In past years, most would concur that Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler showed the occasional flashes of brilliance. Unfortunately, on the score sheet where those flashes are counted upon so fervently, the occasions became fewer and farther between.

This season however, the Michigan native has displayed a newfound passion for the game, one that has prominently raised him to a pivotal role on the team, and the results so far have begun to bear fruit. With 21 points at the midway point of the season, Kesler is having a career year. But as his previous campaigns left a bit much to be desired in terms of overall contributions, the speedy center himself was the first to admit that it became necessary to elevate the bar of expectation.

“Last season was really frustrating,” admits Kesler, who underwent hip surgery last January, thus rendering him unavailable for the next couple of months. “I had never really had a lot of injuries or even missed a game before that surgery. It was tough. I didn’t realize just how tough.”

Returning in time for the first round of the 2007 playoffs as a surprise start in the Canucks 5-4 victory over Dallas in quadruple overtime, Kesler’s fortunes took another turn for the worse by breaking a finger in overtime while trying to block a shot. That was season over.

“I wanted to play so badly,” he says. “To fight so hard to come back and have that happen, it was devastating.”

Ryan Kesler began his playing career with the US National Under 17 Team and won a silver medal at the Three Nations Cup. Moving on to college, as a freshman at Ohio State, Kesler played college hockey for the Ohio State Buckeyes where he scored 11 goals and 20 assists to rank fourth in team scoring and earning him an honorable mention for the CCHA All-Rookie Team.

The NHL would soon beckon and Kesler was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, 23rd overall in the 2003 entry draft. He played 33 games for the Canucks farm system in Manitoba before making his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Being a U.S. born player but having only been able to ply his trade north of the border, you could ask if it's been a difficult transition to adjusting to life in a different country.

“I don’t think so,” he says. “You can say Canada loves their hockey more than the States. I really only know playing here, so I don’t know what it’s like playing in Florida or playing for a team down south where they don’t know much about hockey. So if your not up for a game and just seem kind of sluggish, they’ll re-energize you here and it’s always fun when you skate out to a packed building and they’re all cheering. It’s pretty special.”

Born and raised in Livonia, Michigan, a suburban area about 30 minutes outside of Detroit, Ryan Kesler and his wife Andrea reside during the season in Vancouver’s trendy Yaletown area, where they share their home with two dogs, a pug/beagle mix and a pomeranian. That family will grow in May however, as the Keslers eagerly await the arrival of their first child, a daughter. Needless to say, the anticipation for the father-to-be is palpable.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said. “It’s awesome to see the whole process she goes through and the whole pregnancy, it’s pretty cool.”

Checking the calendar, should the Vancouver Canucks advance beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the stork could deliver his offspring at a rather crucial time. “I talked to one of the coaches already as it's right in the middle of the third round,” says Kesler. “Hopefully they’ll have a jet waiting for me in case we’re on the road.”

Known for his speed and a rather deft ability with the puck, Kesler was also the recipient of a vicious cross-check in the face earlier this season by Jesse Boulerice of the Philadelphia Flyers. While escaping without serious injury, his combatant was suspended from the league for 25 games.

When he’s not on the receiving end of the physical play, Kesler has clearly illustrated that he’s not about to shy away as a couple of his scraps with Calgary’s Jarome Iginla have become among the most widely viewed hockey fights on YouTube. When asked if we’re likely to see future clashes between the pair, Kesler doesn’t rule it out.

“Yeah, I think you are,” he suggests. “I don’t think that we like each other a lot and just in the heat of the game, he has a lot of pride and I have a lot of pride for the team and I think when we’re playing against each other as much as we are, there tend to be heated rivalries and I think that is a heated rivalry.” We look forward to more encounters.