Today is like Christmas Day for all those who worship at the altar of hockey. It’s the beginning of a long and exciting journey that will culminate sometime in June with one of 31 teams lifting the most ginormous trophy you could ever imagine. Along the way the winning team would have had to have played at least 98 games and some players would have spent over 24 hours on the ice. It’s the fastest, toughest, most exhilarating team sport in the world.

I’ve been following ice hockey for about eight years now. Two years ago I made the grand decision to ditch my attachment to football (soccer) completely and become a fully committed puckhead. Now, football seems so dull I struggle to sit through one half. So why is ice hockey so great? Here are seven reasons why everyone should get on board for 2017-18…

First of all, if you are not from North America, the chances are that you have no strong affiliation to any of the teams or places that participate, so you are free to support the one you think is the coolest. That’s love, right there, surely? No more familial pressure to support the local lower league hoofers on a grim Tuesday night in February. Or jump on the glamour club bandwagon and have to decide between going to a couple of home games a season or going on holiday.

I made the rather easy decision of supporting the Pittsburgh Penguins. I love penguins (who doesn’t?). They are a pleasure to watch because they have the two most talented players of a generation in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. I love the word ‘Pittsburgh’. They put attack before defence (bye bye Mike Johnston). They are only 5 hours behind so I occasionally luck out on a weekend night and watch them live. They have a solid history (cup wins in the 90s, Mario Lemieux). And man, look at that PENGUIN.

Secondly, it corrects everything that irritated me about football. It’s incredibly and incessantly fast. It’s not allowed to be slow! It’s always technically brilliant. It’s tough. Somebody always wins. You are guaranteed at least one goal and lots of shots on target. Tactically, it’s in a regular state of flux. The weather doesn’t have a negative effect on the standard of play (ignoring the few special outdoor games a year).

Thirdly, the coverage is awesome. The NHL is great for sharing video, games, analysis, news and stats on their website, all for free. You can annually subscribe for roughly the same price of watching one Premier League game and watch the majority of games live. It’s a great one-stop place to immerse you in the game. I feel more involved and informed than I ever did from going to a football ground a handful of times a season. Not being able to physically be in the stadium is a shame but not the end of the world.

Fourthly, the whole league is financially regulated. Everyone adheres to the same salary cap and teams trade rather than pay transfer fees. A franchise can quickly turn itself around with some shrewd management rather than bottomless pockets.

Fifthly, there is no such thing as relegation. Pick a NHL team now and it’s going to stay in the NHL, playing against the best players in the world.

Sixthly, the NHL is the elite. There are no arguments over which country has the better standard.

Lastly, it’s never over till it’s over. Teams come back from being a few goals down; the momentum can shift in an instant. In terms of the season as a whole, the playoff system keeps the dream alive for a long time. I can tell you that no Crystal Palace fan right now believes they can win the league this season. But in the NHL, the top 16 teams progress to the playoffs and have a chance to lift the Stanley Cup. It’s April, you’re mid-table, and you’re still dreaming. For instance, the Penguins in 2015-16 were sitting outside of the play-off spots in January but went on to become champions.

So what can we look forward to in the coming season?

Well, the main focus is on how the Las Vegas Golden Knights are going to fare, being the first franchise to join the league since 2000 when Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets did so. Both of those teams have since gone on to appear in the playoffs, with the Wild doing so eight times and having reached the Conference Finals in just their third season – can the Golden Knights emulate that kind of trajectory or will it be more of a slow build like with the Blue Jackets who took eight attempts to make the cut? The answer might give some indication as to which Conference is most competitive…

The Crosby vs. McDavid debate I’m sure will be a theme throughout. Who will rack up the most points? Who is the MVP? Has McDavid got what it takes to unquestionably surpass Crosby in terms of ability? But what about silverware – how quickly can he fill the trophy cabinet?

Then there’s the fool’s game of pre-season predictions… I always think that teams tend to carry their form into the new season and the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking pretty hot. I think the Nashville Predators will be in the mix again and both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars will look to improve on disappointing results last time out. Other than that I can see it being the usual suspects, except perhaps the Calgary Flames and the Boston Bruins falling back down the standings.

As for my beloved Penguins, it is my duty to hope and believe that they can do the ‘three-peat’ and win it again. That doesn’t mean I don’t have concerns. My concerns last year were: being able to keep the same roster together and maintaining the second-half of the season form that catapulted them to glory. Both were pretty emphatically satisfied. My concerns this year, however, are: rebooting the squad after seeing lots of experienced players leave (particularly at Centre) and ironing out the inconsistency that crept in towards the end of last season. All being said, I’m extremely confident they’ll make the playoffs for a twelfth consecutive season. But answering the first concern I think will be paramount to having enough cutting edge to be crowned champions again.

So if you haven’t done so already, pick a team, get stuck in and enjoy. You won’t regret it!

This month's favourites:
   The Mynabirds, Be Here Now
   E. F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful
   North by Northwest (1959)