1. The Amount of Talent Required
What sets hockey apart from all other sports is most notably the elitism and dexterity required of its athletes. Players must push around a 1 by 3 inch piece of rubber with a 36 inch long wooden stick, all while traveling at high speeds on a giant sheet of ice and avoiding being crushed into the boards by other players. Sounds super-human to me.
2. The Non-Stop Action
Unlike sports such as soccer and football with a set "out of bounds" zone that puts a halt to the game when crossed, hockey games only stop with acquirement of a penalty or goal. Players are constantly skating, passing, hitting, strategizing, and shooting while they're on the ice - no time for hesitation.
3. Hockey Fights
Although I'm a self-described pacifist, I never hesitate to get extremely excited about a good hockey fight. There's something so thrilling and admirable about watching a guy drop the gloves to fight for his teammates. And don't even get me started on goalie fights.
4. Shootouts
If you're unfamiliar, a shootout occurs in NHL hockey if a winning team has not been declared after 5 minutes of OT during a regular-season game. Here's how it goes: each team selects three shooters who play 1-v-1 against the opposing goaltender. If the game remains tied after the three shooters are done, teams continue shooting in "sudden death" mode until a winning team is declared. Shootouts are incredibly exciting and a time when players get to showcase their sickest moves. To be honest, I could probably spend hours watching shootout compilations on YouTube.
5. Goal Celebrations
Appropriately following shootouts, goal celebrations (in hockey lingo: cellys) are another part of what makes hockey so special. The guys don't hesitate to go all out after a goal...just take a look at the GIF below.
6. The Lingo
Hockey-speak is its own language, and quite frankly some of its terms are hilarious. From beaut to bender, duster, gino, wheels, top cheese and beyond...talk to a devoted hockey player and you'll probably hear them all. Spend as much time around hockey players as I have and I'm sure you'll eventually be able to decode their language.
7. ...Because it's the cup
Enough said. Don't even try to tell me that you've ever seen a trophy that possesses as much beauty as the Stanley Cup.
