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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING

June 7, 2004

Craig Conroy

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Seven

Q. Seemed like it took your power play goal to get the energy and get the motors going. What was happening in the first two periods?
CRAIG CONROY: It's tough, we start taking a lot of penalties early and they get one right off the bat and they get the momentum in the first. I think to that point it was 0-0 in shots, and I didn't think much was going on either way, and you know, I looked up and I didn't feel like the play was either way, really just kind of, you know, it was at a standstill, and they got a couple of power plays and they cash in on the second one. That was a big boost for them. They kept rolling. We had to get something. We had to do something and turn it around. We didn't do it -- did it too late, had some chances at the end and couldn't find the back of the net.
Q. Can you describe this feeling?
CRAIG CONROY: I mean, there are highs and lows. This is probably the lowest it's going to get. It's just a frustrating thing when this team works so hard and you know, we felt like we deserve better. They came out, they won the game, and you know, we didn't find a way to counter their two goals. It's tough to be sitting here right now, but I don't even know what to say.
Q. Was Game 5 pivotal where you lost too many guys to injuries?
CRAIG CONROY: Yeah, we have overcome injuries the whole time. We tried our best to have guys step in and play well. I thought they did a great job. We just you know, Jarome and I we needed to do a little bit more. We couldn't quite get it done. Just like Darryl would probably say our top guys got to do it. We weren't able to get that second one. That's as disappointing as it gets. This is a very young team. I feel our D are great, got great players coming in so it's very promising. The one thing I think we got to take out of this we want to be different than Anaheim and Carolina, we want to come back. We want to come back next year. That's our goal right now. You get a taste of it. You want it. That means we have got to be hungry and go home and work and get ready for next year.
Q. Key moment in the game for you?
CRAIG CONROY: First power play goal, I mean, just gave them huge life at that point. It was a chess match, nobody was taking too many chances, everybody was kind of feeling it out. All of a sudden they get that first goal, building is gone, and we weren't able to regroup as well as we'd like. We just took too many penalties again. Bottom line is it killed us in this series. If he stay out of the penalty box 5-on-5 we feel like we're the best team in hockey just with the numbers, obviously you know, their power play was good.
Q. It's been an unbelievable ride. When is it going to be that you guys can sit back and look at this whole thing and say we had a terrific season, gave a lot of memories to a lot of people in Calgary and stuff?
CRAIG CONROY: I don't know if you are ever going to do it because you didn't win the Cup. I mean, you know, people in Calgary have been great but we want to give them what they really wanted. They wanted the Cup and so did we, and we didn't find a way to do it. That's the most disappointing thing. We had two chances, one at home, we didn't get it done.
Q. This is a game of opportunities. In hindsight when you look back on it will you think of having that chance on home ice to win the Cup and not getting it done there?
CRAIG CONROY: Oh, yeah, for sure. You are always going to look back when you lose. When you win, nobody thinks about it and you just move forward. But when you lose you are always going to think about it right to the bitter end. That puck that goes in they don't review -- they do review but you know, I mean those are tough things for us. I haven't even seen that yet so I don't know what I think about it. But a lot of people thought it was in. It just disappointing. Should have done it at home, should have found a way to get it done.
Q. Does that become an issue now that you didn't win the Cup?
CRAIG CONROY: Well, I mean, I don't know, if it was in then it's an issue. If it's not in then it's not an issue. Just would like to see it make our own mind up. It's over now, I mean they are not giving us the Cup .
Q. You scored such a key goal tonight. Team got some life. Came close to tying it. In hindsight that makes it even tougher?
CRAIG CONROY: We said we got to get one in the first 10, one in the second 10. We got the one in the first and weren't able to get the one in the second 10. I thought the team kept going, going, going, and you know, we gave it right to the very end. Had some chances, Leopold, I thought from the bench I guess he just missed the net, looked like he had a good opportunity, you know, it's tough to -- that power play at the end was very frustrating. You know what, he has got to be dead to give him a penalty there, but that's my own opinion. One minute to go in the game we got to get the puck away from him. What are we just going to let him hold it? We have got to knock him off the puck. They have been holding it down low. We had to, you know, get him away from the puck, and to call a penalty there is --

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