Players who started hockey late and still made the NHL?

[Wedontneedroads]

Rod Langway didn't start playing hockey until he was 13.

I don't see that kind of thing happening nowadays though. Too many kids playing since before they start school, I don't see any way somebody can jump in with the competition of the kids today while being a teenager and still make it to the NHL.

I 2nd this

My neighbor's kids play for the Jr. Sharks and I go out and skate with them every now and again at Sharks Ice. They are 12 and 15 and are absolutely lights out. I'm a good 10/15 yrs older and can body them out, but I have to catch the little fu***** first which gets harder to do every damn day.

Kids start skating at age 3/4. There is not much you can do to make up for 10+ years of natural skating ability. If I had a kid playing hockey I would put him in figure skating too just to work on that part of the game.

 

[mike14]

not sure we're counting him as an NHLer yet, but didn't Akim Aliu start playing pretty late?

 

[Hot Water Bottle]

If you are a traditional Canadian farm boy then you automatically have the intangibles and you can join the NHL at any age you like.

 

[Legionnaire]

I would try this on the History board. Those guys are encyclopedias.

 

[J Murda]

Ville Leino started when he was 17. Pretty darn impressive, if you ask me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ville_Leino

 

[Elvs]

I've heard that Niclas Wallin didn't play with a real team until he was 14 or something. I don't know if it's true though.

 

[davebenj]

Jovo cop started at 11.

Was going to post this. I actually thought it was even later

 

[davebenj]

I'd be willing to bet a lot of players can skate before they can talk. Lacing em up around 2 or 3 is pretty common. If there is a player in the NHL who starts at 15, I'd be shocked.

There are a good handful actually. At first I was a bit surprised too but it's not totally crazy if you think about it.

 

[davebenj]

Anson Carter never played any organized hockey until midget (15 years old), IIRC.

I used to love Carter. I didn't know that one but that's pretty impressive.

 

[NazemKadri43]

Martin Gerber started playing at 14 or 15, i remember bowen mentioning it

 

[pt_mck]

Probably not recently but the most likely scenario is a pure fighter who has little hockey skill.

Pete Worell fit this perfectlys

 

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Ville Leino started when he was 17. Pretty darn impressive, if you ask me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ville_Leino

I simply can't believe that is true. Whomever added that wrote it in a way that makes it sound like he first laced up skates at 17. No way.

In 2013, there is no way someone with no hockey experience puts on skates and plays in the NHL just a few years later. Impossible. The game is far too difficult to learn and become skilled at for that to happen.

Even the Jovo thing is a bit of a stretch. He was a very good athlete who played organized soccer, and he did skate a lot as a kid - he just never played organized hockey.

 

[TBIF]

One of my favorite hockey cards back in the day:

Zac Bierk

 

[Phil Connors*]

Ville Leino started when he was 17. Pretty darn impressive, if you ask me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ville_Leino

Pretty darn impossible, if you ask me.

That's just worded poorly. It should read "At age 17 Leino started playing hockey for his hometown team SaPKo in the Suomi-sarja."

There is no way he first started playing hockey in the third highest league in Finland.

 

[La Bamba]

Dustin Penner, he started when he was like 17 or something

 

[colchar]

It could happen today. Jovanovski is an active player who wasn't much younger than Langway when he started. It's a matter of having the natural athleticism, physical frame, and a lot of access to ice time.

Is it likely... no. But it could happen, especially to a player who doesn't have the long successful career of a Langway or Jovo.

Jovanovski didn't start playing until he was 11.

 

[bluesfan94]

Dustin Penner, he started when he was like 17 or something

Not true. He just took an unusual route.

 

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaa]

So, the basic idea here is to list a player, and then make up a fictional age when he began playing hockey? Okay, I'll play.

Paul Kariya started playing hockey when he was 26 years old (I think).

 

[Angry Boys]

I recall reading that Denis Grebeshkov started hockey at age 14. He was a LA Kings first round pick 4 years later

 

[19NYSports91]

I think I heard or read that Komisarek started at like 14 or something

I don't think so.

 

[octopi]

Didn't Ovechkin not start until he was 8?

Not that old, but I think most guys started at least skating at like 4 or 5.

He started when he was 8 and he was horrible at it. His mom got him a coach(She's got a lot of power in Russian sports circles)and he eventually got better. Some said he got special treatment because he was Tatiana Ovechkina's kid.The crazy thing about it is by 16 he was playing with the men in the RSL, not bad for a little boy who could barely skate at 8.

 

[GoGoGrabo]

Mike Green didn't start until after he was 9 or 10. He was a skateboarder up until then.

Source: Story on Mike Green and his parents the Caps did in 2010.

 

[w e l o s t b o y s]

False.

I don't think so.

Actually might have been Gill I was thinking of, I think it was from After Hours or something he said all he played was football then switched over.

edit: found the video, doesn't actually say when he started playing hockey just that he was playing both football and hockey and had to choose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEnu3eCeBVA

 

[Cool Beans Man]

I don't have the age, but I think Keith Primeau didn't start playing until much later than most kids his age.

 

[JoelWarlord]

I remember Huet started late, he played road hockey with his buddies growing up and then started playing for real around 16.