NHL 2013 Thread

[BMack]

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

Wait a minute. I will preface this by saying I have gotten into heated arguments about hockey being the most difficult sport to play given speed, skill, toughness required.

I have seen people play hockey drunk as hell, you could do pickup smoking a stogie, and I have seen couples playing together. While golf is not as physically demanding it is a specialized skill sport. No I dont play, but I think it is a sport as most every scrub cant go out and play effectively.

I would argue of all the sports football basketball and soccer involve the most basic of human skills running, throwing, kicking and catching. Children can do these things easily. Thats why they are thr most popular in my view. Anybody can go outside with a ball and play. Baseball requires more skill as does hockey and golf.

You can play hockey drunk as hell, and I have, but only after you have gained the ability to skate, puck handle and generally know how to play the game. ALL hockey skills are unnatural...almost all other sports have at least some natural variables, like running(compared to skating) for example. I've helped coach adults that were figure skaters learn to play hockey, they eliminated the variable of not having to learn how to skate...they still can't do anything with the puck. It takes years to be able to comfortably skate while controlling a puck at the end of a 60" long stick. I could go on but blah, blah, blah...That doesn't mean other sports aren't complex but hockey, in the depth of unnatural skills needed to play, is the most physically complex.

Anyway, LET'S GO LIGHTNING!

How many people here also play/coach ice hockey?

[ToastedFoot]

in a day and age where most every Canadian freezes their back yard, skating is as natural to them as running and throwing to us Americans. With the growing popularity of the sport here in the states most northeast states are following suit. But to say its the most difficult sport to master is nonsense. A poll was taken in the late nineties of which was the hardest single feat to master in all professional sports and hands down it was facing a major league pitcher. An orb coming at you one hundred miles an hour and breaking twelve to eighteen inches before it hits the catchers glove, you have exactly .3 seconds to make a decision on attacking. I'm no expert in the field, but I bounced around in the minors for 4 years, hands down the hardest sport to make it professionally is baseball, and that's just because of pure numbers, everyone thinks they can do it but few can excel at it.

[icehog3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P4VlWucGiY

Originally Posted by ToastedFoot

Malkin still looks like twice the player Crosby is, and yes i'm a Pittsburgh'er, Suter makes a huge addition on face offs, we might be in the running this year, Crosby couldn't possibly pull his vagina in 48 games.......could he ??????

It's one game.....I may not be a Sidney fan, but he is world class. Just watch.

Originally Posted by BMack

How many people here also play/coach ice hockey?

I play on 3 men's league teams, one I have been playing for for over 20 years.

[BMack]

Originally Posted by ToastedFoot

in a day and age where most every Canadian freezes their back yard, skating is as natural to them as running and throwing to us Americans. With the growing popularity of the sport here in the states most northeast states are following suit. But to say its the most difficult sport to master is nonsense. A poll was taken in the late nineties of which was the hardest single feat to master in all professional sports and hands down it was facing a major league pitcher. An orb coming at you one hundred miles an hour and breaking twelve to eighteen inches before it hits the catchers glove, you have exactly .3 seconds to make a decision on attacking. I'm no expert in the field, but I bounced around in the minors for 4 years, hands down the hardest sport to make it professionally is baseball, and that's just because of pure numbers, everyone thinks they can do it but few can excel at it.

A baseball has a lot more surface area than a puck and pucks travel faster, from different angles, at varying distances and hockey players knock the puck down or deflect it on a regular basis. Then you have to deflect a puck that is potentially bouncing (with sticks/skates/legs in the way) into a net, past a goalie... or from a goalie's perspective have to stop a puck that could be coming from 180* and might be deflected at any given time.

...I know the survey, yeah, yeah, "Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do because if you fail at it 70% of the time, you're a hall of famer" but that's not true. Pitches are hit almost every time a MLB batter swings, whether it be a foul ball or a fair ball, whether it's an out or not. It was amazing last year that Stamkos scored on just under 20% of his shots...because the average goalie saves over .900 of shots faced. So that makes scoring in the NHL a fair amount harder than hitting a baseball.

If you take any random pro hockey player and have him play in a men's league baseball game he will do fine. If you put any random baseball player in a hockey game, almost none of them will be able to stand up and move without falling down, let alone play. You VASTLY over estimate the amount of people that can skate decently enough to play hockey...and like I said, just because someone can skate doesn't mean they can play hockey.

I hope that argument isn't "too spirited" but, I've grown up playing and have coached both sports..hockey is far more complex to teach or play.

Originally Posted by icehog3

I play on 3 men's league teams, one I have been playing for for over 20 years.

Geez, 20 years on one team!? That's awesome!

I played pond hockey growing up. Does that count

[Ahbroody]

Originally Posted by BMack

many people here also play/coach ice hockey?

used to play, coach my oldest. Can't afford to play these days as my money goes to the kids fees. He's playing on a travel ice and inhouse ice team as well as a travel roller hockey club. Dad is broke these days 3 teams is expensive.


Gomez is skating with the Sharks if you need him. Would have figured a few other teams would try to get him given their condition.