from Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated,

I’d like to offer 20 — in the form of the things, people and traditions that make the NHL playoffs so enjoyable, engaging and awe-inspiring.

The handshake line

Even the Hockey Hall of Fame can’t say for certain when it began, but the post-series handshake line may be the game’s greatest tradition, a chance for sportsmanship to prevail in the wake of heated battle. That spirit is captured in one of hockey’s greatest photos, with Boston’s Sugar Jim Henry and Montreal’s Maurice Richard, both bloodied and bruised, laying down arms to congratulate one another after a hard-fought series. Of course, there are meetings where tempers haven’t yet settled — last year’s Phoenix Coyotes-Los Angeles Kings series comes to mind — but those are the exceptions.

Reverence for the holy grail

The NHL came up with a brilliant commercial in 2010 entitled “No Words,” built around clips of players who were unable to explain their feelings moments after winning the Stanley Cup. It might be the finest promo the league has ever produced because it captured the emotional commitment required to get to that point. But no montage could ever match that one perfect moment of reverence for the Cup: watching the tears stream down Raymond Bourque’s face as the clock wound down in Game 7 of the 2001 Final, then the exultation as, after 22 years, he finally hoisted the chalice for the first time.

read on