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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SHARKS v CANUCKSMay 21, 2011Todd McLellanSAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. Do you have a guess on when you will hear from the league on McGinn? COACH McLELLAN: I would think quite soon. Obviously with the noon start and having to plan lineups, letting players know before they leave the rink, we should hear fairly soon. Q. Todd, you had a pretty intense skate out there right before a noon start. Is that something you felt you had to do because of tomorrow? COACH McLELLAN: We skated today. I thought it was important for our hockey club to skate today. We felt it was important to get back on the ice before the noon start just to feel it again, get our legs moving, feel the puck a little bit. It wasn't an overly extensive practice. There wasn't a lot of exertion. We brought all of our black aces, if you want to call them that, on the ice, so the reps were down. It was more a cleaning-out process, resetting the mental part of the game again. Tomorrow when we come to the rink, there isn't a morning skate. The day is completely different than what we're used to. But we have experienced noon games already. We're going to start the engine up again. Q. Todd, can you discuss Patrick and Joe and just how through their careers they've had great careers, won the gold medal, but in the playoffs they always get talked about as maybe underachieving, how you sort of see them stepping up in this playoff? COACH McLELLAN: This is the time of year where individuals, you're either singled out for success or failure. Often, when it's all said and done, realistically 1 of 29 teams wins or 1 of 30 teams wins. The other 29 teams are given some sort of criticism, they're being second-guessed for whatever reason, and it often started with high-end players, highly compensated players, players that have high expectations of them. Sometimes it's very fair and very just, other times they just happen to be lightning rods. Those two players have been treated that way throughout their careers. Sometimes very deserving, and sometimes very unjust. We're not worrying about that. We're not overly concerned about it. We feel they're bringing their game night in and night out. Patty obviously took some heat in the Detroit series. But we're not sitting here talking today about as a group without him. He found a way to make an impact, get us to move on. He's found a way to score. He's a streaky player, we're happy for that. Jumbo, I think all of us are very knowledgeable hockey people. You can see how he's elevated his game, how important it is to him, the impact he has on his teammates in the locker room and on the ice. That's a sign of leadership. Q. Todd, you guys are not playing to hurt the other team, but the reality is two of their top six are injured. Is this a purposeful thing on your team's account, wearing the other team down, and if they get hurt, they get hurt? COACH McLELLAN: That's part of the game. You look at the scenarios. Christian Ehrhoff, a former Shark, we don't want to see him injured. But the fact is he is. The Rome hit, I think we expressed our concern last night for him as a player, as an individual. We don't want to see anybody injured. But that's part of the game at this time of the year. For all the bumps and bruises that Detroit, and you're talking about Vancouver has right now, or have had, we've got the same things going on. There's ice bags, there's treatments going on all over the place. I'm probably referring back to history a long time ago. When the Islanders dynasty was in existence, I remember hearing a story about the Oilers walking by the Islanders' locker room. Those guys were bleeding, they were taped up, there were ice bags everywhere, when they should have been celebrating a Stanley Cup championship. I think, if I remember the story correctly, that was the moment the Oilers needed to become their dynasty, was to see that. If you're not hurt right now, if you're not banged, bruised, you're not sore, you're not tired, I guess the question would be: Why? Q. What is the most riled up you've ever seen Patrick Marleau? When you have a quiet personality, as a coach, how do you evaluate their level of engagement? COACH McLELLAN: Patty has passion. It's our job to know, just like a teacher in a classroom, you better know each of your students personally, you better understand what makes them tick. Everybody's different. Because Patty isn't going to come out and tell you exactly how he feels inside doesn't mean he doesn't have passion. He's just not going to share it with you. Doesn't mean he doesn't share it with us. Doesn't mean he doesn't share it with his teammate next to him. It comes out. I've seen Patty in two situations where there's an incredible amount of passion, both positively and negatively. It came out. I was very proud of him when he did bring it out. He's not putting it on display for you or for anybody else. He keeps it within. Q. (No microphone.) COACH McLELLAN: No, those are moments that belong between Patty and myself and his teammates. Q. (No microphone.) COACH McLELLAN: Well, they're a dynamic transition team. They're as good on entries as anybody in the league. Their D are very active, so if they turn the puck over, they're gone on you. I do think our defensive zone time was better last night. We were able not to play a one-and-out game, but stay in the zone a little bit more. That eliminates exist sieve neutral zone time. We talked about that a little bit before Game 3. We were much better in that area. It takes some of those players out. You get worn down playing in the defensive zone, just like we were in the first two games. Q. (No microphone.) COACH McLELLAN: He's a helluva player. First of all, he's a big body. He skates well. He handles the puck well. He's smart, competitive. He's a piece that a lot of teams build around. Q. (No microphone.) COACH McLELLAN: Still day-to-day. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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