Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22
If I had a dollar for every time I heard a coach of a losing playoff team say "you need some breaks and some calls to win," I'd be a wealthy man (albeit by the strangest of means).
Let's be honest here. Teams that wait for "breaks" and "calls at the right time" rarely win. To win a hockey game, especially in the playoffs, you have to outplay the other team and find ways to solve their goaltender.
First of all, make your own breaks. Don't expect gifts from the other team or marginal calls from the officials. Secondly, wins and losses result from a collection of opportunities that either are or are not capitalized upon. Teams do not lose because of a single call in the game, whether it's a missed call or a correct one.
Teams rarely get everything to go their way for 60 minutes. It's not a matter of waiting for breaks or calls. Overcoming adversity is a vital trait of any genuine championship caliber team.
Look, for example, at what the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished in Gave Five against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Lightning trailed the game 2-0 and were on the penalty kill when the rebound of Phil Kessel sat loose in the crease. The Penguins were a tap-in away from a 3-0 lead but could not put the puck home.
After the near miss, the Lightning picked themselves up by the bootstraps. They put one good shift together and then another. Ultimately, they won the game in OT, 4-3, and took a three games to two lead in the series. Tampa is now one away from its second straight trip to the finals. That doesn't happen by accident, and it's not a matter of luck.
As Forrest Gump would say, "And that is all I have to say about that."
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart is the director of officiating for the ECAC.
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.