NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: MIGHTY DUCKS v DEVILS

June 8, 2003

Mike Babcock

COACH BABCOCK: We have to play better than we have. What a great opportunity for our organization and players, myself personally, our coaching staff, everybody. This is something you dream about. It's Game 7. It's on the biggest stage in hockey. This is when you want to respond. What a great opportunity. The interesting thing for us here is we've emotionally been a disaster. Not that we don't have emotion. Keeping it under control has been the biggest challenge for us. It's been interesting too, because the veteran team that they have and amount of times they have been here, they've fluctuated in their play as well. Whoever holds court tomorrow is going to win. We would like that to be us.

COACH BABCOCK: I don't have to convince them. We wouldn't have won Game 6 if we didn't think we were going to win here. Why would you bother with the flight? I didn't think yesterday there was any -- I thought our guys came out ready and were jumping. We got good breaks.

COACH BABCOCK: I don't say anything to them. I know what we have and how long we're off and I know the way things can go. Unless you have been a part of the Finals, it's way different than the playoffs because of the emotional roller-coaster. It happens too quick. I've got to give our guys a ton of credit. We've got good leadership in the room. Our guys have been able to respond and come back. We played well in the last game of the year in our building. Hopefully they'll buy tickets and come back next year.

COACH BABCOCK: You'll have to ask him. No one's pump about getting on that flight. In saying that, everyone wants to be here obviously. Everyone will be ready to go.

COACH BABCOCK: Well, whether there is anything for me to say, I'm going to say something. We're going to do what we've done all along. We're going to meet, show some clips, talk about the game and the plan and emotional control. Our big thing all year long has been, let's be the best we can be. We want to go out and go after it, just do what we do. I really believe that it doesn't matter where you play or who you play. It's about how you play. Let's worry about ourselves. If you do everything you can to be the best you can be, you can't ask any more than that.

COACH BABCOCK: It's a game of mistakes, and so things are going to go well and things are going to go poor. When they're going good, keep her going. When things are going poor, keep her going. Don't fluctuate. It's amazing if you're consistent how everything works out over time. You see it in the regular season all the time. You've seen the last two nights the things that never ever happen with these two teams. So, how come it's happening like that?

COACH BABCOCK: No. We know what we're going to do. We know what we want to do. Now, we have to go do it. It's about execution. We have to be able to control ourself emotionally to be able to execute.

COACH BABCOCK: But I don't think it's about that. I think it's about doing what you do. To me, if you can come out and establish your game first, that's what they're going to try to do. The last two nights, they started Stevenson with Brylin up front. They want to win the faceoff. They want to get it in and run you. They're trying to establish their game first. We're going to try to do the same thing.

COACH BABCOCK: Not in the National League I haven't. I have been involved in tons of series and lots of Game 7s and had real good teams and average teams. The thing I find is if you're resilient and believe in yourself and believe in a foundation, that you have a chance to be successful. Their team or our team at the start of the year, if you would have told them they had this opportunity, they would take it in a second. So, we'll take it.

COACH BABCOCK: The great thing about guys at this level is they all read. They all know that stuff. Sykora played for these guys. Niedermayer's brother plays for these guys. They know as much or more about this team that I do. They're going to share it with one another. All that stuff will be shared and everyone knows they've got to bring their own game. They don't have to look after the guy next to them. They worry about their part.

COACH BABCOCK: I think I tried to answer that already. Common sense would say, yes, but you watched them last night too. What does that mean? That means if you can get out and establish your game first, it's way easier when you're playing well. If it's not going well, I like to think I'm a guy who's fairly under control too. I've done some things in the Finals, where I would say to myself, "What the heck are you doing?" We all are hockey. We want to be successful and we've put a lot into it and now we've got our chance.

COACH BABCOCK: I think Scott Stevens was doing what he does, doing his job. I think the hit was late. I watched it afterwards on TV. I watched the commentary that it was a good hit. I don't have any problem with that. I still think the hit was late. He doesn't care what I think. We're going to get on with it tomorrow. It's not about that. It's about winning. It's not about hating the guy more. We just play the game. That's what we're going to do tomorrow. We're going to come out and play the game.

COACH BABCOCK: No, not at all. It's let's play. Injuries happen all the time. Obviously, it could be a devastating situation, but the guys want to win the game. The only thing you can do to help Paul if he's injured is play and win the game. I thought it was exciting for him. The thought that was impressive to me is when he came back, the crowd gave him a big ovation and, then it was like he was energized beyond belief. We played him all the time there to get him going, and we didn't play him at all in the end because it was over with. I think he's going to be great tomorrow. He's excited about it. They're going to try to do the same tomorrow. That's their job.

COACH BABCOCK: I don't spend any time talking about that, because I guess if I wanted to, I would say, "Geez, they're last experience with this, they lost, and they had us down 2-0 and now we're here." I don't buy to anything about them, Scott Stevens or anything. I think it's about us. We control what we do and how we prepare. Game 7 is different. Here's your last game of the year. You know it, and you would like to finish on a positive note. I can't express it enough how exciting it is to be with a group of guys that have tried this hard and come this far and been this impressive to be honored to be sitting here to talking about them. I don't know what to say about it. When I look at the job Bryan Murray's done and myself, and we have great players and good leadership and good people, and we want to win.

COACH BABCOCK: The biggest game of the year, because it's the one we're playing. It's been interesting that way that that's always the right answer.

COACH BABCOCK: No, actually, I wasn't. Live in the present, enjoy what you're doing.