Pittsburgh Penguins' players talk about which Summer Olympic sports they think they can compete in.
With the 2026 Olympics already underway in Milan and Cortina, four Pittsburgh Penguins' players in Sidney Crosby (Canada), Erik Karlsson (Sweden), Rickard Rakell (Sweden), and Arturs Silovs (Latvia) are headed overseas to represent their respective countries at the Winter Games.
Of course, playing hockey in the Winter Olympics and repping one's country is every NHL player's dream, and that doesn't figure to change anytime soon. But what if hockey wasn't the only option?
In the spirit of the games, I asked the guys if they could pick not another winter sport, but one Summer Olympic sport, that they feel they could excel at or possibly compete in. And the responses did not disappoint.
Noel Acciari: Let me see… I’m not the greatest swimmer, so I don’t think swimming’s in the cards. Probably handball. I used to be a really good handball player in gym class in high school, so… whenever it’s on, I try and catch it. It’s rarely on, but when it is, I’ll stop and I’ll watch it. Doesn’t matter what country is playing. I’ll go handball.
Justin Brazeau: I mean, I think I’d have to go golf for the Olympics. I play a lot of it, and I don’t think anything else would translate very well.
Egor Chinakhov: I don’t know. Probably soccer.
Connor Clifton: Summer Olympic sport? I don’t think there is one. I’m a one-sport athlete here. I do like watching the Summer Olympics, but I like the idea of being a winter athlete so I’m free in the summer, you know? I don’t think I can do anything else but hockey. I mean, I could swim for fun, but never with them. I’m okay at it, but not that. I usually swim to relax, not to exercise, you know?
No track and field, either? I hate running. Awful runner. Maybe I could pole vault. I’ve never tried it. I’m sure it’s hard, but it would be a lot of fun, right? I think it would be a lot of fun. Could I do it with them? Absolutely not. But if you’re asking what I’d try, it’s that, for sure.
Fair enough. Any other winter Olympic sport, then? Yeah, skiing. Those crazy guys going down… Oh my god, they’re going fast down that hill. I haven’t skied since before high school, I think I was 13. So, that’s 17 years ago. I always loved skiing. My mom always would yell at me because I was just a mad man going down the hill as a kid, but it was always fun. I do miss that.
Sidney Crosby: Maybe tennis or rowing. I think rowers are probably bigger, though, like, taller?
I don’t know, honestly. I imagine having long arms would help. Yeah, probably. I’d say tennis or rowing. I love the track events like the 100-meter, but… yeah, I don’t know if that’s my strength.
Cliffy said pole vault. [Laughs] Really? Yeah no, that’s not for me.
Connor Dewar: I’d do track and field. I used to run the 400 and the 800, so maybe those two. I can jump, too.
Kevin Hayes: None of them. But, if I had to pick one, swimming. Basketball is too easy. So, swimming. But, I’m literally the worst swimmer. So, not because I’m good, but people who see that are going to laugh.
Erik Karlsson: Either long jump, or, what’s it called when they take three steps and then jump? I don’t know what it’s called in English. That one.
Ben Kindel: Summer sport, I would say… I know soccer has under-23, so maybe that. That’s gotta be my best bet.
Rutger McGroarty: We were actually talking about this the other day. Is breakdancing still a part of it? If so, I’d definitely say my best chance is probably the breakdancing. Ooh, or maybe I could do handball. I feel like I could compete in some handball.
Are you going to follow suit with that Australian breakdancer from the last Olympics? Uh… I don’t know if that is my plan, but I kind of liked it.
Tommy Novak: Golf wouldn’t be for me. But, I think handball would be fun. That’s kind of a “thinking” game like hockey, so I think that could be what I maybe play.
Rickard Rakell: Table tennis.
Are you a good table tennis player? I'm not bad. At all. I played a lot of racket sports growing up. My grandfather, he won a bronze medal in the World Championships in table tennis, so it runs a little bit in my family. My dad is a tennis coach, so we played a lot of tennis, too. But, I love watching the table tennis.
Ryan Shea: I mean, does golf count? I would say golf. I’m a big golfer, I probably play three or four times a week in the summer. That’s probably my biggest hobby outside of hockey. So, I would feel the most confident about that. That’s probably the most common answer you’re going to get from hockey players.
I don't know, I got some track and field, soccer, a couple of handballs. Who said handball?
Noel and Rutger, so far. I could see ‘Cookie.’ Cookie’s good at every backyard game, like darts, all those games, he’s incredible at. Anything that has to do with those types of sports, he’s good at. Anything like that.
Arturs Silovs: I mean, for running, I feel like you need to be really tall. Like, how tall is Usain Bolt? Really tall. Like, 6-foot-5, right? Basketball, maybe? Soccer? I think soccer's only under-23. But, I think those two. I’m not a great swimmer. So, that’s the closest, I think, that I could be good at.
Maybe soccer's something post-retirement for you? No, definitely not. I have to save the ankles and knees.
Stuart Skinner: I don’t know if I’d do well in any of them. I’m a terrible runner. Maybe long jump?
Karl said long jump, too. Oh yeah? I’d beat him in long jump.
Parker Wotherspoon: Aw, tough. Summer sports? I mean, golf would be the ideal one. I love golf, that would be, probably, the coolest sport. Obviously, the Olympic sprinting is elite, probably the biggest is the 100-meter, but that’s way out of my league. I would never be able to be in that. Is softball in it? It’s for women’s only, right?
It’s been in and out of it. If there was [men’s], I would join that and be the best, probably. I don’t know if I have the ability to go solo in any events. I’m more of a team guy.
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