Who is the BEST out of shape player of alltime?

[cbcwpg]

Keith Tkachuk

2005...Keith Tkachuk finally made it to the ice for the St. Louis Blues. After doing virtually nothing during the NHL lockout, he showed up to training camp 25 pounds overweight and was suspended Sept. 16 for failing a physical. "I wasn't as prepared as I should have been," Tkachuk said.

Just kidding...

But Keith was one of those players that you could tell was always fighting the waistline and also the second he stopped playing he was going to balloon.

 

[ColdSteel2]

The drug addiction didn't start until after he broke his face and because of the surgery and the severe concussion, he started to take pain meds and it spiraled from there.

If you think that's some joke, you're disgusting.

Apparently I had the timeline wrong. It wasn’t a joke. I edited the post.

 

[BrockLobster]

Prime Jaromir Jagr.

Jagr is ripped.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Kessel. He’s never met a hot dog he didn’t eat.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Gretzky was last in all the upper body muscle tests on the Oilers. However at the same time some scientist did a study of how long it took a player to recover their full level of oxygen in their lungs after a hard shift and Gretzky was far better than everyone and was fully recovered after like 45 seconds or something.

I really thought the story was 25 seconds and he was recovered. I remember him going to the bench, and not even 15 or 20 seconds later he would be back out there constantly double shifting and avoiding his shadows defensively who were on the bench struggling to breath. Assigning a shadow to Gretzky was pretty much pointless, especially during the 80's. He would penalty kill, play almost an entire 2 min on the pp and barely break a sweat.

The dude was a genetic freak who would go hiking in the mountains for 8 hours a day in the off season like it was just a brisk stroll. Underrated athletic ability for sure.

 

[Dessert Nights]

No, Gretzky wasn't out of shape, ever; he just wasn't muscular.

I believe his younger sister was actually pursuing a possible Olympic career in running before an injury prematurely ended it...

Gretzky is out for shave.

 

[Sheppy]

Ray Bourque? Always thought he was a little heavy for his height. That said, he could have been jacked. 5'11'', 220.

 

[Eisen]

Combo of unhealthy but good I think it's gotta be Lemieux third best player of all time but smoked like a chimney and didn't really work out.

How much did Lemieux smoke?

 

[NeelyWasAWarrior]

Big Al Iafrate

 

[iamjs]

Lemieux.

Mario came into the league at 200 but was playing close to 240 during the 2002-03 season. This article says he was playing at 238 during the 2002-03 season.

Maybe it was in one of his books, but I thought I remember reading he was closer to 250-260 when he started his 2000 comeback. The closest thing I can find is a Washington Post mention that 66 put on 25 lbs in retirement

 

[Kitty Hawk]

Derek Sanderson. He smoked, drank and partied a lot.

 

[SaltNPeca]

People saying Gretzky didn't watch Gretzky. They're just kids who looked at his pictures for the first time and realized he wasn't built like a linebacker.

What would be funny/ironic is when those kids are fanboys of the likes of Gadreau & Marner.

 

[member 105785]

Kyle "original Kessel" Wellwood, truly a man possessed

 

[IPS]

Love the logic that always comes out in this thread. Just because the beach muscles aren't big, it doesn't mean they aren't a powerful and explosive individual.

Daniel Cormier is someone who lots of people would say "looks out of shape."

Dad bod, beer gut, zero muscle definition, out of shape, right? Don't think for one second that he wouldn't put you on your back and beat your ass in a split second despite looking "out of shape." Guaranteed is insanely strong in his core/legs/glutes. You can also look at his workout partner Cain Velasquez who has a similar build/body type. Both of these men are/have been heavyweight champions.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Kyle "original Kessel" Wellwood, truly a man possessed

He wasn't possessed, he just looked that way because he ate the dude.

 

[member 105785]

He wasn't possessed, he just looked that way because he ate the dude.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Ray Bourque? Always thought he was a little heavy for his height. That said, he could have been jacked. 5'11'', 220.

Ray had legs and a core that resembled tree stumps - very thick core.

Ray's only mistake was not marrying a taller woman....

 

[Howie Hodge]

Derek Sanderson. He smoked, drank and partied a lot.

Which made him different from other players of the time how?

In all seriousness, yes, Derek just didn't know when to go home. Such a talent wasted...

Pun intended...

 

[Hot Water Bottle]

Might not count as "out of shape", but Al MacInnis was on the skinny side and didn't fit the stereotype for a hall of fame defenceman with one of the hardest shots ever. (to give an idea, he's in the back at 1:45-1:50 of this video.)

 

[b in vancouver]

Ray Bourque? Always thought he was a little heavy for his height. That said, he could have been jacked. 5'11'', 220.

No. There were years when Bourque barely registered - like 2% body fat plus he could play 30+ minutes a game of physical hockey until he was 40. He might not look the part since he retired (that's what happens when guys stop working out constantly) but he'd be more on the side of 'most in shape' hockey players of all time.

 

[b in vancouver]

Lafleur admitted he, and several teammates, used to smoke during intermissions.

I brought up Lafleur also - in response to Lemieux and people saying he was out of shape because he smoked.
I like the Lafleur stories as he'd be first or second at the rink and stuff...

However, people have to realize that smoking in your 20s really doesn't effect your output as much at the time. It builds up and will stop you in your 30s. But it doesn't really do much to you by that age if you're in good shape. - we all know they're brutal for you... but the list of pro athletes that smoked during their primes is a long long long list.

 

[b in vancouver]

Might not count as "out of shape", but Al MacInnis was on the skinny side and didn't fit the stereotype for a hall of fame defenceman with one of the hardest shots ever. (to give an idea, he's in the back at 1:45-1:50 of this video.)

I met him a few times and just wondered - 'How the hell can you get that power behind your shot?' - just in awe.

 

[Nick Hansen]

No. There were years when Bourque barely registered - like 2% body fat plus he could play 30+ minutes a game of physical hockey until he was 40. He might not look the part since he retired (that's what happens when guys stop working out constantly) but he'd be more on the side of 'most in shape' hockey players of all time.

Yep. Played half the games for a million years. He was extremely well-conditioned. Your muscles don't need to be clearly exposed for that - that's bodybuilder stuff.

Larmer apparently used to smoke more than a pack of cigarettes the latter half of his career.

 

[MrThomas]

Jere Karalahti was using cokeine heroine etc a lot also he was drunk many times or hangover in games. He was so talented and good defenceman for LA.

 

[iamjs]

Who was that high draft pick who couldn’t do a single pull-up?

Gary Roberts did 1.5 pullups in his first camp.

“I was a skinny fat guy, that’s who I was. Not only was I skinny and weak, but I had high body fat. So basically I had very little lean muscle mass. I didn’t weight train back then. I certainly didn’t have great nutrition. I was a cardiovascular guy . . . I played hockey. I played lacrosse. I thought I was in great shape at 18 years old. (The Calgary Flames) threw me on a pull-up bar for my first fitness test, and I did 1½ pull-ups. I was pretty embarrassed by that.”

Feschuk: Roberts shares his secrets for hockey longevity