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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLYERS v BLACKHAWKS

June 9, 2010

Jonathan Toews

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Game SIx

Blackhawks Â– 4
Flyers - 3

JAMEY HORAN: Questions for Jonathan.

Q. Johnny, you wait your whole life for this moment. Can you just talk about Patty's goal and just you want to celebrate it but you're not sure. I guess that was pretty anticlimactically a little bit, right?
JONATHAN TOEWS: Yeah, I mean, I believed in him. I don't think he would have thrown his gloves off like that if he wasn't 100% sure. He sold it pretty good if the puck didn't go in.
But it was kind of an awkward celebration. We didn't know what to do. We were all standing around waiting for the official call. But didn't matter how it happened, how it went in, we were all proud of Kaner for stepping up like that. It's pretty awesome feeling.

Q. People always ask to compare the Olympic games and the Stanley Cup. Now you've won both in the same year and the Olympics in Canada. Can you talk about both of those and how they relate?
JONATHAN TOEWS: I think they're both special in their own way. Not to take any attention off of our team here right now, but to represent your own country, especially Canada, at the Olympics and your home country, that's something you'll probably never experience again in your lifetime as a hockey player. That's pretty cool.
But on the other hand, everything you go through, the tough times over a long season like we had this year, with such a great group of guys like we have in this locker room, nothing compares to that camaraderie and what you go through as a team. The pressure we were facing all season, to get to this point and win a Stanley Cup, we knew we could do it. We battled hard for each other. That's what makes this one so much better.

Q. How it did feel to hand that Stanley Cup over to Marian Hossa?
JONATHAN TOEWS: Yeah, well we talked about it very, very briefly this morning. Didn't want to get overexcited or think too much of the end result, but mentioned it to him this morning to be ready, that if we did happen to hoist it tonight, that Duncan and Sharpy both agreed that he should be the first guy after myself to grab it.
You know, it's special for him. And I can't imagine being a part of three long seasons like that and to win one finally. It's amazing for all of us. But especially for him too for sure.

Q. As well as you guys played throughout that game and your less than 4 minutes from closing out in regulation, all of a sudden they tie it up and you have to come back to the room and you're still playing, did you feel the need to step forward and say anything to the guys at that point in the room? Or did anybody?
JONATHAN TOEWS: Yeah, it's always tough. We knew they weren't going to go away. And to protect a one-goal lead for 20 minutes against a team like that, it's tough to imagine them not getting a bounce like they did eventually.
So we maybe played a little too defensive and kind of sat back a little bit too much. But that's a natural way you're going to think when they are coming at you hard like that. You don't want to make too many mistakes. Going back in our locker room, it's really tough knowing they have a lot of momentum. You just have to believe it takes one break. It doesn't matter who it is, but to put it in like that, and Kaner came through with a big one.

Q. Johnny, back to that goal, it's a bad bounce. It gets by Niemi. He's able to come back from that and not kind of crack after that. Does that kind of sum up his whole playoff run right there?
JONATHAN TOEWS: Yeah, he was unbelievable. So many tough moments, and even from Game 1 of our first series against Nashville, people question you every single game as a rookie goaltender. Everyone knows how big of a position, how important it is to have a great goaltender in the postseason. Everyone questioned his experience and his ability to deal with that pressure.
But I think we all believed in him. We all knew he was that type of guy. And all the accolades on good days that were thrown at him didn't seem to bother him either. He just kept playing, enjoyed the game and was a huge, huge part of our team.

Q. Johnny, speculation that one if not both of your assistant coaches could be interviewed for head jobs this summer. Can you talk about the job that Havi and Torch did, and do you think they're ready for that?
JONATHAN TOEWS: Unbelievable. I think our special teams, obviously they both control power-play and penalty kill and other things besides that. You know, they were great guys in the locker room and great leaders for us on the bench.
We don't want to think about that right now, how this team might change. We're not going to worry about that too much. But they're both very deserving of opportunities like that. It's a reality we have a great team. Who knows what's going to happen.

Q. You played with Mike in the Olympics, obviously. When you came to the handshake line and you two came together, what did you tell him?
JONATHAN TOEWS: I just told him to keep his head up. He played like a champion, and he's obviously an incredible guy, an incredible leader. It's tough for anybody to come this close, and looking at the comeback they had against Boston and the injuries they had over the year, I think he was obviously right in the middle of all that adversity and helped that team battle through that.
You have to give him a lot of credit for what he did. Just wanted to show my respect for him and what he accomplished. They were a tough team. Obviously a great competitor.
JAMEY HORAN: Thank you, Jonathan. Congratulations.
JONATHAN TOEWS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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