NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: DEVILS v SENATORS

May 9, 2003

Pat Burns

COACH BURNS: Well, this is my first year with the Devils so I think this team here -- and I have been in the Final Four a couple of times before, and this team here has been there. It's not exactly all the same team, but it's not very hard. I think the way that this club has performed in past seasons and past years is that they know how important it is. You have nothing won yet and I think that's the attitude that we have. We're talking about winning this round and we have done that. When you started back there in September there was 82 games to play. We took every single game, game by game. We didn't worry about a whole lot. And we just followed our way up to here. Now we have the chance to win four games. That's the way we look at it. Then we'll worry about the rest after that.

COACH BURNS: I think we have to be the underdogs. They were the best team in the National Hockey League this year. Second best powerplay overall behind Detroit. Numerous talented, skilled players. I think that it's pretty obvious that they should be. It doesn't really matter. People make something out of it. We don't; whether you are underdog or favorite it doesn't really matter. I think the game is played on the ice. It's not played in the newspapers and it is not played in the TV and radio stations. The game is played on the ice whether you are underrated, overrated; doesn't really matter.

COACH BURNS: The past is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.

COACH BURNS: I think he would. I think any kind of experience that you do have, what you have been through before definitely pays off and Marty has been there through numerous occasions of pressure-filled games, of pressure situations and I think that that can't be taught. That can't be told how it's going to be. You have to live those situations. I think Marty has. Patrick is a brilliant goaltender. He's done great things for this hockey club in Ottawa. And the experience-wise is only what he's living now is only going to pay off in the future for him. You have to -- people -- we talk about edges, they have got to give a little edge to Marty on that because he has been there numerous times with different teams. This isn't the same team that won in '95 and it's not exactly the whole same team that won in 2000. This is a different team a little bit.

COACH BURNS: Golf has nothing to do with it. This is a nice place. We're here tonight. We're here tomorrow then we're going home. So we're not going to be here that long to really enjoy anything. I don't think there's -- I didn't see any lights out there so I don't think there's any night golf so I am not too worried about that.

COACH BURNS: First of all, the game was supposed to be at 3:00. We can go back and work in our own facilities sleep in our own beds. It's a 55 minute flight. Why would you want to hang around and practice here and not have a whole lot of things to do for us here, when we can go back at home; the guys can be with their families, and it's Mother's Day on Sunday, the guys can go back and spend some time with their families. I don't think it's a big deal. If there wouldn't have been two games in between we wouldn't even have thought about it. But you know, we have to think of us too. I know that going back and be able to work in our environment is a lot better than having to work in somebody else's environment.

COACH BURNS: No, I am going back too.