Put a massive athlete on skates

[Coffey]

JJ Watt would dwarf even Chara muscle/strength wise.

Crazy to think if he kept becoming a hockey player.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Shaq on skates. Decent 3rd to 4th liner, nothing more. Need more than just size, need the agility and balance and practice. After a while could become elite.

You do know Shaq was incredibly quick and agile in his prime right? He wasn't just big. He was 7'1" 325 and hyper athletic which is what made him unstoppable.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Didn't Manute Bol lace them up in the IHL, or some indy league? Only for a shift, I think, or maybe even just warmups.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

You do know Shaq was incredibly quick and agile in his prime right? He wasn't just big. He was 7'1" 325 and hyper athletic which is what made him unstoppable.

 

[Seanaconda]

You do know Shaq was incredibly quick and agile in his prime right? He wasn't just big. He was 7'1" 325 and hyper athletic which is what made him unstoppable.

I feel like alot of people think of Shaq as unskilled because he couldn't hit free throw to save his life. He's a person you may as well just foul

 

[bring back the jets]

You do know Shaq was incredibly quick and agile in his prime right? He wasn't just big. He was 7'1" 325 and hyper athletic which is what made him unstoppable.

Imagine his shot though lol

 

[SmellOfVictory]

Byfugelin ? Or like domi or like jagr when he was 230 or Ovie in his prime ?

Most of the best players had alot of weight in their lower body . But big buff is the most tank like player I can think of . weighed 300 pounds

(Other than just pure fighters )

Yeah it's pretty hard to get tankier than Byfuglien.

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

I'd pay money to see big sexy Bartolo Colon try and skate.

It would kill him

 

[TheOtherOne]

Just some numbers

Shaq: 7'1 325
Suh: 6'4 305 (I don't know anything about football but I've heard of that guy so I'm using him)
Byfuglien: 6'5 260
J J Watt: 6'5 290 (never heard of him but sure)
Chara: 6'9 250
John Krahn: 7'0 440 (googled "biggest football player", got a high school guy lol)

So yea. Chara isn't really what I was thinking because he's lighter relative to his height. Byfuglien is surprisingly close to the other big dudes listed. So I guess he is the thread. Also, it's interesting given my position discussion that he has played both forward and defense at the pro level.

edit: Domi: 5'8 213 pretty good example too considering he's a foot shorter than these other guys.
Also adding Hakuho Sho to OP... 6'4 344!

 

[TheOtherOne]

Next question: Is Byfuglien proof that big dudes could excel at hockey, if only they focused on that at a young age rather than football or basketball?

Or is he just a freak?

 

[JackSlater]

I mean Shaq was never the fastest guy by any means moving up and down the basketball court.

Young Shaq, like his LSU or Orlando days, was very fast. It was after frequent injuries that Shaq became the plodding centre he was in LA, and even then he was still quite agile.

The guy would almost certainly have to be a defenceman if he was to be particularly effective. A massively tall goaltender would have too many holes and would be injured far too often. Stick skills would also be limited (coordination) so that limits the effectiveness of a forward. Size is a very valuable asset for defencemen though and presumably there would be a huge shot that was an asset as well.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Here's another stupid related question.

Why don't players purposely throw checks while carrying the puck. Like a basketball player would definitely do if charging wasn't a foul. Like basically try to keep the puck at his feet while purposely just running the defender over, while a teammate comes up behind. Like a drop pass, but while intentionally taking a guy out. Or kind of like setting a pick, but more violently.

Could a big dude consistently set up plays like that? Could it be an effective strategy ever?

As I type and think about it it occurs to me that it'd be really hard to pull off just because the D are typically skating away from you as you approach. But on certain occasions it might work, and it might be awesome?

This thought reminds me of World Cup Soccer for NES.

 

[DJJones]

My god that JJ Watt video is terrifying. Even if he was the 2nd least skilled guy in the league he would be impossible to stop.

Hockey never really has had the super, freak of nature athletes in it. Would love to see what that would look like.

Like you can't compare Big Buff to JJ Watt. They are different animals.

 

[Seanaconda]

Here's another stupid related question.

Why don't players purposely throw checks while carrying the puck. Like a basketball player would definitely do if charging wasn't a foul. Like basically try to keep the puck at his feet while purposely just running the defender over, while a teammate comes up behind. Like a drop pass, but while intentionally taking a guy out. Or kind of like setting a pick, but more violently.

Could a big dude consistently set up plays like that? Could it be an effective strategy ever?

As I type and think about it it occurs to me that it'd be really hard to pull off just because the D are typically skating away from you as you approach. But on certain occasions it might work, and it might be awesome?

This thought reminds me of World Cup Soccer for NES.

Some guys do that . Young Ovie could. Lindros was a wrecking ball while he had the puck when he was young. Not common but it's not unheard of.

Most players don't because unless you're a monster hitting the guy in front of you doesn't tend to be the best strategy.

Reverse checks aren't common but they happen a bit . It's just the problem of losing momentum / the puck

 

[WannabeFinn]

Genuinely surprised nobody has mentioned LeBron James yet. Dude has got to be the most impressive athlete from a physical standpoint in decades. Absolute unit.

 

[PuckSeparator]

Have you heard of John Scott, super freakish tall big athlete and All-Star game MVP?

 

[TheOtherOne]

Some guys do that . Young Ovie could. Lindros was a wrecking ball while he had the puck when he was young. Not common but it's not unheard of.

I'd love to watch some clips if you have the time/interest to hook us up.

 

[Seanaconda]

I'd love to watch some clips if you have the time/interest to hook us up.

 

[Seanaconda]

 

[Channelcat]

Gronk?

If Gronk had played hockey he would have been great. Just a matter of time before we see a freak like this in the NHL

 

[Seanaconda]

 

[Seanaconda]

I'd love to watch some clips if you have the time/interest to hook us up.

The peter forsberg ones In the second video are probably what you want

 

[Nurmagomedov]

Guys, JJ Watt wouldn't be 290lbs if he played pro hockey. He'd be a monster for sure but you couldn't supply enough oxygen to such a muscle mass in a hockey game. He'd be completely gassed very early every game on if he carried that size in the NHL.

 

[ColdSteel2]

Guys, JJ Watt wouldn't be 290lbs if he played pro hockey. He'd be a monster for sure but you couldn't supply enough oxygen to such a muscle mass in a hockey game. He'd be completely gassed very early every game on if he carried that size in the NHL.

Exactly, hockey is about stamina. If it made sense to be jacked like that, Burns and others would do it. I don’t even think these guys bench much. They’re strong for sure, but you don’t see too many guys that ripped for the exact reason you stated.

 

[PensandCaps]

LeBron James