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In light of last night's 1-0 overtime victory by the Mighty Ducks over the Devils in game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, King Kaufman recently encapsulated my feelings about hockey (especially the playoff variety):

My problem is that I'm an unsophisticated idiot. I like goals. I think scoring is a good thing, and while I can appreciate good defense and snappy goaltending as much as the next unsophisticated idiot, a little of it goes a long way. I like bright, shiny objects. Hockey rinks come equipped with this red spinning light that flashes on when someone scores a goal. That light makes me happy. I miss that light.
...I hear you out there, hockey fans. You're saying, "Your mind-numbing three paragraphs of statistics don't tell the whole story, slide rule boy! If you had any appreciation for hockey you'd realize that tough, tense, low-scoring playoff battles are thrilling entertainment. What about the dazzling goaltending of Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Gigučre and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, the two goalies in the Finals? What about the nail-biting excitement of sudden-death overtime? When goals are at a premium, each goal is that much more exhilarating. Get a clue, abacus breath!"
To which I say: Wake me for the World Cup. At least there I know not to even hope to see any scoring.
I don't disagree with any of those sentiments, hockey fans, except the one about my breath. There's no doubt that a 1-0 game can be fantastic, but I'd turn that rarity argument around: 1-0 games get more exciting as they get more scarce. When an average game is 4-3 and a 7-5 game isn't uncommon, 1-0 can be a treat. When 1-0 is common and 7-5 is beyond the realm of possibility, a 1-0 game is just another snoozefest.
A 1-0 baseball game can be exciting because yesterday's game, and tomorrow's, might have been 13-11. And also because every single pitch represents a chance to score. Scoring opportunities create excitement in the form of a goal or a great defensive play or a spectacular save. Those opportunities are lacking in the NHL.

Peter Maas reveals the mystery of Salam Pax, world-famous Baghdad blogger. It's a great read.