Charles Barkley makes his bones as an NBA analyst and commentator. But he has a love for at least one other sport: hockey. He took a break from his usual roasting of LeBron James to crash an NHL event on Monday, right before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Wayne Gretzky seemed mildly amused as the big man crashed his presser at Bridgestone Arena before the basketball commentator espoused his love and knowledge of hockey.
Barkley crashes a presser
The greatest hockey player of all-time, Gretzky, and Paul Coffey were just chilling when Barkley decided to interrupt their time at the podium.
He came and immediately started popping off rapid fire jokes and opinions about the state of hockey and the NHL playoffs. The funniest moment of the whole charade was when Barkley questioned Gretzky on who his favorite black athlete of all-time would be. Without hesitating, he responded with Grant Fuhr, who was the first black hockey player to win the Stanley Cup and to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Barkley had plenty of other things to say about the NHL. He claimed that Ron Hextall was his favorite player because he always played like every minute mattered to him. He talked about the potential dynasty of the Pittsburgh Penguins, should they win the Stanley Cup. He talked about key players for the game and how he wanted to meet Nashville Predators defenseman P.K.
Subban. Finally, he concluded with his controversial stance comparing the two sets of playoffs captivating the world of sports right now.
Barkley picks the NHL over the NBA
The most controversial claim is one Barkley had already made previously in the week: that the NHL playoffs were better than the NBA playoffs. The opinion is certainly an odd one coming from someone who is paid to care about everything the NBA does.
Then again, his team doesn't do any coverage of the NBA Finals; that's entirely ESPN's domain.
He may also have a valid point. The NBA playoffs have been an eyesore, even for basketball fans. The conference finals were not competitive, and so far, it looks like the same could be said of the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been electrifying.
It looked like the finals could be a blowout, but the Nashville Predators are on the verge of tying the series at two games apiece. Maybe the NHL postseason is just better. Or maybe Barkley is sipping the Kool-Aid Wayne Gretzky is serving just a little too much.
