NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: MIGHTY DUCKS v DEVILS

June 9, 2003

Pat Burns

COACH PAT BURNS: I wouldn't count on him.

COACH PAT BURNS: Didn't try to talk me. He's a smart guy. He's been around long enough. He knows. He wanted to try this morning and you got to let him do that opportunity, you know, decision, whatever it would be, I wouldn't count on it for tonight. Something else, Mark?

COACH PAT BURNS: No. I don't foresee any right now. But never know with me, so...

COACH PAT BURNS: Beauty? (LAUGHTER). You call it beauty. It's exciting. I don't know how pretty it is. I don't know if I'd go out on a date with it very often - (LAUGHTER) - and I have been to a couple. They are tough. But I think it is exciting for the game of hockey. I think it's exciting for these Playoffs. I don't believe when these Playoffs started, or especially our series, that anybody really cared. I think everybody thought it was going to be a boring series. Everybody thought it was going to be something that was going to be not much fun to watch but it turned out completely opposite. I think this has been an exciting series for both teams. I think it been great for the fans. I think it's -- we have had good performances. We have had sub-par performances. We have had you know, both teams going back and forth with different situations. I talked about it yesterday, the emotional roller-coaster of this series has been up and down for no matter what. However how it ends, when you think about it, the 800 players that have played this year; the over a thousand games that have been played; the over 400 odd Playoff games that have been played; the over so many people involved, this is exciting. This is what it's all about, unfortunately, that you have two winning teams, we have to say they are two winners. We have been here but it will only be one grand finale winner tonight. I think what is important is everybody, we have talked to the team about this, we talked to them last night. We told them, that we have all had something to say about that. This has been a tremendous year. But it is all down to one game. Doesn't matter what happened in the last game; doesn't matter what happened in Game 3, doesn't matter. It will matter what happens tonight.

COACH PAT BURNS: I think we do and I think they do. I believe that over the six games that were played I talked a little bit about it yesterday, the haze has formed a little bit but I think you will see better discipline tonight. I think you will see better discipline on both teams tonight. And of course, we know you have to, but I think that both teams -- you can't change a whole lot tonight. You are not going to change your style that much. Might do a couple of adjustments here or there but you are not going to go into the dressing room now and I am sure Mike feels the same way, okay, tonight we're doing it a different way; we're going to have a different powerplay. We're going to have a different forechecking system tonight. It is not the time. We have told the players go out and do what you do best and that's the most important thing.

COACH PAT BURNS: I don't think we have ever been caught by surprise. They battled back; we battled -- we went back and forth like that. Predictions, I leave that up to you guys. You guys are good at it. I just leave that up to you. I think what is very important is how our heads are today, you know, and I think I feel good. I like what our teams looks like this morning. Breakfast they were fine. I really like what they looked like in the morning skate this morning. And that's what counts. I couldn't tell you basically how the game is going to go tonight, what -- we don't know that. When the puck drops, you have guys that are going to be battling out there and the important thing is to win the battles. That's the most important thing.

COACH PAT BURNS: Has a lot to do with it. The things that could happen, I always said the goaltender could have his glove there and it could be one inch over the glove. That's how close it can be. It could hit the inside of a post instead of hitting directly on the post. There's a lot of things. It could be somebody could trip, somebody could fall, those things all come into play in this game. You know, that's the fun of it. That's the exciting part of it. And I think that's what is going to make it an exciting game.

COACH PAT BURNS: It's important to have anybody whether it be Nieuwendyk; whether it be Ken Daneyko, whether it be anybody. I think everybody has -- I don't have a very young team. I don't have guys that sometime need a whole lot of guys that need settling down. These guys know -- a lot of them have been there. A lot of them know what it means. They know what it's going to take tonight. A lot of them know what it's going to take. They have been there. They have had a battle before and they know exactly what it takes. So I don't think it needs a lot of people talking and the psych game. I do not think you need that. Gets to a situation maybe on the bench, you will hear the older guys maybe say something.

COACH PAT BURNS: Trying to get some sleep. I think right now is not to be you know, you say things at certain times. I don't think you want to be around them too much right now. I don't think you'd want to be in the dressing room every 30 seconds. They know what has to be done. I said it is a different kind of team. It different from another team. This team knows where it has been. I have said that all through these series - this is an easy team to coach. The credit goes to a lot of these players that have been there before that you know, they know all -- I will come in before the game, a couple reminders, a couple of things we have got to do. I will go in between periods, we have got to adjust here and there. If everybody believes that I am in there all the time with two double flags waiving, you have got it all wrong.

COACH PAT BURNS: There has to be; that's why we're in Game 7. Because if there wasn't it would have ended a long time ago. Sure, there is. And that's the sport. You have played each other every second night, with the exception of a couple of nights we've had off, we have seen each other, day in day out; we have traveled to each other's cities. We have answered the same questions day in and day out about one another. Sure, it is, that's what makes it special.

COACH PAT BURNS: I think everybody is going to have a couple of butterflies before the puck drops. Once it starts I don't think anybody is nervous.

COACH PAT BURNS: Me, I am not nervous. Do I look nervous this morning? (LAUGHTER). (Smiles).

COACH PAT BURNS: No, I don't think I am concerned. I think it's a situation where I am very comfortable with him. I think if you were a coach and you had to go into a Game 7, and you had a choice of a lot of goaltenders, I think you'd probably have a good look at Martin Brodeur. I am very comfortable with that situation. He's been through a lot, but he's been there for us all year and I am sure he's going to be there for us again tonight.

COACH PAT BURNS: I just-- since this morning -- since last night actually, you know, everybody calm, everybody, you know, loose, smiling around, and you know, I think the camaraderie was very important, go out -- there's a suite up there, seen the guys playing cards, watching TV, watching the basketball game, and it's all good. It's all good.