Eric Young is still passionate about the game of hockey.
Ahead of his IMPACT World Title Match at Slammiversary, Eric Young sat down with Jim Varsallone to discuss all things hockey and professional wrestling. According to Young, he still plays rec league hockey and says nothing is better for simulating the cadence of professional wrestling, an added bonus for keeping him in ring shape.
"Yeah, I mean, I was definitely really good at knocking people down, for sure. I could shoot the puck pretty decently. I was never a super fast skater but a decent skater. More of a stay-at-home defenseman when I played when there was contact because I liked to be physical. I like clearing guys out from under the net. I like getting in the corners. I like hitting people coming across the middle of the ice. That was my passion. That's what I loved and played mostly defense. Played a couple years of center and now that's usually what I play. I play center and I feel bad. Some of the guys I play with, I know that they hate me secretly because I play really hard. I'm there for the exercise. You know, there's no scouts in the crowd. I'm not working on getting a contract. I'm gonna chase every puck, I'm going to follow you, I'm gonna backtrack like a lunatic. Offense is not my thing, for sure. It happens sometimes. I blocked a shot and scored a breakaway goal last night, so it does happen sometimes. But I'm a 200-foot player and I play all over the ice and I know it irritates people because I'm playing so hard during rec league but I'm there for the exercise. It correlates good for in the ring of the going really hard, slow back down, go really hard, slow back down. There's nothing that can simulate that other than hockey for pro wrestling. So I'm there for the exercise. I don't slash people, I don't hit people, I don't push them around. I could if I wanted to, but I don't. I just play really, really hard and that's just because I'm there for the exercise," Young said.
Then asked which wrestler would make a good hockey player, Young responded will Joe Doering. He believes his fellow Violent By Design member would have made a good Broad Street Bully, the nickname given to the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s who won the Stanley Cup in 1973/74 and 1974/75.
"I mean, I'm in a group, Violent By Design. Big Joe Doering, you know, just a massive dude, crazy athlete for his size. I don't even know if he can skate, but if he could he would be a menace... He should have been born in the 60s and played for The Broad Street Bullies, the Philadelphia Flyers back in the day," he said.
Finding others who are passionate about the game isn't difficult, though, as Young says there is always at least one other big fan in every wrestling locker room.
"Yeah, I mean, it's a weird thing that does translate. I really became good friends with Renee Paquette from WWE. Met her working there. She's obviously killing it off doing her own things now. Played ringette, I think, and then played some organized hockey when she was younger. She loves it. Trying to think of some other guys. I mean, Bobby Roode obviously is still a very good friend of mine. He played all his life. Christian Cage, he played goalie. A really funny kind of interwoven story is Dan Ellis, who was the backup and then eventually the starter for the Nashville Predators, was a few years younger than Jay and when Jay played in Orangeville, all of his hand me down equipment would go to Dan Ellis. Dan went on to become a pretty good goalie in the NHL and had a really good career in the NHL. Yeah, I mean, there's tons of guys. Raj [Singh], he lives in Calgary. Crazy Calgary Flames fan and loves hockey. PCO played junior hockey when he was younger and he probably would have been terrifying. He's a crazy athlete. Big man. But yeah, there's a really huge crossover in it, which is really cool for me. Almost every locker room I'm in there's somebody there that wants to talk hockey," he said.
Outside of the IMPACT Wrestling ring, Eric Young co-hosts a hockey-centric, fantasy sports betting show called "Dangle Bet Celly" with Chris Meaney. The show airs at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the Game+ Network.
To view the updated card for IMPACT Slammiversary, which is set to take place on June 19, click here.
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