NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

June 3, 2001

Larry Robinson

COACH ROBINSON: I am just going day-to-day right now. I think he is fine. If he wasn't fine he wouldn't have come on the trip with us. All indications were what I got from our training staff was that they did all the neurological tests and everything else. Everything showed up fine. As I told Jason, they took an X-ray and didn't find anything. (LAUGHTER)

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think that when he first started, basically he didn't really have to handle it that much. In juniors he was getting 60 or 70 shots a game so really wasn't called upon to handle it that much. There's a big difference from junior to the pros. I think that it was something that he has had to work at over his career. It was just an unfortunate bounce on the one last night that -- because it hit something on the boards and bounced on him. I don't think that what happened on that goal had anything to do with the way he handles the puck. I think what he does now he is a lot smarter with the puck, and I think he makes it so much easier on his defensemen the way he places it.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think as you proceed in the series you always have to be able to take it to another level. You are coming -- right now, you have to look at this as best of 2 out of 3 and they have still got home-ice advantage, so it is important for us to still win on the road. I think the importance of this game is that somebody that comes out of this game is only one win away from a Stanley Cup. So I think it is so important that we play our best game.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think that's why you have medical staff. I think they are the ones that ultimately have to decide whether it is safe for him to go and then it is up to the individual. I think the coach is kind of the last guy in this situation to really make that decision. I can't make a decision for an individual, but I can make a comment or I can make a decision as far as if he doesn't feel that he is able to go, that that tells me that maybe he is not ready.

COACH ROBINSON: I think again when you get down to this point there. I think travelling is the same for both clubs. Naturally, I think it was a big difference for us starting , you know, starting higher because we haven't been above sea level, but I think when you get down to this point both teams are travelled pretty well the same.

COACH ROBINSON: We will see how it goes tomorrow.

COACH ROBINSON: No, I don't think -- like I said even after Game 1, you look at all the games that have been played so far. They are really -- I think momentum kind of goes out the door when you are playing in the Finals. Mainly, because we are the only two teams, there is no -- basically, it's a no-tomorrow situation, so I think you can kind of throw momentum out of the window because everybody starts back at square one again.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, the thing that pleased me the most is that in prior games we got away from our game plan and started running around a little bit too much and what pleased me was we stuck to our game plan for 60 minutes. That is what I was most pleased about. And the other thing is that we didn't get outworked. We matched their work ethic and that is the only way. I mean, these teams are so close together right now and there's not a lot of difference you know, out on that ice and really it comes down to who stays focused for the longest period of time and who remains working hard and doesn't make a mistake.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, you have to as a coach you have to keep everybody at an even keel. I think the hardest thing for a coach though is that you can't go on the ice for these guys. You have to instill that belief in themselves. That beliefs that hard work will overcome a lot of deficiencies. You just have to make them believe in themselves.