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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 6, 2007

Peter Laviolette

DAVID KEON: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm David Keon of the NHL Public Relations Department. I would like to welcome you to today's call. Our guest is Carolina Hurricanes' head coach Peter Laviolette. Thanks to Peter for taking the time today to answer your questions and thanks to Kyle Hanlon of the Hurricanes Public Relations Department for arranging the call.
The Hurricanes currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference with 783 points, a record of 33-28-7. With 14 games remaining in the regular season schedule, defending Stanley Cup champions meet divisional rivals eight times, conference rivals in five more and go to the conference only once when they meet San Jose Sharks on March 24th.
Our finalist for the Jack Adams Award is the NHL's coach of the year last season. Peter is in his third season behind the Carolina bench. In his five-year NHL coaching career, he has accumulated a record of 182 wins, 144 losses and 40 ties and 366 games.
Thanks again to Peter for taking the time today to join us and answer your questions.

Q. I'm wondering if you could answer this. As much as your team learned so much last year in winning at all, I'm wondering if you feel they have learned almost as much this year in sort of struggling to be in a play-off position.
PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think you're constantly learning. You learn from the good times. I think you learn from the bad times as well. And there is no question that this has been a challenging year for us. I think we faced a lot of adversity with our team this year. There has been many different obstacles, I think, to overcome from an organizational standpoint.
But in saying that, you know, I think you learn from those challenges as well and what your team is made of. I say this not suggesting that last year was easy because it certainly was not. It was one of the most difficult things, I think, that we've done. But we didn't have as many -- didn't seem like we had as many obstacles to overcome.
This year, we're -- I think what we have gone through and we're still fighting for the play-offs. And the right to be in the play-offs, I think, says a lot about this team as well. Although it hasn't been easy for us, or as easy as it was last year, I think that it builds strength in our team and a testament to the character in the guys like Rod Brind'Amour and Glen Wesley and Justin Williams and Ray Whitney, guys who keep fighting and fighting to try to get in.

Q. Had I told you last June 19th at midnight that nine months later your team would be eighth and the Oilers on the other side would be totally out of it, what would have been your reaction? Does that speak to the parity of this league and how tough it is to win?
PETER LAVIOLETTE: Without speaking to the Oilers' standpoint, because I don't know what they have been through this year, but just speaking on behalf of our organization, for you to tell me that we would have been in the battle with our conference to win hockey games and make the play-offs I don't think would have been -- we wouldn't -- it wouldn't have dropped me. It wouldn't have dropped my jaw. I would have just thought that we have to keep on fighting because there is a lot of parity in the league.
The bottom line is even now with the remainder of the season here, after the trade deadline, I think everybody is finding out that no matter where you sit in the standings, you will get one tough game. If it is Florida who has worked their way back in or if it is Philadelphia or it is the Bruins who worked their way back in, there are no lay-ups, there are no easy games. You have got to compete nightly in order to be successful.
I don't think it would -- I don't think it would shock me. It wouldn't surprise me just based on the fact that on any given night you could win or lose a hockey game.
We have not been as consistent as we would have liked this year. Just based on our record, I think that's the best way to describe it, is consistency has been the biggest problem.

Q. When you guys have been good this year, you have been absolutely superlative. I am wondering if that makes the guys feel like they are better than they are. When your guys have played well, you look so good. You look like you are going to win it again. It makes me think that maybe the guys think this is our level and that we just -- you know, we will get there and maybe that's what is contributing to the inconsistency. Any chance of that?
PETER LAVIOLETTE: I can't say no because if I knew the exact reason why at times we were inconsistent, our effort was inconsistent, I would certainly do my best to fix it.
At nights -- on given nights, there has been a complacency that has been evident that we have not had that same drive and energy and the quickness to our game that we did last year. So in saying that, you are right. On other nights, our team is pretty darn good.
I think -- I don't think our players are not aware of where we sit. I think they are absolutely aware of where we sit. And I don't think they take it for granted that we're going to make the play-offs. I do know that they will continue to fight, and I am glad I have this team as we go down the stretch drive and fight for the play-offs or the right to get in the play-offs. I know there is a tremendous amount of competitors in the room.
If we do get -- if we're going to be able to win enough games and fortunate to get into the play-off race and play for the Stanley Cup again, I know that there is a tremendous amount of confidence that this team can get it done.

Q. Peter, I wondered, until this year you didn't know what it meant to defend a Cup title. I am wondering if you can explain what other coaches have gone through now, maybe how difficult it is to get your guys ready after a short, short summer. It really was short this year with the finals going all the way to late June.
PETER LAVIOLETTE: I have done it once in the minors at the American Hockey League level. The next year we were dealt with a similar situation where it wasn't necessarily our injuries but it was Boston's injuries. We really got a lot of our players taken away and there is that expectation to win every game. You find yourself without your complete lineup on a lot of given nights.
We've found ourselves with that this year, just based on the surgeries that happened after the regular season and some of the injuries that have popped up this year. So I think, like I said, there has been a lot of things we have been battling, whether it is a tough schedule in the first half or injuries that have popped up or surgeries that happened over the summer, the short summer, a lot of complacency. There is a multiple of different things that I think you can point to.
But there is a lot of teams that have to deal with that and we can't make excuses for any of them. We are expected to go out and win hockey games. And we hold ourselves accountable to that as well. So they are not excuses. It has been disappointed, and we are frustrated by it I think together, the players and the organization, coaches, everybody.

Q. I know you said you didn't want to talk about the Oilers, but if you can humor me for a second. This is a team that pushed you right to the brink last June. They have ten guys missing from that team that played you on June 19th that are gone. That probably answers itself. Are you amazed at how difficult it has been for you given how well they played against you last June?
PETER LAVIOLETTE: I can speak to the fact that they certainly played well last year in the play-offs. We went to the seventh game where it was probably one of the hardest-fought games I have ever been a part of. And it was a 2-1 game before the empty-net goal. They gave everything they had, and they had a great team.
I don't get to follow Edmonton that much. That's why it is even harder for me to comment on where they're at. I know we went into Edmonton and they gave us a handful again.
I just -- you know, I can't comment again as to whether it is the ten people that they lost or injuries or what they might be dealing with, a short summer or the frustration of inconsistency. Those are all things you would have to get answers for up there.
I mean, I guess it doesn't amaze me that they're not in right now. They were the eighth seed. They played extremely well through the play-offs. They beat a lot of good teams. The difference between eighth and ninth may only be two points and one of them gets you in and one of them doesn't.

Q. Just wondering, it is not easy to get through any NHL season. How much harder is it to do with essentially a target on your guys' backs? Everybody wants to knock off the champion.
PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think we are learning that. Again, there will be no excuses for it. We're expected to show up and win games. That's our expectation from the inside. The truth of the matter is we do get everybody's best game. I think they are fired up to beat the Cup champs. You see starting goalies, not too many backups.
There haven't been a lot of games where we have gone out and walked over teams because they weren't ready. I'm not saying that happened a lot last year. But I think teams maybe took us a little bit lighter, especially at the start to the midway point. I think over time maybe you get that respect of being the champs. It seems like we have gotten a pretty good game from everybody.
So if we are not dead on our game, which there are times when we haven't been, we find ourselves on the short end of the stick as far as the scoreboard goes.

Q. In terms of the division that you play in, do you think that the Southeast is underrated? Just looking at the team, Washington is in last place and they have one of the most explosive players in the league.
PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think there is a lot of great players in the Southeast. I think it is a great division to be honest. Unless you are talking about the division lead or the teams that are right there ahead of you, behind you, we look -- it rarely comes down to the conference. I think the Southeast division -- the fact that you are playing Florida. Florida can beat -- I don't know what their record is in the last -- 7-2-1 or 7 and -- I don't know, but it is very good. They are not a lay-up team.
They worked hard. They are fighting to get back into the play-off race themselves. And I think that could be said anywhere in the league. It is just there is a lot of parity right now.
DAVID KEON: Thank you very much, Peter.
PETER LAVIOLETTE: My pleasure.

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