Play Your Game.com - Paul Buczkowski - Gearing Up for Playoffs

PAUL BUCZKOWSKI
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SANDY LAMARRE
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FORBES MACPHERSON
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BRIAN PATAFIE
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PATRICK POWERS
      Is Hockey Just a Sport?

ANDREW ZOPPO
      Be Tenacious

PlayYourGame.com is proud to welcome Paul Buczkowski as a feature writer. From the WHL to the NHL, Paul will bring insight to every aspect of the game, as a sport and as a career.

Gearing Up for Playoffs
By Paul Buczkowski
March 20, 2001

Here we are once again. The playoffs are fast approaching, and every single hockey team in the world is getting ready for them. Here in the CHL, it is no different than in the ECHL or that of European leagues. Everyone on every team wants to win a championship since this in the only reason why most hockey players play the game. They want to be that one team in their own respective league to be, and let everyone else know it, the best. This is one of the only reasons that I personally play the game. Sure the money and the lifestyle are factors as well, but to be competitive and win is much more gratifying. I have not won any league championship but that of the WHL western division crown, but was also involved in the championship of Team Canada when we won the Pacific Cup in Japan (the National Under-18 team). This was one of the most gratifying feelings in the world, especially at that level and as a World Championship.

There are some players out there that only play the game for monetary reasons and just play hard enough to get them a contract from year to year, and I think that is wrong. I have been on teams that missed the playoffs and those that have made it to the finals, and the difference between the two is that the individuals on the team all had a common goal. That goal is working together to succeed at a common objective. One team that I played on while in junior was made solely on the individual goals of the players. The talent on that team was sickening, yet we lost in the first round of the playoffs. What a waste! It is everyone's responsibility, whether you are a captain or not, to try to bring everyone together and work towards a championship. Some people think that it is like a "light switch" that you can turn it off and on, but it is far from the case. To be successful in the playoffs, everyone must be on the same page and working together. I guarantee that if one looks at the champion in any league they will find common goals and unselfishness. These characteristics make championship teams.

Here is my quote of the month:

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."

- Babe Ruth

Paul Buczkowski
1 Year CHL
1 Year ECHL
3 Years Europe
6 Years WHL