Ice Hockey is one of the most popular and supported sports in the world. The pinnacle of the game isn’t the winter Olympics, as less informed fans may guess. Instead, the most famous ice hockey competition is the National Hockey League, usually referred to as the NHL.
Games involving teams from the United States and Canada are played at a frantic pace, and the schedule is packed. When the season is in full swing, you can expect to see an NHL game played live on television every night of the week.
Just as popular as the sport itself is the NHL betting attached to games and the competition outright. Armchair fans love to spice up their viewing with a bet on the outcome, backing their favorite teams or players for success. Live NHL is exciting, but it doesn’t quite compare to landing a profit from a live match, cheering on your team and celebrating your winnings.
Beer League Hockey
For many, the only addition to live hockey and betting to create a winning team is beer. Many see ice hockey as the perfect beer-drinking sport around. It doesn’t even have to involve watching the stars of the NHL strut their stuff. You can follow along with your local hockey team, support a college squad, or even drop down to what is known as beer league hockey.
What is beer league hockey? The name suggests it’s a game involving a team of amateur enthusiasts who drink beer, take to the ice, and play hockey for the love of the sport, then polish off the evening with more beer in the locker room. If a team has won an important match and the night is still young, they may even go on to celebrate their victory.
That does sound like a great idea, and if that were the beer leagues, we’d be out buying a pair of skates and some cans today, searching for a team in need of a recruit. Unfortunately, beer league hockey isn’t exactly as described. But it isn’t a million miles away. So there’s something there to work with.
Most popular sports have their versions of beer league hockey. It’s a group of fans who play for the love of the sport and may or may not have any talent. Most can stay upright long enough to play a decent match. It’s a million miles away from the NHL, but, on occasion, it does serve up an entertaining game. It would be similar to Sunday League soccer, where two teams meet in a local park in the UK, sometimes hungover, sometimes not, to play 90 minutes of soccer because they love the sport.
Settle the Nerves
So, that’s what Beer League Hockey is, and if we were able to educate you a little on that one, it’s our pleasure. For a more in-depth review, you will find all details with a simple Google search. For as exciting as that sounds, we’re going to stick to the NHL for this article and explain why hockey is the leading beer-drinking sport around.
Firstly, there’s a long build-up. You can schedule the game you want to watch and set yourself up at home or a local sports bar. During the pre-game chat from pundits and players, you can help move things along with a few beers. This can be explained as purely to settle the big-game nerves if you need an excuse. Switch on the TV station early enough, and you could easily sink a few beers before the start of play to set the mood.
Fast and Furious
When the puck drops and the play gets underway, the NHL is a fast and furious division. The game is played at a break-neck speed, even quicker than most tennis or basketball games. The puck flies from end to end as a team attacks then quickly has to go on the defensive. There’s barely time to catch a breath, let alone take breaks.
That’s why you want to be well-stocked up on your favourite beer, and you need it to be within touching distance. We suggest a mini cooler or even a bucket of ice. It’s not great to be running back and forth to the kitchen to recharge your glass while missing goals or major talking points in the action. Some friendly advice if you are drinking beer while watching hockey: Plan ahead. This applies to both your beer runs and your toilet breaks.
England would say football is definitely the best beer drinking sport! Haha… Hockey is something I would be interested to try have a beer with when I visit the US.
I definitely think that hockey and beer are a match made in heaven. That’s how I like to watch it!
My uncle loves to watch hockey while drinking beer, so I think I need to agree that beer and hockey are perfect matches.
I guess this is right. I only watch hockey during the playoffs. I thought football (American) was a pretty good beer sport too! LOL
We’re not big into our hockey here. I’ve been to maybe one match before and found it to be so much fun!
Hockey is definitely an awesome sport to watch while drinking beer! A match made in heaven!
I have never been to a hockey game! For a second I actually forgot about this sport!
Hihi…..”Some friendly advice if you are drinking beer while watching hockey: Plan ahead. This applies to both your beer runs and your toilet breaks.” I love this piece or pieces of advice!