OT: which is harder to play, hockey or football?

[Parcells4Life]

Football obviously is most popular spot and so it’s touted as the tough mans sport, but I think football looks like no contact basketball compared to hockey. Every player moving at break neck speeds with 6-7 guys trying to shove you into glass and wood.

I watched the end of the Stanley cup interviews and none of the guys have a full set of teeth.

I wish ESPN still aired hockey. It’s a much more enjoyable product than some of the midweek baseball/basketball/poker games and even some Browns-Titans MNF.

 

[Jake]

The thing about hockey is they play as many games as the NBA. They beat each other up and come back for more in a day or two.

 

[RamziD]

Quidditch

 

[CowboyRoy]

Football obviously is most popular spot and so it’s touted as the tough mans sport, but I think football looks like no contact basketball compared to hockey. Every player moving at break neck speeds with 6-7 guys trying to shove you into glass and wood.

I watched the end of the Stanley cup interviews and none of the guys have a full set of teeth.

I wish ESPN still aired hockey. It’s a much more enjoyable product than some of the midweek baseball/basketball/poker games and even some Browns-Titans MNF.

Pretty simple answer is hockey. Any fool can run, catch and throw. But can you skate and do it all.

 

[Red Dragon]

Hockey is harder. With football you still get to rest a bit in between plays.

The average NFL game actually contains only 11 minutes of actual football (from snap to whistle) and since players usually play only offense or defense, they only play 5-7 minutes apiece.

 

[mooseman]

Pretty simple answer is hockey. Any fool can run, catch and throw. But can you skate and do it all.

Well , I live In Canada, played both at a fairly high level.. I still play hockey regularly with a mix of recently retired and long retired ex. NHL players.
They both are extremely physical in their own way. To me ,what separates them is the mental capacity required to play football as well as the physical toll.
The pro playbook itself and the split second on the fly ability to have to make complete changes to the play on the fly, know what each of your own players are doing as well as all of your opponents , all with a 2-4 second window, is really a deal breaker for me.
Hockey is a lot less mental ,and we're not even getting into audibles..
I will say though, hockey players are the toughest SOB's
You could meet.. playing regularly with injuries that would leave some people in hospital.. and fighting with your fists and hitting hard plastic helmets is not easy ..never mind getting punched yourself..lol

 

[Cebrin]

Not a fair comparison. If guys like Tyron Smith could be graceful in skates, the NHL would crap itself. It's like comparing boxing to MMA. They're both incredible sports that have very little to do with one another.

 

[pansophy]

Hockey is harder. With football you still get to rest a bit in between plays.

The average NFL game actually contains only 11 minutes of actual football (from snap to whistle) and since players usually play only offense or defense, they only play 5-7 minutes apiece.

Hockey players probably are in better cardiovascular shape. The best players get 20 minutes of ice time and get it in 30-90 seconds bursts.

 

[Pompey-Cowboy]

It depends, do you have a stick? Hockey is really hard to play if you don't have a stick.

 

[Hardline]

I would make the comparison between football and rugby.

 

[John813]

Hockey is a tough sport to play and get good at.

Kids have to start at a very young age to have a better shot at making it to the Pros. Only a few players I know of started in their early teens and made it to the NHL.

It's much more expensive sport to play too.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Well , I live In Canada, played both at a fairly high level.. I still play hockey regularly with a mix of recently retired and long retired ex. NHL players.
They both are extremely physical in their own way. To me ,what separates them is the mental capacity required to play football as well as the physical toll.
The pro playbook itself and the split second on the fly ability to have to make complete changes to the play on the fly, know what each of your own players are doing as well as all of your opponents , all with a 2-4 second window, is really a deal breaker for me.
Hockey is a lot less mental ,and we're not even getting into audibles..
I will say though, hockey players are the toughest SOB's
You could meet.. playing regularly with injuries that would leave some people in hospital.. and fighting with your fists and hitting hard plastic helmets is not easy ..never mind getting punched yourself..lol

Yah, for certain positions that would make sense. Like QB, center, MLB. Others not so much.

 

[Whyjerry]

Football obviously is most popular spot and so it’s touted as the tough mans sport, but I think football looks like no contact basketball compared to hockey. Every player moving at break neck speeds with 6-7 guys trying to shove you into glass and wood.

I watched the end of the Stanley cup interviews and none of the guys have a full set of teeth.

I wish ESPN still aired hockey. It’s a much more enjoyable product than some of the midweek baseball/basketball/poker games and even some Browns-Titans MNF.

Skills wise it is not even close. Hockey is by far the tougher sport. After golf it is probably the toughest. As for the physical play - the actual play time of an NFL game is about 12 minutes. 12 minutes. What happens in the trenches is rough, rough stuff. That said Hockey is a grind. I would call that a push.

 

[GenoT]

When it comes to toughness, as long as hockey players can find their false teeth, they’ll eat football players — three meals a day.

 

[Mountaineerfan]

Hockey and baseball are the two hardest sports to play at a professional level in that order. I once had someone argue that hitting a NBA 3 pointer was harder than hitting a 100mph fastball. It was the single dumbest thing I've ever heard. But Hockey is like hitting a 100mph fastball on skates.

 

[RodeoJake]

Hockey and baseball are the two hardest sports to play at a professional level in that order. I once had someone argue that hitting a NBA 3 pointer was harder than hitting a 100mph fastball. It was the single dumbest thing I've ever heard. But Hockey is like hitting a 100mph fastball on skates.

As a former baseball player, hitting a 100mph fastball ain't hard if it's just a straight line fastball. It's when it has some cutting action that makes it hard.

Never played hockey but it looks a dang site harder than football. It's probably second only to riding bucking stock and bull doggin.

 

[Hook'em#11]

Hockey. No turf toe, none of that crap.

 

[Fontaine]

As a Canadian I can confirm hockey is hard to play, but it’s extremely fun once you get “decent”. Football is also no walk in the park, but I think hockey takes more of a toll on the body just with the constant physical contact, blocking shots, etc.

 

[jrumann59]

Never played hockey I did play Lacrosse (similar). I was the most tired after lacrosse games with all the full out running for collisions, the conditioning is key, I played defense if you are tired and you end up a step slow to position it could be catastrophic because the key to the defense is to keep as many bodies between the ball and goalie as possible so the goalie only has to worry about certain angles instead of all of them.

 

[InTheZone]

Both require you to be able move quickly, to run or skate. Football has non-stop contact unless your the QB for the opposing team against Dallas that commits flagrant neck wraps every snap. Hockey requires all players can move and handle a puck, even with different positions. Football is more skill specific to their respective position.

I don't even know how long hockey games are but it's more exhausting on the players since you don't have to set up a play between snaps, just constantly moving.

If I had to answer I'd say football. Hockey needs basically the same skills for every player to move, pass, shoot. Obviously there's different roles, but not to the extreme that football requires.