14. Hockey
Olympic hockey continues to be one of the marquee sports of the Winter Games, especially since the reintroduction of NHL players since the 1998 Nagano games. But while the Olympics feature NHL players, the Olympics often feature an international-sized ice (same length but much wider) which opens up play and gives skaters more room to work. Furthermore, many of the rougher aspects of the NHL game that give it its tough reputation are absent during the Olympics, including fighting, in part because all of those dedicated tough guys in the NHL aren’t invited to be on the Olympic teams. In fact on the women’s side body checking isn’t even part of the sport and any check results in a minor penalty.
But even with these “lighter” rules, hockey remains a much better Olympic product than its closest summer cousin basketball. Then again hockey is just a better product in general.
