Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Earlier this month, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings squared off in an NHL Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium. After the success of the NHL’s Winter Classic, the league decided to expand the amount of outdoor games by introducing the Stadium Series in 2014. When the puck drops on Saturday evening, Columbus will be the 30th of 32 NHL teams to compete in an NHL outdoor game. This will mark the seventh NHL outdoor game held on campus at a college football stadium, with the first being the 2014 NHL Winter Classic that was played at Michigan Stadium.
Since the Blue Jackets played in The Horseshoe, we figured it would be fun to think of Ohio State football players that would have made great hockey players. We are going to allow for Buckeyes past and present to be included in the discussion, since there are plenty of great former Buckeyes, as well as options currently on the team that would see some of what makes them great on the football field translate to the ice. Maybe there is a Buckeye that resembles a Blue Jacket, much like Braxton Miller’s playmaking ability resembles that of Artemi Panarin.
After over 20 years in the NHL, it’s about time the Columbus Blue Jackets played at one of the most historic stadiums in the country. The Blue Jackets have some of the best fans in the land, who have stuck with the team despite not seeing a lot of success over the years. This year Columbus is in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, which puts even more importance on what was an outstanding event.
Today’s question: What Ohio State football player would excel playing hockey?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: James Laurinaitis
I feel like I’m cheating with this answer since James Laurinaitis is from Minnesota, so you are pretty much given a hockey stick and pair of skates at birth. Laurinaitis played both football and hockey in high school, and was actually projected as a second or third round pick in the NHL Draft, but teams didn’t pursue Laurinaitis since they assumed he would opt to play football instead. Luckily for Ohio State fans, the fear of NHL scouts came to fruition since he would go on to be one of the best linebackers in school history.
Compared to what Laurinaitis measured in height and weight at the NFL Combine, he would have been a perfect thumper in the NHL. By that I mean he is the same height and just a little heavier than current Blue Jacket Mathieu Olivier, who has become a fan favorite because of his willingness to give out hits to opponents and get into fights. Olivier does more than just fight, though. This year he has a career-high 10 goals, and I’m sure that Laurinaitis would light the lamp more often than not if he had stuck with hockey.
Honestly though, how perfect would somebody whose nickname is “Little Animal” be for a hockey player? It’s well known that hockey players are a special breed of crazy, so it would make sense that one would come from a family with a couple of big names from the professional wrestling business. All joking aside, it’s obvious Laurinaitis strives to be the best at everything he does, so even if he ended up playing hockey instead of football, he likely would have found just as much success as he did during his football career.
Mattt’s answer: Caleb Downs
I have long believed that there were no better athletes in professional sports than hockey players. They have to have the speed of basketball players, the toughness of football players, and the skill of baseball players… and they have to do it all while skating on blades that are three millimeters thick.
So, when thinking about which Buckeye could be the most dangerous on the ice, only one named popped out to me, the best player on the team, Caleb Downs. In just one year in Columbus, we have seen the safety do just about everything you could possibly want from a defensive back — save rack up a ton of interceptions (he had two on the season).
During the season — especially after the coaches began moving him closer to the line of scrimmage — Downs was able to play like a heat-seeking missile, finding ball-carriers wherever they were on the field. It was not uncommon for him to be seen on one side of the field to start the play, but then make a tackle on the other side. Oh, and when he made a tackle, he made sure that the offensive player felt it.
Downs is an all-around defender who is able to combine elite athleticism with an other-worldly on-field intelligence. He understands spacing and schemes, which would obviously help him in the fast-paced action of a hockey game.
But don’t forget, he is not just a defense threat, he’s pretty good with the ball in his hand too. In the November game against Indiana, Downs did something that no Buckeye had done in exactly one decade and one day; he returned a punt for a touchdown.
Because of how few people are on the ice at a time, sometimes you have to count on your defenders to also supply some offense. Caleb Downs has proven that there is very little that he can’t do on a football field, and while I have never seen him ice skate, you will never find me doubting his athletic ability. I mean, come on, watch those highlights and tell me he wouldn’t be dominant on a hockey rink!