Why hockey?

I recently took a friend of mine to her first live hockey game. We have been watching the Blackhawks on television a lot, but she had never seen hockey live. So we went to the Coralridge Mall and watched the Iowa IceHawks on Saturday afternoon.

As the third period came to a close, I asked if she had enjoyed it and what her favorite part was. She said "yes," and decided that the best part of live hockey was "when they bang each other into the boards and it makes that loud noise." I didn't really expect that to be the answer and I thought it was pretty funny, but it got me thinking. What about hockey, especially in person, has captured my attention all these years?

The first thing that came to mind is the speed. Everything in hockey happens a lightning pace. You can look away for literally a second, and miss a massive hit or a goal. A shot can miss by mere inches on one end of the ice, and within three or four seconds, the other team can have the puck in the back of the net on the other end. An entire game can change instantly. And for a game that moves so fast, 10 seconds can feel like an eternity. It's exhilarating and does a fantastic job of keeping one's attention.

The list of reasons I love hockey could go on for pages, but as for the first thing I think of as to "why hockey?", the speed of the game will do.