Time & Perspective Quote by Steve Yzerman

Yzerman is doing the veteran thing here: turning a messy, emotional problem (losing) into a clean, controllable standard (defense). As an athlete-executive who’s lived every side of the NHL pressure cooker, he’s not romanticizing effort or “wanting it more.” He’s pointing to the one skill that travels when everything else gets shaky: the ability to suffocate a game on command.

The first sentence, “We have to get better at that,” is deceptively plain. It’s a soft public rebuke that protects the room while still drawing a line. “That” isn’t just backchecking; it’s discipline, buy-in, and the willingness to trade highlight-reel instincts for structure. By invoking “all of the Stanley Cup winning teams,” he’s borrowing authority from the league’s harshest résumé: recent champions. This isn’t nostalgia or vague culture talk. It’s benchmarking. The subtext is: we’re not at their level because we can’t toggle into that playoff gear.

The sharpest phrase is “when they needed to play defense, they did it.” Not “they were defensive teams,” but they could choose it. That implies situational maturity: knowing when to manage risk, protect a lead, kill momentum, and win ugly. “That’s when you know it’s game over” is less bravado than diagnosis. In the postseason, goals dry up, whistles change, and panic becomes a tactic. The team that can slam the door - mentally and structurally - is the team that controls the series. Yzerman is telling players and fans the same thing: offense is talent, defense is proof.