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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: OILERS v MIGHTY DUCKS

May 18, 2006

Kevin Lowe

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day

Q. Hi, Kevin. When you played, were a subscriber to, when the series ended like this, to get back at it in a hurry? The Ducks have waited eight days. You guys have less than 48 hours between playing. One team says it's an advantage, some say the other. What's your feeling on that?
KEVIN LOWE: I'll tell you at the end of the series. You know, we had a couple days off between Game 5 and 6, and that helped get the guys invigorated, you know. The guys are pretty mature physically and strong, and so I think they can handle the getting right back to it. Certainly, you know, if it's a long physical series, it'll probably be a little hard on us in the long run, but I know that the kind of adrenalin level that's flowing with those guys, they can handle it.
Q. Mac T talked a little bit last night about now it's time the guys can put their eyes on the final prize a little bit and talk about how close they are to a Stanley Cup, and that it's okay now, they've sort of reached that point. In your experience, is it kind of a delicate balancing act between kind of keeping one eye on the final prize, but also knowing you have the task at hand and not to get too far ahead? How tough is that?
KEVIN LOWE: Yeah, it's not like anybody's taking anything for granted. There's going to be no premature celebration of any type. You now, the guys are so focused on the end result of winning the cup. But the more you talk about it, the more it really boils down to we're that much closer now. You know, you can't actually touch it, but it's pretty darn close.
I remember when I first played, it really first dawned on me, you know, get through the first series and there's eight teams, and then you get through next series and there's only four teams in the entire National Hockey League left, so it just make things a little more tangible.
Q. What's the mania like there in Edmonton compared to the glory days?
KEVIN LOWE: There's no comparison. You know, it's eight-fold, ten-fold. It's really nice. It's nice for our group of guys to experience this. I think we may be experienced it once or twice. We beat the Montreal Canadiens in 1982 and swept them, and I think before Game 3, the building was kind of that loud. I think when Gretz finally scored his first final -- goal in the finals against Billy Smith, it was probably loud. It was more relief out of everybody more than anything.
But, no, it's another level. We used to say that the Chicago stadium was the loudest building in the league, at least when we played in the playoffs against the Hawks, and this is probably even louder.
So it's -- I think it really -- I know it energizes the guys. I know what type of players we have. I know I was that way. Our coaching staff really got jacked up by the energy. It's almost a release because there was a lot of tension around the team this year and the home fans. And now that their getting this type of response, I think it's helping the players actually release in their own building, in our own building where we didn't play well during the regular season.
Q. You guys have now gone beyond where you were in '97 and '98, where you won the series that took so much out of you and had nothing left, or virtually nothing left for either Dallas or Colorado. What do you see in this team that that one simply didn't have? Is it simply as guys like Pronger and Roloson or something else?
KEVIN LOWE: You know, we have a much more composed game plan. I mean, we were pedal to the medal and try to run the other team out of the building. You know, all due respect to the coaching staff, that's sort of what we had to work with it. It was a bit of a different game now. We have very experienced players, maybe not deep in the playoffs, but certainly a lot of winners. A lot of guys know how to play.
We can step it up, like we did in the San Jose series, and we will if we have to. But we don't need it to win. That's probably one of the things that we have in our arsenal that have been successful. You know, I walk through the dressing room and I see these guys after the games, they don't seem to be nearly as tired as when I played. Maybe the game's easier or maybe they're just in better condition.
Q. A lot of people are looking at the four teams that are in the finals and saying, this the triumph of the small market teams, the parity, you know, everything that Commissioner Bettman wanted. Is that too easy an explanation or do you see any truth in there?
KEVIN LOWE: There's definitely some truth in there, but probably too easy. I don't think anybody envisioned it turning out this way. I think in our case, you know, we certainly benefited by adding a couple key players. And we often talked about it amongst ourselves and management that, you know, seems that when we were losing to Dallas, we were one Modano or Zubov away from winning the series. So when we added Chris Pronger and Michael Peca in the summer, we thought, well, at least now in our minds we're on a level playing field, and it certainly looks that that is the case.
Q. Can you talk about -- you touched on the Mike Peca deal. Can you talk about what you are looking for Michael to bring when you traded for him, what he did bring and the evolution over the years of what he could do and what you expected of him to do?
KEVIN LOWE: Well, what we hoped for is what we saw last night and perhaps through the entire playoffs, and going back a bit into the Vancouver series where we played three games against the Canucks. You know, change is difficult and not all players adapt to it immediately. And about two-thirds the of way through the season, I remembered what I went through when I went to New York and had been with the same team for a lot of years, and it took me -- I was fortunate in that I started in December and the season was over. It took me one full season to feel comfortable in that environment.
I read an article that Michael did with someone from Vancouver and he talked about that, where he never really did feel comfortable, and as a result, his play probably suffer somewhat. But certainly when we picked him up, what he showed last night, you know, some spurts of offense and overall defense and smarts, good in the face-off circle and a real edge to him at times was the player we envisioned getting.
Q. When you've gone so many years without really being able to add a good, solid veteran player, and then this year you get your shot, each one of those becomes kind of magnified, player that you add then. Then suddenly the pressure is to make sure you choose well. Did you have any misgivings about Michael two-thirds of the season? Did you have any misgivings about Roloson the first few games after he came to the team?
KEVIN LOWE: You know, Michael, he was doing a lot of things during the year that, you know, the coaching staff was extremely happy with, I was. When I liked about him, in all the big games we played, he played his best hockey. You know, where there was so much emphasis on the stat side of his performance that I think the fans perceived it as not successful. But he was doing a lot of good things for us, and, you know, we weren't making any changes and you have to show patients.
I mean, my mentor was a guy was a guy that showed a lot of patience in players. We have a good environment and a good team, and certainly the patience allowed for him to evolve into his game.
And Rollie, there again, and maybe it's my blind love for our deals and for the players and having been a player myself, but I thought his first game with us, a game we lost 5-2, he played incredibly well. I wasn't concerned at all. And then the next game was a game, I think, in Columbus, and, of course, we lost in overtime. So that sort of compounded things. And maybe there was a little doubt there in the dressing room with the players and with Rollie and with everybody, you know, figuring, geez, we've got a good team and we've lost three games.
You know, the character in the dressing room and more importantly the character in a guy like Dwayne Roloson, that's been most amazing to me. I didn't know the player. I didn't know the person. I knew his stats. I knew his style, but I didn't realize we were getting another captain, and full credit to him.
Q. Question about Mac T, I know towards the end of the season when things were really tight and it looked like things could have been hit or miss in the playoffs, he was under quite a bit of pressure and the players went out and talked about the amount of pressure he seemed to be under and everybody seemed to be under. How do you think he handled that situation, and now that they're succeeding, you're succeeding in the playoffs, how much credit goes to him just as far as the way he's been able to handle team?
KEVIN LOWE: Well, all the credit in the world. I don't know if I need to say more. He handled it like the true champion that he is. And I think with all of us, winning is, at the end of the day -- as funny as it sounds, there's not a lot of joy in winning. There's just relief.
He, you know, like all of us, were pretty relieved when we won that final game, just because there's so much effort put into by everybody, but he's a leader. He's a captain and a true leader and a champion, and I couldn't be happier for him.
Q. Todd Marchant is going to face 15 players he played with in Edmonton. When he left, you and him had a couple words?
KEVIN LOWE: He had a couple of words.
Q. Okay. You had some later, I guess. I understand maybe that's been patched up?
KEVIN LOWE: He still comes to our dressing room in the back, so...
Q. Just talk about him a little bit. He's finally getting a chance, like Doug Weight and Mike Grier, all the Oilers from the '90s team that didn't have a prayer of winning the cup and now they're a couple games away.
KEVIN LOWE: Sort of fit in the category, as I talked about earlier, you know, they were the good -- we had a lot of good players, a lot of good young players, and Todd was not unlike Doug, maybe on just a little bit different level, but it came down to a money decision. And, you know, I think at the time, he was upset because there was a bit of loop hole in the CBA where we just decided not -- we didn't want to have to pay him more than we felt we were able to and qualify him. So we provided him an a heck of an opportunity to sign an incredible contract, and he had a great year. I think he was probably disappointed that he had a good year and then looked like he was going to have to move on.
But, you know, I actually played with Todd, and I loved him. I loved him as a player and I loved him as an Edmontonian. And I know he's going to be a thorn in our side, but I'm really happy to see Mike Grier, because he was a great leader, as well, ask Doug Weight and all those guys. Hopefully it's the year of the Oilers and not the ex-Oilers.
Q. When you look at your team, maybe since the Olympic break and battling to get into the playoffs and where you are now, anything in particular at all when you watch your team play that you liked to see at this point?
KEVIN LOWE: I think our composure and, you know, although, we haven't -- the core of the team's been together for a lot of years. We haven't gone deep in the playoffs, but we really look a poised team. We look like a team that's won before, and that's probably what's impressed me the most. Time will tell whether we do actually win or not.
But up to this point, the kind of poise and a confidence in the sense that we got down in games and we got down in series, but we never deviated from the game plan, and that generally comes from an experienced team, understanding and respecting the game plan and sticking to it, and we've done all of that.

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