Ronnie Bass
05-19-2006, 02:18 AM
....do you think he could have made it in the NHL and what position he would have played, what kind of style of play would he have and what NHL player do you think he would have been similar to?
I would envision him being a center, mainly because I believe that a good passer in basketball would easily translate to a good passer in hockey because to be able to be a good disher - whether it's basketball or hockey - it starts with having great vision and probably ends there as well. I would also suspect he would be a great at face-offs because of his great hands and the way he plays basketball with such tenaciousness which would have also have made him a fine defensive player as well.
The player I would think he would have been the most similar to I would have to say Joe Sakic, and to be honest the one thing that strikes me the most about these two is that they seem to have the style of how they carry themselves on the ice/court and off it with class, leadership through example but able to do more than what is necessary when called upon.
As far as if he could make it in the NHL I really don't see why not, he has everything you would want in a hockey player and I'm sure growing up in Canada he played it, why he stuck with basketball I suspect has more with him being in love with the game than that he didn't have what it takes to be a hockey player. I would love to know how good he was when he did play.
Also feel free to throw other non-hockey athletes who you feel if say they grew up in Toronto instead of maybe California, Texas or any state or country whether it is hockey crazed or not.
For example take Ronnie Lott who was a great safety in the NFL, if he grew up playing hockey since he was a kid I would see him maybe being a defensive defenseman who can hit but still have the skill to contribute offensively, along the lines of Scott Stevens.
I would envision him being a center, mainly because I believe that a good passer in basketball would easily translate to a good passer in hockey because to be able to be a good disher - whether it's basketball or hockey - it starts with having great vision and probably ends there as well. I would also suspect he would be a great at face-offs because of his great hands and the way he plays basketball with such tenaciousness which would have also have made him a fine defensive player as well.
The player I would think he would have been the most similar to I would have to say Joe Sakic, and to be honest the one thing that strikes me the most about these two is that they seem to have the style of how they carry themselves on the ice/court and off it with class, leadership through example but able to do more than what is necessary when called upon.
As far as if he could make it in the NHL I really don't see why not, he has everything you would want in a hockey player and I'm sure growing up in Canada he played it, why he stuck with basketball I suspect has more with him being in love with the game than that he didn't have what it takes to be a hockey player. I would love to know how good he was when he did play.
Also feel free to throw other non-hockey athletes who you feel if say they grew up in Toronto instead of maybe California, Texas or any state or country whether it is hockey crazed or not.
For example take Ronnie Lott who was a great safety in the NFL, if he grew up playing hockey since he was a kid I would see him maybe being a defensive defenseman who can hit but still have the skill to contribute offensively, along the lines of Scott Stevens.