I have done a little bit of Kanadian football and still doing Kanadian Hockey....IMHO I think hockey is more brutal.
I played corner, and sure it was rough (I didn't play much, broke my ankle beginning of season) but I've had way tougher hits in hockey.
The mental aspect of both games are the same too I think, in football you are abviously converting plays and making them up and adapting to plays on the fly, but same with hockey. One minute you can be pwning them and the next 2 of your guys get a penalty and it's a 5v3, you have to remember all the formations and keep it tight and everything or you'll get pwned. So both games are just as hard on the mind.
Hockey though, Steve said it, **** came come at you from nowhere, wether it be a stick, a body, a knee, a SKATE, a puck, a couple stucks, a couple bodies, a couple skates, a bag of popcorn....etc etc. and you aren't expecting it, sometimes you get the wind knocked out of you and have trouble getting up.
I would have to say hockey is more brutal because we (hockey players) have something in our hands that can do some major damage, so if we get ub3r pissed off, watch the **** out because I've got a long aluminum stick and it's coming for the back of your legs!
I dunno, but in my experience in both games, hockey players have had a worse temper and it escalates more than football, from what I've seen....football players get pissed off but its kind of settled after some words and/or pushing, and they think of next play. Hockey on the other hand, if one of your guys gets an unclean hit, or the other team gets away with a penalty, you want to do something about it and we do! I remember one game where our golie froze the puck and the guy simply slashed his helmet, at the back of it with the least protection, well damn! That was the end of him! Our guys got into fights, sticks...arms, w/e, and eventually our golie got up and searched for the ****er who hit him.
Ok ramble ramble ramble, hockey is more violent
A) we have a stick, and we get pissed easily
2) hard hits or unclean hits or slashes or w/e can come out of nowhere (i know in football they can too....but hockey's are more brutal because you fall on hard ice, or slam your head into boards etc.)
3) one spark is all we need to start a big rumble...people get so aggresive during the games
4) we love our golies (unless they blow) and when someone takes a hit at them, we hate that and do whatever it takes to cause that guy as much pain as possible
5) there is no sitting off and drinking gatorade because you're tired or you're ankle feels a little sore, you suck it up and go whoop some ***.
Im sorry for the ramble...
