Brenden Morrow had some cautionary words for his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates following Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The veteran forward is playing in his first Cup Final since he was a rookie with the Dallas Stars 14 seasons ago. Unlike many of Tampa Bay's young star players, Morrow is familiar with the mental pitfalls that can ruin a team's chances of competing for hockey's ultimate prize.
The Lightning let a third-period lead slip away to the more experienced Chicago Blackhawks, who have a shot at their third championship in six seasons. To Morrow, the collapse was an example of Tampa Bay fearing the Blackhawks rather than respecting them.
"There's a fine line between respect and fear," Morrow told reporters. "I think we respect them, but you can't fear them."
Morrow played 8:20 in the contest and only saw three short shifts in the third period, putting him in a perfect position to observe how his team's playing style became more tentative late in the game.
Team captain Steven Stamkos appeared to agree with Morrow - saying the Lightning were too scared to lose - but he believes they have a chance if they can overcome the jitters that cost them Game 1.
"Not a lot of people gave us a chance in this series," Stamkos said. "For most of the game, we saw we can hang and we can be better."
