WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY

September 24, 2016

Sidney Crosby

Brad Marchand

Team Canada-5

Team Russia-3

Q. Brad, you've delivered on the world junior stage before, but to have a performance like that on a stage with a senior team, is that something you're even able to appropriately process so fast?

BRAD MARCHAND: I think that it's been a whirlwind here being part of a group like this and at this level has been special. But any time you play in a game of that magnitude and you're able to win, it's an incredible feeling. So, still trying to take in everything and it's been a blast so far.

Q. What is it about Brad's game that's been such a nice addition to the way you play?

SIDNEY CROSBY: I think the way he works on both sides of the puck. I think all three of us work hard to gain possession to create turnovers. He does that really well. He's got a great shot. He's got speed, a lot of different things. But I think just the way he competes every shift you know that he's able to generate a lot sometimes from nothing.

Q. What did you see on that first goal? How did that play develop from your eyes?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Just kind of a dumped in puck and they made a little reverse to the middle. I think he might have over skated a little bit or just lost it for a quick second and picked his head up and just able to get my stick on it. So, I had a little bit more time than you typically get, but was happy to see it go in.

Q. Those of you who are in the cup final, you would think that the short summer you might be worried about your energy levels. It looks like the complete opposite for you. How did you treat your off season with the World Cup in mind and does it feel like you're just continuing your playoffs right now?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Well it was short, but I think you just try to manage the rest and definitely getting ready for this. We had some good skates back home, Marchi was there for a lot of them, too, so we were trying to get ready for this.

I think definitely playing later into the year and playing in those type of games helped to kind of transition to these type of games. One game, anything can happen, the intensity, the emotion, everything's so high, so I think that that definitely helps. But it was short, but exciting knowing we were coming here.

Q. Basically, did you think that Brad's tying goal in the second period, was that the turning point where you thought we got these guys now?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I think that it was big just because we felt like we were controlling the play and doing a lot of good things and we were down 2-1. So, to be able to get that one back pretty quickly, go into the third even, and especially the way we were playing, we believed we were going to score. But anything can happen sometimes, so it was nice to get that. That was a huge goal. And our third period was real good. We went after it and went after those goals.

Q. Brad, what does it say about Sid, you guys were talking about it, but you guys are down 2-1, the momentum's going the other way, and he goes out with a will and all of a sudden he strips a defense man of the puck, gets it to you, you come out in the third period, he sets you up again.

BRAD MARCHAND: Yeah, I think that's one thing that makes him such a good player is his determination and he always comes up big in the big games. You see plays like that, that's where the leadership comes in. And when you're able to lead at this level, of a group of leaders, then you're able to take control, that just shows how special of a player he is and he created that whole goal and ultimately, that did lead to turning the game around.

Q. For either of you, obviously one game anything can happen, one period, when it's tied going into the third. Corey talked about, not much was said in that second intermission. When there's a collection of guys that have been through as much as you have been through, does anybody really need to say anything or does everybody know what their job is at that point?

BRAD MARCHAND: I think that everyone in the room is very, has been through situations like this before and they're comfortable, whether it's saying something or not saying something. I think everyone's real able to focus and control their own game, control how hard they're going to work. And I think that's one thing you see in our room and our team is how hard guys, how hard they push every shift and how dedicated they are and they know how big that -- they know how big it was going into that third period and having a big period and sometimes you don't need to say anything and that's enough to make the guys react. So, it just showed I think in that third period how guys are able to control situations and come out on top.

Q. Brad, first of all, what was going through your head when Bob made that save on you and were you still thinking about it when you scored?

BRAD MARCHAND: What save? Oh, yeah, yeah, on the first shift there. Yeah, it was a great play. I thought that from my angle I thought that I was going to be able to tip that in and he played phenomenal tonight, made a lot of big saves and really kept it in and especially in the second. I thought we had a real good opportunity there, but luckily we were able to capitalize shortly after that.

Q. Were you still thinking about it?

BRAD MARCHAND: No not real the game happened so quick you can't think about things like that. You just got to read and react. So even at the time you got to tip your hat to him and continue to play.

Q. Brad, I'll acknowledge this may be a very difficult question for you to answer, but you're a year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent. Does a very tiny part of you sit there and say maybe I should wait until next Sumner and see if a certain team in Pennsylvania might be interested in signing me?

BRAD MARCHAND: That's a long ways away, but there's a championship games here, we got to think about that first. But we'll deal with whatever needs to be dealt with down the road. But it's a lot of fun playing with Sid, there's no question about that. But for now we'll keep that to here.

Q. Sid, the game in 2010 in Vancouver was a blowout. Tonight the score may not have been, but territory and shots, it was a blowout. Is the day of the Canada/Russia rivalry over?

SIDNEY CROSBY: I don't know. I think I can only answer that for myself, but I think that I get pretty excited to see Canada/Russia, whether I'm playing in the game or world juniors or any type of hockey game.

So, I think that history's provided us with some great games and it's exciting, as a Canadian hockey player, playing against Russia. But I still get excited about it. I don't think it's over. If you look at their team, they have some pretty special players, a lot of talent, a lot of skill, exciting guys to watch and it's great hockey.

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