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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING


May 25, 2004


Martin Gelinas

Jarome Iginla

Stephane Yelle


TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game One

Q. Talk about the shorthanded goal and not just the play but also what it meant to the game's flow?
JAROME IGINLA: I think one, I think it was great to see it go in. It's something -- they have a great power play, and every time they are on it we know how much we have to bear down and the chances that they are going to get. I think everybody feels good seeing the shorthanded goal go in. It was something that it was kind of a broken play Modin went to the net and I think it bounced on him or under his stick. I knew it was going to be a breakaway and I went in there and had a lot of time to think about it. I was trying to go top corner. Khabibulin made a great glove save. I could see it go up in the air. I stopped to watch it. I thought it might roll in. But I was thrilled when I saw I was going to have another chance. Usually don't get two chances and it was nice to see that cross the line.
Q. The only reason you stopped was too watch it go in?
JAROME IGINLA: I hope I would have stopped, but when I saw it go up in the air I kind of got mesmerized, so it was a reason to stop. I hope I would have but I don't know for sure.
Q. How important was it to win Game 1 in terms of the Lightning usually coming out and always having a series lead? Was this a real important game for you guys?
JAROME IGINLA: I think it was. In our last couple of series we were able to get the first win and it's something that in our room we realize it is a start, but it feels good. We don't see the Lightning a lot. We don't know -- we only watch them, they are a very offensive team. They can score a lot of goals and they are a good team. When you don't see them in our last game against them, they beat us pretty handily. It was nice to get this first win and we have confidence in our room. But it feels really good and a good start.
Q. Stephane, another big road win. Can you explain why, nine road wins, I think you are one away from the record now?
STEPHANE YELLE: Well, I think it's just our preparation on the road has been good all season long, and in the Playoffs we have stuck together as a team and when we are on the road, it seems like we're closer and our focus is really good.
Q. With anticipating this for so long in your year getting here, did Game 1 feel anything like you thought it would be? Did you have any idea what it was going to be like and what was it like for you?
JAROME IGINLA: I didn't really know what to expect. I was very, very excited. For most Playoff games you get some butterflies, but it was -- I was pretty nervous. I was surprised how nervous and excited I was this morning and leading up to the game. When we came out the atmosphere, all the white out there, it's jammed. All the banners and things, it's a cool atmosphere, but I was more nervous than usual and this is something that I have been dreaming out to be in since I was seven years old, and that close to four wins before the game away from a Stanley Cup, it's pretty exciting stuff. But I definitely had to calm the emotions.
Q. Martin, this team has quite a record when you guys score the first goal of the game. Any particular reason that the Flames thrive in those situations?
MARTIN GELINAS: We are a pretty good defensive team and we feel that when we are ahead, we could play our game and keep working hard and we don't have to -- we don't feel the pressure that we have to score a goal. We just keep playing our game and we have been pretty lucky to get some lucky bounces in the last little while and get the first goal. After that we just kept playing our good defensive game.
Q. Could you describe what the six days of rest meant to your team coming out tonight?
JAROME IGINLA: I think there's a lot of talk that some teams don't like it or some teams get stale resting, but I think it was great. We are a team that all year we felt we were an energy club. We like to skate, you know, we like to skate and hit and that takes energy. Each series has been so grueling. I think it was great to get that rest. We tried to make the most of it. There was no one in our room -- we weren't worried about a letdown or being flat. This is the Stanley Cup Finals. Everybody is so jacked in our room and we're trying to give it everything we have. I think the rest was great to have.
Q. Talk about your goalie tonight.
MARTIN GELINAS: Our goalie has been just unbelievable since the beginning. When he sees -- when he sees the shot, he's going to make the save. He makes everybody feel confident. Our D are a little bit more relaxed with Kipper in the net. He has been our leader. In the net he has been making the key saves and we have been fortunate to have Iggy up front scoring the big goals and everybody else has been chipping in.
Q. Talk a little bit about how aggressive you guys are in the PK. You got two shorthanded goals in the last three games and actually generated a lot of offense shorthanded tonight.
JAROME IGINLA: I think our PK, we're trying to skate -- we're trying to create chances and we try -- I mean our motto is we try to kill a lot of it up ice. We try and see if we can get some chances and put some pressure on them and get them thinking without taking too many. We have got a lot of respect for Tampa's power play. All the goals that they got in the Playoffs and last series, it's something that you know, it was also a good break to -- that was a great break. I think it bounced over Modin's stick tonight, to get that chance it wasn't actually from anticipation or anything.
Q. We estimate there were fewer than 100 Flames fans in the building tonight, but could you feel their presence out there this evening?
JAROME IGINLA: Yeah, actually before the game we heard in the locker room, we heard some "go Flames, go" chants, they were pretty loud. Then we heard some "go bolts" cheers, too, but it's great. That's the way it should be. I thought the Tampa fans were awesome. I thought it was loud in there, especially before the game and all the white, it's a great atmosphere.
Q. Seemed to be very similar to the opening games in the last two series where you might have been outplayed at times early on but you kind of weathered that storm and again got the first goal. Could you sense that deflated them a little bit when they had some momentum then you guys scored?
MARTIN GELINAS: No question Jarome's goal was a key goal. I think you know, they have a power play, one of the best power plays and we capitalize on that. Then we kept coming. So our first game, we know we got to play better. They came hard at the end and we got some bounces. We're going to have to be a lot better in Game 2 to win.
Q. Talk a little bit about the ice conditions, how it affected your approach to the game especially once you got the lead.
STEPHANE YELLE: Well, we knew coming in, I mean we practiced this morning and we saw the ice was a little softer than the ice in Calgary, but we knew what to expect and you know we just battled in the third to get the pucks out and get the pucks in and we knew the ice won't be favorable.
Q. Sort of like a one-touch kind of system when the ice gets that way?
STEPHANE YELLE: Yeah, well you don't want to complicate things and make the tough plays and that's what we tried to do in the third is keep it simple.

End of FastScripts...

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