John Tortorella is poking fun at fellow Ohio sports star LeBron James.
According to Keith Britton of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Tortorella jokingly asserted James wouldn’t be able to transition to hockey despite his athletic prowess. Torts challenged him to skate with the Blue Jackets.
.@BlueJacketNHL head coach John Tortorella on whether LeBron could play hockey on @BullandFox pic.twitter.com/A5tFfbT2zX
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) January 18, 2017
“Not a chance,” Tortorella said.
“He can’t skate. He’s too damn big, he can’t skate. And you can tell him I said that, I challenge him. Tell him to get his ass out here and come on the ice with us. I want to see him skate.”
Basketball and hockey are two totally different sports requiring skills in different areas. Can LeBron even skate? I don’t know. But, I would never count LeBron James out on anything. He’s the type of competitor who would learn how to skate and be naturally good at it. Give him a year or two, and I’d bet LeBron could be a functional hockey player – even if that’s not at the pro level.
Regardless, we need to see LeBron (and other Cavaliers if they’re game) participate in a morning skate with the Blue Jackets. Then, we need to see the Jackets lace up their sneakers and face the Cavs on the court. I’d bet neither team would stand a chance at their opposition’s respective sport. Let’s hope Torts’ suggestion is at least entertained.
