MacInnis: Playoffs test your will to win

The Calgary Herald continues to recount the Flames' 1989 Stanley Cup win, this time through the eyes of Al MacInnis.

MacInnis, who is now the VP of hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues, shares his hard-earned insight into what it takes to win hockey's ultimate prize.

“When you go four rounds, like we did in ’86 and then again in ’89,” MacInnis says, “you have to grow up. There are going to be tough times, so you need to find a way, individually and as a team, to push through. When that happens, and you do push through, I think your expectations of yourself grow. You realize you have to elevate your play. You understand how you do that.

“This game tests your will to win. Every single year. The three hardest championships to win in sports are 1) the Stanley Cup; 2) the Stanley Cup; and 3) the Stanley Cup. We were the favourites going in that year, everyone expected us to win. But you’re always tested, no matter how good you are, or people say you are.

“Go back as recently as last year. Look at Game 7 Toronto-Boston, first round, eight minutes to go in the game, Toronto ahead 4-1 and the Bruins could’ve said ‘This isn’t our year.’ Instead they scored four goals to win it and wound up going to the finals. Chicago was down 3 games to 1 to Detroit. They could’ve said ‘This isn’t our year’, too. They went on to win the Stanley Cup.

“It’s a demanding two months. Our test in ’89 was Game 7 in OT against Vancouver. After we got through that, and it was tough, believe me, it just felt like ‘OK, this is our year.’ ”

Source: George Johnson, Calgary Herald