Instant heroes.(National Hockey League playoffs)

Nothing in sports tops the drama of overtime games in the NHL playoffs, when a player's legacy can change in a heartbeat

In the end, it's not about winning. It's about refusing to lose. It's about ignoring legs that are heavy and lungs that burn. It's about giving everything, even when nothing is left.

In the NHL, players don't measure their worth by punching a time clock when their work day is over. This is especially true in the playoffs, when sudden-death overtime adds to the fatigue and makes this time of the year so special. And so frustrating.

Nothing in all of sports is better than overtime hockey. After all, it's when any player--not just a superstar--can be a hero.

Left wing Cory Stillman is one of the NHL's new heroes. Stillman won his place in history after scoring the winning goal 9:26 into a second overtime period to give the Blues a 3-2 victory and 3-0 lead in their second-round series against Dallas. The Blues completed the sweep two days later with a 4-1 victory.

Two months ago, Stillman was playing for Calgary and appeared destined to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Then came the trade to the Blues (for center Craig Conroy) on March 13.

"It was like a new lease on life for me," he says. "If I hadn't been traded to the Blues, I would probably be sitting by the lake in Peterborough, Ontario, fishing and wishing that I was still playing hockey."