There are so many challenges that come at you during the season. Every team deals with it. Injuries being the biggest one. Have they got the depth to deal with Hughes, Miller, Pettersson being out for any extended period of time? I like the approach Tocchet has been taking. He has been downplaying player statistics without actually coming out and saying it. If you read between the lines he is basically saying statistics are for losers. If you have three players in the top ten of scoring you are relying too much on those three players. Case in point the Oilers. You need to have depth all throughout your lineup, everyone work hard, and have two decent goaltenders to sustain your season if you want to have a reasonable chance at success in the long run. But that doesn’t always mean you will win the Cup. Case in point, the Bruins.
It's true. There is an almost-superstition in this fan base about never praising the team too much, like turning praise for a job well done might turn into hype, and hype (hubris) brings the wrath of the hockey gods.
Truth is, the season is very long (and full of breaks that seem to kill momentum), and that plus the post-season takes a hell of a toll. You want your best to be playing their best, but at the right time of year, and always to remain healthy.
Stats have their place, but cups are won by the intangibles of depth, guts, and a generous helping of good fortune. So many teams can soar in the regular season stats only to crash out hard at crunch time. Talent at a roster level takes years to build, but the game is one where once someone's talent is a known quantity, other teams immediately start finding ways to counter it. (Sometimes dirty ways, let's be honest.) No team wants to be loaded up with guys who are talentless, but I think being the league's best player on the league's worst team is not the sort of paradox any player wants to experience either.