If Bob Marley played hockey: defenseman, rated 83

Bob Marley as a hockey player: scouting report

Bob Marley would play defense, but not the stay at home kind. He was famous for his love of football, the game the rest of the world calls soccer, and he played it constantly, from the streets of Trenchtown to pickup matches while on tour. A footballer's feet, balance and vision translate directly to a skating defenseman. Skating is one of the two best marks on his card, and he would glide back for loose pucks, pivot under pressure and carry the puck out of his own zone with ease.

The other headline is goaltending, which matches the calm of an artist whose music carries a message of peace and unity. Songs like Three Little Birds and One Love feel completely unhurried, and that calm is what a defenseman needs when a forechecker is bearing down on him. He built The Wailers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer and later took reggae around the world, and Time magazine named his album Exodus the album of the century. His defense and physical play are both solid, so he holds his own in the corners.

His shot is the weak spot, so he is a puck mover rather than a point shooter. Goalie is a strong second option thanks to his poise, and center is a usable third. He was a midfielder at heart, so use him the same way: as the player who connects defense to offense with a clean first pass. Pair him with a physical, stay at home partner and let him lead the breakout. Drafters who want a mobile defenseman in the middle rounds should look here.

Plays like A smooth skating puck mover with a midfielder's footwork

Put Bob Marley in your lineup

8 rolls, a starting six and a bench, 82 games. Can you go 82-0? Free, no account.