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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: OILERS v HURRICANES

June 17, 2006

Peter Laviolette

EDMONTON, ALBERTA: Game Six

Q. I guess on a mildly personal note, you have been in a lot of big games now in this playoff run. On a game day like this, before the biggest game of the year, what is it like for you? Is it all game focus, nerves, what is the afternoon like?
COACH LAVIOLETTE: I think everybody is anxious until the puck drops, and then it's all about hockey again. But you can go through a playoff series, and as you move on, every game is the biggest game of your life.
We have had lots of them, and I think we can draw on those experiences as well. Being down 0-2 to Montreal, having to play a Game 7 against Buffalo. So there's lots of experience to draw from.
But as far as, I guess, the anxiety, it certainly, I think it's there for everybody, you want to -- it's the Stanley Cup Finals. It's Game 6 and guys want to play. We can't play until 6:20 tonight, so we got to get through the day.

Q. No Doug Weight tonight. Talk about the way your team seemed to overcome dealing with injuries all year long?
COACH LAVIOLETTE: We'll miss Doug, there's no question about it. He played great to this point, and it was an excellent pick-up for us and we'll miss him tonight.
In saying that, there will be no excuses. We have to win a hockey game, and the people that we put in the lineup we put in there all year long based on different injuries and we have had a lot of them and we expect to win. Our team expects to win, our organization expects to win, and tonight there will be -- you know, one thing is you will not hear me up there crying because we had somebody out of our lineup.
It's real unfortunate because Dougie was a real big part of our team, and he was fitting in to what we're trying to build and work towards. In saying that, somebody else is going to have so to step up with a big game.

Q. We assume that every game that goes along that everything gets ratcheted up. Is there a way to compare this to Game 7 against Buffalo? You were facing elimination then, but is there a way to compare the atmosphere?
COACH LAVIOLETTE: The anxiety? Or, like the -- the atmosphere tonight? Game 7 was in our building; obviously this one is here. Again, I think buildings come into play at the beginning of the game and momentum swings, but a building can also work against you when things don't go well.
As far as getting to the point of the game, they are all big, like I said if you don't get through Game 7 you don't get to Game 6 in the Finals. They are all big games, but we have got a lot of veteran players in our locker room that have played in big games. A pretty focused group. We'll be ready to play tonight.

Q. What does big Joe bring to the lineup potentially, and what do you as a coach expect from him tonight?
COACH LAVIOLETTE: I expect a big game out of Joe. He was our leading scorer two years ago. He's come off of a tough surgery. This surgery, you talk to people who have this surgery on their knee, and typically it is a good full year before they start to feel good.
You watch him out on the ice and he looks good and he can play a good game, but when he goes to get on the bus afterwards it's a very hobbled limp up the bus and back to his seat. It's just a tough injury to overcome for hockey players. They do overcome it, but it takes time.
Michael Peca had the same injury when I was in Long Island. It takes time to get over that injury. I expect a big game from Joe tonight. There's not a lot of time left here, certainly is a playing where all of our players can let it ride and let their best performance go tonight.
Joe was our leading scorer two years ago I expect a big performance out of Joe.

Q. It's like going through two full NHL seasons. What do you tell your players to -- how do they keep something less in the tank to keep going? Or is it just purely on adrenaline at this point?
COACH LAVIOLETTE: No, I don't think it's purely on adrenaline. I mean, because of, I think, the length of the season and what you go through, I think that our team, as well as Edmonton, are excellent conditioned teams.
You watch the pace of the games and the physical play and I don't think that that weighs into it so much. Like I said yesterday, yeah, it's a long season. You are getting towards July here. There's no place that anybody in our room would rather be, and a lot of people wish they were in our place. This is where we want to be.
This is what we worked hard for this year is to get to this point and to have a chance to play for this. I think adrenaline will play into.
But I think that you got two teams that are in excellent shape as well.

Q. What impact do you think the fans here will have on your game tonight?
COACH LAVIOLETTE: The fans here have been great. They have been loud. It's been a great building. After I think the first five minutes you get through the anthem and the drop of the puck, I think it's about hockey who plays hard who executes the best, specialty teams, those sort of things.
Our building is great. This building has been great. I think it comes down to hockey.

Q. I know you guys pride yourself on family organization. Do you have people here from Carolina tonight? That's been criticized in some quarters. How do you respond to that personally, and do you feel it's something you should or shouldn't have done as having family and friends here?
COACH LAVIOLETTE: I think everybody flies people in for possible games, you know. I don't think that -- I am pretty sure everybody does, I saw Edmonton people there in Carolina. I guess anybody can criticize us as much as they want to, the bottom line is we're playing for the Cup tonight.

End of FastScripts...

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