The NHL has a ‘small’ problem: What a series!

I learned quite a bit about the heights and weights of NHL hockey players over the years while putting together my last series of posts.


["Whatever happened to Pat LaFontaine?"]

Not enough to say my brain is encyclopedic, mind. More like it feels as heavy as a pail of pucks.

For example, I learned the following:

Harold Darragh
Team: Boston Bruins
Position: Right Wing
Birthdate: Sep 13, 1902
Height: 5.09
Weight: 145 (in 1930 - 31)

Zdeno Chara
Team: Boston Bruins
Position: Defense
Birthdate: Mar. 18, 1977
Height: 6.09
Weight: 255 (in 2010 - 11)

I calculated the following:

Chara is 17.4% taller, 69% heavier than Darragh but plays on a rink only 7.24% bigger than the one Darragh played on.

I thought about the following:

Junior age players in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), e.g., The London Knights, are all smaller (on average) than their NHL counterparts but play on the same size ice, i.e., 200 x 85 ft. When an OHL player makes it to the bigs he steps onto the same size pad to oppose players who, in the main, are taller, heavier and faster.


[“The Knights have Rob Drummond out with a concussion, Kevin Montgomery out with a leg injury and a variety of bumps and bruises.” Mar. 27, 2007, The London Free Press]

I concluded the following:

No wonder brainpans are getting rung in the NHL every other day.

NHL ice is too small.

***

Please click here to read PT 6 The NHL has a ‘small’ problem

Whatever happened to Robbie Drummond?

.