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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BLACKHAWKS v LIGHTNINGJune 14, 2015Brad RichardsJonathan ToewsKris VersteegCHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for Jonathan, Brad and Kris. Q. Jonathan, Niklas was talking last night about the opportunity here. He says it's hard not to daydream and think big about that, at the same time temper that emotion. How do you find that balance with what's at stake tomorrow? JONATHAN TOEWS: I don't know. I mean, I think for at least the guys in this group that have won it before, whenever we answered questions going into a Game 6 with a chance to win the Stanley Cup, everyone asked, Would you rather win on the road or at home? For us, there was no difference. I think we have a chance to do that tomorrow night. We want to take advantage of it. Obviously there's a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement, a lot of things going on around the entire event. I think we're just going to do our best as individuals to focus on our job as players and focus on the game and nothing more. None of that stuff is really going to help us achieve what we want to achieve. That's where our heads are at right now. Q. Jonathan, from the middle of April when the playoffs began till now, does it feel like time has flown for you guys or it's been a long, hard grind? JONATHAN TOEWS: I think it goes by real quick as you're doing it. If you actually think back, think like, Wow, we played Nashville at one point, that was a long time ago, if you really kind of go back to that. As you're going through it, it's the time of your life. There's no better journey. You always have to play those 82 games, that's part of being professional, part of what we do. The journey, once the playoffs start, there's nothing like the ebbs and flows, the togetherness, all the adversity you have to go through together. It goes by very quick. When it's over middle of the summer, you want that feeling, that memory back again. Q. Jonathan, you've been through this a couple times now. How do your family and friends approach dealing with you, contacting you? Do you have your phone on? JONATHAN TOEWS: Yeah, I mean, I try my best to respond to the text messages. I think there's some from previous games I still haven't gotten around to. Still working on that. As far as family, I think everyone for the most part has their closest family members in town to watch these games. I know for mine, I don't think their experience helps them at all. They're probably more nervous than they were the first time around. It's definitely not easy to sit and watch. In a lot of ways it's easier mentally on the nerves to play. We make that joke a lot. Q. Jonathan, the two previous situations you've been in in this spot where you can close out the Stanley Cup, what is it about this team that's so good at that? JONATHAN TOEWS: I think we always like to think we get better and better as the series goes along. We get into these later games where we have the chance to play these games that are more meaningful, I think that's when we play our best. I think it works out that way, not necessarily having the killer instinct, flipping a switch, playing our best hockey. We played a really good team game yesterday. We're looking to build off that. We know we have to be better in the next one 'cause it's going to be equally their best game of the series, as well. Q. Brad, since you've been around these guys in this playoff run, the guys who have been here for a while, what is your take away, thoughts, impressions, of how they handle these situations where people are talking about closing a series out? BRAD RICHARDS: Well, I mean, they've done it. I think the more you do it, the more you get addicted to it. You're comfortable in those situations. When I got to win it in Tampa the first time, we were a bunch of young kids not really having a clue what we were doing. This group feels a lot more like they've been through it. There doesn't have to be a lot of speeches, reminders. The core group has kind of all done it together, they've grown up together. You know, you don't have to worry about as much as a locker room because you just know everybody's kind of got their head in the right place. They're just, like I said, used to doing it. Once you have success doing it, it's never going to get easier, but it gets easier to prepare and focus on the right things as you go into these games. Q. Jonathan, Joel Quenneville for almost your whole career has been your coach in the NHL. How has he helped you develop as a player over these years? Do you think he's the best coach in the NHL? JONATHAN TOEWS: I mean, Joel has done an incredible job of I think just gauging where we're at throughout some of these series, knowing what our team needs to do, what look we need to change as far as matchups or lineup combinations, things like that. I think he identifies things that will make us stronger going into the later games in the series. I think as individuals, he also finds ways to enable you to bring out your best as well. Yeah, I mean, it's just been a great combination, the players that we have, the leadership group we have in the room, combining that with the type of coaching staff we've had over the years. Q. All three of you, when you compare your experiences in previous Cup Finals to this year, has this been more mentally taxing because the games have been all one‑goal games, decided in the third period? KRIS VERSTEEG: Well, it's been a tough playoff run, for sure. We ran into some really good teams. Especially getting into the Finals, Tampa Bay is a team that they can make a lot of plays and they got a lot of players that can make plays in hard situations. You know, every game we expected to be close. We expected it to be a grind. We don't expect any less going into Game 6. Q. Jonathan, we heard last week that Cedric Paquette was going to do a little smack talking in French. Did you hear any of that last night? JONATHAN TOEWS: No. I mean, I don't think that's his game. I'm sure he wasn't 100% serious when he said that. He is a very good two‑way player. He's proven himself on a big stage right now. I think he's definitely more focused on just trying to make things difficult on our line when we're matched up against him. He's done a pretty good job so far. Q. You lost Michal to injury with his ankle, but got Patrick back a month earlier than you thought. How fortunate do you feel overall that you have stayed pretty healthy through this run? JONATHAN TOEWS: Well, of course, we always say you can do everything right, but you still need things to fall into place for you to a certain degree as far as guys staying healthy. We've had that so far. I think a lot of it has to do with everyone talking about our D men taking the minutes that they have and us relying on certain guys more than others. At the end of the day throughout our lineup we have guys, like Richie was saying a minute ago, that know how to prepare, know the right things to do to make things easier on themselves day in and day out, especially when you get into the midst of a series, playing every other day, a lot of travel. You're doing everything you can to keep your body going. That definitely adds up. When you don't treat your body the right way, you don't recover the right way, eventually those injuries, bumps and bruises become pretty serious. So, knock on wood, in our situation we've been fortunate that way. But to a certain degree, the guys in our room do what they have to do to make sure they're getting everything they can out of themselves. Q. Kris, you spoke the other day about finding your game a little bit. Where do you feel you're at right now heading into Game 6? KRIS VERSTEEG: Yesterday was a nice game to be a part of, especially with my linemates. I think we worked pretty well together. It was our first game really together as a line. Built a little chemistry. We talked about it every shift, what we wanted to do. Again, talked today. Be ready for tomorrow's game and bring everything we have. I'm just excited about the opportunity. Q. Jonathan, when the league put in the salary cap, it was to create parity, not to have teams be on the verge of winning the third Stanley Cup in six years. How have you been able to do that in an environment that pretty much is conducive not to have that happen? JONATHAN TOEWS: I mean, when you look at the way things have gone in the last six years, we won our first one in 2010. We had a good number of guys, key players, guys like I'm sitting next to, it just so happened that moves had to be made and things changed pretty drastically that summer. I'm sure a lot of people asked themselves the question if they'd ever see us returning to that point so quickly. I don't know. I guess at the end of the day it is very comparative. I don't think there's a series we played in this year that the other team didn't think it was their year to win the Stanley Cup as well. One through eight, everyone feels like they got a chance. There's good reason for that, too. There is a lot of talent out there. Every team is pretty level. We see that with the competition, the kind of battle for playoff spots going down the stretch in the regular season. So I think in regards to that, it is pretty amazing to have had the chance like this group has had to keep coming back, finding ways to compete our way back into these situations. Q. Kris, back to the coaching a little bit, Quenneville. You've been out of the lineup. Vermette was out. Teravainen was out. Sometimes the coach takes you out of the lineup and you never get back in, just like you're dead. You guys get back in. Obviously you want to play every game. Do you have the faith you can get back in, prove yourself to this guy? KRIS VERSTEEG: Well, I think it's always about staying ready. I guess that starts in practice. Whether it be myself or Bicks or Vermy or whoever is not in the lineup on any given night, we all feel we're good players, we all feel we're players that can contribute. I don't think that confidence is lost in us. We all understand what we've done in this league before, what we can do. Also talking with each other, instilling some confidence in ourselves is a good help, too. But, you know, just going out there when you're given the opportunity and taking advantage of it. Q. Brad, 11 years ago when you were in Tampa, you lost Game5 at home, won Game 6, then won Game 7. Do you understand what the mentality on the other side is like? BRAD RICHARDS: It's like any mentality. It's like us having to come back against Anaheim. You know, we know once the puck drops, they're back in the battle, it's on again. The hardest part of that is waiting. That team just can't wait to get on the ice. Once you get in the battle again, anything can happen. As the game goes, they're going to try to hang around, be in the game, have a lead. As the game goes, that's how they'll start building. We can't lose focus on how patient we have to be, how smart we have to be with the puck. It's still a great hockey team. Doesn't matter what we can do. It's once the game goes, I'm sure it's going to be another tight game. As that goes, they're going to get more and more belief. Our job is to try to take that belief away. Q. Brad, Marian Hossa continues to impress fans and us. What is your take away on going on the good side of him as a teammate? BRAD RICHARDS: I obviously played against him, saw how talented he was offensively, especially down in the Southeast Conference when he played in Atlanta, a lot of high‑scoring, run‑and‑gun games back in those days. I didn't realize until I got here, I didn't realize how good he is all around, on the puck, defensively, what a force he is in every zone. As you're here, you see him every day, you really get to appreciate how he plays the game. I can honestly say, not just him, but a lot of these guys, but especially him, I just turned 35, but you learn a lot watching him play every night, how he protects pucks, how he back‑checks, how he does all those things that help a team. That's why he's been to five or six Finals in his career, whatever it is. It's crazy. Great guy to have in the locker room to lead the way for these young guys, and even guys my age that love the game. You just see him happy every day, playing that hard, it's pretty impressive. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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