NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

June 1, 2001

Rob Blake

Ray Bourque

Chris Drury

Adam Foote

ROB BLAKE: Well, we are excited. We had a real strong game yesterday after the first, we had a few penalties there in the first. We killed the majority of them off. Came out in the second there, but again we are only half way. There is a lot of work left.

ROB BLAKE: I don't know. Obviously their road record speaks for itself and they are a good enough team that they are going to carry it over. Again, we haven't won in this building in a long, long time and you come in the Playoffs it's a different situation, but tomorrow you expect Jersey to come hard.

ROB BLAKE: Oh yeah, this time of the year the practice mainly is just to get out and loosen up. You are not going to learn too much more in practice. The game is the important thing. It's every other day. We will take the rest here.

ROB BLAKE: We have done pretty good job all Playoff long trying to shut down top lines. That's key if you are going to win in the Playoffs and Jersey will be the first to tell you you have got to keep the top scorers off as much as possible. We did all right for three games, but they are going to come again. Arnott got there, got going a little bit last night with a powerplay goal, but you just take their space away as much as you can.

ROB BLAKE: I think their back pressure is unbelievable. When you are playing Arnott line or Mogilny line the more you can stand up at the blue line the better success you are going to have. You really need that backside pressure. I think the speed of Tanguay, Hejduk, Drury, Nieminen, Ryan, all these guys are putting back pressure, allows us to stand up much easier.

CHRIS DRURY: You have to ask me after, I don't know after all this what would be better.

CHRIS DRURY: I do feel like I have a lot of experience. I don't know exactly how many Playoff games I have played, going to the Conference Finals, two years and now the Stanley Cup Finals, it's been a great experience and I am very fortunate. A lot of people couldn't get that far ever. I have done that already. Hopefully I can go a little bit further.

ADAM FOOTE: I think he just pretty much means that I play a gritty game and sometimes you get under guys' skin and when the hit is there they might take it. That's happened in the past. I don't think about that. I just think about with respect to my opponent and playing hard and if they are going to go at me and if they are off their game, they are off their game. It's probably a good thing if they are off their game because things normally play in their face, I don't think I played -- well I know I haven't played there, I have been just playing respectful, taking away their space; sometimes you frustrate guys. I am not saying I am frustrating him. I am talking about the past, what Bob is talking about, you know, they are -- it doesn't matter if you are just a goal scorer, there's big boys out there that can match your strength. You have got to be smart all the time. There's physical players out there.

ADAM FOOTE: I watched the tape, he almost got me with a clean hit. I was just a little bit on the side. It is a tough call for the official, just shows you the game, it is just fractions where it could be a clean hit or they think it is a bad hit. I can't answer that. I don't know if he was frustrated. I don't know.

RAY BOURQUE: Yes, I think I am, and I recognize that this may be my last opportunity for this and I am really enjoying every second of it.

RAY BOURQUE: Well, that's real important. My kids, my daughter is 17. My son is 15. My youngest son is 10. They are at an age where every game and every series, they are right there with you, and sometimes a lot more emotional than you are. I got to calm them down sometimes. But it is just great to see them live the whole experience, especially they have been around hockey for so long and they know what it is all about and what I have been chasing and why I went to Denver for, you know, for the ultimate prize and they know their dad is close and they are real excited about that. So they have been in Denver watching the whole series and they are seeing every game of this Final series some hopefully it happens for us and we are certainly going to enjoy it if it does.