Laurinaitis draws from hockey background
01/06/2008 -
By Jim Ralabate
PA SportsTicker College Football Editor NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) - You won't find too many ice hockey rinks
in New Orleans. In fact, there is only a handful of rinks in
the entire state of Louisiana. After all, hockey isn't even played in the Southeastern
Conference, where football reigns supreme. But sticks and skates are common tools of the trade in the Big
Ten Conference, where schools like Michigan, Michigan State,
Wisconsin, Minnesota and even Ohio State have big-time hockey
programs. The Big Ten doesn't actually participate in college hockey, as
the aforementioned hockey programs are dispersed out in
conferences such as the CCHA and the WCHA. Still, hockey is a major staple up north - something Ohio State
All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis knows all too well. "It's kind of like football in Ohio or football in Texas," said
Laurinaitis, who grew up less than 20 miles from Minneapolis in
Hamel, Minnesota. The Butkus Award winner and the Big Ten's defensive player of
the year in 2007, Laurinaitis comes from a diverse background
which included a very successful stint in hockey. During his years at Hamel's Wayzata High School, Laurinaitis was
a star defenseman and senior captain for the Trojans' hockey
team. "We used to get thousands of people at every game," he said.
"It was something that was fun to play in high school." Laurinaitis claimed he was a hard-nosed, physical blue-liner at
Wayzata - something that isn't too difficult to imagine judging
from his exploits on the gridiron. Several scouts predicted that had he decided to stay with
hockey, Laurinaitis could have been a second- or third-round NHL
draft selection. But the 244-pounder admits he definitely had
his limitations on the ice. "I definitely wasn't a stick-handler," he said. "I mainly was a
physical presence." It isn't difficult to envision Laurinaitis drilling someone in
the neutral zone or pinning someone up against the boards, since
the junior is a member of an extremely physical family. His older brother, Joey, currently is in the United States Army
and his younger sister, Jessica, is also an outstanding hockey
player. Laurinaitis' most famous family member is his father, Joe, a
former professional wrestler known as "The Animal" from the
legendary WWE tag team "The Road Warriors." "It was fun," said Laurinaitis, reminiscing to his days
backstage during his father's wrestling matches. "I have a lot
of fond memories - getting to meet guys like Hulk Hogan, the
Rock, Stone Cold. I got to see those guys on a regular basis." Rubbing shoulders with pro wrestlers or racing down the ice to
help kill off a penalty are not exactly common childhood
experiences for most college football players. But for James Laurinaitis, arguably the best linebacker in the
NCAA today, it was all part of growing up.
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