9 Reasons Why Hockey Is the Hardest Sport

Is hockey a difficult sport to learn?

Hockey is one of the more difficult sports to become proficient at. It requires the most athleticism and arguably the widest variety of skills. Because there are many positions in, for example, the game of football, football players don’t necessarily need to learn every skill to be elite at their jobs.

For example, a wide receiver would need elite footspeed, hand-eye coordination, and intelligence to read a play, and a quarterback may need exceptional precision and accuracy. But an offensive lineman, on the other hand, wouldn’t be much use if all he had was a good throwing arm. They need brute strength.

In contrast, to succeed at hockey, regardless of whether you’re a forward, defenseman, or goaltender, you often need elite-level skill in every category. No matter how skilled, an NHL player has a slim chance of making the league if they lack skating ability or physical strength, for example.

You may get the odd NHL player who is elite in one category while struggling in others. However, this is a rarity, and to crack the best hockey league in the world, you need to be a well-rounded player.

Is the NHL harder than NFL?

The difficulty of a sport is hard to gauge, and depending on your unique skillset, you may find one sport easier than the other. However, from a toughness standpoint, hockey players are often tougher than football players.

Although football is more taxing on the body per game, and why they play a minimal amount of games yearly, hockey is played at a much higher speed and with more frequent physicality. 

In fact, in an early 2013 study, it was highlighted that despite NHL players being 20% smaller than NFL players, the impact of their hits was 17% greater.

It is also said that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports, with the team requiring 16 gruelling wins to take the title.

Is hockey a harder sport than basketball?

Hockey is a more physically demanding sport than basketball. However, whether or not it’s “harder” in terms of overall execution would depend on an individual’s skillset. 

Hockey is a contact sport played at much higher speeds than basketball and requires significant endurance and stamina. On the other hand, basketball is a sport with some, but not a lot of physical contact.

A prime example of the intensity of hockey versus basketball would be the average shift length of an NHL player versus a basketball player. In the NHL, a player will not be on the ice for much more than 45 seconds at a time and 20-30 minutes per game. In the NBA, however, sometimes a player can play up to 39 minutes a game.

How hard is it to be an NHL player?

Let’s consider that every NHL team has around 23 roster players and 32 teams in the league. There are about 736 active players in the NHL at any given point in time. If we then take the populations of Canada, The United States, all of Europe and Russia, where most of the hockey players come from, we get around 1.3B people.

Let’s compare the total population of these countries to the players currently active in the NHL. We come out to around 1 in every 1.76M people in these countries playing in the NHL. In percentage terms, around 0.0005% of people from these countries will make the NHL.

Remember, this is broad math and only meant to serve as a generic example of how hard it is to crack an NHL lineup.

Is hockey the hardest sport ever?

For the most part, due to the sheer amount of talent a player needs at all levels, hockey is arguably the most demanding sport on the planet to master and play. You need rock-solid hand-eye coordination, footspeed, mental toughness, physical strength, a lot of skill, and the ability to make split-second decisions to succeed.

In my opinion, it requires the most “”all-around talent if you continue playing past the house league level.

How late is too late to start playing hockey?

It is never too late to start playing hockey. In fact, I know numerous players I had played with before that started in their early 40’s, some even in their 50’s. Of course the younger you start the easier the game is to learn from a technical and mental level. But that should not discourage anyone from wanting to start the game at any age.

How hard is it to play ice hockey?

Hockey is a hard sport to play for a multitude of reasons. Here are some of the reasons you may struggle to play ice hockey.

Of note, this is not to discourage anyone from trying. This highlights what you’ll need to overcome and master to play this great game!

• Find ice time
• Learn to skate
• Maneuvering a hockey stick
• Skating faster
• Playing with excessive equipment
• Getting used to the physicality (non rec league)
• Learning to read the play
• Learning about the injuries
• Finding a position to play

Find ice time

While ice rinks may be easy to find in some countries, finding one can be difficult in some locations. For children trying to get started in the sport, it can be challenging to learn to skate without consistent access to the ice.

Families must invest in gear before a player can take the ice for a practice game. A player requires skates, pads, and a stick at the bare minimum, which can all add up in cost. This can effectively stop a child from learning to play if the family doesn’t have the financial resources to invest in the sport.

Learn to skate

Once an ice rink has been secured, learning to skate can be a difficult task in and of itself. Before the rules of hockey come into play, an individual must be confident in their skating ability before they add sticks and pucks to the equation.

Learning to skate can take years of practice, which is why many hockey players start so young. Balancing on a slippery surface while skating at high speed and maneuvering a puck can be quite the challenge — and it raises the barrier for entry into the game of hockey.

Remember, skating is a sport all on its own. You’re trying to learn two sports at once: how to skate and play ice hockey. This can create a unique challenge that people don’t face when attempting to learn other sports, such as baseball or basketball.

Maneuvering a hockey stick

Unlike other major sports, such as soccer and football, hockey requires you to move quickly while holding onto a handheld object — which can take more focus and hand-eye coordination. Using a stick to make contact with the puck requires the player to develop a feel for the stick and to act as if it’s part of their own body.

Adding this element into a sport as physical and tough as hockey can be difficult for some players to grasp. Aside from skating, this may be the second most difficult challenge when learning how to play hockey.

Stickhandling is a skill in and of itself and one that can take years to gain mastery. If you’re starting out, you don’t need to worry about the fancy moves players use to finesse the puck into the net — just the basics. However, even the basic motions can create a mental strain for a new player trying to figure everything out.

Skating faster

Hockey players move at 20+ miles per hour while on the ice, significantly faster than in sports where players are running. This intense speed can be too much for some players, and it can take a while to get used to.

Along with moving at high speeds, players must be able to multitask between their stick, the puck, and other players. This can be exhausting, and it can take time to build the stamina to do all these tasks simultaneously.

Players effectively sprint down the ice throughout a game, which can wear on them physically. If a player hasn’t built up some cardiovascular endurance, this will take a toll on them in the long run.

Playing with equipment on

While some sports, such as football, require players to don a protective equipment setup — it’s not nearly as heavy as ice hockey gear is. Ice hockey equipment can weigh up to 40 pounds! A player must learn how to carry this significant load of extra weight while still moving at top speed and staying nimble on the ice.

While the ice rink is cold and a lot of gear may help keep the player warm, as they begin skating, sweat becomes an issue. It can be uncomfortable to have so much heavy gear on and then be drenched in sweat by the end of a practice session or game.

It may take a while for a player to get used to the extra gear and its challenges to their playing ability. Even during practicing skating sessions, players should wear their equipment to get a feel for it so that it’s less of a shock later on.

Getting used to the physical game

For some players, learning how to check opponents and receive checks themselves can be challenging. Hockey is very physical, and there is a lot of contact during a game. Injuries aren’t uncommon; in general, there is a risk whenever a player takes the ice.

Players develop their physical and mental strength throughout the journey of learning how to play ice hockey. For those who can’t handle the rough nature of the sport, playing it competitively or long-term can be difficult.

Learning to read the play & react

Ice hockey can be an incredibly unpredictable sport. While learning the game, players must take the basic skills and follow the rules of play while being able to turn on a dime and adjust their play to whatever the particular game requires. Having a good “hockey sense” is critical here, and that’s not something that can be taught, but players develop it over years of practice.

Many situations may arise in a game not explicitly laid out in the guidebook. It’s up to players to work with their teammates and coaches to handle these scenarios.

Understanding injury risks

As mentioned above, an inherent risk of injury occurs whenever a player steps out onto the ice. Even during practice, a puck could make contact with a player and hurt them, or a wayward skate blade could also cause an injury.

Understanding and accepting this risk is critical when first learning how to play hockey. Ice hockey isn’t necessarily a safe sport. Still, players can lower their risk of injury by getting a proper fit on their gear and protecting themselves as best as possible.

It can be challenging to let go of some of that fear and immerse yourself in the game. If players are consistently scared every time they get on the ice, it may be difficult for them to reach their full potential as hockey players.

Finding a position to play

You can have many positions as a hockey player — whether you’re a forward, a defenseman, or a goalie. Depending on how you play, you may have a clear path as to which position you’ll play in, but for some people, it may take some trial and error before they find their right fit.

Forwards are broken down into three categories:

• left-wing
• center
• right-wing

Defensemen are broken down into three categories as well:

• defensive
• offensive
• two-way

With the help of a good coach, new players should be able to find their proper fit and where they can best help the team.

How long does hockey take to learn?

This depends on how old the player is — as younger players are often more malleable and may have an easier time picking up ice skating and the basics of the game. However, many recreational players began in adulthood and enjoyed playing the game just as much as professional players.

Young players can learn how to skate and get the basics of the sport within a couple of months, while it may take adults a bit longer to gain their footing and confidence on the ice. Adults may have developed a stronger fear of injury compared to young children, who often haven’t had enough life experience to have these deep fears.

If hockey is something you’ve been interested in trying out, you should certainly go for it. Many recreational leagues around the world are a great fit for many amateur players.

Why You Should Learn How to Play Hockey

All in all, hockey is a great sport that is gaining popularity yearly. The most difficult aspect of learning how to play is learning how to skate. Once this skill has been achieved, the rest gets much easier, and other skills can be introduced and mastered.

If finding an ice rink and learning to skate become too much of a barrier, field hockey is always an option. There are many similarities between field and ice hockey — except field hockey doesn’t require skates or a cold rink, just your feet, and a field.

Hockey offers a great sense of camaraderie between teammates, whether it’s at a professional level or in a local beer league. It’s a great way to exercise cardio and build a sense of community around you.