Do you like Hockey?

Love hockey. I have season tickets for my hometown Florida Panthers. It's definitely the most entertaining sport for me to see live.

Seems like a fun sport to play but it doesn't translate well on TV.

Field Hockey = Yes

Other hockey = No

Completely disagree. I think it's the most exciting sport to watch.

It's really tense the whole way through and there's pretty much nonstop action. For basketball people have legitimate complaints when they talk about there being too many stoppages late in games with timeouts, FTs, etc. I think I saw that the last minute of the Tenn/Mich game last night took 16 actual minutes to play. Football has commercials after every change of possession/timeout. Baseball is hard to really pay close attention for the entire game unless it's the playoffs.

Yeah,I like roller hockey(quad),the other types not so much mostly because I´m not very familiar with them.

Yes.

I disagree with this. The tense action you speak off doesn't translate well on tv. The nonstop action is just as similar to soccer where nothing seems to be happening the majority of the game.

Just watched the Flyers and Bruins play all the way to overtime and a shootout. Such a great game. Slick moves, goalies robbing shots left and right, big puck battles. Wish my hometown leafs would stop sucking and play like that...

Soccer doesn't have nonstop action. Running around on a big field isn't quite up to pace with skating on a smaller arena with boards that prevent the puck from going out of play. The back and forth play is quick in hockey. And big hits and turnovers often take place in the neutral zone. You don't see that kind of continuous action in soccer.

I'm pretty sure a soccer player will disagree with you on the nonstop action part. Players moving around a lot in the game. But just like soccer, the nonstop action in hockey is flawed as a TV event.

And I think you on to something with you mention the turnovers. Its seems in both soccer/hockey the back in forth consist of the puck/soccer ball changing possession every 2 seconds.

I'd say action is more about battling with opponents than it is "moving around a lot." That's why I think hockey is different.

I've always thought hockey was a more condensed, intense, and faster version of soccer. It's basically soccer on steroids.

I like it quite a bit,even moreso considering Spain is the best team in the world,so that helps.

Yeah but I'm mainly a casual fan. For example I mostly watch: Caps games, the Olympics, and a couple Stanley Cup playoff games that have an interesting match up.

I do love the parity in the playoffs especially compared to the NBA which has the same format but with awful teams getting in.

Are you sure you're talking about ice hockey

Where in the OP says this is about ice hockey?

What's and interesting matchup?

How do you know it's a parity if you don't watch it enough?

The LA Kings and the fact that the Caps have had #1 seeds and lost to an 8th seed. I don't see that with the NBA except that one time when the Warriors did it.

He's right though.

In the NBA everyone pretty much knows that the East finals are going to be Indiana vs Miami unless one of those teams suffers a major injury.

In hockey the top seeds get knocked out in the first or second round pretty often. Hockey's low scoring, more random than basketball, and sometimes in the playoffs a goalie just gets hot at the right time and carries his team deep into the playoffs because all of a sudden no shots can get past him.

@JML897:

No I'm asking how do you know those lower seeds in the NHL are bad if one doesn't follow them for 82 games?

My guess he just looks at the their record when the playoffs starts.

I'm not a hockey expert but I find it odd that the goalie is the reason for wins and losses. From the hockey highlights, it seems all the other players are around the goalie.

A goalie getting x amount of saves can't be all based on the goalie?

And its not like hockey consist of high scoring.

How often does a breakaway occur in a game? And I doubt it outweighs a set play shot or a around the goalie goal.

The goalie can indeed make or break a team in the playoffs. A good goalie stops every shot he is expected to make. A great goalie also stops shots that he is not expected to be capable of making. An overrated goalie is one who chokes in the playoffs.

@one_plum:

Just how many goal saves is solely based on the goalie?

I don't understand your question. Virtually every recorded shot requires the goalie to save it otherwise the puck would enter the goal.

Defensively, the players on the team can either block a shot (which isn't statistically recorded as a shot) or limit their goalie's necessity to make difficult saves.

@one_plum:

Correct me if I'm wrong but a lot of goal saves are based on,

1. low percentage shot attempts.

2. Players surrounding the net.

@PSP107:

1. Whether the opposing team shoots frequently or rarely, the goalie still has to make those save regardless. I'm not sure if that answers your question.

2. One tricky thing about players surrounding the net is that the puck can get deflected many times. In that case, it's almost impossible for the goalie to stop this kind of shot, so it is sometimes wiser to give the goalie some room to see the puck and keep the opposing players from obstructing the view or prevent them from capitalizing a rebound if the goalie cannot immobilize the puck.

@one_plum:

1. I don't mean shot attempts. In basketball, a low percentage shot is consider a shot attempt a player has no chance of making. Example will be Shaq shooting a 3 point shot. In hockey, players shoot long slaps shot that has no chance of going in(its very rare that it does go in)

2. The surrounding the net is funny. It seems people are rewarding the goalie more when in fact his teammates has a big influence as well.

And lets also factor in how small the nets are. I think the NHL should widen the net.

Still not tall/wide enough.

1. Long slap shots go in when there's a lot of traffic in front. It impedes the goalie's view and deflections confuse goalies.

2. It's still a team sport, but if your goalie sucks, it kills all your team's momentum and motivation.

I think fans of the game are fine with the current net size; I'm inclined to agree. I think they could do something with the violence though.

@one_plum:

1. Is it safe to safe the majority of goals are scored that way?

2. Maybe its because I'm not a hockey purist, but a goalie seems some what overrated. NHL scoring is very low and most goals occurs around a surrounding net of players in which you implied confusing.

Not only should they widen the net, they should also widen the rink.

Can anyone PM some good NHL streams for the playoffs?

Agree to disagree. Anyhow, just sit back and enjoy the playoffs.

I don't watch hockey. I'll check the Blackhawks occasionally though.

Anyway, Blackhawks 1st opponent is the Blues, what's the scouting report on them?

I'm from Detroit and watch most of the Red Wings games every season.

Only when my hockey friends are around and it's on. Don't really seek it out... I probably should though since I heard the Stars are in the NHL Playoffs... which is happening now apparently... and I heard the NHL Playoffs is intense and there are way more fights....... but even after all that, I still don't really care that I'm missing it.

I love hockey but only occasionally get the chance to play.

Hockey is best what's up with the hate? It's fast paced, rarely long stoppages of play, a game is never out of reach, players don't give up, uhmm what else you need?

Go Kings Go! beat these quackers

Those rarely long stoppages you speak of consist of nothing really happening though. Just dudes skating. lol at games never out of reach. I disagree with that. Scoring doesn't happen much. I mean a team can score a goal in the beginning of a game and chances are, the game is over despite the game just starting.

I think hockey and soccer are more enjoyable if you played them and understand the rules. Watching plays unfold before they are made can really add to the excitement of them. In my opinion, the low scoring adds to the intensity of the game, where as every basket made in the first 3 quarters of a basketball game almost seem irrelevant to me. I know they are important, but it is hard to get excited about anything in basketball until the end.

Regular season I just follow the Bruins in the standings. Playoffs however is like a whole other sport and I will watch it no matter who is playing all the way up to the final cup game.

So bummed that the Ducks lost. Selanne played his last game and Koivu possibly ends his career without winning the cup.

Hockey is one of my favorite sports.

I learned that after playing it, you gain an appreciation for how skilled those players really are. Skating, unlike running which is what most sports require does not come naturally. Add that you need to control the puck and do so without looking at it because if your head is down BOOM! You're getting hit. Then comes shooting. Friends were always amazed when they came out to play for the first time with me at how hard it is to roof a puck. It is the hardest sport I've ever played, and most fun.

You were lied to. The NHL playoffs there are rarely any fights. No player wants to spend 5 minutes in the box for fighting in the playoffs.

I am most certainly a hockey fan! I don't just watch it, but I play it. I have been playing it since third grade, now going into eighth, and started off playing as goalie and my coach noticed I have good slapshot potential and assigned me to second line right wing sniper. Now, though, I play first line. I love the Blackhawks, Kings, and Avalanche.
And for everyone saying soccer is slow, I also played it, depending on how much time you get on the field if you get forward like I did you'll do a lot of running.

@cainetao11:

It should be hard because you never played it.