NHL vs. NBA: watch the puck!

It is a magical time of the year. It is a time of the year when Chicago Cub fans still have hope of a world championship (this hope will be shattered by early June), it is a time when the Syracuse University Men's Lacrosse team gear up to add onto their previous 10 national championships. On the professional stage it is also playoff time as the NBA and the NHL square-off to fight for television ratings on primetime channels. Here are my top five reasons that the NHL should win the battle between the two sports.

5. The NHL is composed of hardworking grinders, while the NBA is filled with overpaid drama queens. Maybe it is due to the nature of the sport or maybe it is due to nationality. The NHL is full of Canadians, who sacrifice every available body part possible to keep the puck out of the net. These warriors look like Secret Service agents throwing themselves in front of pucks like they are taking a bullet for the president. The NBA playoffs, on the other hand, is a display of fine acting whenever any elbow comes their way. These athletes then run into the locker room after walking up and down the court for a few quarters and Tweet about how tough the game was. Here is a tip to the NBA: at halftime watch the Philadelphia Flyers play some puck; maybe it will inspire a little mental and physical toughness.

4. The NHL has teams, not a posse of superstars. Although some teams have acquired good team chemistry and been successful (props to the Oklahoma Thunder and Boston Celtics) other teams have just bought their way to the top. Everyone knows that the Miami Heat are the prime example of buying superstars like LeBron James and Chris Bosh (I guess he is a superstar in some people's minds) but it is becoming more and more of an ugly trend. As Chris Paul and Dwight Howard reach the end of their contract, these superstars become attention-seeking personalities as they fill up magazines with thoughts and opinions on different cities they could play in. Why watch these guys? How about you tune into the NHL and watch real team chemistry. Let's take the Tampa Bay Lightning as a good example. With great athletes like Marty St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, the Lightning won the cup in 2004. Following the huge win, the boys from Tampa Bay saw some down years and had multiple losing seasons. Instead of throwing their money around, the team management tried various coaches to make the team a team. This year the Lightning are a five-seed in the playoffs and swept the one-seed, the Washington Capitals, in a seven game series. Hard work, team chemistry and coaching have made this team successful, not money, superstars and the media.

3. The NHL has Barry Melrose and Don Cherry. If you do not know who these men are then your missing out. Barry Melrose is probably the more well known of the two to most Americans, as he is the hockey analyst on SportsCenter. His slicked backed hair and crazy sayings are a hallmark to make the NHL exciting. Barry Melrose is great for the health of the sport. Don Cherry, however, makes Barry Melrose look like a rookie. This hockey god as an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada. Although many Americans may not know who this guy is, everyone needs to give him a chance. If you hate hockey, this jolly, chubby man will make you love the sport. His quick mumbling on air makes even the Grinch smile, and his suites are bizarre and different every night. Don Cherry is a fashion king, and many viewers tune in every night just to see what he is wearing, and he never lets down.

2. Overtime. The NHL has been brim full of overtime goals during these playoffs. Since the NHL playoff system is set as sudden death (or sudden victory for the politically correct) each goal is more memorable than the last, creating a new hero every night. Of the 35 playoff games this playoff season, 17 have gone into overtime; more than all of the playoff overtime games combined in 2009. The NBA overtime system should be a game of PIG or HORSE because it is just as boring as the previous basketball; one team pulls away after a few minutes. The NHL, on the other hand, has an overtime system that will not allow the viewer to run to the bathroom or even blink, as a team could be on the brink of winning a game and then just as quickly be on the brink of losing.

1. Lord's Stanley Cup. The NHL's hallmark is their trophy for winning the whole thing: the Stanley Cup. Full of a rich history like no other hunk of metal, this trophy is by far the most prestigious trophy in the world. Engraved with every winning man's name on it, “the cup” has many misspellings and many stories. While the original cup is in a museum in Canada, the modern one is carried around in its own case by a butler who is always wearing white gloves. Keep in mind that this butler has been the same man who has cared for the cup for the past few decades. Also, each member of the winning team gets one day with the Cup in which they do various things. Many men have slept with it, fished with it, and even eaten cereal out of it. What does the NBA give out once the champion has been crowned? I guess their trophy is kind of cool, too, but you certainly cannot each a bowl of cocoa puffs out of it.