I Dare You To Watch The NHL GoPro Video And Not Be Impressed

Wow. Just wow. As a hockey fan, sometimes you think you have seen it all. You can't fully appreciate  the skill level of professional hockey players when you are 6 beers deep in the nosebleed section. You gain a whole new appreciation for them when you sit closer to the ice. Now that NHL and GoPro have teamed up, you can literally get into the heads of these players, and I am not going to lie, even I was taken a back by some of the video. I can only imagine what the casual fan thinks when watching this. Hockey is sometimes the forgotten sport. Whether that be because most kids don't grow up playing it or because people don't necessarily understand the intricacies is up for debate. I think sometimes it's easy for the average sports fan to relate to how great NBA players are when they see LeBron James eye to eye with the rim and they can barely touch the net in their driveway. It's easy to tell that Adrian Petersen is an otherworldly talent when he is stiff arming 300 pound men that could bench press your car and still manage to beat you in the 40 yard dash. Almost all kids grew up playing baseball, but how many can blast a 100 MPH fastball 500 feet over a fence. You can't really appreciate what hockey players do, or are capable of doing until you pick up a stick and try it for yourself. For the most part, If a hockey player walked past you down the street you would have no idea. They aren't the strongest, or tallest, or quickest of athletes, and I think a lot of that is lost on some people. However, these guys are every bit as athletically gifted as an Aaron Rodgers, or a Kobe Bryant, or a Clayton Kershaw, it's just not in the traditional sense.

That couldn't be more clear when watching Tyler Seguin seamlessly weave three pucks around each other with ease. It couldn't be more clear when watching P.K. Subban's acceleration and skating ability. It couldn't be more clear when Sidney Crosby and Patty Kane stickhandle through the smallest of spaces at about a zillion miles per hour hour like the puck is actually on a string. It couldn't be more clear when T.J. Oshie is pulling off breakaway moves that most of us wouldn't even dare to dream of. While hockey isn't the most popular of sport, it's impossible to finish watching this video without a new found appreciation for their talent. The hand eye. The creativity. The control. Whether you've spent a lifetime watching hockey, or five minutes in passing, the supernatural nature of their abilities is undeniable.