If Prince played hockey: goalie, rated 85

Prince as a hockey player: scouting report

Prince was raised in Minneapolis, in a state that calls itself the State of Hockey, so a spot in goal feels like a homecoming. He was famous for playing almost every instrument himself, and on his debut album he is credited with performing all of them. A goalie has to be that kind of self contained performer: the last line, with no one behind him to cover a mistake. Skating is the best mark on his card and goaltending is right behind it, so his game is built on speed, edges and recovery.

His live shows were full of splits, spins and slides across the stage, and that kind of flexibility is exactly what a butterfly goalie needs to seal the ice and pop back up. At Super Bowl XLI in Miami in 2007 he played through a steady downpour, and the performance is still remembered as one of the great halftime shows, which tells you how he handles chaotic conditions and a big crowd. His passing is strong for a netminder, so he will play the puck behind the net and hit his defensemen in stride, and his defense mark means he reads plays well.

Physical play is the soft spot. He will not muscle a big forward out of his crease, so give him defensemen who clear the front of the net. If your goalie slot is full, center is his next best position, where his skating and vision would make him a slick playmaker, and right wing is a fallback. He won an Academy Award for the Purple Rain score and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he plays the way he made music, with total confidence. Draft him as a starting goalie who wins games on pure athletic skill.

Plays like A flashy, quick footed goalie who can do a bit of everything

Put Prince in your lineup

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