Roslovic plays role of hockey hack at The Forks

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This article was published 15/03/2019 (2367 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Arthur Preston’s the name, and bending ankles is his game.

Local fans may know him better as Jack Roslovic, the speedy, skilled forward with the Winnipeg Jets. But Roslovic had a group of locals fooled recently as he donned a disguise and assumed an alter ego for a funny skating session at The Forks.

Video of the undercover encounter was posted this week by the Jets. Roslovic said Friday that playing the role of a bearded stranger who stumbled and bumbled his way on the ice was a blast.

“My idea, actually. You ever seen Kyrie Irving? The Uncle Drew. I was a big fan of that video,” Roslovic said, referring to the popular Pepsi Max commercials starring the NBA superstar, which eventually turned into a movie.

“With all the outdoor skating that you can do around here, (Matt Hendricks) and I actually, last year, when the idea came to my mind, we were at Mona Lisa, and there was a rink behind Mona Lisa. And I was like, ‘How fun would it be?’ And it was a big pickup game, too. I was like, ‘Imagine if we went out there and had a disguise on and messed around.’ I guess this year I put enough pressure on them to get the idea going.”

Roslovic said it took around 90 minutes for staff from the Manitoba Theatre for Young People to get his outfit and makeup done before he hit the skating trail on a frigid Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago.

“Have you ever been to a hockey game? I need to go to one still,” a mic’d-up Roslovic tells a group of kids he meets.

Meet Arthur Preston…

Alleged Jr. B old-timer, ODR amateur, and alter-ego of the Winnipeg Planes’ very own, Jack Roslovic! pic.twitter.com/BfKeYeFNmU

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) March 14, 2019

The 22-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, milked the role for all it was worth, using a hockey stick to keep him upright, holding it backwards, whiffing on shots and putting one-timers into snowbanks.

“This whole hockey thing is hard,” he says.

At one point, Roslovic engages another group of skaters in some Jets talk — he actually refers to them as the “Winnipeg Planes” — asking at one point what they think of “that Roslovic kid.”

“I like him, he’s really good,” one man responds.

Near the end, Roslovic begins to show his true talents, toe-dragging the puck around everyone as jaws start to drop.

“Man, he’s good!” one skater. says

“You’re definitely not a guy who doesn’t know how to play hockey,” says another.

Roslovic responds by saying he once played “Junior B” and that his mom bought him skates at Play It Again Sports.

“They thought I was (Jets defenceman) Joe Morrow for a second, with the beard. But once they found out they laughed,” Roslovic said.

The video is available for viewing on the Winnipeg Jets Twitter feed.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

https://twitter.com/NHLJets/status/1106298957808857088