Logically, it should be harder to win on the road in playoffs than it is at home.� You're in the enemy's lair, the fans want you to die in a fire, and you don't have the comforts of home.
But it's just not the case.� In the last two days there have been eight NHL games, seven of which have been won by the road team.� There's just something about it that helps a team pull together.
That "something," as coaches have known for some time, basically boils down to the total hockey immersion of life on the road, and they're not afraid to capitalize on it ? when the New York Islanders were winning Cups, they were staying in a hotel for playoffs even when they were at home.� Plenty of NHL teams do the same thing today.
Road ice advantage makes a difference - once you're in that hotel, it's hockey 24/7.
Now, normally that's not such a good thing. The hockey season is a long one, and you need a lot of breaks to stay interested. By mid-season you'd happily buy most of your teammates one-way flights if they'd be willing to give the KHL a try for a bit.
Fortunately, playoffs are a different beast ? players truly care about one thing and one thing only, and that's winning.� For that, they can stay excited no matter how much hockey is chucked in their path, no matter how much time they have to spend together.
Which is a lot, by the way; but that time spent together helps you keep your focus where it should be.
Imagine the proximity of teammates over a typical day on the road:
You and your roommate trudge downstairs to breakfast, where everyone is BS'ing about the previous game ? things like who's an idiot on the other team (everyone), what happened behind the play (embellished), and why they missed that open net (they're not good enough).� From there, you're never apart.� You're on the bus, at the rink, back on the bus, eating pre-game meal together, and back on the bus again.
As subtle as a brick in the face, hockey is constantly there.
What else is everyone going to talk about?
There's no time for kids, wives/girlfriends, parents ? people you love and care about, of course ? meaning the potential for distractions is completely minimized.� Being at home is wonderful, but the annoyance of convenience is constantly there.
I know that sounds like it makes no sense, but when you have a car and free time, it's all too easy to say, "Well, I may as well head over to the grocery store/bank/DMV and take care of this errand."
Before you know it you're fantasizing about chucking the granny in front of you in line at the grocery store in the freezer and locking it because WHO BUYS THAT MANY PACKETS OF FROZEN SPINACH HURRY UP, and suddenly, playoffs have vanished from your mind.
Since half the guys are in the Chamber of iPod Silence before the game, the only time you may talk to certain guys on your team that day is when you're calling for a pass in a critical moment.
It's just not the same.
The full-on-hockey mode that comes with road life in the playoffs means you and your teammates hold each other accountable for taking good care of your health as well.� There's no sneaking an ice cream sandwich or a couple beers when you can all keep an eye on one another ? this is playoffs, and that stuff can wait for summer.� It helps having peer pressure when the pressure switches to being healthy.
Even further, there's just something unifying about being mutually hated, like it's you against the world.
So when you skate out onto that ice in an opponent's barn and hear the boos, it's fun to turn to a buddy and have a laugh about it. That group "eff 'em" feeling is fun to go to war with.
In other leagues, in other sports, home court/field is a nice advantage to have.� And of course, it is in hockey too.
But in hockey, it's mostly nice because it means you're playing a lower seeded team.� Actually playing on the road helps guys better immerse themselves in the glory of playoffs, helps them communicate, and helps them unite.
It's road ice advantage, and it's a fun thing to have.
Teri Polo Summer Altice Rose McGowan Bar Refaeli Jessica White
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