Reason I Love Hockey #2

My Sport is Better than Your Sport

There are many things I love about hockey (at least 106 things, I hope), but none so much as the most basic of them all: the game. Forget all that junk about the history and the players and the teams and the fans, what hockey ultimately boils down to is what plays out on the ice. And that is, quite simply, the best combination of finesse and toughness, endurance and excitement there is. Hockey at its best is as entertaining for its spectators as it is challenging for its players. No other sport comes close to matching it. Hockey is more skilled than football: We're talking about a sport where every player from the top goal-scorer to the fourth-line grinder is expected to at least be able to control a tiny rubber disk with a long stick. Without looking. On skates. Football is the sport where some guys have the sole job of being fat and keeping people away from their quarterback. Hockey is more grueling than baseball: Endurance in baseball means staying awake through the 7th inning. Players spend 90% of the game standing around doing nothing. Hockey is more physical than basketball: If there's any contact on the court, it has to be with the ball. Hockey's basic defensive principle is "Hit the guy with the puck, and he doesn't have the puck anymore." Hockey is faster than soccer: I'm an American who loves watching soccer, but sometimes it takes forever for something to happen. Hockey turns on a dime. One second theres a scrum in your crease, and one breakout pass later you've scored. No matter what's happening there's always something to watch.

In my mind, it should go without saying that hockey is the best sport in the world. But, alas, in this country and in this time it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Still, whenever I meet up with a football/baseball/basketball/soccer etc. fan, I can't help but feel a little twinge of superiority, knowing that, while their sports all have their own merits, the one I cheer for is--in a word--better.