NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

June 1, 2001

Bob Hartley

COACH HARTLEY: It's easier to defend than to score goals in the NHL. I think that we have like a real good proof - two great offensive machines, but I think that the defensive strengths of both teams are overshadowed by all, like those offensive skills but once it is on the ice you can see that a good defense will neutralize with its offensive and on both sides. I have said this last night like, there is absolutely no room. Like it is tough to generate a good scoring chance.

COACH HARTLEY: I coached them in the minors for a year, so I got a pretty solid read on those two fine young gentlemen. They are simply taking advantage of an opportunity. We gave them some responsibilities throughout the season and they invested, they really worked hard in practice and now I think it's paying off. It is very rewarding for an organization, to see two of our prospects come up from the Minors and do a great job. I think that lots of credit have to go to our Minor League staff and to our scouting staff. Those two guys right now are very instrumental in our success and last night they gave us a big goal.

COACH HARTLEY: I really like the approach of our players, like the poise that we are showing, the discipline that we are showing, we are keeping our composure. I certainly like the way that we are playing - we have got energy, we have good intensity in the three zones. I feel that we are very solid. Everyone follows the game plan and I believe that is such a big key at this time of the year.

COACH HARTLEY: Well it is all a matter that we can't control like, what people from the outside are saying about our hockey club. The important part is knowing what is going on in our dressing room, really analyzing our strengths, our weaknesses, and definitely I think that Stephane Yelle's line, the Steven Reinprecht's line are giving us some huge performances right now. And that's the reason why like, we are in every game, like you look at our road record since the start of the Playoffs, I believe that we only have two losses since the start. You can't be successful in the Playoffs, especially on the road relying only on two lines, so like, those guys right now are giving us big performances and they are a big key to our team's success.

COACH HARTLEY: First I got tickets to go to the roller hockey game from a reporter, so you are part of his success. (Laughter) But here's a guy that was a long shot. I remember talking to him in Montreal the next day after that roller hockey game and I basically asked him to fill a jersey for training camp. I told him that we had lots of prospects on the blue line and I knew him because I had coached against him in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but I felt that I had no room for him for the season, but if you would come and spend like two or three weeks with me at training camp, I would put him in shape and he would go and play college hockey or somewhere, somewhere else. Training camp started and we had a couple of injuries, he was-- it was a big surprise in camp. I was able to keep him as 7th D; by Christmas time he was my top defensemen. Eric came along way, paid his dues, worked so hard at practices after practices in the Minors, then like got the call up to Denver and it's the same like everyday he is on the ice, he is doing every time and one thing like you look at the way that he is sacrificing his body, body checks, blocked shots, driving to the net, obviously you know, sometimes it is tough to recognize what he brings to this team, but when you work with him everyday and you know the guy, you know that he is a big part of our organization.

COACH HARTLEY: We look at our goals-against in the past three years. We have been able to lower our goals-against. I believe that if you want to be successful, especially in the Playoffs, against good offensive team it starts with good defense. I am a big believer that a good offense starts with a good defense. We talk about our transition game. I think that our players are executing a real good transition from defense to offense. Obviously with guys like Foote, Bourque, Blake, and Skoula, Klemm, de Vries on the blue line, it is pretty easy to have a good transition game because we are always getting a good first pass off our zone. But it all starts with good defensive. Like I was talking about Eric, we were blocking lots of shots, taking the body very well, we are angling well, and we have speed to counterattack. I think that's a big part of our system.

COACH HARTLEY: Our focus is still on our team. We can't change our approach. We have a very boring approach, one game at a time, but I think that has been very effective so far. We don't want to look too far ahead. We know that we are playing a great hockey club. We have a big game tomorrow tonight. It is all a matter of execution and the way that we are going to prepare ourselves. We have to expect a big game out of ourselves. I think that we proved that we can face adversity very well as a group. Numerous times this year, like we were in a jam, and our leadership, our experience, our great, our people, like really took charge and they made it happen. Like tomorrow night it's another like a good situation for us.

COACH HARTLEY: That's exactly what I meant. You look at Adam Foote, he is a warrior. He is in peoples' face all the time. He is so strong. He keeps players off balance all the time. He loves those one-on-one battles. No one likes to play against Adam Foote and every time that someone has a chance to get a lick on Adam Foote, they do. Like let's remember Kozlov a couple of years ago, just this year like Owen Nolan last night, Arnott he is a fierce competitor and people like I think that, you know, many people in this League are scared of Adam Foote. He is one of most reliable defensive defensemen in this League and he takes the body like on a consistent basis. He is definitely not fun to play against.

COACH HARTLEY: Huge leadership. Dave is a great communicator, certainly a lot with the young players in this organization. His experience is so valuable for us here on the ice, on the bench, in the dressing room. He is constantly around like the Danny Hinotes, the Ville Nieminens, in all of our young players, like he cools them down and he knows the game very well, plus he won in Dallas. So you can never have enough winners on a hockey club and like his experience is certainly a big factor in our dressing room.

COACH HARTLEY: Well, like we said like we learned this early in the morning. After our Game 7 win against L.A. and certainly it was not a good feeling, but they were -- team and family is so important and we had a good team meeting and we simply had to turn the page. It was not by choice. It was by nature. We lost a big member of our hockey club but one thing was certain was that we couldn't win with Peter Forsberg so we had to find other ways and so far like we found 20 other ways, like every player like stepped up and they are giving us big hockey. We are playing some very inspired hockey right now and like I trust my players that we are going to keep doing this.

COACH HARTLEY: It's my eighth year in this organization, so like I had spent like five, six weeks our Stanley Cup year with the team, then every training camp - the Sakics, Roys, Forsbergs, Foote, all those guys, I knew them pretty well because I had the opportunity to be around them in training camps or late in Playoffs. So I think that that time spent with those guys gave me a chance to get a read from them. And certainly like what they saw from me there and what they heard from me from the rookies that I coached in the Minors, like was certainly very valuable. So it was an easy transition. I was already five years that I was in the either the Quebec or Colorado organization so I thought that it was a really smooth transition.

COACH HARTLEY: That's the ultimate goal. I think it's the goal of every coach, the goal of every player, the goal of every fan. That's why it is such an exciting sport. It is the toughest trophy to win because it's basically another marathon. It is not like a one-game shot where there are so many intangibles that can work against you or work for you, so like you need 16 wins and right now we are at 14, so like the mission is not over yet.

COACH HARTLEY: Certainly Patrick is a very exciting and very interesting man to have around our hockey club. I think that the best gauge for Patrick is you have to look at his eyes. I think that his eyes will tell you lots of his secrets, like since like the L.A. series those eyes have been spitting fire. He is on a mission. He is cocky. He is confident. He is standing very tall in front of his net, and he is giving us reason to believe that we get our mission accomplished. He is the guy that is providing all the necessary fuel to everyone. Again last night great save against Elias, like in the first period that could have been like certainly like a big goal for the Devils like the two on one against John Madden early in game one. Patrick has repeatedly come up big for us in the Playoffs, and I think that's what you need to win some games in the Stanley Cup Finals. He is battling against Brodeur and another great goalie. I think it is a great matchup.

COACH HARTLEY: I think you started watching our games. (LAUGHTER).

Like I said, in the past three years I set a goal that I wanted to get our goals-against to a real low number. At the same time I challenged myself and my partners that we wanted to keep like this team as an offensive team. I think that we are not known as a defensive team. But I want my players to be known as players that can play very well in the three zones. We have expectations about this hockey club. Every player have their responsibilities and I want them to take those defensive responsibilities with pride and you know, it takes time to get this because like not every player believes that if you play good defense, you know, it is going to help your offense. But once everybody buys into this plan, I think that the results are there to prove it.

COACH HARTLEY: Let us put it this way I think that we can always improve but I certainly like the way that we are playing right now.