NHL Peachy: 2015 Eastern Conference Finals Practice Day Transcript - (NYR - Coach Vigneault) Our Coverage Sponsored by Martin's Tavern of Georgetown Est. 1933
Established in 1933, Martin's Tavern is one of Washington DC’s most historic family-owned enterprises. For 80 years, Martin’s Tavern has been a renowned fixture in the mid-Atlantic and a must-visit establishment in historic Georgetown. In the late 1890's, William S. Martin traveled from Galway, Ireland to America. Forty years later, he and his son, William G. Martin, the current Billy's grandfather, opened Martin’s Tavern on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and N Street NW which is run today by our friend, William A. Martin Jr. You can call him Billy! From sitting Presidents and media icons, to city residents and worldly travelers, Martin’s Tavern is a welcoming home to the many who have long embraced its warm atmosphere. Its quintessentially classic American fare has delighted discriminating palates for decades from the Oakwood Atlantic Smoked Salmon to the Filet Mignon to whatever your little heart desires from the convincing menu. Every President from Truman to George W. Bush has happily dined at Martin's Tavern, and you can see the delicious culinary choices preferred by each in our review: Martin's Tavern is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know:
The President’s favorite booths, The Proposal Booth of Jack and Jackie Kennedy, Mickey Mantle in The Dugout Room, George W. Bush and family at Table 12 are just a few of the iconic stories. Fourth generation owner Billy Martin, Jr. continues the tradition of Washington’s oldest family owned restaurant and Georgetown landmark.
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An interview with:
COACH VIGNEAULT
Q. Coach, the players talk about the specialness of Game 7. What about for you and your staff?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, for us, it's business as usual. We're trying to get our team focused and in the moment and ready to execute. It doesn't get any better than a Game 7, and that's what we've got in front of our fans tomorrow.
Q. Hank has been so good in Game 7 situations. Can you point to any one thing that makes him more successful than other goalies?
COACH VIGNEAULT: He stops the puck (laughing). You want your players going into this to be confident and to enjoy these games. There's no doubt that Hank takes a lot of pride in his individual preparation and in his performance, and we know that he's going to be ready for tomorrow.
Q. Coach, obviously you personally have a great record in Game 7s. I was curious, the one you lost in 2011, what did you learn from that experience?
COACH VIGNEAULT: You know, I've sort of moved past that one. That was a real tough one to take at the time, and my sole focus right now is on getting this team ready. We had a good meeting this morning. Couple things that we feel that we can clean up to play a better game, and that's what tomorrow's about. It's about us going out, making plays. We need to make better plays. And it's having a real smart work ethic on the ice, and I think if we clean up a couple of areas, and we definitely know we have to bring our A game tomorrow, we'll be in good shape.
Q. Do you go into this game kind of expecting a low-scoring-type defensive match, or given the way the series has gone, do you just not know?
COACH VIGNEAULT: I would say anybody trying to predict what tomorrow is going to be like, every game has been different. The only thing I think you can predict is that both teams are going to work extremely hard. They've got some great competitors on their team. We've got some great competitors on our team, and it should be a hell of a hockey game.
Q. Henrik's game in Game 7s, players always try to say it's just another game, but when you look at his record, is there something more to it than just playing one more game and getting a result?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, I would say to you his record in the regular season is real good. His record in the playoffs is real good. There is obviously a lot more scrutiny in Game 7. But, as a player, you want to play in these moments, you want to have this opportunity. And not just Hank, but our whole group, has got another opportunity to understand that we can move on with one win and that's what we're going to try to do.
Q. Any concern about McDonagh and Zuc?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Flying out there. Getting close.
Q. Getting close?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Day-to-day. Day-to-day.
Q. What about your team to this point has you confident that they're not looking - already thinking about the Stanley Cup? The only reason I ask that is because they haven't been shy about talking since the end of last season's Stanley Cup that the whole goal was to get back there. So being so close now, how are you confident that they're not taking it mentally that step forward being so close?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Our day-to-day approach has been to trust our preparation, to trust our training, and to stay in the moment and focus on the process. That's been our day-to-day process and focus throughout the year.
I've been talking since day one about we need to focus on this next game, this upcoming game, and that's what we've done. We haven't shied away from saying that our ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup. We haven't shied away from saying that we know we're going to be judged by our playoff success, but this group is going to be focused on one thing, and that's tomorrow's game.
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