The Stanley Cup Playoffs are, if nothing else, about teachable moments. What a team learns one season can impact the next. If players, coaches and executives take the wrong lessons from the most pressure-filled time of the year, they could be doomed to fail next year's final exam.
Some lessons are small. Like, for example, saying "I would've liked to not fall on him and use my stick as the landing point" will not get one out of a suspension for cross-checking. Duly noted.
Some lessons are larger and more nuanced. Here are seven hard lessons from the playoffs so far, both on the ice and off the ice. Enjoy!