How to Manage the Pressure of Big Moments
Photo source: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
The Montreal Canadiens are fighting for a playoff spot with one game to go, and the pressure is sky-high. If you’re a fan, you’re probably feeling it too.
All over the internet, I’m seeing tweets and posts about everything that’s not good enough: the D-core needs work, the goalie isn’t strong enough, the powerplay is off, the team looks flat. One thing is clear—the stress of the fans is real, and it’s showing.
When you care deeply about something, stress shows up. And with it often comes doubt, worry, and a hyperfocus on everything that could go wrong. It’s a totally normal response. In life-or-death situations, this reaction helps keep us alive. But in this very much not life-or-death scenario, letting that response run wild is actually a sign of an untrained mind.
Pressure like this isn’t just for pros or die-hard fans. Whether you’re an athlete, a performer, a coach, or someone with something big on the line, there’s a lot we can learn from the Canadiens about managing pressure—especially from their post-skate interviews this morning.
Notice and acknowledge what you’re feeling.
Every player—and Coach Martin St-Louis—talked openly about the stress in the room. They’re feeling it. Step one in managing an emotion? Name it. When you acknowledge what’s happening internally, you take away some of its power and take back some control over it.
Normalize it and accept it.
This is a young team, and many of these players haven’t faced this kind of situation before. With “firsts” come big emotions. That’s not a weakness—it’s human. Around the locker room this morning, the players weren’t pretending to be emotionless robots. Brendan Gallagher said: “The emotions everyone’s feeling are natural.” It just means they care!
When you fight the feeling, you only make it bigger. When you make space for the emotion you’re having and allow it to be there, it gets a little less intense.
Feel it together!
St-Louis talked about how important it was for the team to be together this morning at practice, in this stressful moment.
Daring to be vulnerable about how you’re feeling and saying it out loud takes some power out of the emotion and takes a weight off your shoulders. This morning, the team saw they weren’t alone in what they were feeling—and they had each other. Suddenly, an uncomfortable emotion becomes a moment of connection that can fuel them.
Choose your perspective.
The Habs reframed the situation like pros. Instead of focusing on the pressure, they saw opportunities:
We get to be in this position with our fate in our own hands.
We have the chance to do this at home tomorrow, in front of our fans.
We created this opportunity in front of us, and we earned the chance to go through this
Take advantage of the opportunity, take advantage of the moment,
These are the moments we dream of playing in
Reframing is all about choosing a helpful lens that allows your best to come through.
Control the controllables.
They team was asked if they were hoping Columbus would lose so they could clinch a spot that way. Their response was clear: That’s out of our control. But we can do it ourselves.
Gallagher put it best: “We still control our own fate—we’re not looking for help.”
The best performers are masters of staying focused on what’s in their control: their effort, attitude, and preparation.
Use your stress.
Habs fans are stressed because they care. So are the players. But here’s the difference: the best athletes don’t read stress as danger—they read it as a sign that something important is about to happen.
And guess what? Excitement and stress feel almost identical in the body: racing heart, high energy, jitters, fast thoughts.
To the untrained mind, stress means “Oh no.”
To the trained mind, stress means:
“This is going to be good.”
“My body is getting ready to perform.”
“I can use this.”
”I can’t wait to play!”
Young athletes often tell me they want to get rid of stress in big moments. Trained athletes? They still feel stress. But they welcome it—and they know how to channel it in a way that helps them.
Believe.
All over the internet, fans are pointing out all the reasons why not. The team, on the other hand, is finding all the reasons why yes.
They’re trusting their training. Trusting the people in the room. Trusting that everything they need is already inside them.
Belief is a choice. The brain naturally wants to protect us by scanning for danger and doubt. But a trained mind learns to focus on what gives us the best chance at success: trust and belief in yourself and your team.
One moment at a time.
When asked how the team will manage the emotions of the big game tomorrow, St-Louis made it clear: focus on the one moment in front of you.
Have a good warm up.
Then, focus on one play at a time.
One decision at a time.
One thought at a time.
Bring your best to every moment.
High performance happens in the present moment. Not in the past, hung up on a mistake. Not in the future, worrying about the outcome. Not elsewhere, wondering what the media and fans are saying about you. High performance lives right here, right now, in the unfolding moment. The best performers deliberately train their ability to be in the moment so that even the biggest moments are just one moment in time.
Your next big moment
So, when you face your next big moment—especially you, Habs fans, tomorrow night—take a breath.
Recognize that what you're feeling is normal. You’re stressed because you care. But maybe, like the players you’re cheering for, you can choose to believe a little more than you doubt.
You can choose to feel the excitement. To embrace the opportunity in front of you. To remember that this is what it’s all for—this is when it gets fun!