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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: DUCKS VS PREDATORSMay 22, 2017Peter LavioletteColton SissonsPekka RinneAnaheim, California - Postgame Nashville - 6, Anaheim - 3 Nashville wins series, 4-2 Q. Peter, considering the tremendous accomplishment your team just achieved, how much do you want them to cherish this and how long will you allow them to celebrate it before putting your mind to where it ultimately needs to go? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Well, at least a couple of minutes. Our guys fought incredibly hard, I think, through the course of the year to try and get better, to get ourselves in a position to make the Playoffs and then certainly fought hard in the Playoffs. You know, tonight is -- I know you can't move forward unless you win the Western Conference, and there's something to be set for that. Our guys know the big picture. They understand what it is that we're trying to do here. And when that time comes, we'll be ready. But tonight they're going to enjoy the fact that they just won a game and they're moving on. Similar to the way they did in the first round and the second round. But when it comes time to go back to work, I have no doubt that they'll be ready to go back to work. Q. How badly was a play needed there when Sissons scored the winning goal? And when you put that line together, was that an easy decision? What went into moving Sissons and Aberg up there with Fil there? COACH LAVIOLETTE: For me, when Fish and Joey came out of the lineup, we knew that we had a really big player, big man in Getzlaf on the other side. And you gotta give their team a ton of credit for the way they played the game tonight and the series for them to get to this point. They're a terrific, terrific team. And when we made that move, we wanted somebody that he with thought physically could at least play against him, because it's more than just being a good player. He's a mountain of a man out there. And Colton was the guy that we thought could handle that responsibility just from a size matchup. And Colton's answered all the challenges that we've asked of him lately. And tonight, I think, was just -- his game tonight went to another level. The goals are one thing, but the way he competed, the way he defended, the penalties he killed, the faceoff battles he got into. The hits that he took, the hits that he gave, he was -- that's the best I've seen him. Q. I guess expanding on that, I remember a few months ago he was on the outside looking in of the lineup, and you spoke about his attitude and professionalism in handling that. I guess just all the things that you just said were, I guess, imminent with the way that Colton had been playing and how he took that step back shortly? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Professionalism, I'm not sure I understand the -- Q. Just the way he handled -- COACH LAVIOLETTE: He handled it like a pro. He is a hockey player. He's a smart kid. He comes to the rink. He works hard. He's a total pro. And I think sometimes, like a lot of our young guys, they just go through a little bit of a process in that development. And when he came back in a few months ago, maybe three months ago, he came back in. He came back in with a purpose of not coming out again. Q. Several times in this Playoffs you've referred to Austin Watson as a warrior. Tonight's game just kind of embodied what he's meant to you guys all Playoffs long? COACH LAVIOLETTE: All year long. Ever since -- again Austin was a guy that was caught up and down at the beginning real quick just for a couple of games. When he came back, for me it was a year-long season for him, where he worked every day to show what he was as a player -- kind of the same conversation we had with Colton. It was very clear who he was as a player. And I think he even expanded on that in the Playoffs -- his physicality, his durability, his commitment and will to win to be successful, to take on the hard jobs, blocking shots, taking hits, giving hits, fighting people. Those are tough jobs. And I think he's done a terrific job, not only all year but certainly again another guy in the Playoffs who's expanded from his regular season and become a better player. Q. You've taken both traditional and nontraditional markets to the Stanley Cup Final. How is this team, how is this city different, how is this experience different? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Well, Carolina was a terrific experience. And we had sold-out buildings and great fans there, too. So I don't want to say anything that's going to slight the people of Carolina, because it was a terrific environment and terrific experience. Nashville has really taken on a life of its own. I think the downtown and the energy that's down here, I think our fans who have been so supportive for so many years, especially the last couple of years in the Playoff runs that we've had, the energy that they bring into the building, and you guys see it just like we feel it on the bench. It goes to a level that I'm not sure goes anywhere else in the National Hockey League. And it's a great relationship. Our fan base and our team is a terrific relationship, and they were there again for us tonight. It wasn't our prettiest game out there. And they were right there with us the whole time. Q. You join a pretty impressive short list of coaches who have taken three different organizations to the Stanley Cup Final. What does that mean to you? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Probably means that I got fired a lot. (Chuckling) I'm fortunate to be here working and fortunate David Poile gave me a job. And when you do that, you're not thinking about things like that, you're just thinking about coming to work. And I've got such a great group of guys in the locker room that I get to work with every day and the coaches get to work with every day. And that's what we've pretty much done this year, is just all of us tried to go to work and tried to get better. And we find ourselves in the position we're going to play for the Cup. Q. Obviously depth and development has played a tremendous role in the Playoffs here with players being able to step right into roles there. Dean Evason and Scott Ford playing tremendous roles in that development in Milwaukee. What does that say about the organization in terms of having that type of development where guys can just step right in with what they're able to do there? COACH LAVIOLETTE: I've said it so many times that Dean Evason and Stan Drulia and Scott Ford, they deserve so much credit -- David Rook, the goaltending coach, they deserve so much credit for the development of these players, because when they're coming in and out of the lineup up here, they're younger down there. And they're even more raw. And they're working through things. And not only are they a successful team in the minors, but every time they come up they're better hockey players. And it's a credit to the coaches down there. It's a credit to the development that Nashville puts into the young players. They draft them. They spend the time. They put the hours in to make these guys hockey players. And when they get up here, it's not always a seamless transition. But there's a process. And you guys have seen it. But so much credit goes to the coaching staff. And Paul Fenton, the general manager down there. So much credit goes to those guys for the team they build down there and the way they develop the players. Q. You do this without Ryan; you do this without Kevin. How did you kind of see your team come together to push through and get this done without them? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Again, it's something I think we worked on all year inside the locker room. A lot of teams talk about character and they talk about culture, and we actually worked on it a lot inside the room. And part of that is everybody accepting responsibility for our outcome and where we're at. And to take those pieces out is difficult. Those are big pieces. Craig Smith not being there. Kevin Fiala, Ryan Johansen, those are guys we'd like to have in the lineup but they're not available. So at that point there's only one choice, you're going to sink or swim. And you hear coaches say it so many times, well, with somebody coming out of the lineup, there's an opportunity for somebody else. That's the truth, but then those players that go in and take those opportunities, they have to make the most of it and respond to those situations. The players that we put into those situations have handled it so incredibly well for our team that we're able to continue to move on. Harry Zolnierczyk and Vern Fiddler and P.A. Parenteau, and guys coming in out of the lineup, Salomaki, certainly Aberg and Gaudreau and Sissons, those guys moving up in minutes. But you need that through the Playoffs. It's a battle. And teams get beat up and players get beat up, and we needed those guys to contribute like they did tonight, and it's a perfect example. Q. This is a question for both of you. We saw the celebration on the ice around the trophy. What was the celebration like, the scene like in the locker room once you entered the locker room? COLTON SISSONS: Felt pretty good, man. A lot of energy. A lot of energy. We worked so hard all year for this. So it feels good to get this far but still some work to do. PEKKA RINNE: Yeah, for sure. It's almost like a thing you don't want to think about too much. You have been holding it back, and in the back of your head you've been thinking about the finals and then when the buzzer goes off, it's an amazing feeling. Q. Colton, how badly was a play needed on the goal you scored to win the game? And could you just walk us through that play? COLTON SISSONS: Yeah, obviously it was a big penalty kill at the time. I think the penalty just expired. And Jarnkrok and I had a bit of a 2-on-2. There was a turnover and I actually got lost on the backside, and Calle made a beautiful pass, a saucer pass right on my tape, and fortunately I put it away. Q. Pekka, can you talk about 34 all these games, I think 33 Playoff games and finally now get a chance to play for the Cup? PEKKA RINNE: Amazing feeling, obviously. It's a dream come true. But it's a funny thing, though. When everything, this is happening around us, you still feel hungry, and now we have a chance to play for the Cup. It's a pretty amazing feeling. And you've been working for that for a long, long time. And I feel like last number of years we've been going that direction, building this team and having more depth. And with these guys and the adversity we've been facing the last few days, amazing response. Q. Pekka, there was a stretch there where you were pretty much single-handedly keeping your team in it. How much pressure were you feeling at that point to keep your team in that game? PEKKA RINNE: They were coming hard. We were fighting it for a bit. But can't take away anything. I mean, it was a gutsy effort. And we blocked a ton of shots. We had to play defense. We did that well. And we didn't -- I mean, they had some good looks, but we didn't give them odd-man rushes. We didn't give them break-aways. We didn't give them a lot of areas from the prime time -- you know, areas -- and kept them mostly outside. But obviously that was a big one. Anytime you need to close a series out, you know that, as a goalie, you've got to be good. And as a team you've got to be good. And we let them back in the game in the third. That was disappointing at the time. But thank God we have Sissy. Q. Colton, we've talked about over the last couple of months your particular rise in -- there was a stretch where you were a healthy scratch and you worked your way back into the lineup to play No. 1 center for the past two games. What has this experience taught you about yourself and been like for you from the time you became a regular member of the lineup again to having a hat trick in the biggest franchise win in history so far? COLTON SISSONS: It was a wild ride so far this year, a lot of challenges for me personally, obviously being out of the lineup. I just wanted to be a regular guy playing every single night to now arguably one or two center for us with Joey and Fish out. It's been a wild ride, but it feels good and I'm just enjoying it. Q. Colton, you just scored a hat trick in the biggest game of your life. You must have done this on the driveway in Vancouver or wherever you were when you were a kid. It's what every player dreams of their whole life. You must feel fabulous right now. COLTON SISSONS: It feels good, man. I'm not going to lie. Obviously I don't think I even dreamt this moment, scoring a hat trick in a Western Conference-clinching game. I can't speak enough for just our whole group. We've been through some challenges together and we stuck together no matter what, just believed and here we are. Q. Colton, last year you were the captain for the Milwaukee Admirals. Now you make a tremendous impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs here. What does it show in terms of the development that this organization has that so many players can step right up from Milwaukee and make a tremendous impact immediately? COLTON SISSONS: Yeah, it's impressive, the guys that they draft. I guess a lot of us have spent quite a few games, if not a few seasons in the minors in Milwaukee and have turned into NHL players and having an impact. So just top to bottom in the organization they do a tremendous job. Guys like Gaudreau playing his first Playoff games on such a big stage and doing so well. It says a lot just that example right there. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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