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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: FLAMES v SHARKSMay 8, 2004Scott HannanEvgeni NabokovSAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day Q. Scott, can you talk about Iginla and his line, the challenge in shutting down a line that has been playing very well in the playoffs? SCOTT HANNAN: Yeah, I mean, I think it's going to be a challenge for our whole team. I think our forwards and our defense have done a really good job so far in the playoffs shutting down big players, in St. Louis we did a good job, and against Tkachuk, Pavol Demitra. I think against Colorado, we did the same thing. We're an in-your-face style of team. That comes from everybody. It's not one guy or one D pairing, one line of forwards. I think everybody has stayed really true to the cause. Q. Who has the advantage, you guys having played for Darryl Sutter or perhaps them knowing what you guys are all about? Is there an advantage either way in your minds? SCOTT HANNAN: I mean, I don't think just because Darryl coached for us we know how that team plays. I think Detroit knew how they played coming into the series. Everybody scouts other teams. That's known in this league. It's coming out and knowing how to battle against that kind of team, knowing how to relieve the pressure in certain situations. I don't think it's any distinct advantage because Darryl coached us that we know how he plays. I mean, we know how that team plays. They're going to come at you hard. We've got to challenge them, too. Q. Evgeni? EVGENI NABOKOV: I think it's a new era in this organization. We're playing a totally different hockey. Some guys even playing a little bit of a different hockey. I don't think so that it's going to get any impact on the team. I think it's no advantage to both sides. Q. Scott, can you talk about Vincent Damphousse, a veteran guy toward the end of his career, what an opportunity like this would mean for a guy like that? SCOTT HANNAN: Vinny has been unbelievable for us this year, for this playoffs. He's really stepped it up, along with other guys on our team. But it's nice being able to draw from that. Vinny has been there before. He's won a championship. Being able to look at him and kind of for leadership, knowing what to do, knowing we have the confidence now. It's not wrong to say we think we can win the Stanley Cup. We're there. We're that close. You know, Vinny has been a great player for us in the playoffs. Q. Scott, are you willing to fight Jarome? Seems everybody goes up against him has to fight him at least once. SCOTT HANNAN: I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win a series, that's for sure. Q. Why is it you had such a good season getting off to big leads, having outstanding first periods here in San Jose? It's different in the playoffs, but why the quick starts here at home so much? SCOTT HANNAN: I think it's coming with a young team, we want to come out, we were challenged at the beginning of the year from our coaching staff and our management. You know, we're a young team. We wanted to come out with a lot of energy. That's the drive of our team, is to come out, be in your face. Our forwards do a great job of forechecking, getting in defensemen's face so they can't move the puck and make quick transition plays. That's been the core of our game this year. I think the key is to come out ready for a game and be challenged, to be ready for every game in the first period. Q. Must be pleasurable being a goaltender knowing your guys have remarkable first periods. EVGENI NABOKOV: That's for sure. The guys have been awesome right from the start. That kind of gives you a little bit of more confident that you know everybody's ready to go and you have to be ready also. That's been awesome. But I think it's lots to do with our speed, with our emotion in the first period. That's why we've been so good, especially at home. Q. Is there anything you saw in Jarome Iginla, in the way he shoots the puck in that last series against Detroit? EVGENI NABOKOV: Well, he is a special player. You know, he can do everything on the ice. But I think he's pretty good to changing the lines. I'm sure he is going to use that. We have to be ready. He can do anything. He can shoot off the wing. He can, I mean, go on a breakaway. He can try to shoot through the defensemen's legs. He's a real good player. We have to be prepared for anything.
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