In Wayne Gretzky's Autobiography, he recalls the night the Oilers lost the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals to the Islanders.
It was the Islanders 4th straight cup, and the Oilers would go on to win 5 after this.
As he and teammate Kevin Lowe walked out of the arena, they had to pass the Islanders locker room, after losing the final game. What they learned that night helped make them a Championship team and a dynasty:
"We both knew we were going to have to walk by the Islander locker room, and we were dreading it: having to see all the happy faces, the champagne shampoos, the girlfriends' kisses, the whole scene we wanted so much.
But as we walked by, we didn't see any of that. The girlfriends and the coaches and the staff people were living it up, but the playeres weren't.
Trottier was icing what looked like a painful knee. Potvin was getting stuff rubbed on his shouler. Guys were limping around with black eyes and bloody mouths. It looked more like a morgue than a champion's locker room.
And here we were perfectly fine and healthy. That's why they won and we lost. They took more punishment than we did. They dove into more boards, stuck their faces in front of more pucks, threw their bodies into more pileups. They sacrificed everyting they had.
And that's when Kevin said something I'll never forget He said, 'That's how you win championships'"
-Wayne Greztky, "Gretzky an Autobiography"
Take note, Canucks. Take note.