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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BLACKHAWKS v DUCKSMay 16, 2015Bruce BoudreauANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for coach. Q. Bruce, I didn't see Ricky out there. Any sort of issue with him? COACH BOUDREAU: He was just feeling under the weather today. Like what we've done all year, if you're not feeling well, we don't want you around the rest of the guys. So we told him to go home. He's young enough and strong enough that if he's feeling well today, he'll be in the lineup tomorrow. Q. Coach, can you talk about the group's mentality this year. Has it evolved in your couple seasons here? Have you noticed growth in terms of how they deal with adversity, things of that nature? COACH BOUDREAU: There's a lot of the guys that are the same. At the same time, I think after the last two years, they've shown fortitude when it's come to the playoffs. Their mindset has been tougher, I think. I don't want to take anything away from last year or the year before last year's team, the individuals that are still here, but it seems like they're a more determined group right now. We practiced a lot, and the practices have been hard. These guys have not complained about it. They've embraced the practices. I think 'determined' is a better word than anything I could use. Q. Bruce, with Ricky, if he doesn't respond like you hope, is Fleisch and Wagner, are they two more logical options? COACH BOUDREAU: Yeah, yeah. One of them would probably go in. Q. Does it help, the fact they've had some experience in the post‑season? COACH BOUDREAU: I think so. I think both are really hungry to play, too. I mean, the guys that have sat out are dying to get in. But they don't want to get in just for the sake of change. They want to get in if we call them. So they've been really good. Q. Coach, your ability as a team to come back, what is the dynamic there? How do you overcome their ability to shut down teams? COACH BOUDREAU: You know, we have no secret weapon, we have no secret formula. They've had the opportunities to come back, and they've come back. I think both games against the Hawks, it wasn't the case. They were ahead 4‑1 in one and 3‑1 in the other. The other was a back‑to‑back. I don't think we had a lot of energy in that game. They're great at it. We're good at what we do. Hopefully it doesn't have to come to that at all. Hopefully in a perfect world we want to play from above, from ahead. We'll see how it works out. Q. As you continue on in the playoffs, what type of impact can a home crowd have for your team? COACH BOUDREAU: You know, we've seen the impact that home crowds had all over the place, how loud they can get, how energized they can get you. The louder the crowd, the more energized you get. At the same time it really energizes the road team, as well. If it's anything like it's been the whole time I've been here when we played Chicago, there will be 2,000‑ to 3,000‑plus people from Chicago cheering really loud. The crowd is going to have to really be into it to drown them out hopefully. Q. I know you're worried mostly about your own team. What do you admire most about Joel Quenneville, how he's handled this run with the Blackhawks from a coaching standpoint? COACH BOUDREAU: He's a really good guy. I've known him for a long time. At the same time he's handled it the same way he handled stuff as a player: he thinks things out, he's calm, he's a communicator. He's going to be in the Hall of Fame when he's done. He's done a great job. I don't know what else to say. They could have easily won the Cup three years in a row, but they haven't. But he's a great coach. He's going to be tough. I don't know if we can do it, but we'll try. Q. How much better is it to coach Ryan Kesler than coach against him? Seems like he's a particularly gritty player to coach against. How much better is it to have him on your side? COACH BOUDREAU: I think any coach would rather have Ryan on his team than against him. Unfortunately for Vancouver, like last year, you know, he wasn't as effective because the team wasn't as good. But you could see why they won the Presidents' Trophy, why they've gone to the Stanley Cup Finals. As a second‑line center, he's as good as there is. He elevates his game in the playoffs. He's a money player. Hopefully he can continue what he's done in the first two rounds in the third round. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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