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BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC: CANADIENS v BRUINSDecember 31, 2015Brendan GallagherMax PaciorettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS Q. Brendan, how big is it for you to be here and to possibly play and make a difference to you? MAX PACIORETTY: I'm proud to announce that Brendan Gallagher will be playing in the Winter Classic tomorrow. BRENDAN GALLAGHER: All right, now that Pac's cleared me, it's special, I think when you look at this event. It's cool to bring in your family and friends and get an opportunity to be at a venue like this. Like I said from the start, I wouldn't come back if I didn't feel like I could help the team. I didn't want to come back for selfish reasons. The doctors helped me to come back and play, and now hopefully I can contribute. Q. Were you definitely in the game? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: Yeah, went and talked to Coach, and he gave me the clearance afterwards. Q. Brendan, we saw you on the road to the Winter Classic and your relationship with Andy Dalton and your teammates giving you a hard time about that. Have you met up with any Patriots or is there any of that that you have a fondness for? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: No, Tom Brady walked by me, but I was too chicken to say anything. So I just watched him walk on by. Q. What's it been like watching your team go through the tough times and not be able to be on the ice? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: Yeah, it's one of those things that you wish you were with the guys and especially them being on the road, you don't know what's going on. You just can't contribute in any way. Being back with them now, I think this is a good day for us. We were on the ice, and having fun and just enjoying the opportunity that we have. It's definitely a lot easier to be around the group and to be a part of it. Q. How did it feel this morning practicing? How did you feel? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: It was good. I think everyone kind of felt the same, so it's a good game for me to come back, and in the sense that the ice is going to be bad. Everyone's probably going to feel slower than usual. For me to come back, I'm just going to try to, like I always do, keep my game as simple as possible, and try to contribute in any way I can. Q. Brendan, one of your trademarks is being (Indiscernible)? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: I think it will be different for us, for sure. I think it's the same for both teams. I think you adjust and adapt on the fly, I think. Everyone's played on an outdoor rink growing up, so it's probably no different than that. MAX PACIORETTY: Yeah, looking at Brendan's situation, I think it's good he hurt his hand, if anything, because he's able to work out his big legs and gets him ready for tomorrow. He should have no excuse. He should be the fastest guy on the ice. I'm thankful I get to play next to him. Q. About playing next to him, the dynamic that he brings to your line and potentially what's been missing for five weeks now? MAX PACIORETTY: Yeah, I enjoy playing with Gally a lot because we've had a lot of good success in the past, but he's easy to play with, and you always know what he's going to do with the puck. It's a simple game going out there with him. He's going to do the dirty work often. He makes it a lot easier on his linemates. When I can help him, I try to do so as well. So we've had that chemistry for a couple years now and hopefully after this brief stint where he was out, hopefully we can pick up right where he left off. Q. How has it been missing on the power play? Is that where you're missing him the most? MAX PACIORETTY: We miss him overall. Yeah, he helps the power play. I think getting dirty goals around the net is very important, but also five‑on‑five, we've been lacking that, I guess, that energy and that extra grit that it takes to score those dirty goals. It's a tight league where you don't see too many fancy goals anymore. A lot of them are dirty, and a lot of them sometimes he doesn't get rewarded with the goal, but he's doing a lot of the dirty work down low that helps out his linemates and his teammates. So to get a guy like this back is very important for our team. Q. Brendan, I'm wondering how you sort of experienced this month that the team has gone through? And you sort of heard (Indiscernible) by your absence. It seems like a lot of people are expecting you to come back and everything's going to be fixed immediately. BRENDAN GALLAGHER: In no way do I think I'm the answer. I just want to be a part of the solution. I think when you look at the way the guys have been playing, you know, there have been certain games that were great, and there are also games where they didn't get the result they wanted but they were playing good hockey. I've been told since I was a young kid you're never as bad as you think you are when you're losing games and you're never as good as you think you are when you're winning them. I think this is the perfect case of that. You look at how the guys are playing, it's not far off. Obviously, you want to be getting wins. You want to be getting results. But overall play, we haven't lost the confidence, but we're still one of the better teams in the league if we go out and play like we can every night. Coming back today and practicing with the guys, the confidence is still there. Q. How much value could it add for your team? It's only one or two points in the season, but with the last month and the camera following you around, how much could a win tomorrow change that course? MAX PACIORETTY: Yeah, it could change a lot. Everyone's seen our division and how tight it is. Every night we're looking at scores and you can go from first place to out of a playoff spot almost and with two points. So I think that first and foremost, where we have to concentrate is the two points. They're having a lot of cameras and there's been a lot of buzz about this game. I think if we can pull out a good game tomorrow and get the victory, I think it could be a good jump start for things to come. We've put together good thing games like Gally said. But on a big stage like this, where we know everybody's watching, it's a big stage and it could do a lot for our club. So we have to make sure we come out from the puck drop. Q. Returning from the lineup and (Indiscernible) Brad Marchand, him out of the lineup, how does that change that team? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: Well, I don't think that's for us to worry about. I think for us, we've got enough on our plate right now with everything that's going on, the atmosphere and being part of this event, I think you've got to focus on yourselves as much as you can. The big key to success is who is going to block out the distractions the best and play like you normally would. For us to just worry about what we need to worry about like we do night‑in and night‑out, that will be a big key for us. Q. Brendan, what goes through your mind (Indiscernible)? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: It's just part of the job. None of us are really concerned about injuries or anything like that along the way. If you are, quite honestly, you know, it will affect the way you play. So I wasn't the first and I won't be the last. You rehab, and I can't thank the trainers and staff enough for the work they put in for me to be able to have a chance to play in this game. It's a big motivator for me along the way, this event and to be able to reach that and get back as soon as possible to help the guys, it's important to me. Q. What do you think of this opportunity with Mike Condon and playing Tampa Bay heading into this game? MAX PACIORETTY: Yeah, he played great in that game. I think it's good to get some momentum for him to come into this game. It actually means a lot obviously for him, and I think for us as his teammates to see how special it is for his family and to see his father on the team. To know, you know, growing up not far from here and obviously having your son achieve this goal, we could see how special it is for him and for me personally to talk to him. It gives me a little bit more motivation because this is real life. At the end of the day, to see his father that proud and for him to come home and be able to play in front of his friends and family at this type of stage, it means a lot to him. For me, and I'm sure my teammates as well, it's something we can kind of build off of and use as a little bit of motivation to go out there and play better in front of him than we have been lately. Q. If you're a guy from Connecticut, what does it mean to come back here and play in the Winter Classic here? MAX PACIORETTY: Yeah, it's very special for me with a lot of friends in the area still. Obviously, this is the biggest stage I've played on. Whenever the Winter Classic is on. You always watch it. So we know everybody, not just friends and family, but everyone across the country and even the world will be watching. To be able to do this so close to home and have people just drive up and enjoy the game, it's very special to me. Q. What do you think of the last 24 to 48 hours, how clearance came to you and how you ended up here? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: Oh, since I was hurt they wanted to kind of put you on a time line, and you have to reach so many steps along the way. I obviously knew I was getting closer and closer, but the first thing I needed was the clearance from the doctor. So I had to go get an X‑ray. So I knew on the 29th, I got the X‑ray done. It was reported back to him. He checked it out. Said I was good to go. I had to do a few tests with the physios so they could clear me, and they cleared me. Said I was good to go. Had enough range on the finger. And the last thing was if the Coach would put me in the lineup and he trusted what I was doing and the work that I put in with the training staff, that my conditioning would be where it needs to be. So after practice I walked in there today and he told me I was good to go as long as I felt ready, and I feel ready like I can come back and contribute and help the team. So hopefully I can do that. Q. Is there any concern considering the rivalry, the fact that there's been some cheap shots sometimes, that the Bruins might go at your injury? Have you given any thoughts to that? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: If they do, they do. It's part of the sport. The finger's healed. It's fine. I'm good to play. I wouldn't be playing if there was risk of getting hurt and being out of the game and hurting the team. I wouldn't do that. I have confidence that it's good to go and that's all part of the game. Q. (Indiscernible)? BRENDAN GALLAGHER: I have a padding on my glove that I'm sure you guys all saw, but that's about it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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