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NHL STADIUM SERIES: BLACKHAWKS v WILDFebruary 21, 2016Ryan CarterErik HaulaMinneapolis, Minnesota Blackhawks – 1 Q. Erik, Ryan said after the game, looked like you were having a lot of fun just being back here, being back on this campus, what was it like, and on top of it just having a good game and to contribute, being back at the University of Minnesota? ERIK HAULA: It was incredible. What a feeling. First to get the win and the whole team to play that well and having 50,000 people being back where you, kind of where you started. And it was incredible. Q. Erik, a few guys in your locker room have already questioned the First Star going to a guy who actually didn't shoot the puck in the net. Any qualms about that? ERIK HAULA: I'll give the credit to Carster for taking a penalty there. I had a chance. But Torch said that will be the easiest goal I'll ever score and I'll take it. Q. Ryan, just being from here and then to have the goal and assist in a venue like this, what's this mean to you in your career here? RYAN CARTER: No, it was awesome. Being back home and the setting was kind of set; the snow flew in the first. I look up in the stands, there's a group of white Bear jerseys too. And you hear the band playing and it brings you back to your college days a little bit. It was kind of like a time warp through my career and into pro hockey. And in the third there we got up, what was it, 5‑0 or something like that, 6‑1, and I sat back and said this is pretty cool. This is pretty neat. Q. Erik, can you talk a little bit about growing up in Finland, playing outside, and what it's like for your career to come full circle to play an NHL game outside? What was that experience like for you? ERIK HAULA: Really unique, just to be able to play in these kind of games. It's something you'll probably never forget. And then to have, to play it here is extra special for sure. Q. Erik, just your line right now, it's been on fire. Six points in Calgary and now tonight. What is going on with the three of you? ERIK HAULA: Good question. I mean, things are going the right way. And we have an emphasis that we try to play the right way. Like today, most of the time we were out there playing against Kane's line. And the emphasis was to play good defensively and that will lead to chances. That was kind of the script. Q. Ryan, with 20 goals in the past four games, today it was just different contributors. How important is it for up and down the lineup, your line also getting on the boards today, to get those different contributions and take some pressure off the top guys? RYAN CARTER: It's nice. It's obviously a team game. When everybody is pitching in, it takes pressure off others too. I think Haulsy's line doing well, too, putting the puck in the net is taking pressure off other guys, get us in spots where teams kind of have to press to get back to us. And that's creating opportunities for other lines and other players, too. So to get it throughout the lineup is good. I think there's an extra bit of energy there, too, because everybody's contributing. Everybody's feeling good. And right now we're rolling with it. Q. Ryan, did you find it remarkable how different the feeling is right now sitting here as opposed to just eight days ago? RYAN CARTER: Yeah, when I sit and think about it, we were on, what was it, eight or ten game skid just eight days ago. But it does feel like a long time ago. That's a good thing that you can move on that quick. I still don't think we're in a great spot, and we're going to try to enjoy tonight and everything. But we have to make sure we show up to work tomorrow, too. But the atmosphere around the rink is good. Like I said, everybody contributing to the wins, everybody helping us move forward is kind of what's driving that. Q. Erik, coming out of the University of Minnesota, John Torchetti was actually your first coach in the pros. You only played six games for him, but is there anything that you remember about your time with him and those six games in Houston that you carry with you today? ERIK HAULA: 11 games. (Laughter). RYAN CARTER: Nobody knows Haulsy stats better than Haulsy. (Laughter). You walked into that one. ERIK HAULA: Thanks, Carts. No, I was with him for six, seven weeks, got to know him a little bit. But it was a short time period. End of season, six weeks is not a whole lot. And it went by really quickly. Just going back to that, how it ended in college and then going to a new setting, it was really different. And just kind of taking little things out of it, experience‑wise. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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