from USA Hockey,

Being 7-foot-2 as a center in the NBA is nothing out of the ordinary. Being a 7-foot-5 guy — with skates on — playing rec league hockey is a different story.

Greg Ostertag stands out, quite literally, while on the ice.

The former Utah Jazz big man played 11 seasons in the NBA — his last year being 2005-06 — and turned to hockey after his basketball days.

“When I got done playing ball, I was playing golf every day in Arizona,” said Ostertag. “The guy I played with, his son played [hockey], and I said, ‘We got to find something different to do.’ I already had a pair of skates made and I started skating again and got in two leagues out there.”

That was in 2009, and Ostertag was hitting the rink multiple times a week. These days, Ostertag’s passion for hockey is still as strong, but he’s only able to skate once a week since he lives three hours roundtrip from a sheet of ice.

Ostertag resides in the country in Mount Vernon, Texas, which is 100 miles northeast of Dallas.

“If I did live closer, I’d play at least two days a week,” said Ostertag, who played in a “Crazy Game of Hockey” charity event this summer through the Minnesota Wild. “I love it. I just love it. It’s really good exercise, that’s what I like about it.”

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