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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING

June 7, 2004

Jarome Iginla

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Seven

Q. Any way to describe the pain and disappointment right now?
JAROME IGINLA: It's the most toughest loss by a thousand times. I mean, that's one shot the guys worked so hard and I mean, it's a very good season, proud of everybody, but I mean that hurts more than anything else I have been a part of by far, and as you can expect to hear them out there and to hear them celebrating, I mean, they worked hard and they are a very good team. That's one game, one shot, and I don't know what to say.
Q. You guys came back and made such a close game of it in the third period. It was exciting makes it tougher?
JAROME IGINLA: Yeah, we never gave up, but we -- I mean, it was there. It was a tight game. I think both sides were a little tight. You could see the way it was being played in the shots and putting everything on the line. We never quit. Today it doesn't feel good at all. I mean, every guy waits all year to get to the Playoffs and then this run, no, this is -- you can't describe -- this hurts more than missing any other year, anything like that, this is -- all the games and how close it is to a dream and I mean, we believe that it could be us winning the Stanley Cup, and probably we will get another chance.
Q. Did you guys run out of gas for Game 7 at all?
JAROME IGINLA: I don't think it was gas. I think it was what were the shots for a long time, 10-6 or 10-7 and for two and a half periods and I mean, it was a pretty tightly-played game as far as you know, guys looked pretty tight and this is what you want to play for, so much on line. As great as it feels to win and you can imagine how that feels, complete opposite, we just -- one shot away. We tried. We gave it everything near the end. We had some chances. Khabibulin made some huge saves. We could still be playing.
Q. This team figured out how to slow you down and shut you down. What was it about these two games?
JAROME IGINLA: I don't know, you have to ask them if they did something different. This is going to sit with me for a long time. The guys worked so hard in this dressing room. We were literally one shot away, one second away from winning the Stanley Cup, and in the last two games, I didn't find a way to contribute to the guys' win. You can ask them if they adjusted something. I am not sure, wasn't good enough in the last couple, and I don't know what else to say.
Q. Game 5 was a game the team won. But Coach Sutter said you may have lost it then because you were hit hard by injuries; do you think that was a factor?
JAROME IGINLA: Honestly, it's not a factor. We found a way all year to get here, to fight through injuries, we have guys in our lineup -- out of our lineup that would play on any team and play a key role, but we found a way to get here, losing Donovan who shows you how big a part of the club he is, he skates well and causes havoc on the forecheck and comes up with big goals. It would have been great to have him. On the other side is we found all year that's how we got here, I mean great goaltending and beating odds and you know, some other teams had some injuries, things like that, but this is an indescribable sting. This is I mean, I guess it should be the opposite of how great it must feel to win and you know, this is I mean, you can look at it as lessons and all that. We have a young group. Today, right this second, it is tough to think of any of the positives.
Q. Why was the first 50 minutes kind of a struggle, all of a sudden the last ten minutes there was energy? Was it just a recharge? Why the flick of the switch?
JAROME IGINLA: I don't know. I think it's just that with a little life there, I mean, believe me every guy in this room wanted to win that Stanley Cup for so many reasons and as soon as there was, I mean it was a tightly -- we probably played a little tight for the first 50 minutes. It was so much on the line and we didn't move it the way we could or forecheck or skate. Once we got life from Conny's goal, I thought we were going to do it. I thought we were going to tie it up and find a way to win this game. But they found a way to get an early goal and two and hang on for a win. Credit to them, but I don't know.
Q. How devastating is it?
JAROME IGINLA: Well, as you can imagine it's the worst feeling in sport or anything like that have been a part of. To see all the guys that worked so hard, you know, they have Dave Andreychuk who won the Stanley Cup today, we have a good friend of ours, Dave, who has played 18 years. Guys wanted to win it so bad for him. For a city, they showed what a sport city is to get behind it. And all year and during the lean years to create that excitement in the city. We wanted to win it for so many reasons and to be one shot away or one goal away, it's very, very, very hard to take today. It will be remembered for winning goal goes with you but this is going to be remembered too.
Q. You take it to seven games. When are you going to be able to sit back and take the positives out of what was an outstanding year from you guys?
JAROME IGINLA: Hey, I mean, yeah, it was a great year, but I mean, and we have the best young defense group in the League that gained more experience and more confidence and this makes you hungrier. It's not -- I don't know if it's going to be a while before we sit back and think about it but right now it's about how close it was, and I mean, that's going to sit with us for a while, and motivate us but it's hard to believe. It's hard to believe. We expected that to be hearing the music and the crowd and things like that, but it's not...

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