Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.

Leonardo da Vinci arranged those words sometime during his life that lasted 67 peerless years. Da Vinci was a stud. The REAL Leo. Smart, handsome, musically gifted, innovative, and as the above quote suggests, a mental warrior. The Italian was a vegetarian, yet he had a carnivorous appetite for life.

Da Vinci's quote blares STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS in broad, colorful strokes. Obstacles, resolve and mind -- the three most important words in the quote and the three most important words in describing the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yes, a talented team will raise the 35-pound Stanley Cup, but the winner will be determined by who overcomes obstacles, displays an almost inhumane resolve, and whose mind is maniacally driven to reach his star. His Stanley Cup.

It's time. ESPN's coverage is here.

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