Twenty-three years ago, Anaheim Mighty Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguère strung together a legendary start to the 2002-03 playoffs, losing only twice in his first 14 games while posting a blistering .960 save percentage. And then, ahead of the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance, came a 10-day break.
The unusually long layoff threatened to derail Anaheim’s postseason momentum. But Giguère recognized some benefits. He spent time with his family, healed up from small injuries and remained sharp in practice. The unique schedule also allowed Giguère to fulfill various media requests, none more notable than an appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
It was there, lounging in the green room of the iconic late-night program’s Burbank, Calif., studio, that Giguère finally learned of the Ducks’ upcoming opponent after watching Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. An enjoyable experience all told, but Giguère would’ve much preferred a shorter break in hindsight.
“It’s not the ideal situation,” Giguère said. “I think, ideally, you get five, six days off, where that gives you time to heal up a bit and recover. You’re not going through a period of time where you know practicing is really hard.”
The 10-day break experienced by the ’02-03 Mighty Ducks is tied for the second-longest between playoff series in modern NHL history, alongside that of the 2018-19 Boston Bruins. But both teams trail this year’s Carolina Hurricanes, who will emerge from an 11-day hibernation on Thursday to face the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.
“You don’t really get (days off) all that often in the middle of the playoffs,” Hurricanes defenseman K’Andre Miller said. “So, I found myself kind of struggling with my day-to-day stuff every once in a while. I was just waiting for that next game to come on the TV. It was practice and then kind of wait around for those next series to play out.”
Once Giguère and the Mighty Ducks finally started their Stanley Cup Final, it was clear they had accumulated rust. After only dropping two games in its 14 games, Anaheim fell behind 2-0 to the Devils and ultimately lost in seven games, even though Giguère ended the postseason with the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
“We tried every single thing we could to try and stay in game shape,” then-Anaheim center Adam Oates said, “and honestly, the first two games in New Jersey, I don’t think we crossed center (ice). I don’t.”
Some of Giguère’s teammates had used their historic playoff layoff to treat more serious injuries — such as Oates, who was battling sore ribs and a broken left ring finger. On the ice, the Ducks alternated between hard practices packed with battle drills and scrimmages. But, for some, remaining patient for the next matchup proved even more difficult than staying in shape, a familiar challenge to the Hurricanes as they prepared to meet the Canadiens.
“It was torture,” Oates said. “It really was.”
Unless Rod Brind’Amour secretly appears on a future episode of “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” the Canes coach’s main focus has been getting his players ready for the next series.
Carolina hasn’t lost a game this postseason, sweeping the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers through the first two rounds. The Canes received a week off after their first-round win, then eliminated Philadelphia thanks to a series-clinching, overtime winner from Jackson Blake. Since then, the Canes have alternated between practices and off-days to keep themselves refreshed.
“It was a challenge because you (have to) stay sharp,” Brind’Amour said. “And yet, knowing we were going to have so much time, you don’t want to give (the players) too much. It’s a mental drain, the playoffs as (journalists) know, covering it. It’s just every night, like Holy Mackerel. And so, to get away from that is good. But you also don’t want to get too far away from it.
“Hopefully, the mental rest will pay off for us. I don’t know how it’s going to be, physically. Obviously, we’ve had some time to heal up … I’m not sure how that’s going to translate, but we’ll find out.”
For Bill Burniston, the Canes’ strength and conditioning coach, it was important to put players through some kind of “intensive” work when they were at the rink. Sometimes this meant focusing on lifting weights during off-ice days. Other days, it was strictly on-ice work. Other days had both.
“We always tried to have some type of high-intensity work every day that we came to the rink,” Burniston said. “Something that was fast-paced, something that would get our guys going. But at the same time, take advantage of the ability to add some rest and recovery to that plan.”
Canes players made the most of their time off the ice. Forward Logan Stankoven golfed, while linemate Blake swam in his pool. Miller was learning how to change the diapers of his newborn baby, Kashton, born May 2 — the same day Carolina opened its second-round series against Philadelphia.
And as the Canadiens continued their second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres, Canes players treated the series like video sessions, studying up as much as they could on each potential opponent.
“Getting the opportunity to watch another team when you’re not in the line of fire, I think it gives you a different perspective on how you can kind of break their team down,” Miller said. “I think Buffalo did a really good job of exposing (Montreal) with their speed and hemming them in their zone.
“I think those extra days where you can sit back on your couch and almost (have) a personal video session, I think that’s very beneficial for our team.”
At the very least, it was a change of pace from watching themselves in video sessions.
“I feel like we were watching video of ourselves for four or five days,” Canes forward Jordan Martinook said.
Giguère made a repeat appearance on “The Tonight Show” after the Ducks lost in the ’03 Cup Final. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
The Canes’ reprieve was much less eventful than that of the 1918-19 Montreal Canadiens, whose NHL-record 12 days off between playoff series included a cross-country train trip before they even knew who they’d face next.
Those Canadiens had defeated the Ottawa Senators to win the NHL championship, and they traveled west by rail to face off against the Pacific Coast Hockey Association’s best team for the Stanley Cup — all while the PCHA championship between the Vancouver Millionaires and Seattle Metropolitans was still being decided.
Along the way, the Canadiens made stops in Calgary and Vancouver to play exhibition games, thumping a group of Calgary all-stars, 12-1, before edging the Millionaires, fresh off a series loss to Seattle, 4-3. The Canadiens and Metropolitans dueled for five games, including a Game 4 that ended in a tie after neither team scored following two 10-minute overtime periods. But the series was never completed due to the Spanish flu, which eventually claimed the life of star Canadiens defenseman Joe Hall and forced the cancellation of the 1919 Cup Final, the only season in league history that the trophy hasn’t been awarded.
“This has been the most peculiar series in the history of the sport,” said then-PCHA president Frank Patrick, according to the Edmonton Journal.
A century later, the 2018-19 Bruins opened an intrasquad game to the public at the TD Garden during their 10-day break. The team sold tickets at $20 apiece, giving the proceeds to its charity foundation. The game sold out.
“That was to replicate a game situation,” then-Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk said. “And we went through warm-ups and everything. And then they tried to implement certain situations like power play, penalty kill, four-on-four within the game, just to make it feel as real as it could.”
The scrimmage almost backfired when forward Brad Marchand seemingly hurt his left hand after colliding with teammate Connor Clifton. But Marchand was healthy enough to play in the Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, where the Bruins won two of the series’ first three games. However, the Bruins fell to the Blues in seven, dropping the decisive game at home.
When the Hurricanes step onto the ice Thursday night, they’ll meet a Canadiens team that’s endured two full seven-game series, wrapping up the most recent one against the Sabres on Monday. But even if recent history suggests that less rest could bring greater playoff fortune, some would much rather have it than not.
“I will take our situation 100 out of 100 times,” Burniston added. “(Montreal has) played six more playoff games than we have. That’s tough mentally and physically. I give them a lot of credit. They’re a great team, but I would much rather be in our situation when we played eight games. I think we’ll come out on fire.”
“I think I’d prefer to be Carolina, because at the end of the day, I’m (rested), I’m ready to go,” Giguère added. “The Canadiens are probably banged up a bit, and it’s a tough schedule, there’s no doubt.”
Plus, as Giguère can attest, a long postseason break can bring memories off the ice, too.
“I don’t think I would have gone to ‘The Tonight Show’ had we not gone to the finals,” the former goalie said. “So, it’s pretty special to be able to do that.”