Why Hockey is Better than Your Favorite Sport

Well, Good Lord, did you even have to ask?

The Stanley Cup Playoffs


Imagine the physical force of a football game, combined with the skill-level of a basketball game, paired with the "every run is crucial" aspect of a playoff baseball game, stretch it over a 7-game series and then you might be scratching the surface of what makes the NHL playoffs so spectacular.

Sure basketball has its rivalries, baseball has its desperation, and football has the bloodlust of physical brutality, but hockey combines them all. Imagine if the NFL resorted to a multi-game series format in the playoffs. Imagine how much the two teams would hate one another by the end of the series, even if it were only best of 3. But this is not simply about the hatred of one's opponent, it is also about the familiarity that grows between the competitors with each passing game. It's about how the teams respond to their shortcomings and the results that follow.

One can never really get an idea of just how fast the game of hockey moves unless you actually attend a game in person, but the playoffs give you a better idea, because somehow, things get faster in the playoffs. But, what's more important, is how much more quickly things boil over in the playoffs.

Take a look at some of these matchups:

Philly - Pittsburgh
Montreal - Boston
Anaheim - San Jose
New York - DC

Now, the proximity of these teams alone makes these games compelling, but also since these teams have seen each other so often already, it makes them even moreso. While in the real world familiarity may breed apathy, in the NHL it breeds disdain. Did anyone catch that most recent game between the Bruins and the Canadiens, something tells me that we should get used that trajectory... especially come game 4, especially if/when the Bru Cru embarass Les Habs. What's more, is that these series can go either way, and the chaos that results from the unpredictability only adds to the allure.

Basketball has its mock intensity, baseball its has slow-building tension, football has its anticipation. Hockey has real intensity, quick-rising tension, and anticipation rewarded. So buckle up and grab a few extra pills for your hypertension, because this shit is about to get real... and fast.

HOCKEY BITCH!