Sestito signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets on March 29, 2007.[3] After playing with the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, Sestito made his NHL debut with Columbus in the last game of the 2007–08 season against the St. Louis Blues on April 6, 2008.[4]
He scored his first NHL goal on December 15, 2010, against Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks in a 3–2 overtime loss. He scored his second NHL goal on December 23, 2010, against Cory Schneider, also of the Vancouver Canucks in a 7–3 losing effort. On February 28, 2011, the Blue Jackets traded Sestito to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forwards Greg Moore and Michael Chaput.[5]
On September 27, 2011, the Flyers placed him on waivers with the intention of having him play for their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.[6]
In his first full NHL season (2013–14), Sestito led the league in penalty minutes with 213, edging out Chris Neil by 2. In the 2014–15 season, with the role of enforcer declining in importance in the NHL, Sestito appeared sparingly in only 3 games with the Canucks before he was reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. On February 23, 2015, the Vancouver Canucks cut Sestito after 10 games with the Comets.[10]
After sitting out the remainder of the season, Sestito accepted an invitation to attend the Pittsburgh Penguins's training camp on August 26, 2015. Pittsburgh did not offer Sestito a contract at the conclusion of camp, but was offered a try-out with AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to begin the 2015–16 season on October 2, 2015.[11] At the midpoint of the season, Sestito was signed by Pittsburgh to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the year on February 1, 2016. He was immediately placed on waivers in order to continue to play in Wilkes-Barre.[12]
Though Sestito was technically a member of the Penguins' 2017 Stanley Cup winning squad, he was ultimately not permitted to hoist the trophy after being a healthy scratch for the entirety of the team's playoff run.[13]
As a free agent prior to the 2018–19 season, Sestito received an offer from an AHL team to continue playing. However, he chose to retire citing his family as his reason.[14] On December 18, 2018, Sestito agreed to attempt a comeback, signing a professional tryout contract with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, after he was approached by the club to add a physical presence.[15]
Criticism
With the Canucks in 2013–14.
During his NHL career, Sestito was referred to as a "talentless thug"[16] and infamously as a "boxing hobo on skates" by ESPN commentator Keith Olbermann. The Hockey News referred to Sestito as a "goon with limited hockey talents", noting that he embodied a culture of violence and revenge which the modern game needs to move away from.[17]
While with the Canucks, Sestito made headlines after accumulating twenty-seven combined penalty minutes while officially receiving only one second of total ice time in a game against the Los Angeles Kings on January 13, 2014.[18] Afterwards, ESPN's Olbermann named Sestito "The Worst Person in the Sports World" on his show while stating that Sestito is "not a hockey player". Sestito's teenage sister, Victoria, subsequently attacked Olbermann via Twitter, claiming that "the $7,268 for 1 second of work" was "probably just a little bit more than your liberal left wing ass makes." She added that the Sestito family was looking forward to Olbermann losing his job.[19]
Sestito's penchant for taking ill-advised penalties resulted in a somewhat messy departure from the Canucks organization. The Canucks ultimately announced that Sestito would receive his full pay but would no longer play for the Vancouver Canucks or Utica Comets.[20] Canucks' General Manager Jim Benning stressed that his club needed players who could play in the opposition's end and contribute with more than an occasional fight.[21] Sestito subsequently found work painting a friend's restaurant in Rome, NY.[22]
In late 2014, Sestito received criticism for tweeting that police were justified in the shooting death of an 18-year-old unarmed African American man named Michael Brown. The shooting incident sparked mass riots in Ferguson, MO, and received international media attention. Sestito later deleted the tweets.[23]
Former NHL player John Scott, MVP of the 2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game, said of Sestito in 2019, "I don’t like him. I have never liked him. I just don’t like how he plays the game." Scott noted that Sestito would typically only fight him when he had the opportunity to jump him from behind. "All through the AHL, I’d ask him to fight and he’d be like, 'My hand’s broken,' then he would fight someone else or this and that and he would duck me."[24]
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League, and the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.
John Vigilante was an American professional ice hockey forward. At the time of his death he was the head coach for the 19u Belle Tire Girls Hockey Program.
Jack Skille is an American former professional ice hockey right winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, and the Vancouver Canucks.
Gary Agnew is a Canadian ice hockey coach currently serving as an associate coach with the Abbotsford Canucks. He was formerly an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He has also served as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.
Zenith Komarniski is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Aaron Rome is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently serving as a skills coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Rome was selected in the fourth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings.
Derek Dorsett is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blue Jackets drafted him in 2006 in the seventh round, 189th overall. After nine years in the NHL, Dorsett retired after repeated injuries to his neck. He is currently the assistant to the head coach of the Upper Arlington ice hockey team. Dorsett was best known for his role similar to that of an enforcer.
Gregory Moore is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He most recently served as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets and for the Augsburger Panther of the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
The 2004–05 Columbus Blue Jackets season was the Blue Jackets' fifth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The 2004–05 NHL lockout, however, cancelled the entirety of the season.
James T. Sifers is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played most notably in the American Hockey League (AHL). He enjoyed brief stints in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild.
Mike McKenna is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. McKenna was selected in the 6th round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators and played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers.
Adam Cracknell is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who is currently playing with the Henderson Silver Knights in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Zac Dalpe is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted 45th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008, Dalpe played in the British Columbia Hockey League and Central Collegiate Hockey Association before turning professional.
Adam Clendening is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL). Clendening was raised in Wheatfield, New York. He was selected 36th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Brent Regner is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Florida Panthers. Regner was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 5th round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2012–13 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 46th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to a lockout. The Flyers missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2007, and only the second time since 1994.
Darren Archibald is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Grizzlys Wolfsburg in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He played major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Barrie Colts and Niagara IceDogs. Undrafted out of junior, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent and played at multiple levels within the organization.
Michael Chaput is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played under contract to Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Chaput was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 3rd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Ashton Sautner is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing for the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Louis Boileau-Domingue is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
