Photos: Federer plays hockey versus team of NHL stars

Nothing says Canada and tennis like Roger Federer playing hockey. Federer led a team of ATP players against a squad of NHL players, including Phil Kessel of the

Courtney Nguyen | Aug 4, 2014

Photos: Federer plays hockey versus team of NHL stars /

Nothing says Canada and tennis like Roger Federer playing hockey. Federer led a team of ATP players against a squad of NHL players, including Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jason Spezza of the Dallas Stars, in a fun exhibition at the Rexall Centre on Sunday.

Federer said he's a big hockey fan, and he's been spotted watching his hometown club in Basel during home games, but there's only one problem: "I can’t skate at all actually," he said. "I can’t stop so I have to go in circles.” Well it's a good thing there was no ice then.

Hear a winded Federer talk about his day of hockey here:

According to the ATP World Tour site, Federer's teammates kept feeding him the ball and he finally slotted one through as time wound down. Is that foreshadowing his week in Toronto? See his goal here:

There's no question that Canada seems to be catching a bit of "tennis fever" especially in light of what Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard have accomplished this year. But could it be that tennis is catching a bit of Canada fever? Is that even a thing?

More photos of the day below.

Published Aug 4, 2014

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.