Forget the memes of “Hot Girl Summer” — it’s time for “Tall Guy Fall.”
*No, we are not actually rooting for tall guys to fall.
Instead, as baseball season, dominated the past few weeks by the 6-foot-7 Aaron Judge’s chase of the American League home run record, turns to hockey season, we’re reminded that the tallest NHL player of all time, 6-9 Zdeno Chara retired this summer, leaving a lanky opening at the, ahem, top.
Here in Detroit, the Red Wings have featured Swedish forward Elmer Soderblom, who stands 6-8 without skates, in their first three preseason games to test his NHL potential. But he’s not the only stretched-out skater vying for Chara’s neck-bending torch, with five teams sporting players on their preseason roster at 6-8 or taller, and every team having at least one player at 6-5.
CARLOS MONARREZ:I tried to watch the Detroit Red Wings’ defense but couldn’t take my eyes off this player
And so, here is the tallest player on every NHL preseason roster (as of Sept. 30):
Anaheim Ducks: G Anthony Stolarz, 6-6
Does it seem like cheating to go with a guy who spends all game crouching? Probably, but the New Jersey native still has 2 inches on the next tallest veteran Duck (which seems like an oxymoron), forward Pavol Regenda. Wings fans who hold a grudge may remember Stolarz, a Nebraska-Omaha alumnus, from a December 2016 overtime shutout in which he stopped all 28 Red Wings shots with the Flyers. (He’ll be fighting for his roster spot with another towering goalie — another oxymoron! — as the Ducks claimed 6-7 netminder Jonas Johansson off waivers from Colorado on Friday.)
Arizona Coyotes: F Nick Bjugstad, 6-6
The 2010 first-round pick (No. 19 overall) spent his first seven seasons with the Florida Panthers before short stints with the Penguins and Wild; hopefully, the free-agent signee won’t bump his head on the roof of the Coyotes’ new home, which seats a cozy 5,000 on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe.
Boston Bruins: D Brandon Carlo, 6-6
Led to Chara for so many seasons, the Bruins are now topped by this 2015 second-rounder (No. 37 overall), whose six points (1G, 5A) against the Wings are his most against any franchise.
