"I played a little bit of shortstop" - NHL legend Wayne Gretzky on how baseball helped his hockey career

Wayne Gretzky has enjoyed one of the greatest professional careers of all time, and baseball seems to have played a small role in that.

Recently, the ice hockey legend admitted to having benefited from playing baseball early on during his career. Gretzky mentioned how baseball helped him better his game intelligence and hand-eye coordination.

He accepted the fact that he wasn’t the greatest player out there, but for a while, he played as a shortstop. Remembering how baseball helped enhance his NHL career, Gretzky said the following during an appearance on TNT:

“I played a little bit of shortstop. I was an average baseball player at best, but I loved the game. It helped my hockey career so much. The thinking and hand eye coordination you need in Baseball only helped and enhanced my hockey career.”

Would Wayne Gretzky have excelled if he decided to pursue baseball instead of hockey? That’s a big ‘what if,’ but given his natural athletic abilities, he probably would have.

Wayne Gretzky isn’t the only star from another sport who used to play baseball

There are some specific baseball skills that can translate to any sport. Wayne Gretzky isn’t the only example of a player who used to play baseball during their early years.

NFL legend Tom Brady used to play multiple sports before he decided to focus on football. Brady used to play baseball before he went on to become one of the greatest NFL players of all time acquiring seven Super Bowl rings.

Brady was selected by the erstwhile Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB draft. He was reimagined as a baseball player in a ‘What if…?’ themed video by trading card company Topps, who recently released a limited edition Tom Brady Montreal Expos card.

"It was all a dream… right?! @Topps @MLB @michaelrubin" - @TomBrady

NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes, who is the son of former MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes, also used to play college baseball at Texas Tech – another example in a long list of players who played baseball in their early years before going on to excel in other sports.