For some people hockey would be a sport they aren’t familiar with but have heard of in some respects. Maybe it’s a sport they might have seen in a movie or a cartoon, but it isn’t something that resonates with them. For those of us who have grown up with hockey or adopted the sport at some point in our lives, we feel every moment.

Every slick pass, every perfectly placed shot, every misplay by the guy on your team you swear shouldn’t be in the league. We feel the highs and the lows, the elation of winning a big game and the heartbreak of letting one slip away. For most fans it’s the best sport in the world because they hit hard and can fight, but for me, and those like me, hockey is the best because it’s beautiful.

It may not be beautiful when the less than graceful skaters lug themselves around the ice, or when the play is choppy and slow, but when the game flows it brings the elegance of figure skating with the rough and tumble nature of rugby. Hockey shines its brightest when the players have an edge to their game, you may think that’s because they hit and fight more, but I believe it’s because the best-of-the-best stop thinking about how to play the game, they play with their instincts and talents and let their bodies do their own things while they survey the situations that arise across the ice. If you’ve ever seen Ovechkin snipe it from the same spot the last ~20 years, if you’ve ever seen Crosby effortlessly backhand the puck bar down after outworking his opponent, if you’ve ever seen Kucherov do outrageous things that you didn’t even know could be done, if you ever got to see the late Johnny Hockey (Johnny Gaudreau) skate around players much bigger than him and do magical things with the puck, and if you’ve ever seen Mcdavid do literally anything on the ice, then you’ve seen snippets of how the game can be beautiful.

Sure, you can hit and fight which certainly add beauty in their own ways, but you also have stickhandling, silky mitts, saucer passes, tape-to-tape passes, snapshots, slapshots, wristers, Michigans, backhanders, coast-to-coast goals, tight turns, spin-o-ramas, backchecking, defensive masterclasses, blocked shots, pad saves, double pad stacks, glove saves, windmill saves, stick saves, all the little things you may not notice, and so many more cool things that can happen in a single game.

The play evolves each shift, and the players adapt and improve to try and beat their opponent. Everyone out there is aiming to prove they are the best and that they deserve to be a part of history by winning the Stanley Cup (or their respective championships)!

It’s beautiful, it’s fun, and if you ever want to experience the game live, which is the best way to experience hockey, then you’re in luck! We’re fortunate enough to be living in a timeline where the world may be engulfed in chaos and uncertainty but we, in our small and cozy town, get multiple hockey teams to enjoy while we ignore the outside world and live in our normal state of denial… Life may not be so bad after all eh? Let’s talk about two of the teams making waves around South Lake. The Tahoe Knight Monsters of the ECHL and the Lake Tahoe Lakers of the USPHL. Both teams have great crowds and fun atmospheres, and both teams give you more than your money’s worth!

Tahoe Knight Monsters

The Knight Monsters are an ECHL hockey team that is a minor league affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights NHL team (boo! From a Sharks fan). They occupy the brand new and stunning Tahoe Blue Event Center that seats a little over 4,000 for hockey games. The fans are great and the team on the ice always plays hard, which means games are fun even if they lose (well, unless they get smoked, then it’s not so fun, but that’s any sporting event). Not to mention the mascot, Tessie, is a bundle of joy who brings a smile to any face who is lucky to gaze upon it.

They have only played 5 games so far in their inaugural season, but they’re currently sitting at a respectable 3 W (Wins), 1 L (Loss), 1 OTL (Overtime Loss). They have home games coming up vs the Tulsa Oilers on November 13 at 7 p.m., 15 at 7:30 p.m., and 16 at 7 p.m.

Lake Tahoe Lakers

The Lakers have been in town since their inaugural season in 21-22. The last few years may have been rough, finishing the 22-23 season with 3 W, 37 L, 2 OTL and the 23-24 season with 18 W, 24 L, 3 OTL, 2 SOW (shootout win), and 1 SOL (shootout loss). However, this year is a completely different story, they’re firing on all cylinders straight out the gate as they boast an impressive 15 W, 5 L, 1 OTL, 2 OTW record and currently hold the most points (31) in the USPHL!

They play inside the South Tahoe Ice Arena and even though the arena is small, the crowd is phenomenal and can get pretty rowdy when the team is going. Also, a smaller arena means every seat is a good one! Their next home games are VS the Ventura Knights on November 8 at 7:30 p.m., 9 at 7:30 p.m., and 10 at noon.

Tickets are on the cheaper side for both, so whichever team you decide to watch I can assure you that it will be a great time for you and whoever you decide to bring! Hockey is the best sport on earth, and anyone is welcome to watch and enjoy!

PS I recommend watching any of these teams if only to see their jerseys in person, because they’re absolutely stunning! We are truly blessed to have teams with phenomenal sweaters play in our town!