Leadership comes in many forms, some extremely obvious, others less so. Under the latter category, I place Brenden Morrow’s composure after taking a blatant crosscheck to the face from Kris Draper of the Red Wings in game five of the Western Conference Final. Can you imagine the restraint it took for Morrow to turn away from that cheap shot, which, incredibly, went unnoticed by the referees? That’s what leaders do, though, and that’s why Morrow is one of the great young leaders in the game. He wears the “C” for a reason, and he wasn’t about to think of himself first with his team holding onto a one-goal lead in a must-win game. Morrow’s decision not to retaliate won’t show up in any box scores of that impressive Dallas win, but you can bet it registered with his teammates and the Stars coaching staff. Yes, the Stars ultimately failed to pull off the comeback, but it was an impressive run, and Morrow is an impressive captain.
 
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 It’s months away, but I’m already looking forward to the next head-to-head matchup between Mike Richards and Sidney Crosby. There seems to be genuine disdain there, at least from Richards’ standpoint, and that slash the Flyers’ captain-in-waiting dished out on Penguins’ captain Sid the Kid in the closing moments of game four of the Eastern Conference Final smacked of a message for the present and the future.
 
 *****
 
 Speaking of the Flyers, for that team to go from the dregs of the league last season to this year’s final four speaks volumes of that franchise’s commitment to winning and to excellence. Finishing as badly as they did last year sat well with no one in the organization, and they went out and made the moves necessary to make sure it was just an aberration. I know the Flyers haven’t won a cup in over 30 years, but it isn’t for lack of effort. It’s an ownership and management team that is clearly focused on doing what it takes to win in the NHL, and that’s as much as any fan should ask. And what the Flyers did prove, too, is that fortunes can be turned around quickly in this salary-cap era.
 
 *****
 
 There apparently IS kissing in hockey. Trevor Daley of the Stars planted one on the mask of his goaltender Marty Turco after Turco’s remarkable performance in the 2-1 Dallas win in game five against Detroit. That kiss may take more YouTube hits than the gorgeous top-shelf goal Daley scored in the same game. It was a spontaneous, funny moment in a playoff season that has truly sparkled.
 
 *****
 
 Finally, it turns out Penguins’ GM Ray Shero had a better pulse on his team’s upside than many of us, including me. When he made the deadline deal with Atlanta, I was among those guilty of wondering if he had given up too much and had overestimated Pittsburgh’s chances of making a serious Stanley Cup run. In reality, the Pens were ready for more; they were ready for a Stanley Cup sprint.