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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BRUINS v CANUCKS

June 14, 2011

Claude Julien

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA: Practice Day

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Julien.

Q. Mike Gillis earlier described the play where Mason Raymond was injured as a can opener kind of play. I wondered having looked at the replay whether you were troubled by the way Johnny conducted himself in that play?
COACH JULIEN: No, I don't think -- right now, to be honest with you, I haven't looked at it that closely. I don't really have time to really bother with that when you've got Game 7 coming up. We've talked more about what we need to do here, not analyzing the injured player of the other team.

Q. Coach, Game 7 tomorrow. Are you guys feeling pressure or what's the mind-set of your hockey club?
COACH JULIEN: I don't think we're feeling any differently than we did Game 6 at home.
You know, we were a group that was focused. We were also, when I say enjoying the moment, doesn't mean that you're relaxed. It just means that you're soaking it in and taking time to see what's going on around you.
But at the same time, I think our group is focused. They're ready to play tomorrow. Like I've said, we've had experience in two Game 7s so far. We had experience with another elimination game last night. So we're coming in here and coming to hopefully play our best game of the series.

Q. Claude, it's going to be your last practice of the year. What do you try to impart to the guys and what do you try to do as a head coach in what you know is going to be your last skate?
COACH JULIEN: You're talking about our last practice, the one we had today?

Q. Yeah.
COACH JULIEN: When you've been on the plane for six hours, we just wanted to come out here and get the blood flowing and loosen up a little bit and get ourselves ready for tomorrow. It was as simple as that. I don't think there was anything that we did today that was with regards to systems or stuff like that. It was just very, very simple and getting the guys ready for tomorrow.

Q. Coach, can you talk about how special it is to have Nathan Horton on the trip?
COACH JULIEN: Well, it is. He certainly wanted to be here. We wanted him on this trip. As you know, when you get this far, you're a pretty close-knit group. Our guys wanted everybody here and they've got it. Marc is probably the only one right now that's not here and his health varies from day to day, week to week. He's still in our thoughts and he's part of our hockey club as well.
We've got a lot of guys that are part of this and some of them are here and one of 'em isn't.

Q. I see that his equipment is hanging in his stall, Nathan's. Is that a symbolic gesture or something more to it that?
COACH JULIEN: That's something the guys wanted to do. They wanted him to be part of our group here. Until, again, the third game of the playoffs, he was a big contributor to our hockey club. If the doctors would let him, he would play tomorrow and we all know that that's the way he feels right now. He would be willing to play through what he's gone through.
But we know that's not the right decision to make. But that's the way he's feeling right now. He wants to play so badly, he would be willing to play through that. So when a guy has that approach and has that will to want to do that for his team and teammates, the least you can do is honor him in your own way. Our players chose to honor him by making sure the trainers brought his equipment. Before the game, his sweater is hanging in his stall. He's part of our team and we want him there to the end.

Q. Coach, Tim Thomas was here before. He was joking. He seemed loose. Is he always like that? Do you look to see what his mood is and try and get a read on how he's going to play or is it always like that?
COACH JULIEN: Let's put it this way, so far I think his play speaks for itself. I don't think just before Game 7 he's decided to change, so that's been his way of getting ready. He's enjoying the moment as you heard me say earlier. He's relaxed and when the time for the game to happen comes, he's focused and ready to go.
I think it's a great way to be, as a player, because you can't be tense and feel the pressure day in, day out, night in, night out. You have to be able to release at times and refocus and get that energy back. The only way you can do that is by relaxing.

Q. Claude, from your perspective, is it easy to stay relaxed? This is just as big of a moment for you as it is for your players. Secondly, do you need to say anything to them before they step on the ice for the biggest game of their careers?
COACH JULIEN: I don't think you have to worry about motivating them. If anything, you have to make sure they're focused the right way. As you mentioned, we're relaxed but we're focused and a determined group. That's where we have to understand that we've got to be able to separate those things.
As a coach, you are the guy that sets the tone. That's the way I've approached it this year, by telling the guys as long as we're ready to play, we need to enjoy this moment. So far, it's done well for us.
Our guys, I've seen in the past, in other years, where we felt so much pressure that we weren't able to succeed. So we've taken this approach, that it's important for us to go in those kind of games that way, the day before and so on, so forth. Our guys are obviously enjoying it. They're happy and that's what you like to see from your group.

Q. How do you account for the impact that Mark Recchi has had on this series? This series has been up and down. The pace has been frenetic and here is a guy who has never been a classically strong skater to start with. But he's also in his '40s and he still manages to have an impact on this series. I'm wondering how you account for that?
COACH JULIEN: Obviously experience is key to that. He's a smart enough player to know where to go, be at the right places at the right time. Because he's not the fastest skater out there, doesn't mean he doesn't get in the right place. When he does, he knows what to do with the puck.
That's just the hockey side of it and what he brings. But everyone that has been around the team has seen the impact he's had on our young players and the team itself in the dressing room. He's really been a great leader as a captain. Bergeron is our other assistant. Those guys have really done a great job of leading our team.
He is a very respected player, because right now, you've heard him say that, and he said that to our players, he's got two Stanley Cup rings. Right now he probably wants it more for others on this team than he does for himself. That's why he's playing, for his teammates. No doubt it would be a great way for him to cap his career with something like that and certainly doing his share.

Q. You talked about the need to stay relaxed and focused to handle the pressure, and I assume you're talking about that from a player's perspective, from a coaching perspective. Do you feel the pressure and how do you handle nerves?
COACH JULIEN: No, I think it starts from the coach, starts from the coaches, and comes from upper management. Our general manager said the same thing all along, we've taken that approach to come in and make sure that there is an atmosphere in the dressing room of a variety of things: commitment, obviously there is also the focus, there is everything that needs to be done in a game, but there is also a good air in the dressing room that makes the guys enjoy being with each other and enjoying the moment.
We just try to create that situation, and as you can see, everybody is in there with a smile. It doesn't guarantee anything tomorrow, but the thing that we're going to do is do the best we can so that we can have those permanent smiles on our faces.

Q. Claude, you have an approach going into every game that you don't change at this time of year, but you haven't gotten the result that you wanted in the previous three games. Is there a balance between the two, whether you want to alter something going into tomorrow or is it business as usual?
COACH JULIEN: I think we need to alter our game here, that's what needs to be altered.
We've already started talking about what we need to do as soon as the game yesterday was done. I think it was important to set the tone and the stage for Game 7, so we started doing that.
We've talked about it and our guys realize what they didn't do here well enough and what needs to be done and we're going to be ready to put that on the ice tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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