Hockey is one of the most popular sports all over the world. It has been around for many years and continues to grow in popularity every year.
Whether you play or watch hockey, there is always at least one season when your team is struggling a little bit and you start to wonder if the sport is still fun to play or watch.
Some of the greatest hockey players of all time have gone through slumps. Some of the most recent slumps in NHL history include the 1997–98 and 2006–07 Tampa Bay Lightning seasons. The 2004–05 San Jose Sharks season was also a bit of a slump.
While it’s true that hockey is a game that you can only play or watch when the weather is nice and the ice is in good condition, there are still ways to have fun during a hockey slump. Here are just a few of them.
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Watch The Best Of The Best
The best players in the world play every week. If your team is doing well, it’s usually easy to find someone on your fantasy hockey roster to fill your slots. However, if your team is struggling, it’s not as easy to find an NBA, NHL, or MLB match up that perfectly suits your needs. What you can do during these times is try to find the best independent websites that provide videos of the best hockey players in the world. You can also look at online hockey pools that allow you to join in on the action with other fans around the world. During the 2014–15 NHL season the website Yoopool.com had over 40,000 active users participating in their online pool. You can also sign up for an e-mail alert from Yoopool.com when there is a notable match up that you can’t watch directly from the NHL or a major North American sports league. Hockey is a very popular sport and there are many good independent websites that provide videos of the best of the best.
Take Advantage Of The Off-Peak Season
During the regular season, most sports leagues try to avoid having games on Sundays so that more people can attend. In hockey this is especially important because more people usually attend games on Sundays than any other day of the week. It would be a shame for your team to have one of its biggest games on a Sunday and for the rest of the season to be a total loss. What you can do during the offseason is take advantage of the weekdays and use them as much as possible to make up for the lost week of action. For example, the 2015–16 NHL regular season did not begin until September 29, 2015, and many players took the opportunity to rest and recuperate during the offseason. There were no hockey games on Monday, November 23, 2015 and Tuesday, November 24, 2015. During that week, more people watched the NFL and college football than they did NHL hockey, but that’s also probably because the games were much better this year. Even though the season began later, more people watched and participated in more NHL activities during the offseason than any other season. You can also use your down time to work out, rest, and prepare for the upcoming season. While the off-season is a bit of a loss for your team, it can be a welcome relief for your sanity.
Play In Other Sports
If watching the best of the best isn’t your thing, you can always play in other sports. Some of the greatest hockey players of all time played other sports before they became successful hockey players. Hockey is a very team-oriented game. It’s not just about one person going around the ice trying to rack up the points. If your team is struggling a little bit, you can always play in a pick up game with some friends. Basketball, soccer, and football are all team-oriented sports as well and perfect for this kind of activity. Your body will thank you for getting some movement during this time. You can also check out some of the other team sports that feature hockey players such as American football and baseball. While it’s not the same as playing on the ice, it’s still fun to participate in activities such as these during the offseason.
Travel To Another Country
There are more people in the world than there are ice cubes. If you think that your team is having a bit of a slump, you can always join a hockey team in another country. The NHL doesn’t enforce or promote amateurism, so it’s fairly common for players to go overseas and play for a few teams during their offseason. Traveling to another country isn’t difficult. It costs nothing, and it’s usually a lot of fun to play in a different country. It gives you a new perspective on the game. You’ll play better, and you’ll have a new appreciation for the game. Most importantly, it can be a lot of fun. The 2015–16 NHL season was the first to feature games in China, and many players took the opportunity to travel over there and play for one of the teams that China had set up
Play In The South Pole
While it might not be the most conventional idea, some people have gone a step further and have played hockey in the South Pole. The South Pole is an area in Antarctica that is surprisingly warm for its location. The temperature doesn’t really vary too much, so it’s not too cold or too hot. The area gets very little sunlight during the winter, so it’s actually one of the darker places on Earth. With all that cloud cover, it’s easy for the games to be played under the Northern Lights. Many people who have played in the South Pole have mentioned how beautiful it is, and how much fun the games are there. It might be a bit of a challenge fitting in with locals being in a different time zone, but it can be a fun slumber party for you and your buddies.
Watch The Internationals
Hockey isn’t just about playing in Canada and the United States. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) runs world championships every year and some of the games are available to the public. If you can get to a digital TV, you can watch the best hockey players in the world compete for a spot on the world’s greatest hockey team. The IIHF also runs an annual tournament that pits Team North America against other international teams. You can also take the opportunity to cheer on your favorite team at the World Hockey Championship, which is also broadcast on TV. Many people who love hockey take advantage of the international games and tournaments that are available to them. It’s a great way to catch some games even if your team isn’t having a good season. There are many world-class hockey players who play for other countries, so it’s worth checking out if you can find a way to watch them.
While it might be easy to become disheartened by your team’s performance during a slump, there are still ways to have fun. It might not be the most conventional ways, but sometimes you just need an excuse to break out the hockey stick and have some fun. Hopefully, these tips will help you get out of that slump and enjoy your time watching or playing hockey. It’s a beautiful sport and one of the best in all probability. There are many ways to have fun in hockey, as long as you don’t let the rough patches get to you.