Oh, my bad. I thought you where referring to the skill level required to play the game. I agree with you. The only people who are hockey fans are people who play/played the game.
Pretty cool to attend a game. But like you said, it is boring as shit to watch on tv.
Baseball people, soccer players, and golfers will argue, but hockey requires more skill than any sport I've ever attempted. (I actually consider baseball and golf to be 'games', but included them for the sake of discussion). Ice skating isn't easy, but to do so while maintaining control of a puck with a curved stick at the same time gorillas are trying to make a billboard out of your ass...it's definitely the #1 skill sport out there. Basketball doesn't even come close.
