Which sport will get punched in the face and which one will slide on by unscathed into the semi-finals?

Ice Hockey Stick:

Ice hockey sticks are approximately 150-200 cm long, composed of a long, slender shaft and a flat extension at one end called the blade. The curved part where the blade and the shaft meet is called a taper. The blade is the part of the stick used to contact the puck, and is typically 10 to 15 cm long. Stick dimensions can vary widely, as they are usually built to suit a particular player's size. Taller players usually use longer sticks. There is some variance on the height of the stick in preference of the player. A player favoring fast stick handling and good puck control would opt for a shorter stick, while a player wanting a harder, faster shot would opt for a longer stick. The blade's angle depends on the height of the stick, but is usually positioned around 45 degrees. The blade is often curved in the direction toward which the skater moves forward, to aid in retaining or lifting the puck off the playing surface. This curvature of the stick greatly increases the speed of the player's shot. The more curve the stick has, the harder shot a player has. The downside to the increased curvature is that shots on the backhand side of the stick more difficult to execute and are less accurate and/or not as hard. The shaft of the stick is fairly rigid, but it has some flexibility to benefit some shots.

Figure Skating Boots & Skates:

Boots:
Figure skating boots are traditionally made by hand from many layers of leather. The design of figure skating boots changed significantly during the 20th century. Old photographs of skaters such as Sonja Henie from the 1920's and 1930's show them wearing thin, supple boots reaching to mid-calf. Modern skating boots, on the other hand, are extremely rigid to support the foot and ankle in jumps, and are cut much lower -- just over ankle height -- to allow the foot to flex. Because the stiffness of the boots makes good fit essential, many skaters either order custom boots or have their boots "bumped out" over pressure points by a skate technician.

In recent years, boots made of synthetic materials with heat-moldable linings have become popular with many skaters because they combine strength with lighter weight than leather boots, and are easier to "break in". The latest development in boot technology is a boot that is hinged at the ankle to provide lateral support while allowing more flexibility.

The typical colors for boots are black for men and white or tan for women, although other colors are available.

Blades:
Figure skates differ most visibly from hockey skates in having a set of large, jagged teeth called toe picks (also known as toe rakes) on the front of the blade. The toe picks are used primarily in jumping and should not be used for stroking or spins. Toe pick designs have become quite elaborate and sometimes include teeth on the sides of the blade.

The skate blades are typically made of tempered steel, coated with a high-quality chrome. Lightweight alloy blades are becoming more popular with high-level skaters. Blades are about 3/16 inch (4 mm) thick and may have a slightly tapered cross-section.

When viewed from the side, the blade of a figure skate is not flat, but curved slightly, forming an arc of a circle with a radius of 180-220 cm. [1] Recently, parabolic figure skating blades -- that is, blades whose profile is shaped like a parabola rather than an arc of a circle -- have been designed to increase skaters' stability.

The blade is also hollow ground; a groove on the bottom of the blade creates two distinct edges, inside and outside. In figure skating it is always desirable to skate on only one edge of the blade, never on both at the same time (which is referred to as a flat). The apparently effortless power and glide across the ice exhibited by elite figure skaters fundamentally derives from efficient use of the edges to generate speed.

Ice dancers' blades are about an inch shorter in the rear than those used by skaters in other disciplines, to accommodate the intricate footwork and close partnering in dance.

Yes!  Ice Hockey takes an early 2-1 lead!

Ice Hockey, unlike most other sports, requires that you be able to skate instead of just run or stand on your feet.  That, in my eyes, makes it more challenging than a lot of other sports.

I somehow feel that playing billiards requires more skill than just being able to swim really fast.

Ice Hockey, unlike most other sports, requires that you be able to skate instead of just run or stand on your feet.  That, in my eyes, makes it more challenging than a lot of other sports.

Yeah, but if you use that line of reasoning, then why didn't you vote for Figure Skating since you need to be able to skate much better than you do when playing hockey?

That depends on the swimming style. And since this seems to be a very generic swimming perhaps diving is part of it as well as the synchronised swim thing that I think is pretty darn impressive (and scary, you know like Asians scary).

I'm an Ice Hockey guy. Ice Hockey is fast and violent. What's there not to like? Not to mention that Ice Hockey is probably our national sport anyway. Of course Bandy works too, but not as well commercially

Yeah, but if you use that line of reasoning, then why didn't you vote for Figure Skating since you need to be able to skate much better than you do when playing hockey?

Because figure skating is done in a more controlled environment.  Routines are rehearsed, judges score the performances, etc.  Hockey requires a team to work together and execute plays to score, while at the same time controlling their own end of the rink, all the while not knowing exaclty what might happen.  Plus I'm just not a big fan of sports that are judged, I prefer more concrete scoring systems.

Because figure skating is done in a more controlled environment.  Routines are rehearsed, judges score the performances, etc.  Hockey requires a team to work together and execute plays to score, while at the same time controlling their own end of the rink, all the while not knowing exaclty what might happen.  Plus I'm just not a big fan of sports that are judged, I prefer more concrete scoring systems.

I see what you mean. Judged sports are really hit and miss in terms of their fairness and accuracy in outcome, and I totally understand your line of reasoning. Kudos.

Skiing for sure.

Thank you GaZZwa! Skiing wins 12-11.

bouheauhea

Yeah, but if you use that line of reasoning, then why didn't you vote for Figure Skating since you need to be able to skate much better than you do when playing hockey?

Define "better".  You need much more power, speed and agility when playing hockey while figure skating needs more finesse and control.

Define "better".  You need much more power, speed and agility when playing hockey while figure skating needs more finesse and control.

On the other hand you need quite a bit of power to do some of that pair skating things where they throw each other in the air and the actual skating skills are probably better on all fronts (except perhaps raw speed). With that said you need fairly different things for Hockey and Figure Skating. It's like the difference between dancing and playing football. They're both done on the ground but that's pretty much where the similarities end.

I'm hoping for Football vs Ice Hockey in the final. With Football winning.

As much as I love to both watch and play Hockey (though I rarely play because there's about two-three weeks/year that there's possibility to and I'm not even sure my skates fit anymore), Football is just the greatest sport in the world. It's simple, anyone can play it and all you really need is a ball.

So. Go Football.

Billiards, you commies! But seriously, both are awesome sports. I just play pool a lot, so thats where my bias lies.

*Changed the match sentence because I didn't realize I had a golden opportunity here to use the word pool.*

Actually, are tickets to the Grey Cup really hard to come by?

Usually, yeah. Maybe not quite as hard as Super Bowl tickets. Then again...there are fewer tickets, because we don't really have SUPERSIZED stadiums.

I haven't had a real routine recently, but given I've spent the last few weeks packing my place, loading a truck, and will spend next week unloaded everything, I've gotten quite the workout. I've been trying to bulk but I've actually lost 2lbs, but I can see some new definition in my upper arms and shoulders for sure.