.
And don't think that's always a one-sided conversation. Sullivan said earlier in the playoffs that he and Kessel have had many heated discussions.
"Phil is an emotional guy, so when he comes back to the bench, he wants a pass, doesn't get it, he lets a guy know," Sullivan said. "I don't have a problem with that. I don't think our team has any problem with that. I think that's how we make progress, that's how we come together as a team.
"Our coaching staff, we like the juice on the bench. I'd much rather have a bench that's invested in trying to win, that has some emotion and some personality to it, than a group of guys that are flatlined and we've got to check them for a pulse."
Several players who were asked about Kessel on the bench said they know they've been targets of his verbal tirades before. None were offended.