As we move into playoff hockey and start watching seven game series for the next month and a half, I thought I should give you all a reason to watch the upcoming games, because hockey really is the best sport ever.

It’s A Fast-Paced Game.

What other sport is so fast-paced that the players only play for about 45 seconds at a time? Well, that’s hockey. Line changes keep the energy up and give the players the ability to play at their best each time their skates touch the ice.

They’re Rough and Tough.

A tooth gets knocked out? It’s fine, that’s what porcelain teeth are for. A skate blade slices their face open? That’s what stitches are for, and they’ll be out on that ice in the next couple games. These guys fear nothing and will get in front of slap shots moving over 90 mph just to protect the goal.

The Skill.

Let’s not forget to mention how extremely talented hockey players are. Hockey is all about finesse and placement, and controlling a puck with a wooden stick is a lot harder than it looks. Only the best of the best can make it look easy.

Power Plays.

Other sports have a way of handling penalties, but in hockey, players have to take a seat in the sin bin for two minutes, making the game extremely more competitive and interesting. Teams play five on four, five on three, and sometimes even four on four.

Shootouts.

Players get five minutes of overtime, and if no one scores, then it’s on to arguably the most exciting part of a hockey game, a shootout! Each team picks their three best shooters and put the pressure on the goalie to win the game. Other sports have overtime schedules that can take forever, but the shootout is an exciting way to judge talent, and it all comes back to the finesse and placement.

The Fights.

Oh, the fights. There is no other sport out there, except boxing and similar sports, of course, where the referees would let two men punch the crap out of each other. Smack talking leads to dropping the gloves and sometimes blood and knockouts, but that’s the beauty of the game.