10 Great Reasons to Play Hockey

10 Great Reasons to Play Hockey

Chances are that you already know that hockey is an amazing sport and probably the best and most entertaining sport on the planet, beating even the enjoyment of playing free spins.   But for anyone who is not aware of this, we are going to set out below the ten best things about hockey that make it stand out from the crowd.

Hockey is played on ice

Other sports, basketball, football or baseball are all played on solid ground, this much they have in common.  In all the aforementioned sports the players wear regular sports shoes, unlike hockey players whose feet are embellished with sharp blades.  Wearing these on your feet demands real talent.  Obviously, athletes in other sports are talented too but hockey players have mastered the skill of speed and agility and at the same time are able to remain upright while playing on a plateau of ice. Of course, they are human so sometimes they might fall down, only to get right back up again!

Hockey players are the ones to control the game

In sports such as football, baseball or many sports, the games are controlled by the referees or umpires.  In contrast, with hockey the athletes are able to control the game to some extent on a different level.  It is up to the players to speed up the game or maybe to slow it down.  They have the ability to shake up the game with fights or big hits so you could say that it is the hockey players who are in charge of the game and this makes for exciting entertainment.

Hockey is the ultimate team sport

Often in sports that are considered team sports you will find that the sport is dominated by individual players rather than the team.  This is often the case in football or baseball.  Hockey can also have superstar athletes on the team but in hockey the team spirit is prevalent and this factor is what makes a hockey team successful.   It is possible to see this team spirit when the athletes are on the ice. Winning is not possible unless the team works together.  Pulling together as a team is the name of the game.  There is no ‘I” in the game of hockey.  It is always ‘we’.

The speed of Hockey

Hockey is probably the most fast-moving sport there is.  Everything about hockey is fast-paced, the pace of the game, the slap shots and of course the players.  No other sport really compares.  Hockey players need to “have their eye on the ball” constantly.  Things happen so quickly that if you blink, they will pass you by. Action, action and more action is the name of the game when it comes to hockey.

The Hockey playoff format

NHL playoffs are arguably the most difficult of all the major sports.  Becoming the champion in this league means that you have to make it through 4 rounds of incredibly difficult and punishing play.

And this would also be over and above the seven months of demanding regular season games that the players have already completed.  Definitely no let up for these athletes. They have twenty-eight games to prove they deserve the Stanley Cup! Fighters all the way.

Warriors equal Hockey players

Hockey players are truly the real warriors.  They are tough athletes.  They have to be.  Playing on the ice, breaking bones, getting blasted with hockey pucks and still they play on. Nothing phases them.  On the other hand, in other sports, like basketball, or baseball players get to sit out a season if they have some minor impediment.  This is unheard of in hockey where players ache to get back on the ice in spite of their physical ailments.

Hockey jargon

Hockey has its own particular language.  Listening to hocky players is really hilarious.  Words like “beauty” and “bender”.   In order to understand what is happening in the game, you do need to understand the particular jargon used.  No other sport is quite like that!  True, it can make things a bit more complicated but it also adds to the uniqueness of the sport.

Scoring celebrations

In practically every sport, a goal equals some kind of celebration. In Hockey it is a little different.  Scoring means that a “celly” is on the way and this is far more than an ordinary celebration.   There is an eruption of crazy celebration that is more than just waving your hands above your heads.    It is truly a sight to behold.

Hockey traditions and superstitions

The game of hockey is filled with traditions and superstitions. All sports have their traditions and ways of doing things but none compare to those of hockey.   There are players that will grow beards for good luck and others that insist on consuming the exact same meal before each game.

For example, Max Talbot was known to box with Marc-Andre Fleury right before each game.  And Karl Alzner tapped his stick 88 times and outlined what Canadian maple leaf was whilst the National Anthem was being played.   Definitely strange superstitious acts but it are these peculiarities that set Hockey apart from other sports.

Hockey players are the quintessential nice guys

Hockey players are really great people.  Of all the professional athletes they have to be the most pleasant and nicest to be around.  Warriors on the ice and teddy bears on dry land.

Sarah Del Rosario
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