NHL players as 'Star Wars' characters

When you think of NHL players as "Star Wars" characters, it's natural to instantly think of San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns as Chewbacca. His hair makes him look exactly like Han Solo's right-hand man.

Burns even donned a Chewbacca mask at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition. We can think of no one better for the role of Chewie.

Sidney Crosby: Han Solo

Han Solo is tasked with leading the rebel forces against Darth Vader and the Empire. Solo, reluctantly, accepted the job and ends up becoming one of the rebels' biggest heroes. If you had to pick one player in the entire NHL to lead his team against all others, it would have to be Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

Crosby has led the Penguins to three Stanley Cup titles and is one of the most consistent players on the ice each and every year. When it comes down to it, he's a fantastic leader, similar to Solo, and who wouldn't trust him to lead the rebel forces against Vader and the Empire?

Connor McDavid: Luke Skywalker

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is Luke Skywalker. There's plenty of pressure on McDavid to lead the Oilers to victory and resurrect the team from the depths of despair, similar to how Luke Skywalker feels plenty of pressure being one of the last great Jedi Knights.

At this point, McDavid is well on his way to bringing success to Edmonton, just like how Skywalker helped the rebels in their quest to restore peace to the galaxy. The Oilers are second in the Pacific Division, and their fans are hopefully feeling some sort of peace after years of pity.

Tom Wilson: Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, at first glance, seems like a good guy, similar to a young Anakin Skywalker. However, when you take a deeper look, you realize he's not what he appears to be. Sure, Wilson can put up points and is talented, but he's one of the dirtiest players in the NHL. Just when you expect a lot of Wilson, you're left disappointed when he's suspended, fined or makes another dirty play.

As just about every "Star Wars" fan knows, Anakin Skywalker turns into Darth Vader and leads the Empire against the rebels. Vader is one of the most hated people in all of the galaxy — similar to how Wilson is one of the most hated players in the entire NHL. The Caps forward is a poster boy for bad guys in the league, similar to how Vader is the Empire's biggest bad boy.

Carey Price: R2-D2

Yes, Carey Price has seen a decline over the last few years, but he's long been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. R2-D2 is one of the most trusty droids in the galaxy and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. This is similar to Price stopping pucks and being in the right place to make some key saves for the Montreal Canadiens.

R2-D2, similar to Price, experiences some wear and tear over the years but ends up proving to be reliable when his team needs him the most.

Zdeno Chara: Yoda

Master Yoda has been around for a long time and knows the ways of the force, similar to how Zdeno Chara has been in the NHL for 22 seasons and is very familiar with how things roll. Yoda is wise beyond his years and tasked with leading young Jedi Padawans, just like Chara leads many of the young players on the Boston Bruins.

It almost seems like Chara will never leave his post, similar to Yoda, and he'll probably see things through until the end — or at least until he wins another Stanley Cup.

Alex Ovechkin: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the greatest Jedis in the entire galaxy, but is he more powerful than Luke Skywalker? "Star Wars" fans seem to agree that Kenobi comes in behind Skywalker, and this situation seems like Ovechkin's. Many agree that players like McDavid and Crosby are 1A and 1B in the NHL, with Ovechkin coming in right behind them.

Like Kenobi, Ovechkin is powerful in the ways of the force and consistently among the best players in the NHL every year, but are his goal-scoring skills enough to call him the best? Probably not. He's similar to Kenobi: powerful but underappreciated.

Brad Marchand: Kylo Ren

It's hard not to get major Kylo Ren vibes from Bruins pest Brad Marchand. The 31-year-old used to be one of the biggest bad boys in the NHL. His antics drove people crazy, and he often found himself suspended or fined for those crazy acts. However, he's seemed to turn things around as of late. Marchand hasn't been suspended since 2018 and has cooled it with the unnecessary antics.

Marchand just screams Ren. Ren ends up joining the Dark Side but turns to the light in the final movie of the Skywalker Saga, sacrificing himself for Rey. It seems somewhat similar to Marchand's antics ceasing and him finally putting the team above himself.

Nathan MacKinnon: C-3PO

C-3PO is a protocol droid that simply just does his job and provides information whenever asked. That's very similar to Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon. You don't ever hear too much about MacKinnon, but that's because he keeps his head down and does his job effectively — just like C-3PO.

When MacKinnon does something big, it makes an impact, and you'll hear about it. It's kind of similar to C-3PO — he really doesn't stand out by any means, but he does his job and is one of the most reliable droids in the galaxy.

Gary Bettman: Emperor Palpatine

I mean, come on, this is just too obvious. While Bettman isn't a player, he is the NHL commissioner, and you can practically hear the "Imperial March" play whenever he makes an appearance or his name is said. Bettman is also met with boos every time he makes an announcement or appearance, and it's just impossible to not compare him to Palpatine.

“As the Emperor wills it, so shall it be.”