NHL Game 7 memories: Ken Daneyko, Scott Stevens, Glenn Anderson

Few players know what an NHL Game 7 is like better than Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and Glenn Anderson.

Over the telephone Ken Daneyko’s voice brightens, like he’s just been reminded of an old flame. “How could I forget, my man?” he says. “My last Game 7 was the last game of my career. What a way to go out.”

Daneyko (photo above) was 39 years old during the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, a workmanlike defenseman who had been drafted by the New Jersey Devils during the Reagan Administration. He'd never played for any other NHL team. For a time he had been the Devils' blue-line bedrock, particularly during championship runs in 1995 and 2000. But as his tenure wound down, Daneyko found himself scratched for most of the Eastern Conference Finals against Ottawa, and then was shelved in Games 1-6 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. “As frustrated as I was, I just want us to win now,” Daneyko says today. “I’ve played a lot of hockey, I contributed a lot. It didn’t matter now.”

And then, after a cross-country flight back to Newark following a Game 6 loss, coach Pat Burns approached Daneyko at breakfast and told him that he’d be returning with the season on the line. “I’ve never been so nervous in my life,” Daneyko says. “Now I’m calling friends and saying, You’re not going to f---ing believe it. I’m in tomorrow night, and I don’t think it’s the right decision.”

Why was Daneyko so less-than-positive? “I haven’t played in two weeks, I didn’t want to lose this thing for us,” he says. “Before the game, I was pumped to be in. I said I’m going to be fine. The night before I wasn’t. I was like a rookie again going, 'This is nuts.'”

He had little impact in the actual game, skating 19 shifts for 11:23 and appearing on the ice for one Devils goal. But he was able to hoist the Cup, and then retire from hockey on the note all kids dream about in their driveways—victorious in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Every cliché that’s out there comes out for that particular moment in time. And it’s fun,” says Hall of Fame forward Glenn Anderson.

NHL playoffs: keys to Lightning vs. Penguins Game 7

​So why, with Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh looming on Thursday night, are Anderson and Daneyko offering their recollections? According to the NHL, via the Elias Sports Bureau, both have logged a dozen career Game 7 appearances, tied with StephaneYelle for third all-time. Former goalie/current Avalanche GM Patrick Roy and ex-defenseman/NHL Network analyst Scott Stevens, both Hall of Famers, share top honors with 13 apiece. (Stevens, it should be noted, played a vital role in getting Daneyko to 12: Before Game 7 against Anaheim, Burns consulted Stevens, who recommended that Daneyko draw back into the lineup.)

A more comprehensive list of Game 7 gurus was unavailable, but a few hastily-made calls—after all, the Penguins’ 5–2 win over Tampa Bay in Game 6 happened on Tuesday—here are what the most seasoned skaters remember about their winner-take-all moments.

GALLERY: NHL's Great Game 7s

The NHL's Great Game 7s

2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals

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Derek Stepan scored 11:24 in overtime, lifting the New York Rangers past the Washington Capitals 2-1 and into the Eastern Conference finals. Stepan's wrist shot from the left wing after he won a faceoff — a rarity for the Rangers — capped a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the series. The Rangers are the only team to manage that in successive years, doing the same thing to Pittsburgh in the second round in 2014. The Rangers extended an NHL record with their 14th straight one-goal game, dating to 2014's Stanley Cup Final loss to Los Angeles.

2014 Western Conference Finals

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A truly great series between two never-say-die Stanley Cup champs (Blackhawks 2013; Kings 2012) went down to a riveting classic in which L.A. came back twice with Marian Gaborik's goal at 7:17 of the third period knotting the score at 4-4 and setting up a breathlessly intense OT full of non-stop action. The Kings advanced when defenseman Alec Martinez’s wrist shot from the blue line went in off Hawks defenseman Nick Leddy at the 5:47 mark.

2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals

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The Wild never had a lead in the game, until it was over. Every time Colorado scored each of their four goals, Minnesota answered back to tie it up. But at 5:02 in overtime, Nino Niederreiter scored his second goal of the game after teammate Ilya Bryzgalov made a big save filling in for injured netminder Darcy Kuemper, leading the Wild to a 5-4 win over the Avalanche in Game 7. Minnesota's only other series win in the first round of the playoffs came 11 years earlier with a Game 7 win in overtime against the Avalanche, whose goalie was Patrick Roy, Colorado's current head coach.

2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

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Playing in their first playoff series in nine years, the Maple Leafs looked like they had things sewn up with a 4-1 lead and 14 minutes remaining in the third period. That's when Boston found the magic. The Bruins scored three straight goals to close out the third, with Patrice Bergeron potting the tying tally as well as the winner six minutes into a tense overtime period. For the Leafs, who came back from 3-1 down in the series to force a Game 7, it was perhaps the cruelest end to a playoff run that had the city of Toronto hanging on every play and in ecstatic anticipation.

2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

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The Devils wasted a 2-0 lead in the third period, then recovered as Adam Henrique scored his second goal of the game at 3:47 of the second overtime. Henrique picked up a loose puck in the right circle, skated toward the slot and beat Jose Theodore with a low shot. The Devils mobbed Henrique, as Theodore knelt on the ice in disbelief. Martin Brodeur made 43 saves for the Devils in a game that ended on April 27 — the 20th anniversary of Brodeur's first playoff appearance for New Jersey.

2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

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It was fitting that perhaps the closest playoff series in NHL history — all seven games were decided by one goal — ended in OT. Matt Hendricks and Joel Ward, two forwards who combined for all of 10 goals in 151 regular-season games, were all the offense Washington needed as rookie goalie Braden Holtby came through in a thrilling 2-1 win at TD Garden that ended Boston's defense of the Stanley Cup. It was a remarkable outcome given that few people thought the Capitals had much of a chance after their up-and-down season that saw coach Bruce Boudreau replaced by Dale Hunter in November.

2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

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Nathan Horton scored 5:43 into overtime with a slap shot off a pass from Milan Lucic, setting off a celebration on the Bruins' bench and in the stands. It was Boston's third OT win in the series, including Game 5 when Horton scored 9:03 into the second extra period. The Canadiens won the first two games in Boston to swipe home-ice advantage, but the Bruins came back to win three straight -- including the first two in Montreal, and then Game 5 at home.

2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals

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After being eliminated the previous two years by Chicago, Vancouver finally returned the favor. Alex Burrows scored his second goal 5:22 into overtime, Roberto Luongo made 31 saves, and the Canucks avoided an historic playoff collapse by knocking the defending Stanley Cup champions out in the first round. Burrows, who took a penalty early in OT, pounced on a Chris Campoli turnover and fired a slapper over the right shoulder of rookie goalie Corey Crawford. Vancouver had won the first three games before the Hawks roared back with three straight victories, threatening to spoil the Canucks' Presidents Trophy-winning season by becoming just the fourth team in NHL history to erase an 0-3 series deficit.

2011 Western Conference Semifinals

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For all the blame Patrick Marleau has shouldered for San Jose's postseason failures, it was only fitting that his winning goal helped the Sharks avoid one of their biggest collapses. Marleau got his first point of the series when he knocked home a rebound with 7:47 to play and then made the key defensive play in the closing seconds of an amazing Game 7 -- the sixth one-goal outcome in their series. San Jose advanced to its third conference final in franchise history; but of similar importance avoided becoming the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead in the playoffs.

2011 Eastern Conference Finals

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Eventual Conn Smythe Trophy-winner (as playoff MVP) Tim Thomas stopped all 24 shots he faced, Nathan Horton scored with 7:33 left in regulation, and the Bruins hung on to beat the upstart Lightning 1-0 and reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1990.

2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals

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Down 3-0 in games, Philadelphia rallied to tie the series. Down 3-0 in Game 7, Philadelphia rallied again and Simon Gagne's power-play goal in the third period lifted the Flyers to an improbable 4-3 win over the Bruins. It was a humiliating defeat for Boston, which became the third team in NHL history to flush a series after winning the first three games. The Flyers thus joined the exclusive ranks of the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who beat Detroit, and the 1975 New York Islanders, who eliminated Pittsburgh, by climbing out of an 0-3 coffin. The other 159 teams that had won the first three games of a series had prevailed.

2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals

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Up 3-2 on home ice with the great Martin Brodeur in net and less than two minutes left to play, the Devils were sitting pretty, or so it seemed. Then Jussi Jokinen (left) scored for the Hurricanes with 1:20 to go and Eric Staal (right) shocked New Jersey by beating Brodeur with 32 ticks to spare on the clock. "This is as sweet as it comes," said Carolina goaltender Cam Ward, who made 32 saves. "That's why you never give up and play until the final buzzer."

2007 Western Conference Semifinals

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The series was a war, with the Stars climbing out of a three-games-to-one hole. Three of the seven games were settled in an extra session -- including a four-OT thriller in Game 1, won by the Canucks, 5-4, with goalie Roberto Luongo making 72 saves in his postseason debut. Vancouver advanced on home ice as its longtime hero Trevor Linden, a veteran of eight career Game 7s, broke a 1-1 tie by tipping a Mattias Ohlund shot past Stars goalie Marty Turco seven minutes into the third period. Bryan Smolinski and Taylor Pyatt later added empty-netters.

2006 Eastern Conference Final

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Hurricanes captain Rod Brind'Amour was the hero, pouncing on a rebound and beating Buffalo's Ryan Miller to snap a 2-2 tie at 11:22 of the third period. Brind'Amour also assisted on Justin Williams' tally in the final minute to seal the win before a delirious home crowd. Rookie goaltender Cam Ward continued to make his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP by making 22 saves.

2006 Stanley Cup Final

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Carolina's RBC Center was rocking as Cam Ward earned the Conn Smythe Trophy with a 22-save performance that held off the underdog Oilers' furious comeback from a three-games-to-one deficit. Aaron Ward, Frantisek Kaberle (power play) and Justin Williams (empty net) scored and Ward did the rest while becoming the first rookie goalie since Patrick Roy in 1986 to backstop his team to the Stanley Cup.

2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

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The Canadiens came all the way back from a three-games-to-one deficit for the first time in their storied history, winning a defensive battle in Boston. The Northeast Division champion Bruins held the underdog Habs to one shot in the third period -- until Richard Zednik broke the scoreless tie with 9:08 left by knocking home the rebound of Alex Kovalev's shot. Zednik also scored into an empty net.

2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals

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After blowing a 4-0 lead, the Canucks got a goal from Brendan Morrison in triple OT of Game 6 and returned home for their decisive match. It was a hair-raising see-saw. Down 2-1 in the final minute and on a power play with their goalie pulled, the Canucks took a cross-checking penalty and then watched as Calgary's Jarome Iginla, who had scored twice, narrowly missed an empty net. Incredibly, Matt Cooke jammed home the tying goal off the rebound of a shot by Markus Naslund with only 5.7 seconds left. But the crowd went home unhappy when Calgary's Martin Gelinas scored 1:25 into OT.

2004 Eastern Conference Final

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Clinging to a one-goal lead, Nikolai Khabibulin stopped Keith Primeau on a second-period breakaway and the Lightning hung on to win their first Game 7 and advance to their first Stanley Cup Final. Former Flyer Ruslan Fedotenko scored a deflected power-play goal at 16:46 of the first period and Frederik Modin netted the winner at 4:57 of the second.

2004 Stanley Cup Final

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The Lightning held the Flames to a measly seven shots in the first two periods, but had to withstand a wild final stanza to make Ruslan Fedotenko's two goals stand up. Bolts goalie Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 16 shots in the third period, including a dazzler on Jordan Leopold with the net wide open. The Flames got a power play tally from Craig Conroy midway through the third, but that was it. "We just tried to get through it, and we found a way," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "It's unbelievable. It's a great feeling."

2003 Eastern Conference Final

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After the Devils blew a three-games-to-one lead on the Presidents' Trophy-winners, winger Jeff Friesen had to redeem himself for a third-period turnover that allowed the Senators to tie the game at 2-2 in front of a roaring crowd in Ottawa. With 2:14 to play in regulation, Friesen scored the biggest goal of his career, beating goalie Patrick Lalime. "I couldn't even react, I couldn't even describe what that was like," Friesen said. "It just happened to work out that I got a chance to get that big goal."

2002 Western Conference Semifinals

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Patrick Roy was masterful in stopping 27 shots while the Avs nursed Peter Forsberg's second-period goal, especially during San Jose's two-man advantage in the final 55 seconds. Roy extended his NHL record with his 22nd career playoff shutout. "I said before Game 6, if there is one player I'm not worried about for Game 7, it's Patrick," said Colorado coach Bob Hartley. "He's our energy, he's the reason that every game we feel that we have a chance to win. He came up large tonight."

2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals

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Mario Lemieux's goal with 1 minute, 18 seconds left in Game 6 forced a decisive showdown against Dominik Hasek and the Sabres in Buffalo. "It's the most exciting thing in hockey," Hasek said. "We only have to win the game." Alas, Penguins blueliner Darius Kasparaitis prevented that by beating Hasek in OT for his first career playoff goal.

2000 Eastern Conference Finals

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After falling behind in the series, 3-1, the Devils slammed the door on the Flyers. Martin Brodeur was brilliant as the Devils won both Game 6 and Game 7 by 2-1 scores. Game 7 was played in Philadelphia and Flyers fans will never forget the sight of Devils defenseman Scott Stevens drilling Eric Lindros (inset) as the Flyers captain crossed the blue line with his head down early in the first period. Patrik Elias scored the decisive goal for the Devils in the third period.

1997 Western Conference Conference Quarterfinals

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The Oilers pulled off a huge upset when, after a dazzling save by goalie Curtis Joseph, Doug Weight found winger Todd Marchant with a pass. Stars defenseman Grant Ledyard fell and Marchant went on on a breakaway, beating Andy Moog with a high shot at 12:26 of the third extra session. "It was one of those games where you knew something weird was going to happen. Toddy scoring would likely be it," Oilers coach Ron Low told the Edmonton Journal. "He'd only had about 500 breakaways that year and scored on one percent of them."

1996 Western Conference Semifinals

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Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman ended an epic goaltending duel by grabbing a puck off Wayne Gretzky's stick, taking off and beating Jon Casey with a slap shot from the blue line at 1:15 of double overtime. "I couldn't believe it went in," Yzerman said after the game. "I don't score a whole lot of goals from out there. To score a goal in overtime, particularly in Game 7, is a tremendous thrill. Every player dreams of that."

1994 Eastern Conference Finals

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Mark Messier's famous guarantee of a Rangers victory in Game 6 set up this nail-biting defensive battle. New York led 1-0 until the Devils tied the game with only 7.7 seconds left in regulation at Madison Square Garden. The winner was scored on Devils goalie Martin Brodeur by Stephane Matteau (32) at 4:21 of the second extra session -- his second double-OT goal of the series. Rangers fans will never forget broadcaster Howie Rose's cries of "Matteau! Matteau!"

1994 Stanley Cup Final

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New York's 54-year quest to recapture Lord Stanley's old silver mug came to an electrifying conclusion in the deafening confines of Madison Square Garden. The Rangers saw their leads of 2-0 and 3-1 trimmed and had to hang on through a tight third period that ended when the Canucks couldn't convert off a face-off in New York's end in the final ticks.

1993 Patrick Division Final

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The scrappy Isles dethroned the two-time defending Cup champion Penguins of Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux as goaltender Glenn Healy (42 saves) weathered a first-period storm and hung tough after New York blew a 3-1 lead late in the third period. In OT, little-used winger David Volek was the unlikely hero, beating goalie Tom Barasso for his second tally of the game. Volek had scored only eight during the regular season.

1987 Patrick Division Semifinals

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Known as the Easter Epic, the Isles and Caps battled in Washington through 69 minutes of extra play after New York's Bryan Trottier tied the game 2-2 with 5:22 left in regulation. At 1:57 a.m. — nearly seven hours after the opening face-off — Pat LaFontaine beat Caps goalie Bob Mason with the game-winner. Some players lost up to 15 pounds during the game and were reduced to taking 20-second mini-shifts. Isles goalie Kelly Hrudey made a whopping 73 saves.

1986 Smythe Division Finals

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Steve Smith (5) probably still lies awake thinking about this one. The Oilers' bid for a third straight Stanley Cup was derailed when the young defenseman attempted a cross-ice pass from next to his own net early in the third period with the score tied 2-2. The puck hit Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr's leg and wound up in the net, giving Calgary the lead. Smith fell to the ice and buried his face in his gloves.

1979 Wales Conference Final

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Don Cherry probably still lies awake thinking about this one. His Bruins had a 4-3 lead against the three-time defending Stanley Cup champions with four minutes left, but got caught with too many on the ice. Guy Lafleur's subsequent power-play goal tied the game with 74 seconds to go. Yvon Lambert delivered the crushing blow with a goal at 9:33 of OT.

1971 Stanley Cup Final

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Montreal's rookie goalie Ken Dryden began cementing his legend by holding off the Blackhawks in Chicago long enough for his team to rally from a 2-0 hole late in the second period. Henri Richard scored the tying and decisive goals against Chicago's Hall of Fame netminder Tony Esposito.

1954 Stanley Cup Final

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Diminutive winger Tony "Mighty Mouse" Leswick (inset) ended a defensive struggle with a goal at 4:29 of OT to give Detroit the Cup. Goalies Terry Sawchuk (Detroit) and Gerry McNeil (Montreal) seemed locked in until Leswick floated a shot that glanced off Canadiens defenseman Doug Harvey's glove and into the net. The match remains the last Game 7 to decide the championship in OT.

1950 Stanley Cup Final

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The Red Wings were without Gordie Howe, who was sidelined by a fractured cheekbone and nose, but hard-working left winger Pete Babando (left, with Harry Lumley) stepped up to play the hero in front of the home crowd. He beat Rangers goalie Chuck Rayner after 28 minutes and 31 seconds of extra play to settle the first Stanley Cup Final decided by a Game 7 overtime.

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SCOTT STEVENS, 13

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Few can claim such dramatic bookends to their Game 7 experiences as Stevens, who opened with the “Easter Epic” as a 23-year-old in 1987 and ended by celebrating beside Daneyko in 2003. Of the former contest, in which Stevens’ Capitals fell to the Islanders in the fourth overtime, he foremost remembers a second-hand story heard after the marathon ended. “The Islanders, they wanted oxygen,” he says. “Our trainer gave them the oxygen with the mask, and their players are using that in between overtimes.” He also remembers spending the entire next day resting in bed.

But the build-up to a Game 7, Stevens says, can be equally draining. “Being a little nervous isn’t a bad thing. I think that brings out the best in you at times. But discipline’s always huge in the playoffs.” Indeed, with so little room for error, penalty rates tend to drop during winner-take-all scenarios. Since the 2011 playoffs, 32 series have reached a seventh game. In more than half of those (17), there were reductions of at least eight penalty minutes between the avearge in Games 1-6 and Game 7. The 2011 Eastern Conference first-round slugfest between Philadelphia and Buffalo, which accumulated 54 penalty minutes in Game 7, is more an anomaly than the détente brokered between Boston and Tampa Bay later that spring; with a Cup Final berth at stake, exactly zero skaters entered the box.

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​​To harness that energy, Stevens recalls several coaches showing clips of inspirational movie speeches during team meetings, like Mel Gibson in Braveheart or Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday. This wasn’t an everyday occurrence, Stevens says, “just before the big ones. I thought it was a great idea. You feel like you can conquer the world.”

If emotions rise to peak levels during Game 7s, though, a loss causes a spectacular crash. Stevens calls New Jersey’s loss to Colorado in the 2011 Cup Final “the toughest, most agonizing defeat ever.” The Devils were gunning for back-to-back titles, and instead faced a long, quiet flight home. “That one really hurt,” Stevens says. “It was for all the marbles.” But the hurt, he adds, helps. “You can really learn from past experiences, becoming better and take that next step. In 1993-94, that was devastating losing to the Rangers. You all make mistakes and learn from it. We won the Cup the next year. There’s no question sometimes as much as losing hurts, if you learn from it and move on and become better for it, sometimes that’s what makes champions too.”

KEN DANEYKO, 12

Like Stevens, Daneyko believes Game 7 failures steeled him for future success. In 1988, his first career postseason, the Devils faced Boston in the second round, having already slipped past Washington in seven games. “I made a mistake on a pass, the puck bobbled on me, gave it away an the Bruins ended up scoring, and they beat us 6–2,” Daneyko says. “I was devastated. But if I look back, I was too tight. I was a little bit nervous. Mistakes happen—in the regular season, in Game 1, in Game 7s of the playoffs.”

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​This led to Daneyko adopting a strict focus regimen before big games, even when his career plodded along and his ice time dipped. “As soon as I got to the rink, I’d take a little quiet time and get in the zone. It was automatic. I found that visualizing a little bit just calmed me down and put me in the moment to make sure when I get out there, I’m prepared, I have an idea what I’m going to do in that situation.

“It’s just not being too tentative. I don't think there’s a magic formula. But that visualization, that positive reinforcement, I had to talk to myself. I’m going to be the best tonight, I’m going to do this, without going Don’t make a mistake. That’s what the coaching staff is trying to get across to you. Yes it’s do-or-die, but don’t put more pressure on yourself than Game 2. Play that same way, play to win, play not to lose, that kind of attitude.”

And perhaps, in a way, it worked. After going 2-5 in his first seven Game 7s, Daneyko closed his career at 4-1 in his final five. “I guess .500’s not great, but it’s not bad,” he says.

GLENN ANDERSON, 12

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Among the top five listed by the NHL and Elias, no one has won more Game 7s than Anderson’s eight. He was excited to hear this when reached on Thursday afternoon, laughing and saying, “That’s a keeper.” He was also interested to learn that, like him, Daneyko’s final NHL appearance occurred in a Game 7.

Unlike Daneyko, though, Anderson and the Blues bowed out against Detroit during the second round of 1996, in a 1–0 double-OT decision settled by Steve Yzerman in the 82nd minute. Adding to the sour memory was that Anderson felt mostly yoked to the bench. He attempted three shots on goal that night, but today says, “It was like, oh god, am I that bad of a player that [coach Mike Keenan is] not putting me on the ice?”

Anderson bounced around Europe for the next season, popping up for two games in Italy and 23 in Switzerland. He tried to latch on with the Rangers for a second stint in New York, because a couple friends named Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky were playing there, but couldn’t get a contract. “I didn’t know it was going to be my last game, but when I look back at it, as far as ending my career, it was disappointing to be sitting there on the losing end of it,” he says of falling to the Red Wings. “But it wasn’t for the big one.”

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​In those moments, at least, Anderson triumphed twice—in 1987, with Edmonton against Philadelphia, and in 1994, with the Rangers against Vancouver. He recalls no grandiose, film-like speech, but rather a certain calm among veterans.

“You can really tell who comes to play and loves that kind of moment in time,” he says. “And it’s really evident in the dressing room and what is said and more importantly what isn’t said. Because at that point, in a Game 7, if you don’t know what you have to do at that point, you should’ve never got there in the first place. There’s not a lot to talk about. Just concentrate on what you’ve got to do and do whatever it takes to come out victorious at the end of the day.”

Here he looks at Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay. He envisions players like Sidney Crosby and Tyler Johnson rising to the occasion, “guys who love that moment.” But he also adds a piece of advice, gleaned from more Game 7 experience than all but two in history. The stakes of these situations, he says, calls for self-awareness just as much as heroics. “If you don’t have you’re a game,” Anderson says, “you’re doing what you can to not hurt the team.”