Sitting in the passenger seat with a Subway sandwich in hand as his dad drove through the north Toronto traffic, 16-year-old Brent Urban was tired. So was his dad.

It had been two years of driving back and forth from high school football practice to hockey practice, wearing down both Brent’s body and the tread on his dad’s tires. For almost every elite athlete, there comes a time when they must choose which sport to pursue. That time had come for Urban.

Despite a late start in both sports, Urban ascended quickly through the ranks. He was playing with future NHLers on his hockey club team and had offers from colleges to play football.

Hockey was his first love, but football seemed to fit both his goals and his tall, large frame better. So he left the land of maple syrup (and his beloved Maple Leafs) behind for America.

And, 17 years later, his decision has certainly paid off. Urban has reached the highest ranks of football, the NFL, and has put together a 10-year career in a sport where the average player lasts about 3.5 seasons. He’s a key rotation piece on the Ravens’ defensive line, expected to return for this weekend’s game at Pittsburgh after missing two weeks with a concussion.

However, his love for the sport of his nation (and specifically the team of his hometown) has never waned. With the Toronto Maple Leafs in the area for a game against the Washington Capitals, Urban took time to reflect on his journey.

Not the smoothest start

In a sport where kids learn to skate and play mini sticks at 2 years old, Urban was, in comparison, a latecomer to the sport.He didn’t join an organized league until he was 7. And when he did, he hated it.

“It took so long to put on your pads and stuff, I was like, ‘This is a hassle. I don’t want to do this,’” Urban said. “And so I quit.”

About four years passed before Urban decided to try again. But once he did, he quickly improved. After starting on the worst AA team, the second-best league, he ended up on the best AAA team for 13- and 14-year-olds.

On that team, he played with Casey Cizikas (a 14-year veteran with the New York Islanders), Ben Chiarot (a 12-year veteran now with the Detroit Red Wings), and Ryan Ellis, who played for the Nashville Predators for 10 years before an injury ended his career, among others.

Urban was actually an offensive player in hockey, though he generally played winger on the third or fourth line and was expected to be a physical, defensively stout presence.

For a big guy, Urban said he was pretty skilled. Yeah, he could hit, but he could also score. He looked up to Rick Nash, a five-time All-Star who had a big build and powerful shot that was paired with impressive puck control, good skating and acceleration.

“I always thought I was going to be a big power forward in hockey,” Urban said.

“I played pond hockey, roller hockey, street hockey. Like every Canadian, you play hockey in the winter, and in the summer you played box lacrosse,” he said. “That’s what we all did. That’s the Canadian sports trajectory. So I always thought I was going to be a hockey player.”

A better path

By eighth grade, Urban, who is now 6 feet, 7 inches tall, and 309 pounds, was already bigger than your average NHL player (forwards are about 6 feet tall, on average.)

So as he looked to the future, he saw what most taller-than-average forwards turned into: enforcers. As aggressive as Urban can play, he’s not one to drop the gloves. “I didn’t want to just be a fighter, you know?” he said.

However, his size made him perfect for football. And when the high school football coach told him he should play, he decided to give it a try.

The Urbans were already fans of the sport. Canadians “just pick a team, or you’re a Bills fan,” Urban said, and he and his dad were in the first group. While his dad favored the New England Patriots, Urban chose the Philadelphia Eagles because of their helmets and Donovan McNabb. His biggest rival wasn’t the Dallas Cowboys, though.

“I’d always root against the Patriots,” Urban said. “I was just so competitive. I’d be like, ‘No, I hate the Patriots because that’s my dad’s team.’”

Just like in hockey, the football coaches started Urban out on offense, putting him in at wide receiver. At the time, he was 6 feet, 4 inches tall, and 220 pounds.

“I was kind of fast, but I dropped a ton of passes, so they moved me to tight end,” Urban said with a laugh. “And then I dropped more passes, so they moved me to d-line, defensive end. And that’s where I stood.”

Thanks to all the skating he did growing up, Urban had a very strong lower body to help him anchor and explode against the large offensive linemen. He had good balance and quick feet. And, catching aside, he found that hockey required way more skill while football relied more on athleticism.

But the time commitments soon became too much. When Urban’s dad told him he was going to have to choose, Urban already had some college offers on the table from football camps he attended.

Urban was still the largest player on his football team, but that played more to his advantage on the field than on the ice. And the offers meant a chance to further his education, a stark difference from the path many hockey players take. Around 16, many leave home to play for junior leagues and sacrifice a typical high school experience, living with a billet family in a small town.

Football seemed like the right fit for his frame and for his goals.

Culture shock

Once he decided which career to pursue, Urban had a challenge ahead of him. While more and more Canadian players are being recruited by college teams and making it to the NFL (such as teammate outside linebacker Tavius Robinson), at the time the pipeline was “so bare bones.”

“The high schools up there wouldn’t even videotape their own games,” Urban said. “My dad made a little DVD of my football plays and stuff, and when I went to the camps, I’d hand them out.”

Urban chose to go to the University of Virginia, where he had a Canadian roommate as a freshman. Whereas the transition from hockey to football went smoothly, the transition from Canadian high school football to college football was more of a shock.

There was the typical transition of any college student who has to learn to manage time on their own. But Urban also went from the pressure of playing in front of a crowd of 50 to playing in front of tens of thousands. And Charlottesville, Virginia, was very different from Toronto.

“I came from a huge multicultural city, right?” Urban said. “And then you go to Charlottesville, and it’s really preppy. I had a great time there, but it was a culture shock.”

Urban managed it well enough that he was one of the few freshmen on the travel roster.

When Urban went home, he’d still play pond hockey with friends, but that eventually ended as his football career progressed. As an NFL prospect, he had to protect his body from wear and tear away from the game.

In 2014, Urban was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. By then, Ellis and Cizikas were already in their fourth NHL seasons while Chiarot was in his second.

But Urban, who continued to be an avid fan of the game and of the Maple Leafs, knew he had made the right choice. Urban might not have wanted to be a fighter himself, but he counts himself among the “dinosaurs” who miss the days the NHL was full of big hits and plenty of fights. While there’s still hitting and fighting, the game has evolved toward a greater emphasis on speed and skill.

“In terms of modern day hockey, I don’t really see myself doing that because I would just be so much bigger than everybody,” Urban said. “There’s probably few hockey players that weighed as much as I did in eighth grade. I don’t really see much of a place for a 270-pound left wing.”

Honoring his roots

It’s been 10 years since Urban strapped on skates. But he fully plans to return to the ice.

Urban spends the offseason in Austin, Texas, and he’s already looked into rinks and recreational leagues for after he retires.

“I’ll probably pick some chill beer league to play in because I don’t know how good I am anymore,” Urban said. “I’m sure I’m OK, like I’m not going to fall over or anything, but skating’s tough.”

He’ll also certainly return to the ice to teach his son to skate, although the 14-month-old is already big enough that Urban isn’t certain he’ll be the right size for hockey either.

Until then, Urban’s relationship with hockey is pure fandom.

When he was younger and didn’t have a kid, he would travel into D.C. for Washington Capitals games. When his friends from home visit, he said they’ll often plan the trip with a hockey game. During his brief stint with the Tennessee Titans, he made it to a few Nashville Predators games to see his old teammate, Ellis, play.

And when he goes home to Toronto, he of course finds time to watch his beloved Maple Leafs. Because his love remains true and his hope eternal despite years of first-round exits.

“Because, at this point, it’s like this is all I’ve known is failing in the playoffs,” said Urban with a self-deprecating laugh. A pro athlete himself, he usually keeps calm through the first few games, but if the series drags on, the true Maple Leafs fan comes out.

“If it’s Game 7, I’m yelling at the TV. I play it cool to start, but I get increasingly unwound as the series goes on,” Urban said.

When he can’t watch in person, he watches games sporadically through the season but keeps tabs on how they’re doing.

The 2024-2025 season is young, but Urban has high expectations for his team, who plays the Capitals at 7:30 p.m. in Capital One Arena. They’re 9-5-2 and second in their division. The offense has been there, and while the defense could improve, he feels like recent blue line additions “shored up” the backend in front of a goalie he likes.

It’s a similar story to his own, as he plays on a Ravens team featuring an explosive offense that’s been covering up the holes along the defense. The Ravens recently traded for an another cornerback and will be hoping to get Urban and some other injured players back soon as they chase a division title, and then a Super Bowl.

The regular season is usually “a breeze” for the Maple Leafs. All he (and all of Toronto) cares about at this point is them making the playoffs and getting through the first round. And this year might be the year. But, then again, so was last year.

“I’m stupidly hopeful — or ignorantly hopeful — every year,” Urban said. “I’m like, ‘Nah, this is the year.’ I buy into the hype train every year, for sure.”

Of course his real focus is on his own team’s recent playoff problem: an inability to win two games and advance out of the AFC to the Super Bowl.