Under the Mask: Playoff excitement isn’t just for fans

A four-year Ontario Hockey League veteran, goaltender John Cullen is in his final year of eligibility with the Windsor Spitfires. He will be bringing his player's perspective to Buzzing The Net on a regular basis. Cullen and the Spitfires begin their first-round playoff series against the London Knights on Friday.

I remember it like it was yesterday, huddled around the television surrounded by family and friends as Brett Hull scored the controversial game-winning goal to help the Dallas Stars defeat my hometown Buffalo Sabres to win the Stanley Cup. I was crushed and heartbroken, because even at a young age I was caught up in the excitement of playoff hockey.

There's a reason why many call hockey the greatest game on earth. When the regular season ends something incredible happens. The game speeds up, the hits get harder, the passes seem crisper, and with each goal scored you can feel your team come closer to winning it all.

For me and the rest of my Windsor Spitfires teammates, making the playoffs means getting one step closer to winning the most coveted trophy in all of junior hockey: The Memorial Cup.

The best part about being a goaltender is that we have the ability to steal a game at any point in the series. It's something special when a goalie is 'in the zone,' as we call it in the trade. To the opposing team it as if a brick wall is standing guard in net, nothing they do seems to work and no shot gets through. Nothing is more intimidating than running into a hot goalie in playoffs, and the outcome of a series is usually dictated by whose goalie is more consistent throughout the series.

Preparation is crucial to success, even more so in hockey. So it's no surprise that the most prepared team coming into each game is always the team that brings home the hardware. Watching video on your opponents' special teams and team-play contributes to the preparation process. Also important is studying the opposing teams' systems, such as their forecheck and breakout, and keying on individual players tendencies and weaknesses is also helpful.

But there is another kind of preparation that is instrumental to success. The lessons you learn over the course of a season are what defines a hockey club. Each team has its own story and every mistake needs to be a learning experience. Through adversity comes greatness, and past Memorial Cup champions have all come together and sacrificed their individuality for the betterment of the team.

Skill and talent can only take a team so far. It's the will to win and dedication to executing the team game plan that become the key catalyst in any lengthy playoff run. The beauty of a best-of-seven series is the matchups that define the series. A team that has a better regular season record is a higher seed going into playoffs, but might not always match up well with a lower seeded opponent. And vice-versa. With great coaching and solid implementation of a well thought out game strategy, any team can win any game in any series. There are always upsets which makes the playoffs in junior hockey even more exciting.

Sixteen wins gets you to the Memorial Cup. One round at a time is a seemingly small price to pay for a chance at a championship, but those 16 wins don't come easy.

Another huge factor is home ice advantage. A player preparing to go into the opposing rink for a playoff needs to have the mindset of a soldier going into a hostile territory. It starts with an uneasy bus ride. Tensions are high and nerves are on full tilt as each player settles in for what always seems to be a longer-than-expected road trip. As you step off the bus the crisp spring air seems even thicker, more stifling than usual. Opposing team's fans are spread throughout the parking lot and entrance area, creating a sense of hostility as you grab your gear and head to a small, cramped visitor's dressing room.

The feeling of familiarity and comfort that exists in your home rink is absent. As you step on the ice, the boos rain down from the stands, creating the illusion of a thunderstorm. Skating around the zone with the cold wind hitting your face, the adrenaline rush kicks in. It's such an unreal sensation, but the importance of the game settles in as the national anthem is played. Over the past four years "O, Canada" has become my call to battle. When the music stops and the game puck drops, we are able to drift away from reality, live our dream and play the game we love for just a few more hours.

Playoff hockey is such an amazing time of year because it's do or die. It's where good players become great ones and great players become legends. Every year, the post-season provides us with a glimpse into what makes this game so great -- the passion that surrounds it -- the passion of the players, coaches, fans, trainers, billets, aspiring youngsters. And, of course, it involves the passion of family, because without them none of this would be possible.