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- Overtime, double-overtime, triple-overtime...
- No timeouts for television commercials during overtime.
- The Stanley Cup work ethic: Timid forwards throw their weight around, floaters block shots, Brett Hull backchecks.
- The triumph of the improbable: No lead is safe, no result impossible, no plan foolproof. And no hero is unlikely: The Sharks' Patrick Marleau leading all goal scorers? Ottawa's Patrick Lalime with four shutouts? Why not?
- Blown gaskets: Despite all the talk of focus and discipline, a few guys inevitably snap, chasing referees, screaming at team mates or pummelling that pest on the other team who just won't back off.
- The fight against fatigue: By the end of the second round, those still playing are pale, gaunt, bruised, bleeding, limping and probably sick of hockey. This is often when they play their best.
- The players' handshake that closes even the most hostile Stanley Cup series.
- The media hand-wringing: They scold blood-thirsty fans, castigate millionaire players and unleash wild-eyed tirades against hockey violence. Columnists, pundits and various other media pedants provide plenty of good fun at this time of year.
- The obvious: Spectacular goals, impossible saves, comebacks, breakaways, bone-jarring collisions...
- The occasional hint that it's not all about which team has the most money. Not quite, not yet, though the Red Wings loom large on the horizon.
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