The Recipe to Winning the Cup
Every spring, NHL fans start romanticizing top lines and star goalies, waxing poetic about Conn Smythe candidates and overtime heroes. But year after year, it’s the same gritty truth: the real secret ingredient to Lord Stanley isn’t always the beauties in the top six, but sometimes the varmints living under your kitchen sink that you’ve hired pest control to come out and handle weekly for the past month and a half. Welcome to the grind.
The Grinder
Let’s start with “the grinder”—hockey’s version of the long snapper. Unflashy, underpaid, and somehow always involved in a post-whistle scrum. Think Brad Marchand, the poster child of controlled chaos. Sure, he’s also a point-per-game guy, but he also has the pest factor, motor, and ability to throw the other team off like P.K. Subban skates. That’s what makes Marchy irreplaceable come May and June. This year, Marchand’s leadership and edge once again reminded us that Cup-winning teams must skate through mud, not just glide on talent.
But the real magic happens where the lights barely reach: the trenches; the third and fourth lines. These are the blue-collar battalions that bring lunch pails and tape jobs instead of Instagram endorsements. They kill penalties, wear down top lines, and chip in the kind of goals that break backs and make bar tabs.
Lessons from Depth Charts Past
ILook no further than the 2023 Vegas Golden Knights. No disrespect to Jack Eichel’s flow, but that team steamrolled the playoffs thanks to depth so deep you’d think your listening to Solumun’s Ibiza boiler room set. Whether it was the stone-faced defensive work of Nic Roy or the sneaky scoring from Michael Amadio, Vegas rolled four lines like Rusty in his prime.
If we rewind a bit to the 2011 Bruins. That team was so deep, their fourth line could’ve made the playoffs on their own. Gregory Campbell literally broke his leg blocking a shot and stayed out to finish the penalty kill. That’s not depth—that’s war movie stuff. And it worked.
And who could forget the dynastic Chicago Blackhawks. Those squads knew this game better than anyone. Sure, Kane and Toews got the jerseys sold, but it was guys like Andrew Shaw, Marcus Kruger, and Bryan Bickell who made the plays that left coaches smiling and opponents exhausted. They didn’t need the glory—they just needed the win. Pure Grit.
The Recipe
Fast forward to this year’s Finals, and the same formula is bubbling in the pot. After going down last round for the Panthers, A.J. Greer made a crucial comeback for the Panthers in game 3. A massive get-back for the third line and the overall rotation. It reset the chemistry like a good stir in the soup. Suddenly, they had the edge back. Game 3 showed what happens when your bottom six stops surviving and starts thriving.
But let’s not close the cookbook just yet. Because, well, Connor McDavid just woke up. And when McDavid starts really trying, the laws of physics get nervous. Game 3 might’ve gone Florida’s way, but if McDavid decides it’s time, the Oilers could very well flip this series on its head. The dude looks like he was programmed in a lab using Mario Kart cheat codes and psych-juice. If Edmonton’s depth can hold, and McDavid turns his dial past “God Mode,” buckle up.
Because the Cup isn’t just about who scores. It’s about who grinds, who hits, who blocks, and who bleeds. The stars may shine, but the grinders light the fire.
-Rust