The Working Life of the NHL Player

Courtesy of IGN.com, via Off Wing Opinion, comes this slice of pro hockey, up close and personal.

Seeking authentic on-ice sound for its NHL 2K7 video game, the folks at 2KSports went to a San Jose Sharks practice and put a mic on the NHL scoring champ, Joe Thornton. The result, as IGN Sports Editor Jon Robinson explains, was "spit, snot, and F-bombs."

I had the headphones on as Thornton spit on the ice, blew his nose, then talked to his coach. When his coach spoke it was F-this, F-that, get in the F'n zone and score a F'n goal (paraphrased for the weak of heart).

That's hockey, says Thornton:

"Drinking, spitting, skating, then you go to the bench, drink and spit some more. Keeps you busy. Now I want to hear this in the game."

There are many ways in which NHL hockey is completely different from the game played in your local beer league - the pros are just that much better. But as Robinson's experience illustrates, there are other ways in which every rink is the same.