Over the last fortnight, the biggest story in hockey has surrounded a non-hockey player. It got a lot of lawlz on Twitter when Jalen Ramsey of the Jacksonville Jaguars, whilst bragging about his competitive-ness and his athletic prowess, said he’d be able to “crack the NHL,” in an ESPN feature.
“Aside from baseball, which he says he lacks the coordination for, he’s excelled at every sport he’s ever tried. He picked up lacrosse for a season and, once he figured out how to handle the stick, ran circles around the competition. (“There’s not a lot of black people who do it,” he says, smiling.) He’s never tried skating, but if he trained for six months, he says, he could probably crack the NHL.”
As you might guess, once the Twitter crowd was done talking about if that was actually plausible, NHL players had their say. And, needless to say, they weren’t happy about the comment.
And, trust me, I get it.
“For us as players, we’ve dedicated our lives to be playing in the NHL. To think after six months you could come play arguably one of the hardest sports in the world? I mean, I think it’s ridiculous he would say that. It’s ignorant,” Jack Eichel told ESPN after the fact, and it’s incredibly valid to feel as if Ramsey’s comments were a diss at dedicating a life to be able to be a professional hockey player.
But, there are a couple of things that are missing from this conversation.
First of all, while again Eichel’s comments about NHL players dedicating their lives to being pro hockey players is valid, it isn’t like Ramsey is some schlub off the street. He, himself, is a professional athlete, and if his talents are as vast as he claims (especially if he picked up lacrosse as well as he said he did), then there’s no reason to think if he trained eight hours a day for half a year, he wouldn’t become proficient on the ice.
Secondly, and even though others will probably disprove this notion considering how outspoken Ramsey is, but I think everyone is taking “crack the NHL,” a little too seriously. For an example, take a look at another former NFLer in Tim Tebow. Who among us (I know I did) thought his baseball career was all a weird publicity stunt? Well, he just wrapped up his second professional year in the minors, and did so in Double-A.
Long story short here is professional athletes are incredibly talented in many ways. I wouldn’t put it past an NFL player to think they’d be able to compete in the NBA or NHL, just as I wouldn’t put it past an NHL player to think they would hold their own on the hardwood or gridiron.
Can’t wait for everyone to tell me how wrong I am about this, but before that happens, HERE’S YO NEWS!
Columbus Blue Jackets News
- It’s Traverse City time! We have something of an open thread, along with CBJ competitors, for you to check out.
- For some in-depth notes on the Jackets after two games, BlueJackets.com has you covered.
- George Richards, who took over for Portzy at the Dispatch, has announced he is no longer with the Dispatch.
- Not sure how long this’ll be the case, but for now, Jackets coverage from the Dispatch rests on the shoulders of Adam Jardy.
- It was fun, but as is the case with all good things, it had to end. Our Top 25 Under 25 series is over, but the conversation continues! If you missed any of our coverage, click here.
- Our William Chase got to have a one-on-one with Jody Shelly. If for some reason you haven’t checked that out yet, fix that.
- Did you guys see that Myles Garrett is now the Jackets’ biggest fan?
- The Jackets renewed a lot of key figures in the front office. Is the man behind the bench next?/
NHL News
- Broad Street Hockey says the Jackets have one of the 10 best lines in the game.
- I’m going to level with you all – I’m not the best judge of what is worth to highlight here with such a long time between our posts. So, I’ll leave you with just one link today. Don’t hate me./
Sports News
- Browns…wyd.
- It’s Seattle vs. Washington for the WNBA Finals. I’m still salty my beloved Atlanta Dream didn’t make it.
- !!! FLETCHER’S WEIRD SPORTS ALRET !!! The National Lacrosse League announced their schedule, the first that includes new teams San Diego Seals and Philadelphia Wings (who are an old team that moved so this Wings is technically new). We are fans of the Georgia Swarm and will talk about them much more come December.
- Serena Williams not only lost the U.S. Open title this weekend, but was also fined $17K for getting in an altercation with an official.
- It literally pains me to type this, but Kentucky snapped their 31-game losing streak to the Florida Gators this weekend in what was a bonkers weekend for NCAA football. I would like to point out that Kentucky is still on an active two-game losing streak to my Western Kentucky Hilltoppers./