If you thought J.J. Watt was imposing as a defensive end, imagine him on skates.
Zdeno Chara 2.0, anyone?
The Houston Texans star and reigning defensive player of the year told Peter King that growing up in Wisconsin, hockey was his first love. He and his brothers played travel hockey as kids, and when he attended Wisconsin, he loved seeing the Badgers play.
Watt said that he had to stop playing hockey at age 13 because it was too expensive.
"Really, I had to quit. It was financial," Watt told King. "I have two younger brothers and we were all playing on a travel team, and it was extremely expensive. My family is a middle-class family. When I grew up and learned how much it actually cost for us to play hockey, I could not believe that my parents let us play as long as they did. Now I’m forever grateful for my parents even giving me the opportunity, because honestly those were some of the best years of my life."
Watt still follows hockey closely, and he told NHL.com that he would love to make it to the Olympics to watch hockey.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Watt identified Chara, the Bruins 6-foot-9 defenseman, as his favorite player.
"He's representing for all us big guys out there," the 6-foot-5 Watt said of Chara. "I love him. I love his physical brand of hockey."
(H/T to For The Win)
