10 Reasons Why Hockey Is the Greatest Sport on Earth 冰球成為世界最非凡運動的十大理由

阿利·貝克 宋文君 賀鶯

If you’re reading this， you’re probably already aware that hockey is the undisputed best sport on the planet. But if you really need some extra convincing， here’s a list of ten things （in no particular order） that make hockey the greatest sport on Earth：

Football， basketball， baseball—what do they all have in common？ They’re played on the solid ground， not a slippery sheet of ice. The athletes that play those sports wear shoes， not sharp blades of steel on the bottoms of their feet. I’m not saying basketball， baseball， and football players aren’t serious athletes， I’m just saying they’re not as talented as hockey players. Hockey players have to combine all that speed and agility on top of managing to stay upright on a large ice-cube. If that’s not skill， I don’t know what is.

In other major sports， the majority of games are usually decided by the referees or umpires1. In hockey， it is to a certain extent， but the players definitely have the ability to control the game on a different level. They can speed it up， slow it down， or shake things up with big hits or fights. In this sport， the athletes truly have control of the game， which makes it much more entertaining to watch.

Some sports， even though they’re considered “team sports，” are sometimes monopolized by an individual athlete. Football has quarterbacks， baseball has pitchers， hockey has a team. Although it’s possible for one hockey player to be the superstar of the team， this sport makes it impossible for a team to win unless they play together. Everybody needs to be on the same page if things are to work in this sport and that makes it all the better. After all， there’s no “I” in “hockey.”

No other sport even comes close to hockey in terms of speed. Everything about this sport is fast-paced： the slap shots， the game pace， the players. Every other sport moves at a glacial pace2 in comparison to this one. There’s no time for dozing off in hockey—something is always happening and if you blink， chances are you’ll miss it. Constant action is one of the many reasons hockey is the greatest sport on the planet.

You can argue every other point on this list， （except six; that’s a fact， too） but you can’t argue that the NHL playoffs are， without a doubt， the most grueling of all the major sports. In order to become champion in this league， you must survive four rounds of grueling， backbreaking play， on top of the seven months of the brutal regular season games that have already been completed.

There’s no stopping nor breaks for these boys—Only twenty-eight games to prove that you deserve Lord Stanley3. Good luck finding another sport that requires that much work and devotion to win the title.

There’s no doubt about it， hockey players are the toughest athletes out there. They get blasted in the face with a puck and keep playing. They break bones on the ice， but finish the shift. There’s just nothing that stops them.Rich Peverley4 literally died for a few seconds on the ice and after being revived， asked to be put back into the game. Classic hockey player.

Basketball players sit out for the season with ingrown fingernails. Baseball players refuse to play because of blisters. Hockey players ask to play more after having their faces stitched back together. If that’s not a warrior， I don’t know what is.

If you’ve ever spoken to a hockey player， you know very well just how hilarious hockey lingo is. From “beauty” to “bender，” hockey has a language of its own. No other sport requires a dictionary to decode what’s happening. This hockey jargon makes things a bit complicated at times， but it also adds to the greatness of the sport.

If you feel the desire to learn how to speak like a hockey player， read up on the ultimate hockey dictionary.

In most sports， scoring requires some sort of celebration. However in hockey， scoring means a celly is coming and that is much more than your average celebration. That’s an all-out-spin-in-circles-flail-around celebration of awesomeness and the goal that was just put in the net. Not every goal requires a celly， but when they happen， it’s definitely worth watching.

From playoff beards to pre-game rituals， hockey is a sport bursting with traditions and superstitions. Other sports have their customs， but none come close to hockey. These men grow facial hair for good luck or insist on eating the same exact meal before every game.

Some guys get really strange with their superstitions： Max Talbot boxes with Marc-Andre Fleury before every game， while Karl Alzner used to tap his stick 88 times and outline the Canadian maple leaf during the National Anthem. Hall of Fame goaltender Glenn Hall used to vomit before every game， believing he’d lose unless he lost his lunch before taking the ice.

Although they’re odd， these superstitions and bizarre traditions set hockey apart from all else.

This may be a generalization， but hockey players seem to be the nicest of the professional athletes. They may act tough on the ice， but they’re giant teddy bears off the ice.

It’s common to hear of players from across the league performing little acts of kindness. Last year a group of Boston Bruins players dressed up as characters from Disney’s Frozen and visited the Boston Children’s Hospital. The Colorado Avalanche’s Matt Duchene purchased a jersey for an 11-year-old girl who was bullied at school. Charlie Coyle of the Minnesota Wild made a young boy’s day just by waving at him during warmups.

Both on and off the ice， hockey players make this sport the greatest of them all. If you didn’t believe it before， you should now： Hockey is the greatest sport on earth.

讀者愿意閱讀此文，或許已經知曉冰球毫無疑問是這個星球上最棒的運動。不過如果真想找點令人信服的理由，下面列出的是冰球成為世界最非凡運動的十大理由（排名不分先后）可作參考。

足球、籃球、棒球的共性是什么？這些運動都在堅實的地面上比賽，而非在光滑的冰面上競技。這幾個項目的球員腳穿球靴，而非鋒利的冰刀。這不是說這些球員不是真正的運動員，只是說冰球運動員更有天賦。冰球運動員除了要在巨大的冰面上保持平衡，還要追求速度與敏捷度。要是這都算不得技巧，那真不知道什么可以算。

其他主要運動的賽事大多由裁判員掌控。在冰球運動中，一定程度上說也是如此，但從另一層面看，運動員絕對有能力掌控比賽。他們可以加快或放緩比賽節奏，可以劇烈撞擊或打斗震撼全場。在冰球運動中，運動員能夠真正掌控比賽，這使得賽事極具觀賞性。

3. 團體項目

有些運動盡管稱為“團體項目”，有時卻被個別運動員控制，比如美式足球有四分衛，棒球有投手，而冰球則是靠整個團隊。雖然某位隊員也會成為團隊中的超級巨星，但如果沒有整個團隊齊心協力，比賽是不可能打贏的。所有隊員都要高度一致，比賽才能順利進行，這使得冰球成為一項更好的運動。畢竟，在“冰球”中，沒有 “我”這個概念 。

在速度方面，沒有什么運動堪與冰球相提并論。冰球的一切都是快速的：擊射、比賽節奏以及球員。相比之下，其他運動的節奏實在太慢了。在冰球比賽中，根本沒有打瞌睡的時間——情況瞬息萬變，稍縱即逝。不斷行動是冰球成為世界最非凡運動的眾多原因之一。

本文所列的任何一條都可以接受質疑（第六條除外，那也是事實），但唯獨本條不會，北美職業冰球聯賽季后賽毫無疑問是所有主要運動中最令人精疲力竭的。為奪得聯賽冠軍，球員須鏖戰7個月完成殘酷的常規賽，然后在四輪艱苦卓絕的季后賽比拼中勝出。

這些冰球男兒們從來沒有停歇。唯有用28場比賽證明自己配得上斯坦利杯。要想再找一項需要如此投入、如此付出才能贏得冠軍的運動著實不易。

毫無疑問，冰球球員是最堅強的運動員。他們面部被冰球擊中，照樣繼續比賽。他們在冰場上骨折，照樣完成場上位移。他們不可阻擋。里奇·帕維利曾的的確確在冰場上死過去了幾秒鐘，搶救過來后他立刻要求重返賽場。堪稱冰球運動員的典型代表。

籃球運動員會因嵌甲休賽整賽季。棒球運動員會因水泡而拒絕參賽。冰球運動員則在面部傷口縫合后要求打更多比賽。如果這都不算是戰士，真不知道什么算得上。

和冰球運動員交談過的人都十分了解冰球行話有多么有趣。從“帥崽”到“軟腳鬼”，冰球運動有自己獨特的語言。其他運動不需要字典來解讀賽場上正在發生的事情。這種冰球行話有時會把事情搞得有些復雜，但也使這項運動更加偉大。

要想學會像冰球球員那樣說話，得讀一下終極冰球詞典。

大多數體育運動都會以某種形式慶祝得分。在冰球運動中，得分意味著馬上慶祝而且比一般慶祝熱烈得多。所有隊員繞圈滑行，盡情揮舞，慶祝剛才的入網。并不是每粒進球都會慶祝，但如果有，那絕對值得一看。

從為季后賽蓄須，到賽前儀式，冰球運動中充滿著傳統與迷信。雖然其他運動也有著自己的習俗，但沒有哪個像冰球這樣。冰球球員會蓄須以求好運或堅持在每場比賽前吃一樣的飯。

一些球員的迷信十分獨特：馬克斯·塔爾博特每場比賽前都要與馬克·安德烈·弗勒里來場拳擊;卡爾·阿利茲納習慣在加拿大國歌聲中輕拍自己的球桿88下，并勾畫加拿大楓葉的輪廓;名人堂門將格倫·霍爾每賽前須得嘔吐，他認為踏上冰場前必須將午餐吐掉，否則就會輸球。

雖然這些迷信和傳統十分古怪，但也使得冰球運動變得與眾不同。

這種說法或許有以偏概全之嫌，但是冰球運動員似乎是職業運動員中心腸最好的。他們在冰場上堅韌不拔，在冰場下可愛如泰迪熊。

人們時常聽到聯盟球員的各種小善舉。去年，一群來自波士頓棕熊隊的球員裝扮成迪士尼動畫《冰雪奇緣》中卡通人物，訪問波士頓兒童醫院。科羅拉多雪崩隊的運動員馬特·杜賢買了一件運動衫送給在學校受到欺凌的11歲小女孩。明尼蘇達荒野隊的查理·科伊爾熱身時，向一個小男孩揮手打招呼，讓他開心不已。

無論是冰場上還是冰場下，冰球球員們都使得這項運動成為最非凡的運動。如果你以前不相信，現在總該相信：冰球是地球上最非凡的運動。

（譯者單位：西安外國語大學）