The Players Tribune

Hockey

ALL STORIES

People say our window for winning a Cup has closed, but we have said it before, and we will say it again. We won’t play anywhere else.

Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin

Game 5 was my breaking point. I took a hit into the boards early in the third period and I couldn’t catch my breath, even after I got to the bench. I eventually

Bryan Bickell

All of a sudden, they scored. And that was just ... it.

Pekka Rinne

It seems like just yesterday that I was getting drafted by the Penguins. And now here I am. I have a wife, two kids, and three Cups.

Marc-André Fleury

I was going to win the Stanley Cup. With the Chicago Blackhawks. I remember thinking, Oh my God. What do I do with my hands?

Scott Darling

Dear 14-year-old Mike. I write to you today as a 60-year-old man, and I have some news from the future that you probably aren’t going to believe.

Mike Bossy

I went to Nashville before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals. I asked people some edgy questions.

Ilya Bryzgalov

It’s the biggest stage of them all. Now it’s time to show the world that there’s no place like Smashville.

David Legwand

There’s one thing that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It’s not the head shot I took. I can barely remember that part.

Marc Savard

This is the moment we’ve been preparing for all year, and now that it’s here, we feel ready for it.

Bobby Ryan

When we do those little things — the things that make other teams hate playing against us — we’re a force.

Patrice Bergeron

I vowed to myself, to the boys, to Alain, to the organization and to this city that I would never let them down again.

Kevin Hayes

From the outside, The Joe might not seem like much. But like the city of Detroit, once you step inside, you see what it truly is.

Justin Abdelkader

Twenty-six years later, lots of Mike Lange catchphrases have come and gone. But that one, beyond a shadow of a doubt, will always be my favorite of the bunch.

Mike Lange

Most kids, when they get a chance like this take days or maybe even weeks to decide. I needed an hour. It was an easy decision.

Troy Terry

Your life becomes like the sand in an hourglass. You have this sense that your time is dwindling. Only you don't know how much sand is left.

Eugene Melnyk

Everything has been leading up to this. Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago and Waterloo have all led me to South Bend. And it’s time to play hockey.

Cal Petersen

Our sport — our arenas and our games — is a safe haven for all those who love it.

Curtis McKenzie, Scott Hartnell and James Van Riemsdyk