After months of fighting, negotiating, and Commissioner Gary Bettman looking like an evil little leprechaun, the NHL is finally coming back this Friday. Though many fans of the game look forward to jumping back into it, others are a little more hesitant.

Here are 7 Reasons to be excited the NHL is back:

Football is ending

With Football coming to a close in the next couple of weeks, the return of hockey will supply sports fans with the much-needed action they desire. Sure the NBA is fun to watch, but it doesn’t provide the physical contact that hockey does. Football is like hockey on ice, just with more white people.

Fighting

In what other sport is it actually acceptable for two players to fight? Half of the time, the refs don’t even try and break it up! In a hockey game, if a player is told that his wife “tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios”, he can defend her, by knocking the guy in the face. (Side note: Hockey players would come up with much better put-downs then that)

Live Games

Though it doesn’t have the fun tailgating of football or the warm weather of baseball, hockey games are a heck of a lot more exciting live, than basketball games. Is there anything more exciting then scoring a goal? Hockey fans are some of the craziest fans in sports; making the atmosphere at most NHL games unparallel to anything else. (Hockey fans are alcoholics)

Barry Melrose

Who doesn’t miss Barry Melrose’s grey goatee and slicked-back mullet on Sportscenter?

The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is the most worshiped trophy in all of pro-sports. The bands of the cup are engraved with the names of the championship players, coaches, management, and club staff.

The winning team is allotted 100 days during the off-season, where each player and staff member can take it home and share it with their family. Anyone even know the name of the NBA Championship Trophy?

Playoff Beards

Is there anything cooler than an NHL playoff beard? These moose-like athletes grow some of the thickest red beards you’ll ever see (except for Crosby, who looks like he has pubic hairs glued to his face).

Canada Needs This

Without hockey, Canada is just a cold dark place. Who knows what they’ve even been up to the last few months!? Curling? Figure-skating? Freezing to Death!? Lets face it, after seeing Argo, we’re all big fans of Canada now, and our friendly neighbors to the north deserve to have their native sport back again. That’s what Canada is all aboot, ay!

Tyler Gildin | Elite. 

@TylerGildin is an NYC based Stand Up Comedian. Check out his “End of the World” man on the street video here