NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: HURRICANES v RED WINGS

June 10, 2002

Scotty Bowman

COACH BOWMAN: We're playing against a team that really doesn't give you much. If you don't play that kind of the way we did, I mean, we really played probably our best defensive game in a long time. And obviously the first goal in the game, like, that's very big. I think the teams proved they can shut each other down.

COACH BOWMAN: Yeah, like if you don't score the first goal -- I think our best plays came after we scored because then when the other team is down a goal, they are going to play a little differently just a little bit. And that's what we thought, if we could get that first goal. Didn't look too good in the first period, wasn't much going on. Both teams don't give very much action and, yeah, we made some good plays early on. Didn't result in real good chances, but Irbe has been really equal to what we have been shooting at. No chances on those goals. That's the way we wanted to play, but we knew that if they got the first goal, it would be even tougher to score. That's basically the break that we got.

COACH BOWMAN: I think they will play -- I don't know exactly what they will do. I don't know anybody that can predict that. They have been a road team. I haven't seen all the road games, but they have had -- I guess their road record has been even maybe better than their home record, something like we have too. It is a strange thing in the Playoffs, now in the Finals, the road team seems to have the edge. I don't know. We are going to have to have a couple of days to rest up obviously. I still think that we used our last couple of days pretty good. We were able -- we didn't roll the four lines equal, but they all played and I think that helped us again. It's really helping us as the series goes on, and they use their other line a little bit more tonight.

COACH BOWMAN: He has. Before he went to Dallas, he hadn't been on the Stanley Cup winning team. And when you look for him to score 100 goals and not have a lot of Playoff games that probably a lot of players have had is really something. He's a pure goal scorer. We know that he got his 10th goal tonight in a League where it's really tough to score. Even a goal beforehand just a little under a goal every two games in the Playoffs. He's playing with two young players as well, that's not like a powerhouse line. There are going to be great young players, but still inexperienced, and you have got to put that on his -- on the positive side as well.

COACH BOWMAN: Well, we have been in this position before with three wins, and that fourth game is -- it's just a matter of staying away from all the hoopla. They talked about it as soon as the game was over. They were talking to each other. That's what they were saying, we have got two days in between. And that's something, you know, coming home and your good friend and your relatives, they want to be there if you win, for sure, but that doesn't help you play. You have got to sort of shut that down, and I think we have. I feel we have enough experienced guys that have been in this position for some time, and they can help the ones that haven't been in that position because that's what you have got to do.

COACH BOWMAN: When he played in Edmonton we thought he was a solid defensive player and he was young and he had good speed, then he had a bad injury. Taken him sometime to find his spot with us, and a team that has a lot of offensive guys, he has been a good fit for us. It's not easy for a young player to play the minutes that he is playing and still be able to do what he's doing. That's what you have to look at. He's not playing the minutes of some other guys and he will get there eventually and I think that's a real plus for a young player to be able to sometimes come off the bench and play like he has. He has got to improve on his offensive touch, but he's really working. He had a great chance tonight. Irbe was sprawling and he just didn't get it up high enough, but he's shooting quicker. I think he's going to be able to score. Once he gets his confidence and starts concerning himself about trying to score some goals. Right now he just wanted to help the team and maybe the team initially and that's where he is.

COACH BOWMAN: No, I don't think we were very -- it wasn't like we were going all out to try to get it. You don't know. You go in and you don't know about the powerplays. Actually the best powerplay I had was the last one as far as moving it around. But, no, we didn't have any desire to go out and -- we were concerned going into the beginning of the game that whatever we did early would be very important because they are at home and the crowd is behind them and the initial urge sometimes, so we were -- I think we were trying to play more on the defensive side.