Kessel trolls USA after WCH elimination

Phil Kessel, who was omitted from the Team USA roster for the World Cup of Hockey, was quick to tweet out his feelings on Tuesday night after the Americans were eliminated by Team Canada.

"Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it," came a tweet from Kessel's verified Twitter account.

Kessel would not have been able to play in the event regardless because he had hand surgery during the off-season, but he was still omitted from the American roster before it became known that he needed surgery.

Kessel was not selected when the Americans announced their original 16-man roster for the tournament on Mar. 2. He was again left off when an additional seven players were added near the end of May, despite being in the midst of an excellent playoff run with the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 28-year-old had 26 goals and 33 assists last season with the Penguins and an additional 10 goals and 12 assists in 24 playoff games. He last played for the United States at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, scoring five goals and three assists in six games.

At the World Cup in Toronto, Team USA lost 3-0 to Europe and 4-2 to Canada and was eliminated from playoff contention after just four days of the two-week event.

Kessel's drew plently of attention from around the hockey world, including Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Bobby Ryan also took a shot at Team USA on Twitter, though it came as direct reply to a message on Wednesday morning.

Those tweets didn't sit well with American forward David Backes, who called the comments of Kessel and Ryan "a little distasteful and aggravating."