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NHL STANLEY CUP FINAL: SHARKS v PENGUINS

June 12, 2016

Peter DeBoer

San Jose, California: Game Six

Pittsburgh – 3
San Jose ‑ 1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Pete, what was the most important moment in the Finals?
COACH DeBOER: Well, I think first off, you have to give full credit to Pittsburgh. I thought they came out and played a hell of a series. They played their game for much longer stretches than we were able to. They dictated the play. They started quicker than us. That's the reason they're holding the Cup.
On our end, I'm very proud of our group. I thought our guys emptied the tank, gave us everything they possibly could. We weren't as good as them during this two‑week period.

Q. Clearly you worked till the bitter end. In the end was their speed just a little too much all over the ice?
COACH DeBOER: Their speed, the pressure they put on with their speed. It's not just their speed, they have good sticks, too. They force you into quicker decisions. They really challenge your execution.
We hadn't seen pressure and sticks like that through the first three rounds. I think our execution was an issue because of that.

Q. Pete, a lot of guys and yourself talked about this group's resiliency. Even down 3‑1, did you still feel you had a shot at this thing realistically?
COACH DeBOER: I thought we had a shot. The first period, we had a couple two‑on‑ones, a couple guys in alone. Second period, I thought we had some really good stretches. That was our opportunity to maybe grab the lead. When we didn't, that was probably the difference in the game tonight.
But, again, when it mattered, they cranked it up. I felt they were just deeper and a little bit better than us.

Q. Describe the emotions, how you feel for a guy like Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau.
COACH DeBOER: Well, just raw. The end is like hitting a wall. You've been going since September. 106 games. How many hundreds of thousands of miles in the air. A special group.
But only one team can win. That doesn't take anything away from what those guys accomplished. I don't think anyone should ever question the leadership or the character or the will of the group of men in there. I think it's been misplaced for a decade. I would hope they answered some questions.
Let's be honest. Not many people have us making the playoffs. Not many people had us beating L.A. On and on.
I thought a lot of questions were answered by that group.

Q. Peter, this group went further than any other Sharks team ever has. What do you think the message or the legacy of that is going forward?
COACH DeBOER: Well, I don't know. I mean, obviously you'd like a Stanley Cup to show for it, but you don't have that.
At the same time, this is a very hard point to get to, as people in this area know. It's been 25 years. I think once the rawness of this wears off, hopefully those guys will be celebrated for what they did accomplish.

Q. What did you notice in the third period that Pittsburgh did to shut you down?
COACH DeBOER: I don't know. I'm done technically analyzing our game. We're out, it's over, next question please. Thanks.

Q. Like you said, you created some chances in the second period. Martin Jones really kept it a one‑goal game. Fair to say he's developed into one of the elite goalies in the NHL.
COACH DeBOER: What do you say about him? One of the all‑time best goaltending performances in a Final probably ever, or right up there anyway. I thought he was sensational every game we played. Gave us a chance to compete and get it to six games.

Q. Any injuries on the team you wish to talk about right now? What happened with Vlasic and Karlsson tonight?
COACH DeBOER: You got all kinds of injuries, all kinds of things. I'm not going to give you the laundry list of that today. Trust me, there's a lot of guys playing in there with injuries.
They had them, too. It's no excuse this time of year.

Q. What about Vlasic and Karlsson tonight?
COACH DeBOER: They played through some pretty significant stuff.

Q. Pavelski, too?
COACH DeBOER: Pavelski. Like I said, there's a laundry list of guys that have had things. We can talk about that at a later date.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach.
COACH DeBOER: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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