What if these Pittsburgh Penguins stars played other sports?

Hockey players are professional athletes, no question about it. What if these Pittsburgh Penguins stars played other sports? What positions would they play?

It’s an age-old question, is it not? What if this, or what if that, well what if Sidney Crosby played football? Or what if Matt Murray was in between a different set of pipes? We take our dive at these questions and look at who on the Pittsburgh Penguins might be good at other sports.

For starters, the purpose of this article isn’t to make up some high flying ideas; no, on the contrary, we tried to realistically move players to a position within a sport that might fit them. Additionally, we’ve seen it before (Bo Jackson, Deon Sanders, Jerome Iginla, etc.), so in the words of JP from Angels in the Outfield, “Hey, it could happen.” Here are our unrealistic, realistic player moves.

Sidney Crosby

New Sport: Soccer (Midfielder)

In some ways, the world of soccer isn’t too much different than that of hockey. A soccer pitch is much bigger than a hockey rink, but a lot of the rules remain that same. Sidney Crosby could easily take his skills and move them in the midfield role on a “football” pitch. His commanding presence on the ice would easily convert over, and he may not be legendary, but he would certainly turn some heads.

What if these Pittsburgh Penguins stars played other sports?

Matt Murray

New Sport: Baseball (Catcher)

Catcher; noun: A fielder positioned behind home plate to catch pitches not hit by the batter and to execute vital defensive plays. Doesn’t that sound exactly like the job that Matt Murray does night after night on the frozen waters? Murray can command a defense with the best of them, and he could easily fit into the position. Hey, aren’t the Pirates hiring?

Brian Dumoulin

New Sport: Soccer (Goalie)

Brian Dumoulin is known for his long, lean frame that can send offensive opponents into a tiff due to his reach. If you watch him back skate down the ice, it’s almost mesmerizing how much area he can cover. If he could turn that into blocking a round ball from getting into a massive net, he would be a smooth transition. Dumo’s reach alone would excel him at that role, but so would his vision and poise.

Conor Sheary

New Sport: Basketball (Point Guard)

He’s not tall, and he’s not big, but what Conor Sheary is, is scrappy. You can necessarily define him as a grinder on Sid’s Line, and he does it well. Not only does he do well at getting in the way of the opposition, but he can set up his teammates well. That is the perfect example of what a point guard does in the NBA, and Sheary could transition easily.

Jake Guentzel

New Sport: Football (Wide Receiver)

Listen, we all know that Jake Guentzel is fast, there’s no questioning that. The position of a wideout in football takes more than just speed, but Shake n Bake Jake has those qualities too. Most importantly, it is his agility and deking skills. He can control the ice and move with fluidity meaning, take off those skates, and put on some spikes and lookout; he could easily be breaking necks into the backfield.

Jason Zucker

New Sport: Golf

In the trade that finally brought Jason Zucker over to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it brought them a forward with finesse and power in his shot. Seems like the perfect transition into the world of the PGA. Not to mention, Zucker does hit the links from time to time. It could be the ideal transition in a decade or so for him after the NHL.

For this article, there are tons of honorable mentions; Geno, Marleau, Tanger, the list goes on and on, but these six stars fit the bill for what we were looking for in this debate. Let us know what you think and send us back some comments on who you think could be become stars in other professional sports.