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Searching for strut of champs
© St. Petersburg Times TAMPA -- They are new at this, so give them time. After all, it's not easy being this young and learning to be that arrogant. Soon, Lightning players will work that strut. Eventually, they will begin to preen. With any luck, they might swagger. Already, it has become a small part of their makeup. You may not have heard it, but you have seen it. In the way they always show up, but rarely give up. In the way they skate, the way they shoot, the way they check. Mostly, in the many ways they continue to win. It's an attitude as much as a style. A way of attacking instead of defending. It's a feeling that every loss was a game you let get away. "It's a very fine line," center Brad Richards said. "We're nowhere near a team that should be cocky. We still haven't proven anything in the league. "But among ourselves -- not in front of the media, not in front of the public, but within our room -- we should have a lot of confidence. We should have that swagger; we should have our heads up high and not worry about anything. We're good enough to beat any team." Do not confuse arrogance with bluster. There is a difference between expecting to win on the ice and talking about winning in the locker room. This is what separates the best of teams. They do not worry about the strength of an opponent or the location of an arena. They expect to dictate the action and control the outcome. "You have to have the right type of arrogance as a player, individually and then as a team," coach John Tortorella said. "You're not on your heels, you're not counter punching. You've got to feel that you can get the job done and do it with a sense of confidence. Not only in hockey but in all sports." Players say they began to feel it toward the end of last season. That was when they started to buy into Tortorella's system and, slowly, began to realize they had something more to offer. That's why the importance of last month's season opener cannot be overstated. It was not just that Tampa Bay won, but the way it won. Down 3-1 on the road against Florida, the Lightning came back to win 4-3 in overtime. One game in an 82-game season. A speck, really, in the grand scheme. Yet it has set a tone that has lasted more than a month. Players look at an opponent and believe they can bump him off the puck. They see an opening and believe they can get there first. "I don't know about cocky, but I think confidence has helped us play our game," captain Dave Andreychuk said. "When you're confident, you make better plays, you make better decisions. You want to hold on to the puck, you want to be the guy who gets on the ice and makes the big plays. "It's not so easy when you're a young player. You have to know that you're going to make mistakes, but you should also look forward to the good plays you're going to make." The season's greatest surprise has come in the games' final minutes. The way a young team has learned to finish. When the Lightning leads, you expect a victory. When the Lightning trails, you have visions of a comeback. It is not false hope or wishful thinking. The Lightning has been superb in the third period where it has outscored opponents 24-15. Those numbers are neither deceptive nor inflated. When leading after two periods, the Lightning has been almost perfect, winning seven of eight. When trailing after two periods, the Lightning has been surprisingly efficient, earning points in four of six. When tied after two periods, the Lightning is 1-1. With Monday night's 4-2 victory against Phoenix, the Lightning has 21 points in 16 games. That's not just a team record, it's a new standard. In the past 10 seasons, the Lightning never had more than 14 points after 16 games. "It would be easy for us to fall on the other side. Get a little too cocky. You know, 'We're so good this game will turn out right,' " left wing Fredrik Modin said. "That hasn't happened because we're doing things the right way. We're working hard and we know the system is what makes us strong. "It's good to have a little attitude, a little swagger, but it's important that we don't go overboard." There still is room to grow. If you don't believe that, you missed the last road trip. Look closely and you will see the Lightning lacks the talent, depth and, yes, payroll of the league's upper echelon. So the real test comes when injuries pile up and bodies wear down. When the excitement of October/November gives way to the reality of January/February. It is easy to carry yourself with a swagger when life is good. The challenge is to maintain your faith when dark days arrive. This is where the Lightning finds itself today. Trying to learn about arrogance without giving in to overconfidence. They say you must crawl before you can walk. And you should skate before you strut.
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