National Hockey League

NHL head coach John Tortorella says there's 'not a chance' LeBron James could play hockey

Published Jan. 18, 2017 6:14 p.m. ET

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Dan Carson

After what feels like a longer than usual hiatus from someone in sports weighing in on the popular "Could LeBron dominate [sport that is not basketball]?" hypothetical, the take mill was set back into motion by the NHL's own John Tortorella.

The Columbus Blue Jackets head coach weighed in on Ye Olde LeBron-thetical on Wednesday in no uncertain terms, saying there's no way the Cavaliers' 6'8" superstar could manage the game of hockey. Per CBS Cleveland's Keith Britton:

https://twitter.com/KeithBritton86/status/821835564341198848

Britton says Tortorella seemed to be having fun with the question, and probably wasn't offering a serious #LeTake.

Tortorella probably wasn't trying to be jerk, which isn't exactly a simple gear change for one of the NHL's more consistently furious human beings. But he put it on the table, so we might as well look at it:

Could LeBron play, and perhaps even excel at, hockey? Some thoughts.

First, it should be noted that tall people are not anathema to the Canadian winter sport. The Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara stands 6'9" and a 'Bron-ish 256 pounds, and is widely considered to be one of the last people you ever want to encounter in an ice hockey game. So there's precedent in tall people being able to stand on frozen water.

Even more important is our second point: We're talking about LeBron James. If an angry gangle-reaper like Chara has the core balance to do it, he can do it. And if he can't, well, I guess I can live in a hypothetical world of my own making where LeBron's imaginary hockey career went up in smoke, a la MJ and the Sox.

[Takes off LeBron-thetical hat, stores in spring-loaded box].

Dan is on Twitter. By the year 2022, all U.S. currency will be backed by LeBron Takes.

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