Hockey players live a life we can only imagine. Skating around the rink at breakneck speed, dodging defenders (and the occasional hurled squid) as they maneuver the puck toward the goal, it excels imagination and defies description. How to relax from such a high-pressure lifestyle? For four members of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, the answer lies in the quest for a rather small glass ball. About 40mm, to be precise, resting atop a commensurate square base to keep it in place atop a mantel or in a trophy case. You see, this is the Bud Light Paddle Battle. It has it all: celebrity players, hardware, official playoff brackets, and, to dispel any possible doubt as to its official cachet, corporate sponsorship. This year's incarnation saw a quartet of Sabres square off: goalie Carter Hutton, center Zemgus Girgensons, and forwards Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo. It was the latter forwards who moved forward to the finals. Skinner revealed that he is no casual player by bringing his own racket. Okposo, however, upped the ante by actually practicing before the finals. And a thrilling final it was, with both forwards trading slap shot forehands in a seesaw battle. In the end, Okposo's tricky sidespin serves and occasional backspin defense befuddled Skinner's all-out attack strategy. After a nail-biting 21-18 vistory, Kyle Okposo hoisted the tiny glass trophy. Refreshed and with their reflexes honed to a razor's edge, the fearsome foursome now return to the ice in the quest for a much larger trophy: Lord Stanley's Cup, which has thus far eluded the franchise in its half-century history. But, just like winning a glass ball in a table tennis tournament, there's a first time for everything.

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