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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLYERS v BLACKHAWKS

June 2, 2010

Chris Pronger

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Game Three

Blackhawks Â– 3
Flyers - 4

JAMEY HORAN: Questions for Chris.

Q. How nervous were you during the overtime? And how nervous was the team?
CHRIS PRONGER: I don't think we were nervous at all. We needed to come out and look to score that goal. I don't think in overtime you can sit back. You don't allow the other team to get uncontested chances and things like that. You need to continue to press and try to get that goal.

Q. When did you feel like you were really getting under the skin -- when you guys were down in the zone, did you feel like it was when Byfuglien and you had the little spat there?
CHRIS PRONGER: I'm sorry. I don't understand the question.

Q. I wasn't talking right. When did you guys realize -- when did you realize you were really getting under Chicago's skin?
CHRIS PRONGER: I don't know. There was a lot of talk coming from their side of the ice. We were just busy playing the game.

Q. What do you think worked so well for the Briere line tonight that might not have been working in the first two games?
CHRIS PRONGER: I think they had a pretty good first game. They had three or four goals. You know what, they've done a great job of controlling the puck, getting pucks in deep. Ville and Danny are doing a great job of controlling the puck and Hartsy is doing a great job of getting in the corners, controlling the puck, and being physical.
They're getting to the net. Pucks are getting to the net. They're getting to the net. They're doing a good job of looking for loose rebounds and pucks that get them second and third opportunities.

Q. How deflating was the Patrick Kane goal, gave them the first lead of the game, and how big was Ville's goal to not only tie the game, but sort of swing the game back in your favor?
CHRIS PRONGER: I think deflating was the wrong word to use. I don't think anyone was deflated at all. We needed to bounce back, and there's going to be momentum swings through the course of the game, through the course of the Series.
I don't think when somebody scores like that there's lots of time left. I don't think anybody was panicking or deflated. I think it's a matter of just putting your head down and getting back to work.

Q. You play with him all the time, so you would know best. How much better is this Matt Carle now than the Matt Carle you started with at the beginning of the season, and in what ways?
CHRIS PRONGER: Well, I think we work well together. It takes a little bit of time to get that chemistry and that cohesiveness of knowing what one another is going to do on the ice.
But I think you're seeing the good first outlet pass, him jumping into the play, him making good, smart decisions. And a lot of times, as I've said before, his defensive play gets overlooked. He's very solid one-on-one. He may not be running guys over out this, but he gets in the way and forces guys to make mistakes.

Q. Chris, you've played on a lot of good teams. What is it about this team that you think makes it so special in the way it counter punches and handles all the adversity that's been thrown your way?
CHRIS PRONGER: Probably our practice. Practice, we have had an awful lot of adverse think year. We have had to learn on the fly. I don't think anybody has ever questioned, in the locker room anyway. I'm sure some of you clowns have, but we haven't questioned ourselves or questioned exactly what it is we're trying to do. We've struggled at times and been able to turn the corner and figure it out.

Q. Chris, does it surprise you at all that a guy of Danny Briere's size is able to get the goals from the dirty areas that he seems to be able to get them from?
CHRIS PRONGER: Not at all. I think having played against him for a number of years, and now with him, he's a guy that is gifted offensively. He's always got the puck on his stick. He's very quick with wraps and things behind the net. He's got a sneaky shot. He always puts himself in areas where he can score. He's a feisty guy that plays gritty and goes to those high draft areas where you're going to score those goals from.

Q. We'll put you in the coach's seat for a little bit. Looking at this game, how you played going into the next game, are you going to have to do anything different to elevate your play? What do you do differently? Or do you keep just going and doing what you do or what you're doing?
CHRIS PRONGER: I think as we go with each game we've tightened up certain areas and we're going to need to continue to do that. What they are is for us to know and you figure out on your own.

Q. Chris, before this Series began, a lot of people talked about Chicago's speed, and even after the first two games I heard commentators saying the ice was chippy in Chicago, maybe we didn't see their speed. Tonight there didn't seem to be -- in the speed department, it seemed to be equal. Do you think that this Flyers team is just as fast and quick as Chicago's team?
CHRIS PRONGER: Well, I think we both try play up-tempo games. Which is going to make for a fast game. It's going to make -- if someone thinks the other team is faster, then it's going to make him not look as fast. Both teams are out there skating as hard as they can. There's an awful lot on the line. And both teams know it.
JAMEY HORAN: Thanks, Chris.

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