Little things about watching live hockey that you enjoy that others might not notice to much or care

[12ozPapa]

Why? You don't get enough profanity and other such nonsense low grade talk in the real world already?

Do you need assistance off of your high horse sir?

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Seeing a game live, I'll only sit up in the balcony seats. Its just better to me.

The first few rows of the balcony are prime seats. You're close enough to not feel detached but up high so you can see all of the ice at once and see plays developing before they happen. I love being able to see how every player on the ice moves and reacts at once.

Bonus, in my experience the more fun and blue collar fans are up there too. You get great chatter and chirps, can talk to anyone around you and seem to be surrounded by die hards rather than corporate seats

 

[MartinS82]

I like watching the line changes happening away from the play. The players coming on with so much speed.

Also, I like listening to the fans yell "shooootttt!" on the power play. Usually the players don't know anything about hockey, so it's nice to hear the fans that are all experts.

 

[Kranix]

You can actually feel the heat of the giant blowtorch that fires when the flames score, which is insane that it hasn't melted the jumbotron or burnt the whole saddledome down ahah

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Positioning and blocking passing lanes. It's a lot easier to see the little details. The entire defensive part of the game, the anticipation of the players on the ice.

You really develop an appreciation of how fast the NHL game is watching it live. On TV I don't think you get the same sense of how little time and space these guys have out there.

Oh man, this so much. The lanes look so open on TV shots, then you realize how much good defense just completely blockades anything that looks like an easy pass while everyone is in motion at 2omph. You may catch yourself wondering how a player couldn't see a passion option then realize there are 6-8 6'2" 210lb dudes with sticks in the way. These guys just choke the daylight out of your options and close so quickly its insane.

 

[NinjaKick]

gotta go with the crowd and taking smoke breaks during the intermission and talking with other fans about the game

 

[Habsrule]

The speed of the game is just incredible if you are close to the ice. These guys can fly.

The speed of players shots are incredible as well. They can pick corners with shots so fast that you can barely see the puck go.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

"SHOOOOOOT!!"

 

[Paperbagofglory]

I get to yell at the opposing teams bench and throw popcorn at them.

 

[Fig]

You really develop an appreciation of how fast the NHL game is watching it live. On TV I don't think you get the same sense of how little time and space these guys have out there.

It's also crazy to see how much less you see at ice level vs bird eye view. There are times when I'm in the lower bowl and I'm watching the play in one direction and someone shoots out from outside my viewing range and within moments crushes an opponent with a hit or whatever... and you feel that adrenaline of narrowly missing being run over or whatever.

Two things I enjoy the most watching NHL hockey live.

1. These guys can absolutely rifle the puck. You can tell how hard they can shoot during the warmups and realize that if they were to show up at one of your Sunday league games, they could probably snipe any amateur goalie from the blue line without a screen easily with a wrist shot.

Even their passes are harder than most people’s snap shot.

2. Fatigue becomes apparent when you watch a playoff game that goes to 2OT. You can obviously see that players are tired on TV when playoff games run long, but in person, you realize that the average human would’ve passed out from fatigue if they had to skate that hard for 3 hours or more. Their conditioning is outstanding, 1st liners and 4th line grinders alike. On top of it, you can see how tiring it is to fight another athlete in the middle of it.

From behind the net, sometime you think there wasn't a muffin all game even if your buddies in a group chat are complaining about all the weak shots. That puck is fast and loud. There are plenty of times where I'm watching the play, seeing it get set up, I blink and then a loud explosive sound emits from where the puck hit the boards.

When the puck hits the post, it is so much more satisfying of a ring in person than on TV.

The fatigue thing is absolutely true, but there's also very human expressions at ice level you cannot notice ever and might even miss if you aren't watching. For instance, watching a guy bracing for a hit. Or the look of a defender chasing someone on a breakaway.

Goalie habits and superstitions. Always an interesting thing to watch between whistles and commercial breaks.

 

[JT Kreider]

The first sight of the ice walking out from the concourse

 

[Ceremony]

When the Avalanche played the Senators in Sweden a few years ago the camera was on the opposite side of the rink. I enjoyed being able to see the benches in more detail.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Depending on the arena, it feels like you're standing down and the entire arena is like crowding onto the ice as the game gets more intense, like you're all leaning forward in this collective pressure waiting for a goal.

 

[Hockeyholic]

1 thing i wish we had was the rink and benches mic'd better so we could hear the trash talking

Cue video of Stevens ripping Bellows

 

[Boud]

I think another one would be line changes. Play is rarely focused on the line change and you can see some very interesting stuff. A guy going back to the bench from the Dzone and then another player coming out at the other end of the bench in the Nzone ready to push on the attack.

The communication between the coach and the players. It's really different live, TV doesn't do justice.

 

[JD1]

Lots of stuff mentioned here is so true but what really freaks me out is the hand eye stick coordination. Knocking a puck out of midair is not that easy. You just don't see it that much in beer league. These guys are redirecting pucks at the net that are moving at 90 mph and are knocking pucks out of mid air. They make it look so easy and it's not easy at all.

 

[SladeWilson23]

I honestly really love hearing the puck hit the stick blade on passes.

 

[Bushfire31]

A team can be dominating the whole game and still lose because the other teams goalie stole the game.

Can see that on tv too

 

[maroon 6]

Can see that on tv too

You don’t always see on live tv players going back to the bench with visible frustration and after the whistle reactions.

 

[ACC1224]

gotta go with the crowd and taking smoke breaks during the intermission and talking with other fans about the game

They stopped ‘smoke breaks’ years ago in Toronto. Other arenas still allow it?

 

[Oddbob]

Do you need assistance off of your high horse sir?

Why, cause I don't enjoy this world's love affair with bad language?

 

[pbgoalie]

I love being at games in person
I feel like many times you can just feel And see the momentum switch. Sometimes on a play, sometimes you can just watch a team starting to
“Feel it” and you just know something is going tonhappen

 

[Esko6]

I often take a glimpse of what the goalie is doing when the action is in the other end of the rink. Usually nothing.

 

[Iapyi]

- how good even the "worst" offensive dman is at keeping the puck in at the blue line

- watching how players play without the puck and paying attention to the positional play

- the speed

- the non-male arena employees who clean the ice during stoppages in play

- everything

 

[tarheelhockey]

The loud, drunk visiting team fan's reaction when something bad happens to his team.