Antoine Vermette watched Game 3 of the N.H.L. Western Conference finals on a television in the Blackhawks’ locker room while he exercised, riding a stationary bike and lifting weights. It was the third time this postseason he had been designated as a healthy scratch, a personal low point, and he wanted to use the time productively.
“Try to get my mind ready for the next opportunity,” he later said.
As if on cue, in the very next game, Vermette then scored a game-winning goal, and he has scored two more game-winning goals in the Stanley Cup finals.