When did one of your favourite players do all that was necessary to win?

[Seath The Scaleless]

Kessel's golf swings vs. John Scott

 

[offkilter]

Tim Thomas in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals vs Vancouver. Gets the shutout and credit for a hit.

 

[teddy83]

Patrick Thoresen blocking Mike Greens slapshot with his nuts, too bad the Capitals scored anyway about 5 seconds later

 

[The Wizard of Oz]

Richards the Alpha Male:


Claude Giroux's Breakout Moment:

A Flyers fan isn't going to mention Lindros' legendary no stick shift?

And for me it's Yzerman 2002 playoffs. O captain my captain. Next season he was out virtually the entire season but of course back in time for the playoffs. Played with pain in that knee until his retirement 4 years later.

 

[TimThomas24]

Ray Bourque being traded to the Avs.

 

[Bones Malone]

Ristolainen at last year's WJC final. Threw the whole team on his back in OT and was the definition of beast mode.

OT starts at about 2:26:00

 

[Rebels57]

Giroux game 6 of the 2012 ECQ against Pittsburgh. First shift of the game he lays out Crosby with an open-ice hit and then rockets a slap-shot over Fleurys shoulder.

Here are some quotes from after that series clinching win (I think he had around 15 points in the 6 games):

"Claude called it for me before the start of the game," said Max Talbot. "He said 'I'm going to have a great first shift.' I didn't know what it meant and he was physical and he scored a goal so that's what a leader would do. Claude definitely set up the tone early for us tonight."

Peter Laviolette took the praise just a bit further. Emphasis ours.

"Not only leadership but his game tonight was monstrous, it really was," said the coach. "When the best player in the world comes up to you and tells you, 'I don't know who you're planning on starting tonight, but I want that first shift', that says everything you need to know about Claude Giroux right there."

"He's just the best player on the ice." -- Brooks Orpik

"I knew it was going to be a hard game. He is a very special player. He can hit, he can deke, and he can score. There are not many players like that ... Sorry I am tired I forget your questions." -- Ilya Bryzgalov

A reporter asked Jaromir Jagr about "the look in Giroux's eyes" coming into the game, how it seemed everybody knew he'd come to play on Sunday.

"I don't look at his eyes," Jags said. "He's our top guy, he was playing every game excellent and so was today. It's no surprise to me, it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody."

"G's probably the biggest competitor that I have ever played with. He wants to win so bad. I could tell right when I got to the rink this morning that he was fired up and ready to go. When you hit like that on the first shift, that's our best guy in here and he played a great game tonight." -- Scott Hartnell

 

[Falco Lombardi]

Blues fan here who doesn't comprehend.

Also the title instantly triggered Ra's Ah Ghul for me. Anyone else?

 

[Rebels57]

Patrick Thoresen blocking Mike Greens slapshot with his nuts, too bad the Capitals scored anyway about 5 seconds later

Haha i'm pretty sure I was at that game. Still can't believe the refs didn't blow that play dead. He ruptured his testicle and was rolling around on the ice in extreme agony for at least 10 seconds before Green scored.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

That video doesn't even do it justice. It was one of the most painful/incredible/inspiring things I've ever watched in hockey. According to, I believe, Wayne Gretzky, Yzerman's knee was so bad in the Olympics that a trainer told Gretzky he wouldn't want Yzerman playing if it were game 7 of the SCF. A couple of months later and he led the Wings in playoff scoring while needing crutches every time he got off the ice. It made the entire team man-up.

That's definitely what came to mind for me.

So many times watching him get back on his feet you could see his stick bending because he was leaning on it so hard to get up off the ice.

 

[Teemu Salami]

From what I've constantly heard, Kesler dominated a playoff series versus Nashville in 2011.