The Curious Case of Bobby Lou

The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup last night, dominating game 7 of their series with the Vancouver Canucks 4-0. The Bruins physicality and depth ultimately wore the Canucks down, and goaltender Tim Thomas was an absolute wall for Boston.

Another factor that contributed to the outcome of the series was the inconsistency of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo. In games 1, 2, and 5 (in Vancouver) Bobby Lou surrendered only two goals against. In games 3, 4, and 6 (in Boston) Luongo allowed 15 goals.

The fact that someone could be so meteorically good one night and so terrible the next is a conundrum that ultimately motivates us to watch sports. On any given night, something remarkable could and probably will happen - especially in the NHL Playoffs. Luongo's inconsistency was an intriguing reason for neutral fans to tune in to the Stanley Cup Playoffs even before the Canucks reached the final (he was shaky in their opening round series against Chicago before regaining his form in the conference semis and finals.)

What is fascinating to me is the thought process of Bobby Lou after getting shelled in games 3 and 4. Did he say to himself "alright, I gotta do better than that, I'm capable of playing alot better" or did he say "welp, that sucked, good thing we have the home-ice advantage"?

The mind of LeBron James can be examined the same way. Was James trying to give himself a pep-talk in-between games of the NBA Finals? Did he let the insane amount of pressure affect his mood and ultimately forget about enjoying the moment? Did he underestimate the Dallas Mavericks?

Rory McIlroy can be viewed similarly. McIlroy went into Sunday at Augusta with a lead that quickly evaporated en route to a final round 80 that left many wondering when/if he could regain his confidence. Now, Rory is once again in the driver's seat - this time at the U.S. Open. I would be fascinated to read his mind and know what he's thinking - does he acknowledge the pressure, or attempt to brush it off and ignore it? Does he think back to his collapse at the Masters, or pretend it never happened?

We could continue this discussion an dive into the topic of psychology for hours. But ultimately, Roberto Luongo's inconsistent focus and play on the ice contributed to Vancouver coming up short. The real point of this discussion is the mental toughness that is required to play professional sports. To be a professional means to not only exhibit physical gifts, but also display a mind that can handle an extremely high level of pressure and stress. Luongo obviously came up short in the mental aspect of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Much like LeBron and Rory, I fully expect Bobby Lou to recover and become a stronger, more capable athlete mentally. Time will tell if that happens sooner rather than later. The real question - whether such growth will result in championships - remains to be seen.