Flames' Hudler holds court with tennis players

By foxsports
Published

Calgary Flames forward Jiri Hudler isn't afraid to expand his horizons.

Last year, Hudler put on his hockey gear - minus the skates - and took part in a Los Angeles Lakers practice. On Saturday, the diminutive hockey star elected to stay a bit closer to home in terms of his sport of choice - ball hockey.

Hudler joined fellow NHL forwards Cedric Paquette (Tampa Bay Lightning), Lars Eller (Montreal Canadiens), Antoine Roussel (Dallas Stars) and Alex Burrows (Vancouver Canucks) and Canadian gold medal-winning Olympic hockey star Marie-Philip Poulin in a ball hockey game at the Rogers Cup this weekend.

Unlike when he accepted the Lady Byng Trophy in June, the 31-year-old Hudler opted to keep his shoes on as the NHLers faced off versus ATP coaches Jesse Levine and Isade Juneau as well as former players Martin Damm, Jonas Bjorkman, Magnus Norman and Thomas Johansson.

The tennis contingent emerged victorious on National Bank Court as Norman scored in the shootout while Roussel's bid to answer was off the mark.

(h/t Rogers Cup)