With the Winnipeg Jets signing Kyle Wellwood to a one-year contract, the team might be banking on him having changed his conditioning regimen since playing for the Canucks and Leafs.
Wellwood was criticized in both Toronto and Vancouver for being unfit for NHL hockey. Canucks coach Alain Vigneault had said that Wellwood's conditioning was "still not NHL caliber."
Even more troubling is that Wellwood's new teammate, Dustin Byfuglien, recently tipped the scales at 286 lbs. Now, defensemen are expected to carry a little extra heft on their frames, but nearly 300 lbs?
And that's not to say that overweight, unconditioned athletes haven't had a measure of success in professional leagues in the past. Here's a list of a few of them:
1. Babe Ruth
2. Turk Broda: Leafs goaltender famously stuffed oranges in his pads; a snack during stoppages in play!
3. David "Boomer" Wells: the "Hefty Lefty" pitcher
4. William 'The Refrigerator' Perry: footballer once weighed in at 382 lbs.
5. John Daly
6. All sumo wrestlers
