War of attrition, war of wills. That's what the Stanley Cup playoffs are - more intense, more physical and more prolonged than the playoffs of any other sport.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
You do not play hockey for good seasons. You play to win the Stanley Cup. It has to be the objective.
The fighting in the NHL, especially, and, I think, in some of the minor leagues, it's usually the loudest and the most excited the crowd gets during the entire the game.
I think the thing you always got to keep in mind, you know, hockey is a game of one-on-one battles.
We have to get better at that. All of the Stanley Cup winning teams throughout the past few seasons, when they needed to play defense, they did it. If you can play defense, that's when you know it's game over.
Hockey is a tough game.
The playoffs are the playoffs. You just play who is put in front of you.
It's the playoffs. You find a way to get through.
I think it's very, very tough to compare postseason and in-season, just for the simple fact that there's the heightened levels of energy on both sides of the ball.
You've got to enjoy time with your family and friends, and if you're involved in sports franchises, those peak moments in playoff games. You have to enjoy life.
For good reasons, there are no ties during the Stanley Cup season. Somebody needs to win so the lads can get out to their cottages on the lakes, where all hockey players spend their summers, or so I have been told.