The NHL deserves a lot more respect than it gets.
As a sports fan, I tend to think that the “Major” sports leagues in the United States are the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA and MLS, in no particular order. However, I think it is apparent that the NHL is not even close to the others when it comes to recognition by sports fans across the country as well as the media. Being a hockey fan myself, it is hard to come up with any arguments against the NHL. In that case, here are my arguments for it.
The Fans. I can tell you that every fan of the NHL is a die-hard fan. Whether you are a Blackhawks fan, Redwings fan, Islanders fan or a Rangers fan, those fans have one thing in common, and that is the sport of hockey. It seems like the fact that hockey is not as popular as other sports; you have a stronger bond with other fans. I see Yankee hats everywhere I go in the world and don’t think anything of it due to that fact. When I see somebody wearing an Islanders or Rangers hat, I feel like I automatically have a connection to that fan because there is not that many hockey fans out there. The passion in hockey fans is at a level that no other sport can match. I know many people who are Jets fans but want the Giants to win every week because they “play in New York too”. That is unheard of in the NHL, lets stick with New York here. I have never met an Islanders fan that would ever want the Rangers to even sniff anything that rhymes with success unless it benefits their beloved Isles. Is this because of the rivalry between the two? Which brings me to my next argument.

Playoffs? Yes I am talking about playoffs, the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For those of you who are not aware of the playoff format of the NHL, I will explain. A total of 16 teams make the playoffs (Top 8 from each conference) The three division winners from each conference are seeded 1-3, the order is determined by number of points earned during the regular season. Unlike the MLB and NFL, there is no Wild Card. Those teams with next most points in the conference are seeded 4 through 8. Once the final standings are set, #1 plays #8, #2 plays #7, #3 plays #6 and #4 plays #5 in the quarterfinals round. The teams are reseeded after every round, from the quarterfinals, semi-finals, conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals. The winners from each conference finals meet in the finals to determine the Stanley Cup Champion. If you win the division in baseball, all you need to do is win 3 games and you are already in the league championship series. In the NHL, a team needs to win 8 games just make it to the conference finals and may have to play 14. That is why the Stanley Cup is single handedly the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. The toughness it takes, physically and mentally, to win the Cup is second to none. Which brings me to my best argument of them all.

Yes, Drew Brees can throw a football 80 yards into his receiver’s hands in stride. Yes, Shaquille O’neal stands at 7’1 and can still magically manage to get a ball inside a hoop 3 feet over his head. Yes, Prince Fielder is 5’11 and 275 pounds but is still good at what he does. But when you can step on the ice, not on shoes, but a blade just 1/8 of an inch thick, skate as fast as an Olympic speed skater, shoot a puck 108.8 mph, block those 100+ mph shots with your face and get stitched up on the bench so you don’t miss a shift, have the endurance to play 25 minutes every game at 110%, have the strength to fight off hits from 6’5, 230 pound defensemen coming at you at full speed, and the physical and mental toughness to play an 82 game season and win 16 playoff games to win the Stanley Cup, you are a hockey player. If you don’t appreciate these athletes for what they do or refuse to have any respect for the game of hockey, well… it's your loss, because you are truly missing out on the greatest sport in the world.
Great post hockey is the best and NHL playoffs are great. March madness is up there too.
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