NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

June 8, 2001

Ray Bourque

Patrick Roy

PATRICK ROY: Well, I mean, it certainly has a place somewhere but not as much as tomorrow if we could win that game.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: For me without a doubt it's the biggest game I have ever played in. It's a game that I have looked forward to playing in. So thankful for the opportunity and I am real excited. I can't wait to play. It's tough to stay in the moment and just focus on what you got to do, but we are doing that and just keeping our eye on the prize and what we have to do and not getting ahead of ourselves and knowing that it is going to be a tough, fought battle but really looking forward to it.

PATRICK ROY: I don't know, I don't think there is much to be a said about tomorrow. Everybody understands the urgency have coming with a win and like Ray said, it should be a very exciting out there.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: For me it is special, we are going to look back on it as sharing a special time. For them, just seeing the excitement in their face and how nervous and excited they are after wins or how disappointed they are after a loss and all the emotion that's they go through, it's pretty neat. It has been fun. It has been a fun ride and that's why we all made the move. It wasn't easy making that move. But they knew why I was making it and now they are living it. It's really been a lot of fun.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: Well, I think you play ball hockey or after when you are a kid watching the Finals and after the last game a lot of times you'd go out and just get with your buddies and play the game. I can't recall exactly, you know, I am sure I won all the time. But I just recall going out and playing hockey after watching the Finals, just the excitement of watching that and not really knowing the details of it or remembering the details of it.

PATRICK ROY: I guess I should use when I join the NHL my first year I didn't speak too much English and I was going in the restaurant and I said same thing. (LAUGHTER).

RAYMOND BOURQUE: No I don't think it's a factor at all. I think there's certain games you come out of that you might might be tougher than others, but you always seem to feel a lot better after a win than an also. I am hoping to feel real good tomorrow night.

PATRICK ROY: Well, that's what we were talking on the plane sitting together yesterday, I mean, the support from these fans have been fantastic. When we went there they were part of our thinking, we were saying it would be nice to come back and have that Game 7 in front of these fans because they have been so supportive to us since we came to Colorado. It will be nice to see it happen.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: Who?

RAYMOND BOURQUE: No.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: Not at all.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: Because I believe we are going to get it done. I am excited but I am not nervous because I just go out and just go out and do my best. That's all I can control. If you get nervous whatever then you start thinking too much that's when you start making mistakes. I have just been around too long to -- I mean there's a time when I was nervous going into Playoff games and playing in big games and all that, but 22 years worth of it, you just know what you got to do and you just bring it out.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: Well, I will answer that better after the game tomorrow. But I hope so. (Laughs). No, I think you create your own destiny and fate and by going out and working hard just trying to get the job done.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: Well, I learned that it is a lot of fun playing with one of the best in the business and you know, Patrick and I yesterday morning, I looked at Patrick I was just watching Footer get dressed and he just looked to me as a gladiator, just theing his shoulder pads on his equipment, and how he goes out there and just battles. I said, it is unbelievable going out to play with a guy like that, that what he is going to bring to the table every night and the emotions and the physical game and just his energy. For me, it has been awesome. It has been great. He is a good friend. He is a great guy and I have really enjoyed really all aspects of spending time with Footer.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: Well, we become good golf partners too, but, you know, -- no, we are good friends. We talked before I came here in Denver whenever we would meet up. We knew each other but certainly not to the point that we know each other now. We spent a lot of time together in the last 15 months and I have gotten to know Patrick, you know, really well and for me it has been a joy to be around Patrick and his family. He is really -- they helped us out a lot here when they got here and in Denver, and just playing with one of the best in the business and just watching how he goes about his business, you play against somebody and you know they are great and all that, but when you get to play with somebody and see how they go about their business day in day out, you know, for me it is something I really enjoy experiencing. And our friendship, you know, we spend a lot of tile together. We drive together to the rink we play golf together. We are always out together on the road. So it has been pretty special.

PATRICK ROY: We were in the Olympics and we were always together over there and coming on the train one night the last date we wished we would stay over there that night and having a good time with the athletes all that. But on our way back we mentioned it would be nice to play with each other one day, we kind of knowing that it will probably never happen, but when the trade happened it was such a good thing for the Avalanche. If you remember at that time we were struggling a bit, fighting for a Playoff spot and Ray was a perfect fit for this team. Since that Day-1 brought a lot of leadership in this dressing room and raised the expectation of our team and also showed a lot of young guys and even older guys that by working hard and having such a great approach to the game, could help everybody. It was a great example. He is such an unselfish person. Really understands the importance of playing together.

RAYMOND BOURQUE: We expect their best. I think both teams, I think are going to go out with a similar game plans in terms of not beating themselves. I think if you ask both teams, you know, what is -- how can you lose and I think it is by us beating ourselves or them beating themselves. It is a game of mistakes and whoever I think is going to make the less amount of mistakes are going to win the hockey game.

PATRICK ROY: I was a lot of guys, but first I remember we were Rogie Vachon with reflex and all that, we had the glove going all the time. That was the guy that we were.