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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 31, 2008

Dave Tippett

DAVID KEON: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm David Keon of the National Hockey League's public relations department, and I'd like to welcome you to today's call. We have with us we have Dave Tippett, head coach of the Dallas Stars. Thanks to Dave for taking the time today to answer your questions and thanks to Mark Janko of the Stars' public relations department for helping to arrange this call.
Dallas is currently third in the Pacific Division, with a record of 43-29-7 for 93 points placing them fifth in the Western Conference as we head into the final week of the regular season. The Stars travel to Phoenix where they will meet the Coyotes on Thursday, return to the American Airlines Center to meet Phoenix on Friday and close the regular season at home against San Jose on Sunday. Again, thanks to Dave for joining us.

Q. How does the mind-set change for a coach once you get to the playoffs, the lifestyle, your sense of normalcy?
DAVE TIPPETT: Well, you have to have the same focus. Your first goal at the start of the year is to make the playoffs, but we focus a lot on our preparation for the playoffs, and making the playoffs is certainly the first step and now our focus will change to preparation to make sure our game is as good as it can be going into the playoffs in that you're always trying to make sure that you're healthy, rested and those factors that could come into play in the playoffs are very important. You have to be cognizant of all those things.

Q. What about for you personally in terms of you get into a sense of normalcy throughout -- as normal as you can get in the regular season.
DAVE TIPPETT: We are in the Western Conference here.

Q. And you do adapt to a certain type of lifestyle; does that get altered once you're in that first round and in Game 2, Game 3?
DAVE TIPPETT: No, I think what it's, when you're in this situation, you're just preparing for every game, and obviously the intensity and the factors that go along with playoff hockey, everything just gets elevated, and that's something that probably the better question would be to my wife or family, if things get a little tense around the house.
But in that fact, the playoffs is a great time of year and it's great hockey all the time and you just try to put your best foot forward and make sure your team is prepared and go in and give yourself the best chance to be successful.

Q. I know you're fighting for two points against Anaheim, but there's a good chance you could see those guys in the first round anyway, so curious when you're coaching the game last night against Anaheim, are you also looking at potential matchups that you think could work over the course of a seven-game series, or is it too early to be looking at things like that?
DAVE TIPPETT: No, I think things like that always come back in your mind. But you see how the game is playing out. But we know each team, when you play each other eight times during the year, you know all of the other teams very well, so you know what their tendencies, what their strengths are.
And there are certain things that you think about how our team, how we would have to play to be successful against them, so those things are certainly in the back of your mind. But they are not etched in stone yet, so we'll see how all that plays out.

Q. Are you coaching as you're doing two things at once?
DAVE TIPPETT: No, you get into the heat of the moment in the game. Like last night I thought our team was a little tired and so we're trying to find a way to get some points there. I thought our guys did a great job of hanging in and finding a way to do that; Turco was excellent.
There are certain little things that happened during the game, whether they are match up changes or penalties or special team situations, you might try certain things and see how they transpire in that game and they might be things that work or don't work moving into the playoffs.

Q. Any sort of disappointment, I know it's not official, but there's a strong chance you're going to be starting on the road again, and can you just talk about the challenges inherent with that?
DAVE TIPPETT: No, that's not a bad thing for us. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. You know, a couple of factors, we've got some young players that we've integrated into our team this year. GOING on the road, I don't think that would be a bad thing for them, starting on the road.
The other thing it does, is it really brings your group together. Not that when you're at home you're not together but when you get on the road, you're a very tight pack on the road. You eat together, everything is very focused on the game, and that's not a bad thing to start off usually.

Q. And do you feel like heading into these last few games you sort of have a good read on getting both Richards and Ribeiro into a place where they are both sort of producing at the rate that you expect?
DAVE TIPPETT: Yeah, we thought this trip was very good for that. We are finally finding some chemistry there. Obviously there's always things that you're looking to tweak, and Brad is such a player that touches so many aspects of the game with special teams, and so you're trying to integrate him into what you're trying to do.
But he's had enough games now where I think he's starting to get comfortable and we're seeing that in his play. His play is just like we thought. We thought there would be some adjustment, but we were hoping that as the season wound down, his game would start to elevate and hopefully we get the best of him in the playoffs.

Q. And any concerns with Ribeiro?
DAVE TIPPETT: No. He's been excellent. He had a great trip for us. He had three assists the other day in Los Angeles and he continues to be one of our catalysts on the offensive side. You know, I think like everybody, he just looks at Richards as a huge bonus because it can take some pressure off him.

Q. Talking about Anaheim, you're going to play them eight times this season. Is it preferable to play a team that you see all the time in the playoffs, or would you maybe like to see a team -- could you play Minnesota, for instance, and they have not seen you since you've gotten your new guys. Is there any advantage?
DAVE TIPPETT: When you look at the whole situation, teams are so well prepared now with pre-scouting, with video and you're still very much in tune, whether you play a team eight times or four times. You're going to be going into a playoff series, you're going to be very much in tune with the team you're going to face.
Anaheim being in our division, we've had -- it seems like every time we turnaround, we're playing Anaheim again, so we know them very well. But Minnesota is obviously a team that they are not that far away from the proximity and from a coaching standpoint, you're always watching other teams to see what they are doing.
So I don't see that as a big advantage one way or another.

Q. You and Minnesota probably have as bad of travel as anyone; if you played each other you would be in the same time zone.
DAVE TIPPETT: I think that's a bigger factor than actual time in the air is the time change factor, and where it affects us the most is coming back from the West Coast.
You know, we don't like to lose a whole night of sleep, which if you leave after the game and come home, losing the two hours, you're basically not getting in until four or five in the morning and you're losing a whole night of sleep.
So those have been factors where we have decided to stay over and fly home the next day. When you're doing that, you're probably taking away a day of practice.
So those are factors of the time change more than anything else. Those are just things -- and Dallas being in the Pacific Division, those are things we've learned to deal with.

Q. Some pundits have maybe referred to the Ducks as a team that plays on the edge, maybe is dirty, quote unquote, or at least borderline. Are those accurate claims or bogus claims?
DAVE TIPPETT: They are a team and that's the way -- Brian Burke was the first one to say it, that's the way he's built that team, and they want to be a hard forechecking team and that's the way they play.
We have had great games with them this year, and they are a big, hard team. That's the way -- like I say, that's the way that their team, that they think they need to play to be successful and that's what they try to do.

Q. Is that physical nature something you appreciate?
DAVE TIPPETT: I think it's just part of the game. Everybody's physical. But they tend to have -- they have some players that are -- like I say, that's the way Brian has built the team there. They have players that are very physical. Their fourth line is as physical as any there is in the game. That's just the way their team's built.

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