5 Reasons Why NFL Fans Should Watch the NHL

The NFL season is over; however, don't tell that to ESPN!

The network is already talking about who is going to win the Lombardi Trophy next year. Now, as an avid NFL fan, I don't mind listening to Mel Kiper, Jr. talk about draft strategy because that is actually timely and relevant.

But I think that football fans would enjoy watching a hockey game over Skip Bayless' banter about Tim Tebow.

The NHL has the challenge of having to compete with the NBA and the NFL until the Super Bowl, which is well after the all-star break. I know that die-hard NFL fans can't wait for the 2012 season and are counting down the days until their fantasy football drafts (myself included).

But with the NHL season heating up, I thought it was only right to give pigskin fans some reasons to tune in.

1. Hitting

Something that is crucial in football is just as crucial in hockey—that's physical play.

Hitting in hockey is an art form, and just because your big doesn't mean you're going to be a good hitter.

Things like technique, reading the ice, anticipation and timing are all important factors that great hitters calculate. Football can be won and lost in the trenches. I think that football fans would appreciate the physical aspect that a hockey game offers.

But there's not just hitting...

2. Fighting

There have been arguments over whether or not fighting should still be allowed in the game, which I think is absolutely ludicrous.

Fighting is what separates the NHL from the other major sports. 

Like hitting, fighting is an art form. Lots of sports fans fail to understand how much respect fighters have for one another. Often, after a scrap, the two fighters will go to dinner together after the game.

I know that offensive lineman are bigger than your average enforcer, but don't think that the big guys are afraid to drop the mitts. I've posted two fights between a 6'3" Georges Laraque and a 6'9" Zdeno Chara. Although these weren't the best fights I could have dug up, you gotta love watching two enormous guys fight each other.

Notice how they fight directly after coming out of the penalty box because of the unsatisfying round one. It's just beautiful.

3. Speed

When you think of speed in football a lot of names come to mind: Desean Jackson, Chris Johnson, etc.

All of those outside receivers are as fast as lighting. Don't be fooled though, there are guys in the NHL that skate up to 30 MPH...pretty ridiculous.

Sometimes people that aren't very familiar with the sport have trouble following the play because it moves up and down the ice too fast, but if you are a fan of watching the fastest athletes in the league, the NHL is a great organization to watch.

These guys can fly.

4. Goaltending

An aspect of hockey that neither the NBA nor NFL has is goaltending. I know that people like to see scoring, but watching a goaltender steal a win for a team after making 50 saves is truly a thing of beauty.

In the NBA, if you are all alone you can dunk (that will probably be on Sportscenter's Top 10). In the NFL, if you are all alone it's an automatic 6 points.

In the NHL, you better have something planned out because you still have one more guy to beat.

5. Rivalries

Steelers/Ravens meet Penguins/Capitals. Patriots/Giants meet Bruins/Canadians. Cowboys/Eagles meet Flyers/Rangers. You get it.

Rivalries are one of the greatest aspects of sports, and the NHL is filled with them. Even if you are unfamiliar with the game, there is always a team that your hometown teams hates, which gives you the right to hate them as well. 

The best part about the NHL is that when the playoffs roll around you need four victories not just one to move on. Watching a seven game series between teams that absolutely can't stand one another is just flat out awesome.

Case and point: Bruins vs. Canucks last season. Their Stanley Cup Finals series started one of hockey's newest and greatest rivalries.