One of the Fastest Sports In Montana is Also The Most Exciting
Hockey in Montana is going strong and getting stronger each year. At one time it was reported that Missoula had the most amateur hockey players per capita than any city in the U.S. I am not sure if that is true, but I can tell you the rinks were going from 5am in the morning until well after midnight all through the winter.
The best of all sports
Hockey is one of the best sports to watch live. It is non-stop action for most the of the games. There are the hits like football. There is the speed of basketball. There isn't a lot of standing around like baseball. It has anticipation similar to soccer. If that is enough it all happens on ice!
The Minors
Montana has a lot of great hockey to watch from all over the state. The NA3HL hockey league has some thrilling teams. These young players are trying to get to the NHL some day. There are four teams in that league. The Bozeman Icedogs, Butte Cobras, Great Falls Americans and the Helena Bighorns. They play teams from all over the west and they are very competitive and have rivalries that are awesome to watch.
Universities
Missoula at one time had a team in the NA3HL league, but they now have a University of Montana Griz hockey club. Bozeman has a Montana State University Bobcats hockey club too. These hockey teams are playing other university and college teams throughout the U.S. Of course when it comes to rivalries in Montana it doesn't get much bigger than Griz vs. Bobcats, or is that Bobcats vs. Griz? Whichever you choose when they play it is electric.
All over the state
Most of the cities and towns throughout Montana have high school hockey, middle school and grade school teams these days too. A shout out to all the parents that are traveling with their kids to some of the furthest towns in our expansive state. Some parents are in their cars for 8 hours in the middle of the night on winter roads just to stay in a hotel room and go to a frozen rink to watch their kids play. It takes an incredible amount of dedication, time and money to be a "Hockey Parent" in Montana. So if you have a chance give the game a try, once you see it live you will see what the excitement is all about.