Hello NHL official subreddit!!
I have been a long time hockey fan (I’ve been raised watching it my whole life, although I never got the chance to play myself), however now that I am an adult (18 year old female) I would like to get to know/make my own opinions/team cheering decisions (hahaha). My father is a die-hard Habs fan, and my mom really liked Calgary growing up (although she hasn’t cheered for a specific team in years)… as for me, my favourite player has always been Jarome Iginla (I was lucky enough to see him play as a member of Colorado’s team when I was seven years old and was even lucky enough to get a Jersey signed), even after his retirement. No other player has even come close hahahaha.

So, this brings me to the question at hand… where do I even start with getting more into the sport, entertainment/knowledge wise? I’ve collected hockey cards on and off as well, if that turns up as a suggestion haha. I’m a bit of a history nerd too, so any specific games etc. I should know about would be appreciated 💜

9 comments

  1. Visit the hockey hall of fame if you can. After that I’d visit your local library and read some books on the history of hockey.

  2. One thing I will say- follow in your father’s footsteps. 😉

    They are the most likely right now to bring the cup back to Canada within the next 5 years.

  3. Support a team near to you so you can go see games live. Then you can go to a pub/restaurant and watch games with other fans, etc. Once you settle on a team, read up, watch YouTube clips, follow their sub, socials etc. You’ll be an expert in no time.

  4. I think that the best thing you can do is simply follow and take part in conversations on this sub and IRL.

    For example, years ago, I didn’t know about advanced stats, the actual definition of some rules, cap circumvention, etc. You’ll pick up bits here and there, and then you can do your own research.

    This is probably a me thing, but I love spending time on eliteprospects.com. I’ll just look up a random draft year and then see how players careers turned out. Did they ever make it to the NHL? Did they even stick with hockey? Then I’ll google specific players if they, for example, stopped playing young after a promising juniors career. Or if their stats imply some anomaly. So many interesting stories.

    The same website also offers scouting reports on many upcoming NHL players with ratings and breakdowns, super interesting stuff. Just reading those will put you ahead of like 99% of fans.

    Also, as a kid, my parents would buy me books about the NHL, which was also great. I learned so much about the history. Maybe that’s also a good idea?

    As for staying on top of things today, I used to watch extended match highlights while eating breakfast or travelling. Not sure if that’s still the case, but they used to be free on YouTube.

  5. The hockey guy on YouTube, if you want to stay up to date with everything going on around the league and each team he’s your guy.

    He also has a history series from 1917 to present day if you’re interested.

    Believe it or not if you love gaming, playing the NHL games is actually a great way to learn names and faces.

  6. IGGY !! great player, great choice. even with the rivalry, I respect and love the hell out of the guy, and you’ll find that most Edmonton fans share the sentiment.

    I really like Hockey Psychology on YouTube. he gives really good breakdowns in general, with a mix of recaps and more specific analysis videos.

  9. Just watch hockey. If you are curious about a player use Wikipedia. Sports are to vast and historic to tell you one singular start date. Just pick a team. Watch them play and cheer for em. If ya wanna know some history maybe just look up Gretzky, and then look up past cup winners starting in like 1970. Once ya know who has won the cups and who hasn’t ya got a good starting point.

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