Quote:
Originally posted by Quadraton
With that said, hockey is definitely the toughest sport out there. You have a 200'x85' ice surface, 12 guys, and one little eensy-weensy puck that you have to control with a stick. There are 6 positions to play, and each position has its chunk of ice to guard, but there are many cases when you must take a risk and venture outside of your territory. On top of that, you're on skates, which isn't natural for most people, and requires a hell of a lot more effort to move than running does. It has strategies (i.e. breakout plays, scoring plays, etc...), and unless you want to make your stay in the game a short one, you had better use your head.
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Agreed, and Hockey is really the only sport where you have to be able to do EVERYTHING. Every defensemen has to be able to think like a forward from time to time and vice versa. The centers (at least the good ones) have to do both all the time. Defensemen even have to think like the goalie in that they have to stay out of his way and also cut off guys' lanes. And in hockey you also have to be REALLY tough, tough as any football player, easily. I remember hearing a story about Brent Gilchrist, where he was playing during the Stanley Cup Finals i think the year the Wings faced the Caps, and his groin was literally seperating from the bone. Between periods he had to go in and get pins literally jammed in to hold it in place... and he STILL PLAYED. That is fucking tough right there. Also, football is a lot more forgiving to the players. You get to stop all the damn time, plays only last for like 30 seconds apiece if that. And when your side isnt on the field, you get a looong break. Hockey the shifts can go on for several minutes and you're ALWAYS moving.... if you're not you just get burned. When your line goes off, it's always nice, but it's never for very long.