From gridiron to ice: Bruins coach wants Gronkowski on skates

Could New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski be successful on the ice? Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy seems to think so.

Cassidy visited Patriots training camp Monday morning, according to ESPN. When asked which New England player he’d want to add to the Bruins roster, Cassidy, who will soon begin his first season as the Bruins permanent head coach, quickly replied with the 6-foot-6, 265 pound Gronkowski.

It wouldn't be Gronkowski's first foray on the ice; the Bruins invited the Pro Bowl tight end and some of his Patriots teammates to TD Garden in 2015 to drop the ceremonial puck following the Patriots victory in Super Bowl XLIX.

In typical Gronk fashion, he elected not to drop, but forcefully spike the puck.

Gronkowski has battled injuries throughout his NFL career. When healthy, however, he has been a star for New England. He’s totaled 10 or more touchdowns in five of his seven NFL seasons and racked-up 6,095 career receiving yards.

Cassidy also said that the Patriots offensive linemen could potentially fill a role for the Bruins, and so could wide receiver Julian Edelman.

“it would be interesting to see if [Edelman] could be a goal scorer,” Cassidy said to ESPN. “It seems like he has the talent to play a lot of different positions. He competes hard in those dirty areas. He might have a little [Brad] Marchand in him.”

Marchand was one of the NHL's top goal scorers in 2016-17, potting 39. Of the football-hockey crossovers, Marchand has drawn more comparisons to Gronkowski thanks to both player's propensity to celebrate championships their respective teams have won.