Curtis Glencross stood on the blue line, listened to the national anthems and could feel chills crawling down his spine.
The left wing was making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 2 of the Calgary Flames’ first-round playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks six years ago, finally realizing a moment he had dreamed about since he was younger.
“It’s one of those things where when you get into playoffs, it’s completely different than the regular season,” Glencross said. “It’s the atmosphere.”
Traded by the Flames to the Washington Capitals on March 1, Glencross has had to wait since the conclusion of that series to play postseason hockey. That moment arrived again on Wednesday, when the Capitals opened their first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders.
Though a majority of Capitals players have been a part of the team’s recent playoff run — until last season, when it missed out, Washington participated in the postseason in each of the previous seven years — this year’s tournament will hold special weight for a few others.
Tim Gleason, acquired via trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 28, had also not played in a postseason game since 2009. Centers Evgeny Kuznetsov and Michael Latta, right wing Andre Burakovsky and backup goaltender Justin Peters were about to experience the Stanley Cup Playoffs firsthand for the first time.
“The NHL playoffs — I’ve watched them forever,” Latta said. “It’s the greatest thing on earth to watch. You sit there in awe. Last year was tough to watch [with the Capitals out], but it’s amazing how competitive it is and how emotional and how intense it is.”
Coach Barry Trotz, out of the playoffs himself the last two years as the coach of the Nashville Predators, said the emotion of the experience can lead to a charged atmosphere. That’s especially true early on, he cautioned, because such a state of euphoria can lead to mental mistakes.
“You can lose the game in the first 10 minutes,” Trotz said. “You’re not going to win it in the first 10. I think everybody gets so ramped up in the first 10 that sometimes, it has a little bit of lull after the first 10 minutes. But I think guys have gone through it … [and] those experiences that they’ve had, they can share with the group.”
Latta has taken heed of such experiences. He’s heard plenty of advice from right wing Jason Chimera, his linemate on Wednesday, and from right wing Joel Ward, who’s had his fair share of postseason success — including an overtime goal in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in 2012.
“Wardo’s told me all along that it’s the third and fourth lines that get you through the playoffs and get you through the next round and get you to win games,” Latta said. “The top two lines balance out, give or take, and if the third and fourth line can chip in every night, those are usually the guys that make the most impact.”
As it turns out, Glencross would have been playing in mid-April this season anyway, with the Flames qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since that first-round exit in 2009. Understanding that he may not know when the next opportunity presents itself, he wants to make sure to cherish this one.
“[It’s] the ultimate goal, at the end of the day, that you’re all out there for, and it’s one of the moments, one of the days that I’ll never forget — standing on that line, having goose bumps,” Glencross said. “It’s definitely going to be fun to go here.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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