pish posh, erin — real men wear skates, not sweatshop-endorsing basketball shoes! armstrong makes some good arguments:

• the no-posse factor
  unlike their NBA brethren, NHL players don’t have posses. in the NHL, people hanging around outside the locker room are called family members.
• the clock-punching factor
  NHL players work harder than NBA players. end of argument. what, you think i’m lying? then you’ve never walked into an NHL locker room. we’re talking road-kill pungent. the goalie pads alone are enough to make your eyes water.
• the all for one, one for all factor
  which players lay it on the line more for their teams? NBA players get tattoos; NHL players get stitches.
• the cup factor
  NBA players dream of getting their next shoe contracts. not hockey players. they dream of having their names etched on the stanley cup, the holy grail of pro sports trophies. quick, what’s the name of the NBA’s championship trophy? see what i mean?