NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BLUES v AVALANCHE

May 12, 2001

Chris Pronger

Joel Quenneville

Scott Young

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, you could argue it a little bit because it's got to be intentional and you've got to know that that was his intent. Had a pretty good view of it. I guess that's what he thought. I think that's debatable because you have to know exactly if it was intentional. I don't know if anybody knows except for Roman. But he didn't have good possession of his stick when he did swing around.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, it was a big goal. I think shorthanded in early in the second. Get the momentum going. Would have been an icing play. We still have to be better to beat that team. I think the layoff I think by the end of the game, I think we felt better, how we have to play. We'll be better because we finally got in the mood of being competitive and getting an attitude.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: No, our penalty killing has been pretty good all playoffs. The first goal, got a great bounce right off our skate to Hejduk. He made a great play on the fourth goal. They got some dangerous guys and loose pucks. We want to make sure we do clear, we do tie them up around the net.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think we started playing a little bit better. We hadn't played in a long time. I think it's an attitude of knowing that you have to fight for space, fight for loose pucks and come up with them. I think that was something that started to progress as we went along. I think we'll all be better based on having one game under our belt now that we're in a series. We know that we have to be at our best.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: I don't know. It's tough to read too far down the road what one game means. They're coming off an emotional high from their win. They played well today. Certainly I don't know if you could read too much into it. You know, they scored two power-play goals, penalty shot, one off a rush. It's going to be close. They checked well. But I don't think -- I think every game has a different flavor to it. There was some emotion that developed in the game, and I think that will be good for Louis.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Roman was fine.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Their team?

COACH QUENNEVILLE: They have some skill, they're dangerous off the rush. You know, they had the power play and the penalty shot. Didn't give up any of those in the last series. One power-play goal, first time we've given up those type of goals. You have to respect their overall skill and talent. Dallas competes extremely hard, and Colorado is in the same level. I think the high-end skill that they're in, the Sakic line is the group you've got to pay attention to.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, I didn't think we -- we didn't put the puck in our attack well, we got slowed down in the middle of the ice. We didn't have enough speed. Whether it's rustiness or whatever, but it was -- I think when it's all said and done, we needed that game to get going.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, Sakic made the shot. I think Kowarsky felt that he intentionally threw his stick. I think the puck would have probably gone in if it hadn't hit his stick. At the same time you have to know that it was intent, and I'm not sure it was.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, he shot the puck. I'm not sure if they could pick anybody, I'm not sure on that.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think we're a little bit in between. The speed that we need gets you there quicker, and then you're Conn Smythe fronting more pucks. You can finish more checks. I think that's an area we've got to make sure that we deliver some hits.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Yeah, I think our attitude, knowing that we have to be better across the board. The opponent is going to be a tough opponent, but it's going to get tougher. I think we've got to all be better across the board.

COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, he's a great player. He doesn't need a lot of space. The penalty shot, that's his bread and butter. After rush, they made a couple of nice place. The two on one, that would have been an icing, had it not hit the linesmen. But these things happen. But he's a guy that you got to be aware of him every time he's on the ice. That threesome is pretty dangerous. Sometimes they have Drury out there with them. That line is very effective.

CHRIS PRONGER: What happened?

CHRIS PRONGER: We got spanked (smiling).

CHRIS PRONGER: Layoff I'm sure didn't help. You know, we didn't come out the way we wanted to. You know, they got that quick goal. You're behind the eight ball off the bat. We got back to 1-1, they goaltend the penalty shot goal. It was tough sledding from there. Seemed to be running out of position a lot, weren't able to really muster up too many chances other than that power-play in the third.

CHRIS PRONGER: I didn't even see the play. I was busy trying to chop somebody down (laughter).

CHRIS PRONGER: I didn't.

CHRIS PRONGER: I think we had a lot of guys in that boat. You know, our PK -- we got to be better at the start of the game and kill that to give ourselves a chance. It was just a frustrating game. We really didn't too much right and they did a lot of things right. That's why the score was 4-1.

CHRIS PRONGER: Just need to relax out there. I think we were trying to press things and trying to initiate a little too much. We have to initiate to a point of, you know, whether it be not retaliating or making first contact, but don't go out of your way to try to hit; stay in your position. Somebody can make a hit; it doesn't necessarily have to be you. If somebody comes by, then you can hit them.

SCOTT YOUNG: I think that we have to have the attitude that it's something they're going to rally around with Forsberg out. You know, they're going to try to gain some strength from that and show that they can win without him. They've done it in the past. You know, their goal is to win the Stanley Cup. It's something that they're not going to try to let effect them.

SCOTT YOUNG: Well, I don't know that I know them that well, you know. I think, you know, their key players I know pretty well. There's been a lot of changes since I've been here. You know, mentally I know what goes on over in that locker room and what this organization action -- what Colorado's organization, what they expect of their team. You know, I think it helps. Hopefully it will help us out in our room just relaying the message of how focused that team.

SCOTT YOUNG: You look at Joe and the way he's responded. We know he's banged up a little bit. He was great tonight. You know, it's always been the Sakic-Forsberg 1-2 punch. He's definitely going to take it upon himself to lead the team.

SCOTT YOUNG: You know, I don't know. I think there might be a little bit too much made of that. I think it was more of us just -- we were so anxious to play this game that we took ourselves out of the game. You know, like Chris touched on, we were running out of position a lot to maybe try to jump on the fact that they played a seven-game series and we were resting, so we felt maybe we could run them out of the building. They just ate us up. We went out of our way to make a hit, and they passed through us and tic-tac-toed the puck around a bit. We have to learn from that.

CHRIS PRONGER: Well, I think it's going to be a physical series. Definitely there's no love lost between those two teams. I think with each team, we've got a goal. We got to go through each other to get there. You know, that's going to make, you know, every shift count, every play, every body check count. I think you saw that tonight. We just weren't able to execute.