NFL quarterbacks got the raw end of this deal.

Reigning defensive player of the year J.J. Watt told Peter King that his childhood dream was to become a hockey star, until the financial burden of playing on a traveling team became too much for his middle-class family.

“I grew up in Wisconsin loving hockey. I mean, I started when I was three years old on skates. I played all over—in Canada all the time, all over the U.S., over in Germany for a 10-day tournament. Hockey, honestly, was my first love. The excitement, the fast pace, the intensity of the game … I still love it to this day. Really, I had to quit. It was financial. I have two younger brothers and we were all playing on a travel team, and it was extremely expensive. My family is a middle class family. When I grew up and learned how much it actually cost for us to play hockey, I could not believe that my parents let us play as long as they did.”

Instead of terrorizing Andrew Luck and Blaine Gabbert, Watt could have been prowling the ice, looking to lay crosschecks on Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. His unique swatting talents probably wouldn’t have gone to good use, however.

Watt said his favorite player is Zdeno Chara, the 6-9 Boston Bruins defenseman. “He’s representing for all us big guys out there,” Watt said.