Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-12 · by Pat Graham The Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Martin Necas has proven highly efficient at lining shots into the net on the ice.
asserted
Necas → prove → ice
Turns out, he’s pretty proficient at sending them over a net, too, on the court.
asserted
he → turn → court
The forward is one of several Colorado Avalanche players who’ve turned to tennis in the offseason to keep that competitive edge flowing.
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edge → turn → offseason
It’s a way to get in some cardio work and sharpen the eye-hand coordination.
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It → ’ → coordination
Just don’t ask about an official Avalanche ranking of players because, “it’s a bit of a hot topic right now,” center Brock Nelson said.
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Nelson → ask → topic
The consensus around the locker room seems to be that Necas, Nelson, Nicolas Roy, Artturi Lehkonen, Nazem Kadri, Devon Toews and Cale Makar are among those with a strong tennis game.
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Necas → seem → game
But there are others who’d like to throw their name into the conversation as well.
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who → be → conversation
“I’m sure they’re world-class players for our team,” forward Parker Kelly said.
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Kelly → ’m → team
“But I’d like to say with my grit — I wouldn’t give up on a ball easy, so I feel like I’d be able to hold my own.
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I → like → own
“I guess I can say that until I get into an actual match with these guys.
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I → guess → guys
I mean, if they swept me 6-0 in a set I’d be like, ‘Hey, these guys are elite.’
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guys → mean → set
But that hasn’t happened yet.”
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that → happen → ?
They play as often as they can in the offseason.
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they → play → offseason
The 41-year-old Burns doesn’t play — he uses the court to practice his shot — but his place is favored because “they say it’s a nice court, easier on the body,” Burns explained.
“It’s such a fun sport,” said Makar, who spent this summer rehabbing from an injury but the offseason before played tennis two or three times a week.
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who → play → times
“I like to think I’m a compete kind of guy.
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I → like → guy
Growing up, Necas had two idols — Washington Capitals standout Alex Ovechkin and Rafael Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles.
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Necas → grow → titles
“And they were on the same level,” Necas said, “even though I was a hockey player.”
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I → say → level
He got the chance to play on a grass training court, thanks to longtime NHL forward Tomas Plekanec.
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He → get → Plekanec
“It was great,” Necas said of the Wimbledon experience.
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Necas → say → experience
“I love watching (tennis players) on TV.
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I → watch → TV
So it was cool to see it firsthand, be there with them.”
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it → see → them
Competition spills from the ice to the court
Lehkonen and Necas have spirited tennis matches — and banter about them.
“He hasn’t won,” Necas proudly announced.
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Necas → spill → them
“Actually, the last time I did beat you,” said Lehkonen, who’s been playing the sport since he was a kid and counts Nadal as his favorite player.
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he → beat → player
It wasn’t a match,” Necas quickly volleyed before relenting a bit.
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Necas → volley → ?
“Yeah, he won the super-tiebreaker.”
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he → win → tiebreaker
Roy picked up tennis as a kid
Roy picked up a tennis racket and started playing when he was around 5 years old.
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he → pick → racket
He did the tournament scene until hockey became his focal point.
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hockey → do → scene
“Nowadays, the kids are only doing hockey in the summer, and I think every kid should at least do a different sport than other than hockey in the summer,” Roy explained.
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Roy → do → summer
“Kids are focused too early on just playing hockey.”
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Kids → focus → hockey
So far, he’s taken on only Lehkonen and Necas.
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he → take → Lehkonen
“They’re both really good,” Roy said.
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Roy → ’re → ?
So, who won?
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who → win → ?
“We were playing a tiebreaker, I guess, and it was pretty even,” Roy diplomatically said.
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Roy → play → tiebreaker
“One guy was winning one, the other guy was winning one, so it was
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it → win → one
It’s fun, obviously, having good players on the team, so we can play.”
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we → ’ → team
While playing for the New York Islanders, Nelson attended several U.S. Open matches.
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Nelson → play → matches
In 2017, he and his wife purchased last-minute tickets to be on hand at Flushing Meadows when his favorite player, Nadal, beat Kevin Anderson.
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player → purchase → Anderson
“A once-in-a-lifetime chance to see my guy play in the final,” Nelson explained.
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Nelson → see → final
These days, Kadri has been picking up a racket more and more with his daughter getting into tennis.
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daughter → pick → tennis
“I’ve been working on my game,” said Kadri, whose favorite player is 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
asserted
player → work → game
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
