Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It's playoff time and heartrates are high in Buffalo. Waiting for gameday can be crushing. Actually sitting through and watching the game, whether in person or on TV, can feel like a hydraulic press is pressing straight into your chest.
Do the players on the ice feel that same angst, though? It depends on who you ask.
"Playoff hockey, obviously a lot of it is very important games. Very do or die situations, elimination situations. That can be stressful to a player," says Sabres legend Danny Gare, who played in a Stanley Cup Final with Buffalo in 1975.
Gare thinks some anxiety can be good.
"Before a game when we played, and you talk about anxiety, nervous, butterflies...if you didn't have that I always thought you weren't ready to play."
There was no such thing as a sports psychology department when Gare played, though during the 77-78 season Gare says Sabres GM Punch Imlach brought in two doctors from the University of Toronto to help players manage their emotions.
"They did a lot of concentration, relaxation exercises...and I went on that year to score 56 goals."
That overwhelming pressure doesn't follow every player, though. Surprisingly, goaltended Marty Biron tells WBEN he didn't feel the same level of stress as those in the stands might feel.
"It's funny because you kind of just go through your routine," Biron said. "Maybe you get anxious the morning of a game. Maybe you don't sleep as well if you like to take a nap in the afternoon of a game, and you don't eat maybe as easy as you do. But when you get to the rink, and you go through your routine, and you go through your preparation and you get on the ice, it's just like any other game."
Biron doesn't recall feeling nervous when he played for the Flyers in a double overtime Game 7 against Washington in 2008.
If you're worried about the guys in Buffalo's locker room keeping it together, Biron doesn't think there's much concern.
"Inside the room you know what you're supposed to do. You've already won two games in Boston. It was two of your best games of the series. I think the Sabres are very comfortable. They look comfortable. They act comfortable being on the road in these moments."
Puck drop Friday will be around 7:40pm.
Sabres legends Danny Gare and Martin Biron share their experiences of playing high-stakes games
Sabres legends Danny Gare and Martin Biron share their experiences of playing high-stakes games
