M H J O N L I N E . C O M | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
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UP
WHEELS
IT WOULDN'T BE HARD to picture Blake Wheeler as a basketball player.
At a towering 6-foot-5, 225-pounds, he would have made an excep-
tional around-the-rim forward. In fact, that was nearly his fate,
until mom—who always knows best—stepped in.
"Blake was 5 and starting to drift into sports and his dad was look-
ing at basketball and I was like, 'No, that's not the way it can be,'"
Pat Wheeler recalls of the 'which sport' discussion with her
husband, Jim. "(Jim) grew up in Detroit and I'm a native
Minnesotan, so I said, 'This is Minnesota, and we play
hockey.' So I signed him up for hockey.
Photo / MHJ Archives