No playoff series is truly over until both teams partake in the time-honoured tradition of the post-game handshake line. During the playoffs, and specifically over the course of a long-series, rivalries run deep. In the game of hockey though, in the end, good sportsmanship runs far deeper. You can’t raise the Stanley Cup until you shake the hands of the players you defeated to earn it. It’s as simple as that.

As this latest Stanley Cup Playoffs TV spot points out – “It’s not yours until you shake on it.”