Hockey might be one of those sports that most people can look down upon the same way that Americans look down on futbol across the pond. These same people may turn to the National Basketball Association or the National Football League instead and claim them to be the best, when in fact, it is the National Hockey League.
Allow me to explain.
First of all, the NHL has a lot of diversity and sees that nearly all professional hockey players are included and can make fans from all over the world cheer for their favorite players. According to a study by the Sports Network, nearly 50 percent of players are Canadian, about 25 percent are American and the rest consist of Russians, Czechs, Finnish and other diversities.
All of this diversity makes sure that the NHL brings in new players every year.
Speaking of new players, the NHL draft might be the best in America. The NBA draft is short and only has two rounds, the NFL draft is mainly entertaining in the first round and the Major League Baseball draft is something that I swear happened five years ago.
For the NHL, draft fans in the arena can see what is going within each of the team’s war rooms because all of the NHL’s franchises are situated on the floor of the arena and fans can see drafts and trades be dealt with.
Which brings me to the NHL trade deadline. The trade deadline is the NHL’s equivalent to a college student completing assignments before the last day of classes. This makes it Christmas Day for NHL fans, because the NHL’s stars are always constantly on the move, unlike leagues such as the NFL, where players are rarely traded, unless they are an underachieving player.
Also, if you were to ask any hockey fan, no matter where they are, they will agree that speed kills. I am not talking about drugs here. No, I am talking about the constant movement of players in the sport and the league. All of this speed in the sport can cause a lot of intensity and will occasionally cause players to run into each other and maybe even start fights with each other, which brings me to the rivalries in the league.
Some of the most famous rivalries include the one between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins, two teams that have existed for nearly a hundred years. There is also the battle of Pennsylvania, between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Additionally, all three California teams hate each other— the Kings, Ducks and Sharks, which is a rivalry I like to call the: Battle of the Three Armies. Rivalries bring up the intensity in the sport and makes everything very entertaining and fun to watch.
For all of these reasons, from the draft to the rivalries, I find these explanations valid enough to show you why I believe the NHL is the best sports league in the world.
