NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: STARS v DEVILS

June 6, 2000

Martin Brodeur

Scott Gomez

John Madden

Scott Stevens

SCOTT STEVENS: At this point, I think everyone knows what we have sacrificed, how far we come and what this all means, that I don't think we have to look too far ahead. We just got to take it one period at a time now and look at that first period of the next game and be focused. I think we did a good job of doing that last night.

SCOTT STEVENS: I am still looking for the answer of that. I guess try to read a lot; take your mind off hockey. Think of other things. There has been a lot of hockey so far this year for us, and at this point I think you just want to get away from it, not think too much about hockey too much, and go on from there. I think that is the best way to approach it.

SCOTT STEVENS: It is tough. You try to go to bed and try to think about something else, but you are always rehashing the hockey games, going over the ifs and the buts, and all those things. But like I said, you got to take your mind away from it. Today, when we get back, spend some time with our families, it should be nice. And like I said, try to pick up a book and read as much as you can.

SCOTT STEVENS: You take one game at a time. You go from there. If you look at the big picture, it doesn't look pretty. But you are looking at one game at a time, and it is easier to accept. Obviously, this time of year is pretty big, and you sacrifice a lot. You have come a long way, so you don't want to go out early.

SCOTT STEVENS: Yeah, no question. You never have too big a lead in this game, it seems. That is why you don't get too high and you don't get too low. We have been through some ups and downs and adversity in this Playoffs. We have to just, like I say, go out and think about the next game and nothing else, and play our best hockey game at home.

SCOTT GOMEZ: It is. Yeah, it is hard not to think about it, but for how close we are, I still feel like it is so-far-away kind of thing. You know you are right there, it takes one more; that is always the hardest one. To clinch it, that is always the hardest one.

SCOTT GOMEZ: It is something you have got to believe in in each one. You guys -- it is just a matter of things going right for you. Everything has to go right for you down 3-1; that is just the way it is.

SCOTT GOMEZ: No, one thing good about this team is the ability to just let things go. Like after a win or something we enjoy it, but then right after it, it is totally done.

SCOTT GOMEZ: Yeah, I guess. Not really worried about whatever they have to do.

SCOTT GOMEZ: I don't know, you talk to the older guys a little bit. They have gone through it. They know what it is like. I think you just, I mean, it is tough. It is always on your mind kind of thing but at the same time it is so far away 'til the last buzzer sounds or whatever, I guess that is when it really is happening. Until then, I don't know how you stay calm. You kind of just all soak it in.

JOHN MADDEN: I asked Gomer if he was nervous. He said, no. Imagine being 20 years old and one game away from winning the Stanley Cup and not being nervous, either he has got ice running through his veins or he just doesn't know any better.

JOHN MADDEN: It is important -- it is important to just not talk about it openly, I guess, with family and friends and try not to get too far ahead because I know obviously the questions family and friends are going to have are: What are you going to do with the Cup; what if you win, what is going to happen afterwards. We don't want that. We just want to focus on the game and what we have to do to win the game.

JOHN MADDEN: Obviously Brian and I are thankful that New Jersey found us - Lou Lamoriello and the scouts of the New Jersey organization found us. We were out there trying to be seen and they took notice, so I think it is more of a tribute to them. There is not too many teams in the League that would take a chance, so to speak, on two free agents and to have them wind up in the Stanley Cup and playing an avid role on the team, to me, it is a tribute to the organization and to the talented scouts they have.

JOHN MADDEN: Yeah.

JOHN MADDEN: Really? I have been to the Hockey Hall of Fame about 15 times, so whenever I am in Toronto, I seem to go by there. I have seen it there and to be honest, I am not even actually sure if that is the actual Stanley Cup or a replica of the one they got there, but if that is the Stanley Cup, I have seen it.

MARTIN BRODEUR: We will go back to the hotel tonight really be together and will get us into that frame of mind when we are going to need to play our next game.

MARTIN BRODEUR: It is like anything, we are the living proof that you are able to come back 3 to 1 in a series. I think that really scares us a little bit because we did it to the Flyers. They never saw us coming. Now we are in a situation that it could happen to us. So we definitely -- it is a team that is able to do it. It is a team that is really solid from their offense to their defense, so it is going to be tough to close out a series. The last is always the toughest one to get.

MARTIN BRODEUR: I don't know, there is a lot of things. I think we scored some key goals during this series. We played well defensively. I think their special team did a great job throughout and bounces - we got the bounces and we were able to put them away when we had our chance, but everything could be erased if you don't win that last one.

MARTIN BRODEUR: Definitely it is one of our assets. We have young legs that really like to be in this situation right now. Everybody is pumped up and we use our asset as much as we can, the system that we have and we gained a lot of success so far.