THE WRITING ON (AND OFF) THE WALL IDEAS HAVE SOME WEIGHT.(Sports)

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

Why, oh why, hasn't a hockey team tried to develop a sumo wrestler into becoming a goalie? That's hardly an original question. It just seems to produce too many unoriginal answers as to what the hitch is in making it happen.

Considering what it takes to become a top-flight netminder at the highest level -- balance, stamina and discipline -- why wouldn't size also be a major consideration when your only job is to block vulcanized rubber from getting into a 6-foot-by-4-foot storage unit?

If you talk to some of the best hockey minds in town, the chances of a sumo realistically squeezing onto an NHL roster is pretty much met with a cold shoulder.

They'll point out the …