Did ATP Stars Stun NHL Players In Toronto Ball Hockey?

Fans who visited the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers Sunday received a special treat when they were able to watch not just tennis, but stars from the ATP and NHL on the same court together.

The athletes gathered on Court 1 for the tournament’s annual ball hockey game, pitting ATP players against ice hockey stars. Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz Sebastian Korda, Emil Ruusuvuori, Alexis Galarneau, Harri Heliovaara and Jan Zielinski lost 4-1 to the professional hockey players.

“It was fun again. I had to do it. I was in Montreal [last year and played in the game]. I think next year we need to mix the teams. It’s too unfair!” Ruusuvuori said. “It was great. It feels like the people also enjoyed it and us, too. They were great guys. We just had fun, it was good. “

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^{Photo Credit: Peter Powers/National Bank Open}
The NHL players who participated were Nazem Kadri, Ryan McLeod, Anthony Cirelli, Quinton Byfield and Hockey Hall of Fame Doug Gilmour.

Byfield, a centre for the Los Angeles Kings who was the second overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, enjoyed spending time with tennis players.

“I respect how long some of those matches go. They don’t get too much rest, stops,” Byfield said. “Their cardio is crazy, so I really respect all of them. Respect them coming out here and playing a different sport, trying it out.”

NHL 🤝 ATP

The NHL defeated the ATP in ball hockey at the @NBOtoronto! 🏒 pic.twitter.com/5WOCF0sJ01

— NHL (@NHL) August 6, 2023

From spending time in Florida training, Ruud has become a Tampa Bay Lightning fan. It was a cool experience for the Norwegian to compete against two-time Stanley Cup champion and Lightning standout Cirelli.

“Anthony Cirelli, he’s a player that I’ve watched for many years. Him, [Steven] Stamkos, [Nikita] Kucherov, they all seem like great guys,” Ruud said. “I’ve been to a couple of games and I would love to go again in the future, it’s just difficult with all the travel, but I’ll catch a Bolts game again in the future.”