Jarret Stoll didn’t take batting practice or throw a pitch Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The Los Angeles Kings center was nursing a limp, among other aches and pains that come with playing 78 games in the NHL regular season plus another 26 in the playoffs en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

That’s a shame. Stoll played baseball about as long as one can and still reach the highest level of another professional sport. The Saskatchewan native said he played hockey and baseball up until age 17, then focused on hockey full-time.

“I enjoyed baseball, enjoyed throwing the ball around. I played first base and pitched a little bit,” he said.

Stoll recalled his fastball cracking 80 mph on the radar gun at one point, so he probably chose the right sport. He’s appeared in 719 NHL games in a career that began in 2002-03.
Continue reading “Los Angeles Kings center Jarret Stoll is rooting for the Dodgers to win the World Series.” »