RICK VAIVE: To win in playoffs, the best teams can't lose their heads

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I can see where people who grew up watching a different National Hockey League — and those playing in it now — can sometimes get frustrated.

On one hand, there was Anthony Stolarz of the Leafs getting hurt without a penalty called on Sam Bennett.

One the other, it seems you can’t get away with anything, including justifiable retaliation.

There weren’t two referees when I played, so a lot less was penalized. Yet today, the silliest things get called, such as a stick if it’s up in the wrong place, a quick hold-and-release or a tap on the gloves that’s ruled a slash.

That’s what makes a few guys on the Florida Panthers so effective at sucking you into penalties or getting away with one themselves.

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For Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand, that’s such a big part of their game. When I played, you could count five or six guys on every team who could do what they do and get away with it.

Which is why it was so important for the Leafs to skate through all that bull in Game 1. It looked like Craig Berube had his guys well prepared for what Florida was going to bring. It’s a big part of the Panthers’ plan that won them a Stanley Cup and they’re certainly not about to hide it now.

A smart team knows the way the game is called, learns to deal with it and, above all, stays away from payback — at least until the timing is right — and one that’s never too caught up with guys on the other team who chirp.

Man, there were some you really hated putting up with through the years, but it’s an art form in a way. They know how to push your buttons with words.

I saw the Schenn brothers gabbing at each other in Game 7 of the Winnipeg-St. Louis series. You know their parents are in the crowd, yet they can’t help themselves in the heat of the deciding battle.

My view of the Stolarz injury, after seeing it a few times, was maybe not as bad as first looked. I thought Bennett was trying to go around Stolarz, though he did raise his elbow to dot it and glanced it off the side of his head.

There was that hard shot Stolarz took on his mask earlier that might have contributed to him throwing up at the bench — which is another thing I don’t recall being broadcast on national TV before, somebody shown getting a barf bucket.

Thankfully, the Leafs now have something they’ve lacked in playoffs — a second goalie. Woll did really well for someone off the bench and the rest of the team bent but didn’t break.

Both teams had physicality, but there was a big difference in the hits total, 51-24 for Florida. That speaks to the Leafs being able to that that punishment — and stay out of the box.

The Toronto Sun welcomes former Leafs captain and three-time 50-goal scorer Rick Vaive to our 2025 playoff coverage. He played 16 NHL and WHA seasons and is the author of Catch 22: My Battles in Hockey and Life. He can be heard on Squid and The Ultimate Leafs Fan podcast with Mike Wilson and special guests.