7 Issues the NHL Is Actually Handling Better Than the NFL

The NFL is the king of all sporting endeavors in North America.

There is no argument about that. From opinion polls to television ratings, the NFL has been the top dog among professional sports since the late the 1960s when it passed Major League Baseball (source: Sports Business Daily). The gap has been growing ever since.

Those same opinion polls will often rate the NHL behind the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA. Many non-hockey fans love to lord this over hockey supporters, as if it means they have some kind of superiority because more eyes watched their sport than hockey.

It's somewhat annoying, but it is a fact of life for hockey fans. However, there are many aspects of the NHL that are handled extremely well and gives the league an advantage over the other pro leagues, including the high and mighty NFL.

Instant Replay

Instant replay works beautifully in the NHL. It's still a mess in the NFL.

When NHL officials check on the legitimacy of a goal in hockey, game officials talk to dedicated replay officials in the league offices in Toronto to determine whether a goal was scored or it did not cross the red goal line completely.

They do this in an efficient manner that does not cause delays.

In the NFL, coaches use a challenge system if they want to pick out a play they believe was not ruled correctly for the majority of the game. Game officials then go under a hood to look at an instant replay so they can make a final judgment on a play. It's supposed to be a clear and efficient ruling. It often takes more than four minutes (source: Pro Football Talk.com) for the game officials to emerge from under the hood.

Coaches can challenge most but not all plays. In the NHL, goal rulings are looked at if there is any question about the legitimacy of a goal. A coach does not have to challenge it.

The NHL's system is far superior.

Game Rhythm

It's bad enough when you watch an NFL game on television and there are commercial breaks after nearly every possession.

However, the length of the commercial breaks often seem interminable. A bigger problem is that they can destroy the rhythm of the game.

Look at this scenario. The Giants are playing the Bears and Eli Manning throws a touchdown pass to Victor Cruz. Next play, extra point. Commercial break. Kickoff to Devin Hester and he returns it 40 yards to midfield. Commercial break. Jay Cutler finally comes out to lead the Bears' offense nearly eight minutes after Manning's TD pass to Cruz.

In the NHL, Claude Giroux fakes his way past Johnny Boychuk and fires a shot past the glove of Tuukka Rask into the upper corner to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. After the raising of the sticks and the exchanging of high fives at the bench, the center-ice faceoff takes place. Patrice Bergeron wins the faceoff, Zdeno Chara passes to Dennis Seidenberg who fires it into the Philadelphia end. Brad Marchand digs the puck out of the corner and finds Tyler Seguin. He fires a low wrist shot that Ilya Bryzgalov blocks but Bergeron jams home the rebound.

The Bruins scored 22 seconds after the Flyers and perhaps two minutes went by on the clock.

Much better rhythm.

International Growth

Every year, the NFL plays a clumsy game in London because it wants to increase revenues as a result of international growth.

The NFL has tried to create professional leagues overseas, but the efforts have not been rewarded (source: World League of American Football.com).

On the other hand, the only sport that compares with hockey for play on the international level is soccer. Ice hockey is played at an exceptional level in countries like Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland and Slovakia in addition to Canada and the United States.

International tournaments like the Olympic Games feature legitimate and often brilliant athletic competitions. Can you try to imagine an international game of American football between the United States and Germany—or anyone else? It would be a blowout.

The NFL can only dream of the kind of international development that the NHL has achieved.

Relationship with Other Sports

The NFL does exactly what it wants to.

It is king.

Every decision is based on what is best for the NFL. Back in the day, the NFL and Major League Baseball would "cooperate" with each other during baseball's playoffs and World Series. Now baseball just prays that its crowned jewel doesn't get embarrassed in the TV ratings by a regular-season NFL game. Its prayers are rarely answered (source: ESPN.com).

Hockey does not have lordly status and it cooperates with other sports. Many hockey teams share home arenas with NBA franchises and games in both sports are often played the same day or the next day. The leagues cooperate with each other and that helps more fans enjoy both sports.

Off the Field Issues with Players

NFL players often find themselves in trouble with the law.

Many sports websites, including FoxSports.com, have many dedicated pages to players who have been arrested during the calendar year.

In hockey, players may run into trouble outside the law but the frequency is far less than their NFL brethren. For example, when Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane was photographed while drinking at the University of Wisconsin, he was chastised for his immature behavior (source: Deadspin.com).

However, Kane may have embarrassed himself and his team, but he was not arrested and was not forced to spend the night in jail.

Disciplinary System

The NHL has it all over the NFL for the way it handles over-aggressive behavior during game competition.

The NHL has shown it wants to limit serious injuries by coming down hard on players who deliver serious and illegal hits—especially to the head area—by addressing those illegal hits shortly after they take place.

NHL dean of discipline Brendan Shanahan takes to the camera to point out the illegal hit, what made the hit go over the line and explain the punishment.

The NFL wants to get rid of illegal head shots as well, but there is often confusion about what is illegal and what's not, what brings a punishment and what doesn't and the type of discipline that is issues.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been criticized by players for the way the NFL handles disciplinary actions (source: ESPN.com).

Dedication to Sport

Athletes may love what they do for a living, but hockey players seem to be more dedicated to their sport than football players or those from the other sports.

The dedication may emanate from a feeling of hatred for the opponent (source: NHL.com), but it is palpable nevertheless.

There is a dedication and joy that hockey players have for their sport that is rarely matched by the others. When Steven Stamkos takes a slapshot to the face in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins in 2011 and returns to play almost immediately, he is going well beyond expectations.

That kind of dedication is rarely seen in the other sports.

It is largely perception, but when hockey players say they would play the game for nothing, it seems to have credibility.

It's difficult to imagine NFL players who would allow the abuse of their bodies merely for the love of the game.