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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: PENGUINS v RED WINGSJune 1, 2009Nicklas LidstromKirk MaltbyChris OsgoodPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day DAVID KEON: Questions for the players. Q. Do you enjoy the strategic part of the game? It's coming into Pittsburgh, everybody's talking about how Pittsburgh's going to have the last change, and they can change the match-ups and they're in control of everything. When you're on the ice, do you actually enjoy that part of the game or do you just want to go and play? NICKLAS LIDSTROM: No, I enjoy it. It's a game within the game. Whether you're matching up or you're playing against the top line or top players. I see that as a challenge. That and of course you want to win the game, but you want to play well within that challenge as well. Q. Playing the two games in two nights, how much do you enjoy the day off today, anyone? KIRK MALTBY: Well, it's nice. Everyone likes getting a little bit of rest. It's kind of odd especially come playoff time to have a back-to-back game. But to get this day in between and nice short travel, I think for both teams it's going to benefit and let everyone get a little rest. Get a good meal in. But, you know, it's back at it tomorrow. Q. So many goaltenders have trouble I guess raising their game in the playoffs in the postseason. How are you able to almost seemingly flick a switch and be so cool in that situation? CHRIS OSGOOD: I just think experience. I've played long enough now that I know how to do it. Fortunately playing with a good team that I know I'm going to be in the playoffs every year. But I think even when I played in New York and St. Louis I knew how to prepare myself in the months coming up to the playoffs mentally and physically just by doing the right things on and off the ice. So when the playoffs do start I'm not second guessing myself. I'm going in fully confident. And I think I've learned over the years how to have the right mental approach and proper approach which enables me and gives me the best chance to be successful every year in the playoffs. Q. Every player will say that they enjoy playoff hockey better than regular season hockey. What in particular do you like about it, and maybe even more specifically the Stanley Cup? CHRIS OSGOOD: It's two months as opposed to seven months, it's a lot better. No, I just enjoy the level of competition is so high. I enjoy going to rinks and playing opposing teams. Like in Columbus their first ever game was fun. And obviously going to Chicago was great for our team. And I think players that enjoy the playoffs thrive in situations like this. I really look forward to tomorrow's game. It will be a lot of fun playing in Pittsburgh again. The rink will be loud. You know in the regular season the rinks aren't the same. The playoffs are loud. The atmosphere is great. And you play all the exhibition games and regular season games to get to this point. I really look forward to it every year coming in. Q. This will sound a little flip, but if you look back and the goalies that have been the East and dominant goalies that have been the East for a while, do you ever say to yourself all the attention that guys like Brodeur got, guys like DiPietro, and Hasek when he was here. Do you look back and say I don't know that I've ever gotten the respect that I should have? CHRIS OSGOOD: People ask me that all the time. I get respect in Detroit. That means the most to me. Playing in front of my fans there. They've been great to me for 15 years now. So that's what means the most to me is the people in Michigan and Detroit. To be honest with you, I'm not making it up. I don't pay attention to anything else that goes on except in Detroit and Michigan. That's what means most to me. I feel like that's my home. So that's more or less all I really pay attention to. I don't know what goes on in New Jersey or what goes on in other places in the league. Especially in the East. I barely watched any games all year in the East. But one day hopefully with your respect, to answer the question about respect, hopefully one day when I'm done playing, I think that will come. Q. Can you talk about I know they say that teams elevate their play through each series of the playoffs, do you personally elevate your focus with each game of each series as it goes on? And is it possible? CHRIS OSGOOD: Well, I think you have to. It gets tougher as the series goes along. Games get more and more difficult to win. They become tighter. As we go along in every series and including this one, the games are going to be more and more difficult to win. So you have to be at your highest level of your game. Even trying to have that game where you have your best game of your career or attempt to close teams out because it gets tougher and tougher as you go along. Q. I wanted to know when people talk about the Olympic team for 2010 your name has almost never been mentioned up to now. Do you think you're playing your way into contention for that? CHRIS OSGOOD: I have no idea. I'll talk to Steve and Kenny about that this summer at the lake. Could I do it? Oh, for sure I could do it. I could play there. I think I have the mental make-up, and I think I'm skilled enough to play there. But whether or not that happens, I have no idea. I'd have to have a better regular season in the first half than I obviously did this year. But to me everything that gets mentioned like that is just a great honor for me. When I'm done with my career and all of these things that have been mentioned about me, it's all positive. None of it's negative. If I'm there or not, it's great just to be mentioned and to be considered to be there is great for me. Q. What do you think the last two games have been like for Ericsson, Helm, and Abdelkader, and to play with these guys and watch them do what they've done against the Penguins has got to be pretty amazing. NICKLAS LIDSTROM: Yeah, and I think they're very excited about being a part of our team. You know, Helm had a chance to play in last year's playoffs, and Johnny came in in the month of March and had a chance to play some regular seasons and he's been with us ever since. So I think they're very excited about being in the finals. Getting a chance to see what it's all about. And I think they're very happy to be contributing, too, the way they've both been playing. You could throw Abs in there, the way Abdelkader has played and scoring goals in the final. They bring a hunger that I think a team needs. Especially with some of the older guys we have. You bring some youth and bring some hunger, and I think that sparks the whole team. Q. With the grind that the finals can be and the playoffs, can you just talk about the way that with this team goal scorers and stars become grinders, and grinders become stars? It seems like everybody lays it on the line and everyone contributes, I mean it is a total team effort right down to the young guys you've been playing with, too. KIRK MALTBY: Yeah, absolutely. You've got Hank Zetterberg who is sprawling across the crease, preventing a goal last game. You know, definitely everyone tries to elevate their game and what they bring to the table. But then on top of it it's a long regular season. It's hard to do certain things night in and night out. But come playoff time, it's a lot easier to sacrifice your body and do things that maybe you're not most typical of doing or consistently doing. You know, we're very fortunate to know what's at the end of the road for us if we're successful. And I think that just really helps drive everyone. You know, even with the young guys that are up that weren't here last year, they were here, watching and what not. And they know what it's all about, and they know that it's worth it. End of FastScripts |
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