NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: CAPITALS v RED WINGS

June 12, 1998

Ron Wilson

COACH RON WILSON: Yeah, I mean we have lost 2 games by a goal and we could have won both. We could easily say with a break here and there that we could be up 2 to nothing. But we haven't played any games at home. It is pretty obvious we have to hold serve at home and if we can TO do that, we just -- later on, we will worry about winning a game in Detroit. But, in both games so far, we have played pretty well for about 45 or 50 minutes of the game and we have our guard down at times and haven't paid the price the way we should when you get to this point in the Playoffs. And a team like Detroit, as soon as you drop your hands, boom, they can knock you out.

COACH RON WILSON: No, I mean things are working for us, but we have got to have more people pay the price when the game is on the line. And, we really let ourselves down last night, some sloppy plays, some stick checks, not getting the puck in; a couple of times in the third period it helped to give Detroit some momentum.

COACH RON WILSON: Well, I mean, it won't be that many guys around today, so, it is hard for me to say, but we have been a fairly resilient team all season and yeah, it is going to be tough to bounce back. That is -- you know -- tough psychologically to have a two-goal lead in the third period and to lose in overtime the way we did, but, you know, I trust that we will bounce back. We faced a lot of adversity throughout the season and this is the ultimate test, I guess, to have the kind of game and let it slip through your hand and see if you are capable of bouncing back.

COACH RON WILSON: I disagree with that. We had 4 lines. Our best line was our fourth line and they got a lot of chances. That is the line with Dale Hunter, Craig Berube and Chris Simon. I thought they were our best line. They made Detroit very uncomfortable. We have got to get more contributions from our other lines and I am pretty confident that, you know, being at home and seeing, you know, we have gotten our feet wet big time now. It is a matter of making adjustments and digging in. We are not that far from having an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. I think some guys, if they do anything today, it is to reflect on themselves individually and some guys have to really dig in. It is not all that much to ask. We have gotten days or so here and we can come out of this with a Stanley Cup. We are confident that we can beat them. We are that close. There was an overtime game then you lose another game, 2 to 1, where you pretty much carry the play in the third period, so, we feel that we can get the job done. We have to work a little bit harder.

COACH RON WILSON: Because we got in at 4, 5 in the morning and we have got a lot of guys -- you don't need to practice at this point in the season. And get away from the rink and they don't have to bother with you people.

COACH RON WILSON: It is hard to say. We have just got to play the same way and just that we will get a break playing at home. The crowd is really going to rally behind us and we have got to use that energy. Detroit is a great hockey team and we know that and we have a lot of respect for them. But, we also know now that we can beat them. We can score on them and we can score on our powerplay, our penalty killing is getting the job done. Now we have got to get the job done 5 on 5.

COACH RON WILSON: Jeff Brown got hurt again last night and that really shortened our bench. So, we will probably have Kenny Klee in the next game and that will enable us to get through. Jeff couldn't play starting the beginning of the third period and that had a big effect on us as the game wore on in the last ten minutes of overtime. He got hit in the head again and he got nauseated and he wasn't able to continue.

COACH RON WILSON: No, he missed the net. He had an open net, the puck rolled on him. Those things happen. I am not concerned about Esa Tikkanen missing in that. That is not something that a coach can talk to a player about. That is not a technical thing. That is just bad luck.

COACH RON WILSON: After a game like last night, the players don't want to hear anything from me, so, you want to take the emotional portion out and you shouldn't really have to say anything after a tough loss because once it is back, it is sought -- you can't take it back. I was very disappointed with some of our performances last night down the stretch, but today is a new day and we have got to bounce back.

COACH RON WILSON: No, we just can't make these soft mistakes at our end. We have given up the puck far too many times and sometimes haven't paid the price around the front of our net. We have been soft and we have allowed people to get to the front and put some rebounds in or create some screens. We have got too toughen it up around Olie. On the other hand, we have got to get more -- last night Jeff Brown been able to play in the third period, the results might have been different. We might not have worn down the way we did. You can't plan on a game going 17, 18 -- 16 minutes into overtime. You play -- you budget your time for a 60-minute game and when you get to overtime you try to win in the first five minutes. Then you hold on until you get to the next overtime. Unfortunately it didn't work out for us.

COACH RON WILSON: Yeah, we have got guys -- well, yes, goaltending is a big plus for us. But, we have to get more offense out of some people. We have got to be able to create some more opportunities and we have got to sense -- you know, Detroit yesterday kicked it up a notch after we had them down and we didn't weather the storm very well. We should have been icing the puck; using the glass, making harder plays and we got burnt with some poor decisions, but you know, that is what you learn as you go along in the Playoffs and you hope that it is not too late. It is 2 to nothing. They'd held serve. Now we have got to bounce back. Maybe this is the series -- well, one thing for sure, we can't blow a 3 to 1 lead, so there is a positive. And maybe we are going to be -- what do you mean -- it is impossible. They have got about a 3 to 1 lead, I am talking about and maybe we will find ourselves down 3 to 1 and come back. Maybe that is the ultimate way to bury everything from the past.

COACH RON WILSON: Well, it is very important. You don't want to play all the games on the road in the Playoffs. You want to get some support and friendly atmosphere. The Detroit fans were great in their support of the Red Wings. I know our fans have never had a sniff of the Stanley Cup Finals and this should be really exciting for everybody. By no means is the series over. If I was the Detroit Red Wings I would be a little nervous because we have been so close. Our games could have gone either way. Last night's, obviously, the game was decided -- partially decided when Tik missed the open net. It is 5 to 3 there. Five minutes to go in the game and it is lights out, but didn't happen. Now we have got to bounce back; try and just look at the positives and realize that we are capable of playing with this team. It is not a fluke that we are here.

COACH RON WILSON: All the guys -- the players have been very resilient and will be a group effort, not any one individual to get us back up. I expect our team to rebound in style tomorrow. We have never been really down for any great length of time. I expect our team to bounce right back.

COACH RON WILSON: I would assume that he is not going to play. He has had a problem with the post concussive (sic) syndrome. He was nauseated last night after the second period, so can't imagine that he would even be able to play the rest of the series to be honest with you.

COACH RON WILSON: Well, we have -- we played three series already and won them without Jeff Brown. He is important. He can help and he played very well in Game 1 and he was playing -- actually he had two assists in the game last night, so we are going to miss him, so either Brendan Witt or Kenny Klee, they are NHL defensemen that are capable of stepping in and getting the job done.

COACH RON WILSON: Well, this is the way we have been playing throughout the Playoffs to this point. And, Phil gets a lot of offensive assignments. He plays pretty much the full two minutes on the powerplay. And he fills in here and there. But, in an overtime, you can't -- the first ten minutes we are playing with four defensemen; then you get later on, you can't stick a guy out there who is cold. It is not fair to him or to the team.

COACH RON WILSON: Yeah, exactly. Nobody has lost their live because of a hockey game and we bounce back. We are down 2 to nothing. Could be 1-1. Could be up 2 to nothing. Bottom line here is we have got to hold serve at home. If we win our three home games at least we can at least -- we know for sure we force a Game 7 and I think we can turn around and win four in a row ourselves. I am not saying that we will, but we are that close to turning this around. I am positive that we can do something good at home. I know we can.

COACH RON WILSON: I would assume it was a great game to be a part of. It is going back and forth. There is great flow, lots of hitting, crowd was into it. It is emotional and, hey, that is what you live, you live to be a part of events like that. And that is sports, when you get in a Playoffs -- in the regular season, we would have had a tie game. In the Playoffs there is winners and losers and last night we were on the losing game. I can accept that. We have to bounce back. It is the Playoffs. I am positive we are going to bounce back.

COACH RON WILSON: Not necessarily. I don't think me anymore than Scotty Bowman wants to be down 3-1 and 4-2 in the third period. So that says something for our team for the effort that they gave in the second period and the first half of the third. I thought we played great and we did a lot of things that frustrated them. So, now we know what we have got to do - we have got to execute it for 60 minutes.