I didn't know hockey until going to see several games for CP's younger brother (also a goalie, incidentally). CP's dad spent the entire first half explaining stuff to me, until suddenly I said, "wait, basically this is just soccer on ice!" ... and then I got it. ;-)
(My college didn't have a football team; our big power sports were soccer and rugby. I never got rugby, not even close. It annoyed me, really: it's a lot of starting/stopping just like football, but the rules are archaic and no one would ever explain it, either.)
Soccer never stops, it's always in motion, there's no time out or everyone-stop-and-start-next-play crap. And yes, soccer goalie is pretty much = hockey goalie, in terms of skill, attention, power, speed, reaction times, strategy, analysis, etc. In terms of spectator sport, hockey I get because hey, who doesn't love a full-body slam? But soccer is just, hrm, balletic in ways hockey can't be, what-with the weight of pads and skates and whatnot.
Man, if I'd grown up in France or Brazil, I'd totally be a soccer groupie. Heh.
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Date: 10 Aug 2007 10:44 am (UTC)(My college didn't have a football team; our big power sports were soccer and rugby. I never got rugby, not even close. It annoyed me, really: it's a lot of starting/stopping just like football, but the rules are archaic and no one would ever explain it, either.)
Soccer never stops, it's always in motion, there's no time out or everyone-stop-and-start-next-play crap. And yes, soccer goalie is pretty much = hockey goalie, in terms of skill, attention, power, speed, reaction times, strategy, analysis, etc. In terms of spectator sport, hockey I get because hey, who doesn't love a full-body slam? But soccer is just, hrm, balletic in ways hockey can't be, what-with the weight of pads and skates and whatnot.
Man, if I'd grown up in France or Brazil, I'd totally be a soccer groupie. Heh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzCrQ-OKBfI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P7RBRhFcSU