Puck Yeah! 10 Reasons to Watch the NHL This Season

In case you missed it, the NHL season started last night. Yeah, you missed it. All good, though. You've got until June to nurture your nascent interest in ice hockey, but maybe the ice will be broken even sooner after you read our epic countdown: 10 Reasons to Watch the NHL This Season. Gretzky!

Reason: A new NHL rule states that goalies must wear leg pads that are proportional to their body sizes.

[NY Times]


Complex says: The rule change is mainly so that taller goaltenders can wear longer pads, where before they were restricted by a 38" limit. Kinda sucks for smaller dudes, though: The league says that 15 to 20 percent of goalies had to shorten their leg pads. Will this affect scoring? We guess we'll have to see if a few inches here or there really matter. Um, is that what she said?

Reason: EA's NHL 11 is at an 89/100 on Metacritic.com.


Complex says: Its basketball franchise might be on life support, but EA got hockey on lock. And a great hockey title will only help build interest in the sport, because eventually—if you're really into the game—you're gonna wanna know your Jiri Hudlers from your Jan Hejdas. Nahmean?

Reason: The Flames will be wearing this uniform in the Heritage Classic game against the Canadiens on February 11, 2011.


Complex says: Sweeeeeeet. While we're on style, honorable mention goes to Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller and his new murdered-out mask.

Reason: Like Artest about five years ago, Sean Avery is a loose, possibly psychotic cannon who will undoubtedly do something entertaining in every game.


Complex says: Of course, this is old news by now, but you might as well check out Rangers games just for the inevitable shits and giggles (and sloppy seconds) that follow this dude around. Why else would you watch the Rangers, anyway?

Reason: Unlike last season, there will be no two-week Olympic break in the middle of the campaign.


Complex says: Which means that this year, the quality of play should be better, as league games won't be as bunched up and the season won't come to a halt and lose momentum in February. Good for the Sedin twins, who remind us of these guys.

Reason: The Atlanta Thrashers have acquired seven black players in the last 14 months. This means that the team now has 20% of the black players in the league.


Complex says: Read this well-researched, compelling piece about the Thrashers' recent moves and what it might mean to the budding fanbase in the ATL. Then watch franchise cornerstone Evander Kane knock the fuck out of Matt Cooke. If you want to adopt a team at random, you could do worse than Atlanta—even if their uniforms suck balls.

Reason: Rookies Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle (Edmonton), Derek Stepan (Rangers), Tyler Seguin (Boston), goaltender Jonathan Bernier (L.A.), and P.K. Subban (Montreal) lead an exciting class of rookies.


Complex says: Speaking of undeniable blackness, Subban teased Habs fans with his potential in last year's epic playoff run. This season, watch out.

Reason: The Hockey News reports that, after a dip earlier this decade, fights per game have trended upward over the last three seasons.


Complex says: More bouts like last year's Cam Janssen vs. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond battle royale, please.

Reason: Beginning December 15, HBO will air a four-episode 24/7 series following the Penguins and Capitals in the buildup to the Winter Classic on New Year's Day.


Complex says: Media-enhanced athlete rivalries often seem contrived, but the Crosby vs. Ovechkin thing isn't lame yet—at least in our minds—and there's nothing the league needs more than the kind of casual-fan-attracting exposure that the upcoming HBO series will undoubtedly bring. January 1 promises to be epic.

Reason: The Chicago Blackhawks are the defending champs, but there are plenty of contenders for the Cup this season.


Complex says: The hard salary cap is bad for dynasties—witness the Hawks already gutting part of last year's Cup-lifting squad—but good for parity, which means that more teams will be in the mix. Will the Hawks repeat? Who will be this season's surprise, a la Phoenix? Can an underdog like the Flyers make it all the way to the Finals again? Where my Killa tape at, god?