Ladies and Gentlemen of our Great Nation (and Canada for purposes of this argument),
I’ve been called upon to debate a topic that, in all frankness, warrants no real debate at all. However, in the interest of enlightening future generations, I will tackle this issue once and for all, and I’ll begin to do so by begging the question,
What makes a sport truly exciting?
For me, it’s highly skilled players, unpredictable competitions, coordinated teamwork, fast-paced action, mental and physical toughness, major rivalries, and most importantly, a postseason that takes all of those things to the next level. The sport of hockey encapsulates all of those elements, while basketball merely skims the surface of a few. So let’s compare the two, and discover why hockey is hands down the greatest sport on the planet.
There’s no denying that the NBA has its fair share of highly skilled players, just like the NHL. The difference is that these superstars dictate everything in the NBA, while hockey is a much more team driven game. In order to be successful in the NHL, a team needs to have more than just a superstar; they need depth that trickles all the way down to the fourth line.
Take for example, the Los Angeles Kings.
Their 2012 Stanley Cup victory can be attributed in part to the stellar goaltending of Jonathan Quick and the work of the top two lines, but none of it would have been possible without the contribution of the bottom six forwards—the Colin Frasers, the Jordan Nolans, the Trevor Lewis’s, the guys that weren’t in it for the check, but for the chance to live out a childhood dream. Together, they made it happen.
In the NHL, any team can win on any given night or any given year, and while that’s technically the case in the NBA, statistics haven’t proven the same. No NHL team has won more than two consecutive championships since the New York Islanders did it in the early 1980’s, and it’s been fifteen years since a team has been a repeat Stanley Cup Champion. In nearly the same span of time, the NBA has seen two teams three-peat, and two teams win consecutive championships, with the Miami Heat working on their third this upcoming season.
When it comes to toughness and physicality, hockey players are unquestionably superior. NBA players rarely get through a full season. They sit out for any number of reasons, or even get carried off in a wheelchair mid-game with mysterious injuries. Hockey players are badass motherf&*#%$’s who block shots with their face, and are back on the ice in time for their next shift.
In one of the most inspirational moments in recent hockey history, Bruins center Gregory Campbell was hit by a slap shot that broke his leg, but did that stop him from killing the remainder of the penalty against his team? No. Hell no.
This is hockey, people.
Now before you hoop-heads scroll to the pro-basketball arguments, let me make my final point. There is nothing in this world quite like the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I don’t care if you’ve never watched hockey in your life, don’t understand the rules, can’t follow the puck, or whatever other excuse I hear from time to time. If you flip on an NHL playoff game, you won’t turn it off until the final horn sounds. The intensity and compete level is unlike anything else, and the excitement in the building is palpable, even through a television screen. On top of that, the NHL has the best playoff tradition in all of sports—the handshake line. You won’t find a greater display of sportsmanship and respect for the game anywhere else.
The rich history, the iconic trophy, the bloodshed, the fact that anything can happen if you pour your heart and soul out on the ice, are just a few of the things that make this sport the greatest one on earth. If you take anything from this, anything at all, let it be a respect for the game, for its history, and for the guys that give it their everything for the chance to hoist the Holy Grail.
