NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: RED WINGS v FLYERS

June 4, 1997

Scotty Bowman

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Well, it is the task. Obviously, you know, looking at the situation, you know, we talked a bit about Philadelphia, the fact that since the game was over, the people that we had watching the last two series, you know, reminded us that they did play better away from Philadelphia in the last two series against -- well, all three series, actually. They only lost the one game, I think, in Pittsburgh, I guess they lost. But, you know, there is a lot of focus -- you have to stay focused and the basically they are coming home to the environment that people, they are well wishes. There is nothing intended to do other than hope they win. But, the only people who can decide the game are in the room. What people say about them or what people wish them and everything else, doesn't really count. In fact, you can be the other way because we know that two years ago it was tough. We lost the first game at home and distractions of -- I mean, there is lots of people, some of them are even relatives and family, and you just have to sort of separate it, stay focused and know that I feel they will play a better game even away from Philadelphia, because of the situation that happened the first two games.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Well, we are fortunate. We have -- quite a few of the players have been here before a couple of years ago and, as I said before, Vernon and Murphy and Kocur have had this situation, so it is not like it is a complete foreign fair for everybody.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: That is paper talk. You got to play 60 minutes and maybe more. You know, there is nothing magical about they pinned us in our end for the first minute, then we ended up scoring the first goal. So, you know, I don't really think we -- it has happened that you can win a game in the first minute if you score a goal and game ends up 1-nothing, that is a possibility. But, you know, I think you have to just get -- are ready to play a complete game and have some ups and have some downs in the game, kill some penalties, stuff like that. We -- our penalties were tough in the first. We had 3 in the first 9 minutes and that puts a big pressure on your team because you are not using all your bench. Hey, when teams have power, plays even though they don't score generally, they get the puck in your end and there is some near chances in nearly every power play unless they can't get the puck in the end zone.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Yeah, it is a big challenge for Mike, you know, because he had a big challenge when he first came into Detroit and our goaltending at the time was maligned quite a bit. Some unjustified, some justified, and he and Chris have been a very strong tandem ever since we brought them -- Mike into Detroit. So, now, he has obviously had the experience; has certainly has a lot of confidence and he has got a lot of resiliency. He bounces back pretty well. Game in Colorado they scored early and we took him out of there and got Chris and he'd come right back the next game. That is usually what those goalies can do. They just -- if a goal goes in, they don't think about it. They are thinking about the next shot. And, he has been there before and he has picked up a lot -- everybody needs confidence even as an experienced goalie that he is, he has got a lot of confidence. St. Louis series he was up against Grant Fuhr who has been one of the top Playoff goalies of all time. And, you know, then going there against Anaheim, he -- the four wins, then of course Patrick Roy was, you know, his record is right there for everybody to see.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Nothing you can think about 42 years. Most of them weren't even born when that started, but there is a lot of -- I look at it that there is a lot of teams not in exactly the same situation, but in those situations, and we had a conversation two years ago about it and I don't really think about it honestly. Don't really think about it. I don't think any of the players think about it either. It will probably be more talked about after. That is the way I look at it.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: No. I thought he made the right play because as it turned out, you know, Snow played him pretty aggressively. If he would have shot, there wasn't much room. I think if he had to take him to his backhand, he had his stick right there. He had -- he just missed by a little bit. You know, and I think we talked about that these type of goalies that are aggressive, you know, you have got to have different plays. So we actually thought he made the right play. It is unfortunate he didn't score. But he had enough -- he didn't have enough room really, maybe even for a good goal scorer like he is, if he would have got it in, he did the right play. But, the puck was maybe half a foot away.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Well, I have always said before that -- try to convince the team that play -- you have to win games away from your own building. Sometimes in the game, the home ice can mean an advantage, but it is not automatic. If you look at the way our team has played away from Detroit, that we have had some success -- you have to win games away from your own building. It used to be you could pretty well, in some cases, have a good home record and go on to win. So, I just think that we are in a position, you know, before this series started that we knew we had to play every game all out. We have been fortunate in some situations in the games, you know, you have to make your own breaks. There is some mood swings in the game. Yesterday we had a pretty good game going early. Then we ran into situations where if you get penalties that are behind each other, it puts a big strain on your team. And, I thought we kind of had, you know, a portion of the game where we -- they got back in the game. They tied the game. They were very aggressive. They were getting some territorial advantage, then we were opportunistic to score a goal two or three minutes into the period to put us in the lead again. And that is the way I look at the game. I don't look that, you know, we look at the other opponent. I mean, I think the way we look at Philadelphia is that there has been a lot of pressure on the home team in the first game and then more pressure in the second and now they are coming away into a different environment and, you know, they didn't get where they are right now by fumbling around. As I said before, they had to go into some rinks and win and that is why they are in the Finals. That is the way I look at it. Nothing less.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: No, Marty LaPointe's penalty, you know, it was a situational penalty. I don't think -- I am more concerned about scrums and then you take an extra poke or you get mad at somebody and you take a slash, you know, our guys sucked it up pretty good last night. When you look at a lot of stuff that went on, they didn't retaliate. That is what we want to do, you know, turn the other check and bounce to the next play. I thought we did a good job on that. I couldn't say our penalties were foolish penalties at all not really.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: A lot of those games, we actually were playing pretty well and then, you know, get a late penalty, or we just have one let-down. And, sure, I think it taught the team that you can be playing as well as you want. The problem when you are in a one-goal game, even though you are territorially, or whatever, your scoring chance wise having a real good game, that is why they keep the score -- I mean, you are only up by one goal. A lot of things can happen. We had some string bounces, but, you know, probably fed on the fact that, you know, don't let it happen, I mean, at least in a season you have a chance because you are in the Playoffs and Playoffs you don't have a chance another chance, usually.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Probably circumstances. Some of the trades were -- he signed, then they had compensation and stuff and, you know, he is a player we have worked with this year. We have got to keep him skating. Last night is a good example. He was really skating hard. He is a talented goal scorer that, you know, they have to play the way they can. Obviously he gets enough room and he has learned a lot to get a lot on his shot. But, I think it has happened before, as you get with a team and they get a chance to, you know -- I have seen it happen with teams where you get a player and you are looking at your team and you say we have to make a bigger deal or we have to get a certain position. I don't know all the trades that happened, you know, it was a young player in New Jersey that was the team, you know, that was -- took awhile to build it up and then I think he had the option of signing with another team and getting a good contract. And, you know, it is -- that happens in the game today. Then when he went to Hartford, I mean, things didn't work out for him. So, you know, I think he wanted to get somewhere else and that is the privilege that players have today. I mean, there is many of them in the League like that.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: I think the ice will be okay. They can cool down the building pretty well in here. In April, they have a bit of difficulty because they haven't really changed over to all their air conditioning, but -- we -- since the Playoffs started we have been taking the team away the night before the game which we will continue to do today and that is going to be a big plus in this instance. It is sometimes a hardship in the early rounds. You are thinking about is it going to happen, is it going to go for a long time. But, at least now, we are in the last series and it is just a matter now of getting their priorities in order, having their skate today, going through the rituals that they have to go through and then getting the rest. That has worked out for a lot of teams. And, we are doing it again this way to try to get ready for the game tomorrow night.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: I mean, it surprised a lot of us. We have the luxury -- not the luxury but the ability to play, I think the big surprise for us, -- not a surprise because he is that kind of a player, but been able to place Fetisov with Konstantinov, they have been a good tandem since they both been put together couple of years ago and Murphy has fit in good with Nick Lidstrom because he played -- has been used to playing with players that can handle the puck and that is the part of the game that has helped him more than anything, but I also would say that our coverage by the forwards, they have been taking the right men out of the play or coverage. We know that they are both enough experienced now and they are pretty quick. And, I mean, as far as their stick, getting on to loose pucks and they do -- I mean Murphy's experience is really -- Nick played at the beginning of the year with a young kid, Mathieu Dandenault. Mathieu had a couple of tough games around the middle of the season because it was a new position for him. So has been used to playing with different players. He was playing with Bob Rouse, still sometimes plays with him, double him up with Konstantinov on penalty. But, Murphy has been a good fit for him because I think they both handle the puck.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Well, 1995 we drew a team like the Devils that it was obviously -- we were a little bit different team, I would say than we are now because we could score goals a little easier and you really get frustrated when you are a high scoring team and we weren't even getting shots -- you couldn't get shots on goal. They weren't really getting a lot of chances on us. They made the best of their chances and, you know, they were a team that won 10 games away from their own place. And, they were a team that we just couldn't handle. I think they had us out pointed in too many areas. They were much better defensively. Their goaltender rose to really a top part of his game and, you know, looking back on that series, the experience of some of their players, one of the -- Neal Broten best player of the series, he was picked up at the time as a late pick and he is something like Murphy, he'd come in and became a big, big part of their team. We are a different team than we were in '95 plus the experience of going through it for maybe 10 or -- 12 for guys that were playing -- they weren't all playing all that time, fellows like McCarty, LaPointe, I think I only went in the last game or two but they were there.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Well, they are in the series for us. We didn't play them as much. They were good defensively, started getting on to the penalty killing. I think with Kirk Maltby we were overloaded on right wing. We tried different players on left wing. Actually, tried LaPointe and had McCarty a few times. We seem to have a lot of right wingers in this organization and that started maybe four, five years ago and we actually traded Ray Sheppard who was a right-winger. He didn't play another position. We traded Dino Ciccarelli. Kirk came in and with his speed, he was the best of the ones we had to try on the left wing. He was pretty committed defensively and he used-- during the season, he got scoring chances and they just weren't going in. It is something you really don't know why they are now, but he is now -- he always had a pretty good shot.