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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CANADIENS v FLYERS

May 15, 2010

Daniel Briere

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day

Q. Danny, you've had some tough-luck regular seasons with this team. I don't think anybody would argue that you've been a money player for this team in the playoffs. You've been healthy too. Can you talk about what that means to you personally and just what you're going through?
DANNY BRIERE: Well, just to start with, I think that's what we play for. We play for the Stanley Cup. It's always been, you know, my biggest goal. The one thing that I'm missing. One day I want more than anything else.
I don't know what it is, but things have been working out okay in the Playoffs. Just the last little part missing is winning it all. So I don't think I'll ever be satisfied until that gets done.

Q. You've played a long time, lot of different places. In training camp until now, just the most unique season between all the injuries, the coaching change, the ups and downs?
DANNY BRIERE: Yes, there is no doubt that it's been the biggest roller coaster season that I've ever been a part of. Like you mentioned, the coaching changes, the goalie switches that we've had all year. You know, we started the year pretty well, and we were 14th in the conference, everything that we've gone through. I think in a sense it's good. It's good experience.
We've learned a lot about ourselves and of the one thing is we've always stuck together. That's what I'm probably the most proud of this team is the way we never quit, and the way we stuck together no matter how good or how bad things were.

Q. You said when you were 14th in the conference or in this series, was there ever that seed of doubt that this is going to end badly, or was it always the positive mindset that yes we can turn this around? As bad as it was, we can always turn it around?
DANNY BRIERE: Well, it was always tough to be in that position. When we were 14 and you know the coaching change happened, we fell all the way down to 14. There was a lot of questioning going around. It was a tough time to be around the dressing room. We weren't having a lot of fun.
But at the same time, looking at our team, there's always that, not confidence, but you just knew that things could turn around. The bounces started going our way, there is no doubt in our mind that we had a team that could make a lot of damage.
I believe right from the beginning of the season we had a team that was built for the Playoffs. A lot of character guys, you know. At that point, I think is being proven as we speak. But there is still lots of work to be done.

Q. After such a monumental series and monumental win last night, is it going to be difficult to look ahead now and move on and look past this?
DANNY BRIERE: I think it will be easier than the last series when we were idle for almost a week or was it eight days? Nine days we didn't play for? I think it's going to be easier to just keep rolling.
I mean, we're feeling good, we're happy about our game. We've just won four in a row. Some big, clutch games as well. I mean I wish we'd start tonight if we could. We're just on a roll right now and everybody's confident and excited. We're on a high. I'm glad that we're going to keep it rolling.

Q. A few weeks ago Simon said that he's 30 years old and you never know, this could be his last shot at this. Do you think at that station in life you think I've got to get the best of this because this could be the last chance I get?
DANNY BRIERE: Oh, yeah, definitely. To be honest, it's not my first year thinking about that. Few years ago when we got to the conference final you just never know if you're going to have another chance.
I mean, my first what, five, six years in the league, I made the Playoffs once. Didn't go past the first round, so you've got to take advantage of it and try to leave it all on the ice as much as you can when those chances happen.
And that's what I liked that we've done against Boston. It would have been really easy to just stop and give them the series and just see what happens. For some reason, there is always that belief that we could come back not just a half believe that and let's see what happens? Maybe we can win one and go from there. We left it all on the ice, and that's what I'm proud of. So I don't expect things to change.

Q. When you have two teams of the same being, same character and grit. What would it mean to get a guy like Laperriere back? He has an X-factor that he can rally from what he does, right?
DANNY BRIERE: Yeah, I mean, it would be nice, but at this time, I mean the chances are pretty slim that we're going to see him. You know, so I don't want to get too excited. If it happens, it would be a huge boost.
But you know what, we've done pretty well without him the last few games. You know, I think no one can replace him. You've got to give him a lot of credit. He's blocking shots. He's playing hard. He does a lot of little things that, you know, don't show up on the score sheet.
But we don't talk very much about him. I've been very impressed with his game.

Q. Is it unbelievable that we're sitting here talking about a 7 seed having home ice advantage?
DANNY BRIERE: Yeah, out of 16 teams there's only one team that we can play that we could have home ice advantage, and you know it happened. So this is just this whole thing is unbelievable. But we're here now and I don't want it to end, so we have to try to keep it -- not keep advantage, but try to take advantage of it while we're there.
This is nice that we were able to come back, and come back from all three. Come back from all three in Game 7, but that's stuff we're going to remember when the season's over and for the next years to come we'll be thinking about that and think how cool that was.
But now that we're in the moment, we've got to put that behind us and we've got to focus now on Montreal and realize that this is a great opportunity for us and to try to take advantage of what happened against Boston.

Q. Could you put a percentage on how much this run has been a result of Peter's system as compared to the team chemistry in the locker room?
DANNY BRIERE: It's hard to put a percentage on it. I think it's a combination of both, to be honest. I mean, Peter's system, you know, we all saw what happened when he came in at the beginning when he changed everything. It wasn't pretty. It took us a while to get adjusted to.
But when things started rolling, you know, we gained a lot of momentum, we played well, and we had that break with the Olympics and we came back and it took us a little while to get out again. But when we got on a roll, we have to give him a lot of credit for that system.
But at the same time, you know, team chemistry when you start winning, that's how you build team chemistry. That's how you form those special bonds with your teammates. Like I said, what just happened there against Boston is going to be with us forever, this group of guys. You form a special bond, and hopefully that chemistry is going to help us moving forward this year.

Q. Peter deflected any praise towards him yesterday and said it's all the players. But talk about his personality, and how much he has meant to the team?
DANNY BRIERE: Yeah, I know, I mean it's pretty remarkable on his part to give us all the credit for what's happened. But I mean, at the same time I think we all know how much of a role that he's had to play.
His system, his attitude, his drive, you know, I mean, he's pretty amazing with his speeches, that motivation. The motivation speeches are pretty amazing. He deserves a lot of credit as well. I know he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to take any, but I can tell you from our standpoint that he deserves a lot for what happened in the first two rounds.

Q. Can you tell us what he said when it was 3?0 yesterday?
DANNY BRIERE: Well, I mean, it was just about basically just to relax and start playing. There were a few -- maybe a few words that we can't repeat here. But you know, even down 0?3 in Game 7, he still had that drive. He still had that fire in his eyes. This was far from over.
You know, he never gave us the chance to believe that this game was over. So that's another pretty remarkable feat on his part as well.

Q. What's it going to take to calm down Cammalleri? What he's been doing?
DANNY BRIERE: Well, you know, you look at their team. I don't think people gave them enough credit in the first two rounds. They might have taken him for granted a little too much. It can't happen with us. There is Cammalleri, but there are other guys too that are very dangerous. Cammalleri's on a hot run right now and he's going to be tough to stop.
But it's just not just about one guy. You know, Gionta has been having good Playoffs, Gomez has been playing very well from the games that I've seen. You know, they've had some key goals from Laperriere as well. So it's not just about one guy. They have a lot of guys that can hurt you and we can't afford to take anything for granted.
Did we finish with the same amount of points as them I think in the regular season? Maybe one more or the same. One more than them, so I mean, you know, we have nothing to be looking down at on them. It's pretty even I think. It's going to come down to who is willing to pay the price a little bit more.

Q. You excited personally to go with Montreal?
DANNY BRIERE: Oh, yeah. There is no doubt about it. French Canadian, going back, playing Montreal? And I've seen it a few years ago when we played them two years ago, I've always dreamed of playing against them at least once in my career in the Playoffs.
Now I get a second chance at it. And I think I'll be a little bit better prepared to know what's coming and what it's like to play in that building. Obviously in regards of everything that happened in the last few years

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