Why I play, Why I write

​Hockey is an amazing sport. It has intricacies and subtle or unwritten rules that go unnoticed by the casual fan. These little things that others miss is why I play hockey. It's why I want to skate for 20-30 minutes on ice, or risk breaking my wrist shooting a small, rubber saucer at another human, or throw my body at another person, so my teammates can get the small, rubber saucer back. I love the intricacies, I love the subtle rules that nobody mentions but everyone who knows the game, understands and respects. Those subtleties are important for keeping order and safety on the ice. You never hit a player when he is down, that’s the first “rule” you are taught in peewee hockey. If someone is down you help them up, you don’t hurt them more. You also never go after an opposing goalie, no matter how much they frustrate or annoy you. Hitting or checking another skater while their back is turned will cost you a 5-minute game misconduct penalty, and cost you the respect of your fellow skaters. If you start a fight, you finish it, even if you get beat. Fighting in hockey is one of the greatest things about the sport; because it allows you work out an issue with an opponent, and all you have to do is sit out for 5 minutes. But if you drop the gloves, only to bait another player into dropping his own gloves, it’s a cheap way to get the other guy in trouble. One of the most important intricacies, and possibly the oldest, is never, ever hurt or injure a referee. While most referees can be the most annoying, stress inducing, and frustrating people on the ice, they are there to keep everyone safe, and to ensure a clean game. These subtleties are integral to the game of hockey, and should not be tampered with. The fact that these types of “rules” can exist in such a brutal sport makes it a beautiful game, and that is why I play. While hockey really is an amazing sport, and anyone who wants to play should have a chance too, not all of us are cut out to be in the top echelon in the NHL. While the amount of players in the NHL is smaller than that of the other major sports, due to the size of teams, the average juniors or college level hockey player has a 4.7 percent chance to reach the NHL, (according to an ESPN.com article written by Ken Campbell in 2007) When a youth league player, or even a high school star hears those odds, chances are he's going to hang up his skates and call it a day. Don't get me wrong it never hurts to try, and if you work your butt off, chances are you can get some people to notice you, but the odds still aren't in your favor. I never got the chance to play high school hockey, but I still play games with my buddies, and we can get competitive, but if Alexander Ovechkin or Patrick Kane decided to join in our little pick up game, we'd all be spinning on the ice as they laughed and threw ice in our face. My point is, even if I can't skate very well, or shoot a puck 100 mph, I can still enjoy and revel in the beauty of hockey. A game I love because to understand it, you have to sit, watch it, and learn. A game I love because it is incredible what some NHL players can do, sometimes it looks like they aren't even human. I write because while I can't be on the ice, I want to be as close as possible, and I want everyone else feel as close as possible. I write because I want to bring the action, excitement, and passion this sport has to offer at the tips of your fingers. That is why I write.