“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” – United States Presidential Oath of Office.
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, let me catch you up on something that happened. Aaron Rodgers, the starting Quarterback for The New York Jets, was seriously discussed as a potential running mate – aka Vice Presidential candidate – for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And considering the infamous history of The Kennedy Family in regards to untimely deaths, that meant Rodgers could have potentially been one step away from one day being The President of The United States. Luckily for the citizens of The USA, RFK Jr. went a different route and made this mini-drama a moot point.
However, it got us thinking, in The NHL, which current player, broadcaster, Head Coach and General Manager would make the best potential US President?
First an important note. This is not to be considered an endorsement for any of these people to run for President, nor is this a commentary on any of their political views. This is simply an entertaining exercise to see who could hypothetically be a good future President based on what we see from them in the game of hockey.
Now for the fun stuff.
CURRENT NHL BROADCASTER
Let’s start in the broadcast booth and make our way around the arena. Out of all the current NHL broadcasters in the game, the absolute Number One choice to make a Presidential run is none other than Kevin Weekes.
Do you want to talk about polished? That’s Weekes in a nutshell. If you want a President who’s articulate, thought-provoking, and intelligent, that’s Weekes for you. Oh, did we mention, he’s self-made? The former netminder-turned-broadcaster was never a star on the ice as a player, but ever since he traded in his skates for a microphone, he’s become a must-watch figure.
He’s even managed to do the previously unthinkable task of becoming a prominent NHL Insider. For years – decades really – you could count on less than one hand the number of top NHL Insiders. And guess what, they were all journalists by trade. None of them played hockey at the highest level. But Weekes? He broke into the inner sanctum by using his networking skills, his relationships with players and coaches, and his creativity. Do you want to watch breaking hockey news? Then go watch Kevin Weekes’ videos on social media. It’ll only take one for you to understand why he managed to do what he’s done.
All that’s left to say is, “Hello, President Weekes.”
CURRENT NHL HEAD COACH
A President should always be well-spoken. They should be honest, but not overly so. They should know how to balance praise and criticism as well as how to best communicate with all different types of people, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.
While many NHL Head Coaches are good communicators – let’s be honest, 95% of their job is communication – there’s one who, in our humble opinion, stands out above the rest.
And that is the Devils’ Interim Head Coach, Travis Green.
Green knows how to balance tough love with praise, he’s an exceptionally hard worker, expects those around him to be hardworking as well and he is honest without being overly revealing.
Now, do we know if Green could negotiate a competent foreign policy? Honestly, we have no idea. But he’d sure work his you-know-what off trying to do his best. Could he command his troops in a manner that would lead them to victory if the need ever arose? Yes. We’re very much certain Green could lead his troops to a win. It won’t always be pretty, but he’ll get the job done and that’s all you can really ask for.
President Green has a solid ring to it don’t you think?
CURRENT NHL GENERAL MANAGER
You can feel free to disagree with what I’m about to say, but I’ve always felt that a President should have a regal-like air about themself. Not necessarily from a physical looks standpoint, but more of how they carry themselves.
That, in a nutshell, is John Davidson. Sure, he’s only the interim GM in Columbus while he conducts the search for the team’s new official GM, but he is also the Team President and we’re not going to split hairs about interim titles. (We went with an interim Head Coach in Travis Green if you recall from a few moments ago).
Getting back to Davidson, the former goaltender-turned-Color Analyst-turned Team President/GM has an air about him where he just commands respect the second he walks into a room. He’s well-liked. He’s articulate, has a wealth of knowledge accumulated from decades of experience and, if there was ever a hockey Team Executive in today’s NHL who personified the phrase “talk softly and carry a big stick,” it’s Davidson.
I get the feeling that, if Davidson wanted to, he could give a speech in front of many important World Leaders and by the end of it, they’d all be in agreement with what he said; even if they went into the speech initially opposing his stance.
Plus, he’s already President. You just have to switch the wording from Columbus Blue Jackets Team President to President of The USA.
CURRENT NHL PLAYER
This is a tricky one. On the one hand, most current NHL players do everything possible to not let their thoughts and feelings be known to the public and the media. They try to blend in, most using the same cookie-cutter approach that hockey players have employed for decades.
On the other hand, when a player does choose to speak up about something, it certainly helps if they have the credibility to back up their words. In that regard, the current NHL player who would be the best fit for the US Presidency is…Connor McDavid.
Prior to this season, I’m not sure McDavid would have been our choice. But he’s really come into his own from a vocal leadership standpoint that it’s hard to ignore. McDavid might not be the best person to deliver daily political briefings, but as President, he’d have people who would do that for him.
However, if you could bring a topic to his attention that he’s passionate about. Then the gloves come off.
Connor McDavid might not top many people’s lists as a potential future US President, but I believe we can all agree he’d be far superior to Aaron Rodgers, so that’s a win in my book.
And now that we’ve identified our four potential US Presidents from The Hockey World, let’s take a brief moment to hope that everything we discussed here remains nothing more than an entertaining hypothetical scenario