Learned to skate before I was 3. Have played hockey on and off for over 40 years. Used to live to watch it as a little kid. Now I cannot stand regular season NHL hockey: it is fucking lacklustre.

The playoffs -- now that is the real deal.
Living near Toronto makes hockey tedious. The Leafs suck and their stupid fans take up all the local sports-talk radio airtime. Our hockey culture is also riddled with intolerable dinosaurs. I cannot imagine encouraging my son to play.
Purely as a spectator I now prefer basketball, football and soccer.