NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: RED WINGS v FLYERS

June 2, 1997

Ron Hextall

Garth Snow

GARTH SNOW: Well, I was just happy I am getting a chance to play. But, hopefully I will help the team win.

RON HEXTALL: Well, I mean, obviously I am disappointed. We all want to play. But, that is the decision the Coach made and I will live with it and I will continue to support Snowy and support the team and work as hard as I can in practice and be ready if they need me to play.

RON HEXTALL: You know, I have said this many times. He has been like that in the three years that I have been with him. If in the regular season you play a so-so game, the next game basically the other guy is in. So, it is really nothing new. As I have said before, Snowy and I are both professionals and we need to act like it. When we are called upon we need to go out and try and do the best we can do.

GARTH SNOW: I think you just got to take it one game at a time. You don't look too far in the future. I don't think any of us on the team are looking to Game 3. We are just worried about tomorrow night's game. That is how I look at it. Just take it one game at a time.

GARTH SNOW: I was surprised because I thought Hexy made some business saves for us and I thought he played well.

RON HEXTALL: I mean, it is hard for me. I am disappointed. I am not going to lie to you and say I am not. I am very disappointed. But, in the whole scheme of things I am one player on a hockey team and I am not going to set and stomp my feet and I am going to, as I said, support everybody. Snowy and I do have a great relationship and I will support him 100% if I can help him I will help him. It probably does make it a little bit easier. He is a guy all year that I have pulled for. We talk all the time. I think he does the same for me. So we are in each other's court, when we can help each other we do.

GARTH SNOW: No, I will treat it the same way I have treated all the Playoffs and even during the season. You don't change your preparation and I am not going to do that.

RON HEXTALL: I got my number changed the other day so couldn't care less about that. (LAUGHTER).

GARTH SNOW: I am too cheap to change mine, so I just don't answer. (LAUGHTER).

RON HEXTALL: I will give you 20 bucks. You can get it changed. (LAUGHTER).

RON HEXTALL: If the fourth goal would have went, I would say things went fairly well. The three goals they got I looked at. I think they were pretty good goals. Obviously the fourth goal I just cannot let in and I was disappointed with that goal.

RON HEXTALL: No. I think our coach again is a guy that is not afraid to change his goalies. I mean, this year we played in Colorado and he put Snowy in. I mean, it is like he just changes goaltenders. He is comfortable with changing goaltenders. So, that -- I don't feel like a scapegoat. I think we all played a poor game last game. And, we need to play better to beat this hockey team because they are a good team.

RON HEXTALL: I am disappointed in the fact that I am not playing. Whatever, you know, Terry is thinking that is what he gets paid to do. He is our coach and he gets paid to make those decisions. I am disappointed I am not playing, but again, I am one part on a team and I am not jumping off the ship now. I am right on board whether I am playing or not.

GARTH SNOW: Well, I know the way I am going to prepare. I am just going to try to make the stops that we need to make and try not to make spectacular or make things to be too spectacular. Just going to try and play big there and get square of the puck and let the puck hit me.

GARTH SNOW: I think it helps both Pittsburgh and Buffalo that I played well. It just gives you more confidence every game. You can go in there and help the team win. It boosts your confidence up that much higher.

GARTH SNOW: No. I have lost games before and I have come back and helped the team win. So, I don't foresee any problems there.

RON HEXTALL: I think every time we lose, we change the goalies, so -- no I am just kidding. I don't think so. When you lose a game you make adjustments. That is the bottom line and we are playing against a better hockey team now than we have played against all along and we do need to make some adjustments, so are we hitting the panic button absolutely not.

GARTH SNOW: I haven't. What do you mean I haven't played, I didn't play last game?

GARTH SNOW: It is -- mean I am just going to worry about the things I have to do to stop the puck. I am really not worried about the end result or the big picture just taking it one step at a time and worry about keeping the the puck out of the net and the things that I have to do to play well and I guess everything else will take care of itself.

RON HEXTALL: With Terry?

RON HEXTALL: He basically just said that it was a decision that he made and that was he said it wasn't easy and he said he had been thinking about it since the last game and said it was just a decision that he made.

RON HEXTALL: No.