
I Dig Sports
Hollywood's hockey roots: Celebrities who used to be 'prospects'

As we enter the final days before the 2019-20 NHL season begins, we're on the lookout for underrated prospects. We dug through EliteProspects.com to see if we could find some under-the-radar players who could help fill some holes around the league. Instead, what we found was a veritable pipeline from the ice to Hollywood:
Note: Click on each name to see the person's career stats.
Keanu Reeves
Years before you knew him as Neo or John Wick, Keanu Reeves went by "The Wall." When his family moved to Toronto, the young Reeves picked up street hockey and ice hockey and primarily spent his time as a goalie. However, it was when he attended De La Salle College that he earned his nickname, and team MVP honors, for his athleticism in net.
According to The Hockey News, he was good enough to earn a tryout with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. This was all a natural segue to his first movie role: a goalie in the Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze-led "Youngblood." Through the years, he has remarked on how cool it would have been to play in the NHL or on the Canadian Olympic team, but he has no regrets about taking the road that led him to be one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Steve Carell
Before he loved lamp, Steve Carell prevented other teams from lighting them.
Carell grew up in hockey-mad Boston and played goalie well enough to win a squirt-level national championship and later play for Division III Denison University in Ohio. Carell briefly entertained the thought of competing for a Division I starting job, but as a wise man once said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," and he chose the tougher path of trying to make it in show business.
Recently seen cheering on the Boston Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, Carell credits the championship Bruins teams of the '70s for inspiring him to start playing hockey as a child. At age 51, Carell had surgery on his hip to fix a hockey injury suffered 12 years earlier, and he told David Letterman in 2013 that he was ready to start playing again soon. He still plays rec league hockey in California and told CNN in 2014 that he was "the LeBron James of rec-league hockey."
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber? What do you mean? The Canadian heartthrob might never have had a formal high school or college hockey career -- blame the fame -- but he is quite visible on the ice. Bieber played in the 2017 NHL All-Star Celebrity Shootout, in which he was famously driven into the boards by Chris Pronger. The Biebs plays pickup hockey to stay in shape while on the road and has posted Instagram videos of his goals.
He also has an impressive jersey collection, including a Maple Leafs jersey (obviously), a Devils jersey, a Coyotes jersey and even a Syracuse college hockey jersey that he wore on a date with wife Hailey Baldwin.
Evel Knievel
The daredevil, known for more than 75 stunt jumps, once had a minor league hockey career. As a teenage prospect, Robert "Evel" Knievel played for the Charlotte Checkers, but the legendary motorcycle driver's Checkers career ended when he refused to ride the team bus, according to 1959 newspaper reports.
What happened next was even more impressive. No, not the Caesars Palace jump; Knievel returned to his hometown of Butte, Montana, to be the player-owner of the Butte Bombers in 1959. He persuaded the Czechoslovakian national team to play a pre-Olympics exhibition in 1960 in Butte. The Bombers and starting center Knievel lost 22-3 and did not have enough money to pay the Czech delegation for the game.
Paris Hilton
In a 2007 interview, hotel heiress Paris Hilton was asked about her special talents, and she responded: "shopping, ice hockey and cooking." Huh? Well, before dominating tabloid headlines in the mid-2000s, Hilton was part of the 1998 Canterbury School hockey team. The school counts 1994 Olympian Mike Dunham among its alumni.
Hilton's reviews from the Connecticut prep school were ... not that hot. For starters, she didn't know what position she played, as she "would always move around." A former teammate told media that Hilton wasn't a particularly good skater and spent more of her concentration on trying to stand up. Perhaps the biggest sign that Hilton wasn't destined for success on the ice was that her helmet wouldn't fit properly, and when teammates removed it, they found her banana hair clip underneath to keep her hair in place.
Dave Coulier
Years before playing Uncle Joey on "Full House," the Detroit native was an avid hockey player.
He played hockey at Harper Woods High School in Michigan and continued to play recreationally as an adult after moving to California, even incorporating it into the plot of a "Full House" episode.
Coulier's hockey connections run deep, as he has worn Red Wings jerseys on "Full House" and "Fuller House," has served as an assistant coach at the NHL Centennial Alumni Game, and introduced co-star Candace Cameron to her husband, Valeri Bure.
Taylor Kitsch
The British Columbia native has played hockey since the age of 3 and was good enough to make it to junior league. The "Friday Night Lights" star played for the then-Langley Hornets in the BCHL before a knee injury ended his hockey career. As one door closed, another opened, and Kitsch transitioned into modeling and acting, moving to the United States soon afterward.
Michael Buble
Buble didn't spend any time in junior hockey or college hockey, but he is an owner of the WHL's Vancouver Giants. Like many Vancouver natives, Buble played hockey as a child, although he did so while dedicating himself to a career in music. The crooner once postponed a concert to fly home to Vancouver to witness Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. It didn't end well, as the Stanley Cup is one thing Vancouver hasn't met yet. Meanwhile, Buble has a full-size hockey rink at his mansion near Vancouver.
Richard Dean Anderson
He is known for his portrayal of the ever-resourceful secret agent Angus MacGyver, but acting wasn't the first career goal for the Minnesota native.
As a teenager, he wanted to be a professional hockey player, but his career ended because of repeated arm injuries.
Years later, Anderson launched the Celebrity All-Stars hockey team, a group of actors and other personalities who played hockey to raise money for charity. Teammates included Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox and Alan Thicke. Through his fundraising efforts, Anderson has been able to share the ice with legends including Bobby Orr, Mike Eruzione and Gordie Howe.
Tom Glavine
The 1984 NHL draft is notable for a few reasons. In addition to producing three Calder Trophy winners, it featured five Hall of Famers -- but only four in hockey. Baseball Hall of Famer Glavine was a good enough center to be drafted in the fourth round, ahead of Hockey Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille.
Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him, Glavine was also selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the MLB draft just five days earlier, and he chose baseball. One scouting report on the Massachusetts native mentioned his good skating and scoring ability, as well as a quick release on his wrist shot. A former Kings assistant told USA Today that he saw Glavine as a third-line center who could match up with the other team's top line. We think he made an OK choice to go with the Braves.
Windred fires bogey-free 63 to take lead at Asia-Pacific Amateur

SHANGHAI – Blake Windred had a bogey-free 9-under 63 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
Windred had four birdies on the front nine and five on the back, including birdies on his final four holes, at the Sheshan International Golf Club on Thursday.
"I need more of the same over the next few rounds," Windred said. "Hitting fairways is so crucial around here. Once I got the speed of the greens, I did OK."
Junhong Park was in second place after a 65, with seven players three behind with 68s.
The winner receives an invitation to compete in the Masters at Augusta and the British Open, while the runner-up gets a place in final qualifying for British Open.
Earlier Thursday, tournament officials said the event would return to Royal Melbourne in 2020 for the second time.
The tournament will be held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, 2020. When it was held at Royal Melbourne in 2014, it was won by Antonio Murdaca.
The Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and the R&A, who run the tournament, made the announcement from Shanghai.
Watch: Westwood drains hole-in-one at Dunhill Links

Lee Westwood didn't turn any heads for most of Thursday during the opening round of the Dunhill Links Championship, but that all changed in the blink of an eye.
After starting the day on Carnoustie's 10th hole, Westwood turned in even par. One birdie, one bogey in an otherwise ho-hum outward nine. Much of his inward nine was the same, with a lone birdie at the par-5 sixth. However, sparks began to fly shortly after that with one swing.
Better late than never, right? The ace moved Westwood to 3 under, where he would finish the day with an opening 69. Still, Westwood remains T-53 and six back of the lead held by Justin Walters.
Walters (63) catches fire at Old Course to lead Dunhill Links

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Justin Walters shot a 9-under 63 for his lowest score on the European Tour in six years, giving him a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Thursday.
Walters, ranked No. 444, has not recorded a top-20 finish in 23 events on the tour this season but found some form on the Old Course at St. Andrews, one of three Scottish venues for the pro-am event.
Every player in the field plays 18 holes at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, before returning to the Old Course for the fourth and final round Sunday.
Three players - Victor Perez, Jordan Smith, and Ryan Fox - shot 64 at St. Andrews, with Adrian Otaegui shooting the same score at Kingsbarns.
The best score at Carnoustie, traditionally the toughest of the three courses, was a 65 by Matthew Southgate, who was in a six-way tie for sixth place overall.
Justin Rose, who was playing alongside singer Justin Timberlake, was in a large group on 4 under after a 68 at Kingsbarns. Second-ranked Rory McIlroy also played there and shot 70.
Molinari fights through jet lag to card opening 66 at Safeway Open

NAPA, Calif. – Don’t blame Francesco Molinari if he’s looking a little ragged this week while strolling the fairways at the Safeway Open.
Molinari arrived in wine country fresh off a title defense at the BMW PGA Championship in England, an intercontinental trek across eight time zones that didn’t land the former Open champ in California until Tuesday evening.
“I’m based in London, so it’s not the first time. I did it for the U.S. Open this year, but at least then I traveled on the Monday,” Molinari said. “I’m not sleeping great. I’m waking up early, but I had two early tee times yesterday and today, so that kind of helped.”
Molinari showed no signs of jet lag while making his first competitive start at Silverado Resort & Spa, shooting a 6-under 66 that left him one shot behind early leader Adam Scott. Molinari’s success came in spite of a wayward driver, as the Italian missed 11 of his first 12 fairways and found just three of 14 on the round.
But he made up for it in other ways, curling in more than 83 feet of putts including seven birdies to rank among the early putting leaders Thursday.
“I think the golf course, it’s really hard to hit the fairways, especially when you’ve got a breeze,” Molinari said. “I didn’t hit the ball great off the tee, so I had to do it from the rough. Short game was very good and I made a lot of putts, so obviously that helps a lot.”
While many players are easing their way into a new PGA Tour season, Molinari’s globetrotting campaign won’t let up anytime soon. Last week was his first European Tour start of the year, meaning he’ll play upcoming events in Italy, Turkey and Dubai to maintain his membership. Next month’s Italian Open made logistics for playing in the PGA Tour’s Asian Swing difficult, meaning he’ll skip that trifecta of lucrative events.
But the hectic schedule also opened up a window for him to make his first-ever trek to Napa, where he’s quickly found his footing despite a lack of sleep.
“I’ve only spent two days here, but so far I’m loving it,” he said. “I love California in general, and I’ve never been to this part so I wanted to see it as well.”
Sources: Nice player stole teammate's €70k watch

Nice forward Lamine Diaby-Fadiga has admitted to stealing teammate Kasper Dolberg's watch from a team dressing room last week, sources have confirmed to ESPN FC
The story was first reported by French outlet L'Equipe.
Diaby-Fadiga, 18, is one of the most promising prospects at the club, where he's been since joining the academy at age 13. Alongside his lawyers, he confessed his crime to the club, apologised to Dolberg and manager Patrick Vieira, and promised to reimburse his teammate for the full value of the watch.
The timepiece is worth €70,000.
Dolberg pressed charges against an unknown perpetrator he denoted as "X" last week after discovering the watch had been stolen during a training session. An official investigation was later opened by the police.
Nice are also investigating the matter on their side and Diaby-Fadiga risks having his contract terminated for gross misconduct as well as risking a criminal conviction.
The former France U16, U17 and U19 international made his debut for Nice as a 16-year-old and made six appearances for the first team last season.

Barcelona will appeal the €300 fine handed down by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over alleged irregularities regarding the transfer of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, sources have told ESPN FC.
The competition committee of the RFEF ruled on Thursday that Barcelona were guilty of a "minor infringement" of article 126 of the disciplinary code when negotiating the signing of Griezmann in the summer.
- ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now!
- When does the transfer window reopen?
It ruled out giving Barcelona a one-match stadium ban and cleared Griezmann of any wrongdoing. Atletico reported Barcelona and Griezmann to the Spanish FA for negotiating with the France international while he was still under contract.
"This committee is aware that the payment of €300, beyond it's purely symbolic gesture, will not contribute to the club being punished in this case and probably other clubs that may be in this situation in the future, to fit their conduct within the required rules," the statement said.
However, sources have told ESPN FC that Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing. They do not believe there is any proof and suggest paying the fine would be an admission of guilt -- and will therefore appeal the decision.
Atletico, meanwhile, told ESPN FC: "It doesn't merit a comment. The club's legal services will continue to work to defend its interests."
Barcelona announced the signing of Griezmann in July for €120 million but Atletico complained that the Catalan club had not paid enough to trigger the player's buy-out clause.
The clause had dropped from €200m to €120m on July 1, but Atletico claim that Griezmann's May 14 announcement that he was leaving the club is proof a deal was struck between the player and Barcelona earlier.
However, the judge considered Barcelona only started negotiating with Griezmann after the player's announcement.
"It is important to highlight that the contacts between FC Barcelona occurred once the player had manifested his intention to leave Atletico Madrid," the statement added.
Atletico have 10 days to make their appeal.
Source: USMNT to hold camp at WC '22 host Qatar

The U.S. men's national team is making plans to hold its January training camp in Qatar, the host country for the 2022 World Cup, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Yahoo Sports was first to report the news.
- Pulisic Watch: Is lack of playing time at Chelsea worrisome?
The source also confirmed that no agreement has been finalized, though manager Gregg Berhalter did visit the country following the most recent international window. If the deal does go through, the U.S. is hoping to play a friendly in Qatar before returning stateside for another match.
The trip to Qatar would allow the U.S. to familiarize itself with a host of logistical issues, including training sites, stadiums, hotels and transportation.
The U.S. has long held the annual get-together in Southern California, usually in the Los Angeles area. It has usually featured MLS players just getting back to fitness ahead of their league seasons. But in terms of location, exceptions have been made in the past. In 2014, then-U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann opted to hold part of the camp in Sao Paulo ahead of that year's World Cup, which Brazil hosted.
Most recently, Berhalter held his first camp as U.S. manager at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., just outside of San Diego.
Messi The Best vote fix claims: FIFA issue denial

FIFA have denied allegations of foul play with regards to the voting as Lionel Messi was named Best Men's Player at the FIFA The Best awards in Milan on Monday.
Nicaragua captain Juan Barrera has said he did not vote for the Barcelona forward, who beat Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award, with votes cast by national team manager and captains as well as various media representatives.
- ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now!
- When does the transfer window reopen?
"We have checked the voting documents submitted by the Nicaraguan FA and all documents are signed and confirmed with the official stamp of the Nicaraguan FA," A FIFA spokesperson told ESPN FC.
"Having compared with the vote sheets submitted by the federation and the ones we have published on FIFA.com, we confirm that we have the right votes signed by the player. We are asking the Nicaraguan Football Federations to inquire on this matter."
Barrera, who is recorded as having voted for Messi as his first choice with Sadio Mane as his No. 2 and Ronaldo in third place, said in a social media post he had not taken part.
"I did not vote in The Best 2019 awards," he wrote on Twitter. "Any information about me is false."
Barrera was asked why he voted for Messi by journalists in his homeland, where he again denied casting a vote.
"I did not vote for Messi," he told La Prensa. "Last year, I did vote, but this year I did not."
The report also added that Barrera said while last year he received an email with instructions on how to cast his vote, this time around he received nothing.
Meanwhile, FIFA said votes from Egypt for Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah did not count because signatures on the ballot "were in capital letters and thus seemed not valid (not authentic)," and "voting forms were also not signed by the (federation) general secretary which is mandatory."
The Egypt Football Federation had questioned why ballot papers on behalf of their national team coach and captain were not included in a FIFA document published after Monday's ceremony.
FIFA said their voting office is monitored by independent auditors. They noted Egypt were first contacted for confirmation of the ballots then "received two reminders to submit the properly signed voting forms on Aug. 19."
The Egyptian federation was in turmoil in July and August after their leadership resigned due to the national team's round of 16 exit to South Africa at the African Cup of Nations they hosted.
Later in August, FIFA sent an emergency management team to run the Egypt federation.
Information from Associated Press was used in this report
Power Rankings: Inter take over on top; Liverpool climb; Real, Atletico return

The Serie A leaders claim top spot in Shaka's latest countdown, while the European champions are on the up and there are five new entries!
Dropping out: PSG, Barcelona, Dortmund, Sevilla, Tottenham
Agree? Disagree? Let us know, and watch Shaka defend his picks on ESPN FC TV, which airs daily on ESPN+.