HIGHLIGHTS
- Lane Hutson posed with 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux at the Bell Centre
- Two-foot height gap went viral after Habs beat Sabres 6-2 in Game 3
- See the photo and details below
Lane Hutson just met his match in the size department.
The Montreal Canadiens defenseman posed with 7-foot-9 college basketball player Olivier Rioux in the Bell Centre corridor after Sunday night’s 6-2 Game 3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Rioux, a Quebec native and lifelong Habs fan, showed up courtside wearing Hutson’s number 8 jersey.
The picture looks closer to a forced perspective trick than reality.
Check out the Lane Hutson and Olivier Rioux photo below:
That is a two-foot height difference, in case you were wondering. Hutson is listed at 5-foot-9. Rioux is 7-foot-9 and roughly 305 pounds, which makes him the tallest player in college basketball history.
Pity the poor Habs fan stuck behind Hutson‘s biggest supporter at the Bell Centre on Sunday. You’d have a better view of the game from the parking lot. We have flashbacks to that famous Zdeno Chara and Cole Caufield photo, except this time the giant isn’t even the hockey player.
Hutson is hardly small by normal human standards. He just happens to be a 5-foot-9 NHL defenseman with a Calder Trophy on the shelf and a spot on our list of the shortest players in the NHL.
He tied Mathieu Schneider’s franchise record for most multi-point playoff games by a Canadiens defenseman under 23 on Sunday with two assists in the win.
Rioux’s story is wild in its own right. The 20-year-old from Terrebonne, Quebec held the Guinness World Record as the tallest teenager on Earth at 7-foot-5 when he was 15. He suited up for the Florida Gators last season before transferring to UC Irvine in April for more playing time.
His dad is 6-foot-9, mom is 6-foot-2, and his brother is also 6-foot-9. No medical condition behind any of it. He’s just naturally that tall.
That Habs jersey he’s wearing looks like it’s hanging on for dear life. Sleeves cut off at the elbow, hem barely past his ribs. Probably the largest one the Bell Centre pro shop had, and it still doesn’t really fit.
The takes online were exactly what you’d expect. People were quick to use this photo as proof that NHL height listings are pure fiction. Word is they used to measure guys with skates on, which would explain a lot.
Baseball had its own reckoning when the automated strike zone forced everyone to be remeasured. Hockey is probably overdue for the same audit.
As for whether Rioux could play hockey at a high level, the answer is probably not. His poke check radius would be terrifying, but every hip check in his direction would be a tripping penalty. Height stops being an advantage at some point.
Hutson and the Canadiens lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Tuesday night. He’s been one of the best stories of the playoffs, and now he’s got the photo of the spring to go with it.
Just don’t expect a basketball rematch any time soon.
