NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: CAPITALS v RED WINGS

June 15, 1998

Steve Yzerman

STEVE YZERMAN: Yeah. I guess I was 21 at the time. I was kind of excited about -- very excited about it. I guess a little bit apprehensive because I really -- you know, I was a young guy on a -- kind of a rebuilding team. I think it was Jacques Demers' first team as coach and we had some older guys on the team so I was a little apprehensive about it. Quite early in the season, our veteran players were Mike O'Connell, Harold Snepsts, Glen Hanlon and some really good guys to talk to that made it easy for me. They were more the leaders on the team more so than myself. I kind of looked to them for any help in any situation. But it was -- I guess it worked out pretty well, like I said, mostly the older guys I played were really good about it and I got along very well with them.

STEVE YZERMAN: Well, I guess to this point, things have gone pretty well. We've really just tried to concentrate on playing the games, not really think about a whole lot else, so I don't really want to start thinking about other things other than playing -- playing the games. My role in the Playoffs is really no different than any of the other players on the team. Our approach is kind of methodical. We just turn our lines over. Each line kind of is a little bit different, but our responsibilities on the ice are all the same. We all play a little bit different style. But, again, each line is kind of required to do the same thing. So you just kind of go out and play and as a centerman, I try to concentrate on faceoffs. My positioning on the ice and I guess the certain responsibilities that I have, but my role really isn't that much different really than any other players on the team. We kind of all do the same thing. Some of us play a little more than others, but for the most part, we rely equally on everyone.

STEVE YZERMAN: To be honest with you, very little, in my opinion. The strength of our -- I guess with our team -- the players are very conscientious. They keep themselves in -- for the most part, guys keep themselves in very good shape. Scotty is the leader of our team. We react to him or we respond to him and we kind of -- we know what we're supposed to do and what's expected of us, so we kind of go out and do that. So I don't think -- I don't do anything specific -- I don't think what do I got to do to lead the team today. I don't think about it. We just kind of go out and play. Our team is competitive. The players come on a day-to-day basis come and work really hard and prepare for games. Everybody is a little different in how they prepare and everybody does their own thing. But, again, it's -- the entire team is very conscientious so there is not a lot that I can -- isn't really much that I can say as to the team as a whole that's going to really motivate them or that they need to be motivated. Occasionally, more so with the younger guy here and there, I can talk to them a little bit about some things; whether guys are in or out of the lineup. But I don't have any control as to whether there in or not. We try to make everybody feel a part of the team and we have a pretty close-knit group of guys and have a lot of fun and try to maintain that.

STEVE YZERMAN: No. He really didn't say that to me specifically. It was a statement more so to the team that -- particularly before the '95 season -- that our team specifically was going to cut our goals against and we were going to become a solid defensive team and what he didn't say was: If you're not going to be a responsible defensive player, if you're not going to do the things that we're trying to do, you're not going to play. He didn't say that, but it was implied, so it became a matter for every player that you better -- better -- whatever -- buy into it or really be conscientious or you're not going to get on the ice. And, so, it was a transition for us all and really wasn't stats -- stats really weren't a concern for myself or, really, for anybody at that point. I think our team had gotten to a point where it was obvious that the only thing that we could do right was win and no matter what you did individually, it wasn't going to be good enough. So, we really didn't care about the statistics.

STEVE YZERMAN: Geez, you know, obviously I would want to pick somebody from my own team. I think Ozzie has been tremendous. He has had so much attention focused on him. It is kind of funny to ask that question now. I would just as soon be talking about -- I don't want to assume anything. We haven't won anything yet. But Ozzie has had a tremendous Playoff and has been rock solid. Nicklas has been quite fantastic as he always is and those two guys are tremendous. But, again, I would just as soon talk more about the game and concentrate on that and everything else, whatever.

STEVE YZERMAN: The nucleus of our team, I guess, the core guys and I would say, they're the guys in their mid-20s, would be, like, Martin Lapointe, McCarty, Draper, Kozlov, Lidstrom, Maltby, Osgood. They're all between 23 and 29 years of age. So that core is going to be together and that's the -- that's the strength of our team is those players right there. So, yeah, I think the team will be competitive for a number of years. Playing against the teams -- the Oilers teams in the '80s, they had -- at that time in my opinion -- probably the -- they could put the six best players in the world at one point. Our team here couldn't match that. I think maybe one thing -- I don't want to even call them our third and fourth line, but players that through four lines we have -- we're pretty solid, I guess, and the -- we have a Holstrom and Lapointe and Maltby and so that's, I think, the strength of our team and even the Oilers or the Islanders, the late '70s, their top players were -- I think, through and through, probably stronger than ours, more talented group than our top players. But our strength in our team is in the -- I guess if you want to call them foot soldiers, whatever.

STEVE YZERMAN: Particularly for -- well, I shouldn't say particularly -- but Ozzie is the most prominent one that -- he's obviously extremely motivated to win and Tomas Holstrom comes in his first Playoff. Brent Gilchrist is to the point where he finally had to pull himself out of the lineup and couldn't play anymore. There is a few individuals that are really motivated, but just generally our team -- I guess we won last year and having gone to the Olympics I can attest to it -- we won last year and at the time you say if I never win again, I'll be satisfied and, you know, I kind of thought that at the time and then go to the Olympics and you don't win and you kind of feel -- it's very disappointing so it was kind of like -- I guess brings a little more reality to it and you realize that winning is very important. So, again, our team is very competitive and guys, obviously, we enjoyed winning the thing last year and motivation hasn't dropped at all. We got an opportunity to experience it again and we're trying to make the most of it.

STEVE YZERMAN: Well, before I was fortunate enough to play on the Cup winner last year, I always said that you do the best you can and hopefully things work out and I happen to be fortunate enough to be in the right place last year. I don't think -- I don't think you have to win a Championship to be labeled a winner or have what it takes to win in team sports especially. I think it's different in individual sports but some things you don't have any control over and Ray Bourque is a -- is a true professional and a winner and I've always considered that and he's going to play a few more years and he may -- who knows, he may get a Championship out of it. But I don't think he needs to get a Stanley Cup ring to prove that he's a great player or prove that he's a winner or has what it takes. I said that before and after winning it, I still believe that. It doesn't necessarily take any special ingredient that guys that have won it have and guys that haven't won it are lacking. You just play on a good team with a good bunch of players and things work out and you win. Everybody wants to proclaim, this guy is a winner, he knows what it takes - I think whether there is a lot of guys that haven't won that know what it takes to win just haven't been in the right spot. So I would hope that Ray gets a chance to win the Stanley Cup one year just for the experience. That's the big part of it. My fear was never getting the experience of knowing what it's like to be on the ice in the Stanley Cup Finals and go through the pressure of winning and the celebration and everything that goes along with it. That's -- my biggest fear was not being stuck with a label, but missing out on an experience.