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March madness: 50 reasons why the NHL is better than a college basketball tournament

March madness: 50 reasons why the NHL is better than a college basketball tournament

If this was Twitter, this would be hashtagged #50ReasonsToPleaseLikeMySport. But it’s not Twitter, it’s the whole dang Internet. So, here are 50 reasons why the NHL is better than a certain college basketball tournament:

1. By definition, there can only be one No. 1 seed. This year, it’s the Washington Capitals.

2. Unlike the NCAA, in the NHL the No. 16 seed beats the No. 1 seed every once in a while. For example, the 16th-place Philadelphia Flyers have played the Capitals three times this season, and beaten them once.

3. We don’t know much about hockey’s origin, but we do know this: peach baskets were not involved.

4. Size doesn’t matter: Johnny Gaudreau scores more often than Zdeno Chara.

5. Nashville slam-dunk: The best team in middle Tennessee state is the Predators.

6. Duke rebuke: The Devils aren’t blue, the Blues and Jackets are.

7. The NHL pays its players for the entertainment they provide.

8. Sixty-four teams make the playoffs? Seems a bit much, no?

9. Teams from two different countries have a chance to win it all. (Well, most years.)

10. The floor is made of solid ice.

11. The players are faster.

12. The shots are faster.

13. The last two minutes of the game are way faster.

14. Playoff overtime could be over in seconds – or last forever.

15. You have to win four grueling best-of-7 series to become the champion, not eke out six wins over three weeks.

16. Goaltending is allowed. Encouraged, even.

17. Bodychecking isn’t a foul.

18. You don’t have to be tall to block a shot.

19. Blackhawks > Jayhawks.

20. Anaheim Ducks > Oregon Ducks.

21. Shea Weber > Weber State.

22. The Pittsburgh Panthers? Jaromir Jagr put somebody up to this, didn’t he?

23. The Colorado Buffaloes? Is that some kind of tribute to the Ryan O’Reilly trade?

24. The Buffalo Bulls? No NCAA championships, no NBA titles, no Super Bowls, no Stanley Cups.

25. Players are equipped with sticks and blades, which is pretty cool.

26. One guy on each team gets to wear a mask and usually plays the whole game.

27. Teams can pull the masked man and play with an extra attacker.

28. Pucks last forever, balls deflate.

29. Pucks are vulcanized, balls are full of hot air.

30. If the puck goes into the crowd, you get to keep it. If the ball goes into the crowd, you have to give it back.

31. Dribbling’s got nothing on dangling.

32. When you hit the boards, you really hit the boards.

33. Rebounds are bad, not good.

34. Power plays are more exciting than free throws.

35. Penalty-killing is more exciting than free throws.

36. Penalty shots are way more exciting than free throws.

37. One timeout per team per game is more than enough.

38. It’s a big deal when somebody scores, not a ho-hum twice-a-minute occurrence.

39. Every once in a while they play outside in the snow and 50,000 people show up to watch.

40. The jerseys have sleeves.

41. The pants are padded.

42. The knee socks from the 1970s are still in vogue today.

43. You don’t need to be seven feet tall to be a center.

44. Games can end 1-0 and thrill from start to finish.

45. Darryl Sittler scored 10 points in a game 40 years ago and we’re still talking about it.

46. Do the math: Three 20-minute periods beats two 20-minute halves.

47. You can go back over the center line without getting into trouble.

48. Remember: If it has a net, it needs a goalie. It just makes sense.

49. A net is a net is a net. A basket? That’s where you put your peaches.

50. Finally, the NCAA calls it March Madness even though the most important games are played in April. This seems dumb.

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