While watching SportsCenter recently, the running segment “Question of the Night” came onto the screen, where a question is asked, choices are given, and fans vote online to decide the outcome. Normally, this is a negligible segment of an increasingly crowded show that has begun to resemble MTV when “music television” made its shift from exclusively showing music videos to replacing them with shows such as “True Life: I Want the Perfect Body.” While it’s entertaining to watch these trainwrecks unfold, they are not exactly in line with the original intent of the channel.

Anyway, the question on SportsCenter was, “Which league has the best Game 7 in a playoff series?” Your choices were the MLB, the NBA, or the NHL. This actually got me thinking. So, I was already excited. As a fan of all three leagues and their respective playoffs, my first thought was, “who cares, they are all fun to watch.” Realizing this conclusion was about as useful as Paula Abdul’s role on “American Idol,” I threw the red challenge flag on myself. A definitive answer was surely needed. After a two-minute delay, the referee emerged from the booth in my subconscious. The call: “After reviewing the play, the NHL has the best Game 7.”

Now don’t stop reading: hear me out. To be sure, the NHL has become the ugly stepchild of professional sports. The once booming league is now an afterthought, lucky to get their highlights on SportsCenter right after Arena Football and the ESPN Deportes update. The problems are well documented: the worst commissioner of any league ever (see: Gary Bettman), no huge national T.V. contract for exposure (see: Versus Channel) over-expansion (see: teams in Atlanta, Nashville) and three years ago a season completely cancelled by lockout. Further, recent rule changes have made the game less physical and more finesse, meaning less fighting and physical play in favor of more Power Plays and Shootouts. The NHL has essentially lost what it was loved for back in the day, when goalies routinely fought and the Flyers’ Bobby Clarke was THE notorious bruiser of the day. In losing its own identity, the NHL has subsequently lost the casual fan.

For all of its regular season shortcomings, however, the NHL regains its old form in the playoffs. Physical play returns. Almost every minute has a hard, crushing hit or ends in a scuffle between three or more players. Every goal is magnified tremendously in games that are usually decided by a goal or two. Every second seems to matter, therefore demanding the viewer’s attention for the games’ entirety. This makes for some exciting visual entertainment.

Now, the question asked about the best Game 7 of the three leagues’ respective playoffs. Of course, this needs some further clarification. You can’t be biased. For sure, any deciding game in any sport involving a team you like takes the cake. But for a deciding game between two teams you don’t care about, you would rather watch the NHL. Let’s check out the other leagues.

It is difficult enough to watch a complete baseball game. The games move about as slowly as Mike Hart’s 40 time at the NFL Combine (4.7 for a running back-hello sixth round draft pick. Ouch). Let’s say the teams involved in the game are the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros. Now, you may say that “every at bat, every pitch, matters in an MLB Game 7, just like the NHL.” Fair enough. But are you, the casual, impartial fan, going to be watching a 1-1 pitchers’ duel between Roy Oswalt and Ben Sheets in the fourth inning on a Tuesday night in October? Me neither. It’s just too boring. Goodbye, MLB.

Now take the NBA. About 10 years ago when teams in the NBA played defense, I would probably have argued its Game 7 would be the best. This was back when Jeff Van Gundy was breaking up fights between P.J. Brown and Allan Houston, and scoring was semi-difficult. Nowadays, you have final playoff scores in the mid 100s. It is then tough to say every possession matters, because until the last two minutes, they don’t. For example, a Game 7 between the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors would be about as interesting as watching a NASCAR race in its entirety. Without any physicality, I feel like I could probably score a basket in an NBA game because of the “Matador” defense teams play. So NHL over NBA as well; the goals are hard to come by, and the more physical game is infinitely more exciting than watching Manu Ginobili spot up for another uncontested three.

Now, you still may not be convinced. Maybe you don’t know or care about the NHL. I’m sure you couldn’t name the last three Stanley Cup winners. But maybe you should try it out. As a casual fan, you would be drawn to the constant action inherent in the sport. Even pundits agree that NHL highlights are awesome to watch. No offense, but if another dunk makes it to the “Top Ten” on SportsCenter, I may vomit. There’s just nothing novel about them anymore—that’s why the Dunk Contest hasn’t been good in 10 years. Meanwhile, an NHL playoff goal is always original, its own being, and is magnified when games are generally decided by a goal or two. Just like baseball in this regard, except the action leading up to the goal, unlike the MLB, is intense and makes for some good entertainment.

So, the ruling on the field stands. The NHL does have the best Game 7. If forced to watch a game in its entirety, which would you pick? A slow-moving baseball game where everything but one or two innings is like watching grass grow? Or how about a basketball game, where defense is as easy to find as the island on “Lost,” and the closest thing to physical, intense action is the “Hack-a-Shaq” routine? Maybe it’s just me, but I would rather watch an intense, action—packed game that demands the viewers’ attention for 60 minutes.