NHL Peachy: 2015 Western Conference Finals Practice Day Transcript (Anaheim - Getzlaf, Fowler, Perry, Kesler, Coach Boudreau) Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates
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An interview with:
RYAN GETZLAF
CAM FOWLER
COREY PERRY
RYAN KESLER
COACH BRUCE BOUDREAU
Q. Would each of you respond to this. This series has been so incredibly close. Has that even amazed you that it's been that tight? Ultimately, what should make the difference?
RYAN GETZLAF: Well, I don't think it amazes me. With the teams, obviously the numbers, we figured we're going to be close at the end.
There's certain things we're going to have to do tomorrow to make sure our game's ready to play. I think that's ultimately what we have to do, is go out and play.
I thought in Game 6 we were a little bit tentative, waiting to see what they were going to do at times, and taking the pace to them at times.
It's definitely down to the wire, obviously Game 7. We expected this series to go long. Here we are.
CAM FOWLER: Yeah, I mean, kind of going with what Getzy said, it doesn't surprise me too much really how this series has gone. I think it's been an incredible series, and both teams have definitely had their moments.
I figured coming into the series, we were going to be in it for the long haul. Just for tomorrow, I think it's just going to come down to details and execution. Both teams, we're not going to throw any surprises at them, and they're not going to throw any surprises at us.
It's an exciting time, so it's something we're looking forward to.
Q. Bruce said after Game 6 that nerves got the best of you in that game, and Game 7 last year. Do you agree with that? If so, how do you combat that?
RYAN GETZLAF: Well, we just got to go. We've been through the experiences now. We have to use them the way we need to.
I don't know so much of it was nerves or just waiting to see things happen. We're on our heels, not really going forward with it until it was time, when we were down, to kind of pour it on.
We can learn from that. That's the biggest thing. I always believed that you learn a lot from losing. That's what we want to do obviously tomorrow going into that game, is have that mindset to play our game.
Q. Ryan, you played against Ryan Kesler a lot, played internationally against him. Now that you've played alongside him, things you learned about him, how he plays the game, and how important could he be in this kind of situation, Game 7, playing a lot against Jonathan?
RYAN GETZLAF: I'd love to say a bunch of stuff surprised me, but my opinion of him is kind of the same as it was. He's a great player. He plays hard. He makes it hard on you to play.
I've been in Toews' shoes many times, many games. It's not easy. I mean Kes does a great job and he has an offensive threat that makes him even more reliable for us, when he can play on both ends of the rink.
Q. There's been a lot of talk about their top players in the last game, particularly Toews and Keith really stepping up. Is that what you're expecting from yourself?
RYAN GETZLAF: Yeah, I mean, anyone who read my quotes after the last game, I obviously wasn't that happy with myself and the way I carried myself throughout that game.
I played in many big games. It's a matter of drawing back on things and just getting back to doing the things that we do well. That includes myself going out there and just playing, not worrying so much about line matchups, where I am on the ice, those kind of things. It's just a matter of going out and playing, really pushing things forward.
Q. From the outside, everyone has called this an epic series. Do you get a sense from the inside of just how good the games and the series has been?
RYAN GETZLAF: For sure, it's been great. We've had a blast with this series, this playoff in general.
Going into this, I think we were well aware these are two hockey teams that have a lot of top-end talent, right through the lineup. That's one thing we were definitely looking forward to, those matchups.
Q. For either of you two. We all know the Game 7 history. How important is it for you guys to be able to leave the ice tomorrow knowing that you've shown them your best, that they had to beat you in order to win?
CAM FOWLER: Yeah, I mean, that's obviously important. Not just Game 7s. In general, you want to leave the ice feeling like you gave it your absolute all. If as a team you worked as hard as you possibly could and you left it all out there, you happen to lose, you tip your cap, you go on to fight another day.
But that's something that we've been talking about a lot. When we play to our capabilities, when we push the pace and we're on our toes, we feel like we're a difficult team to compete with.
We need to have that mindset tomorrow regardless of the situation or the magnitude of where we are. We need to come out as the aggressors. That's something that we've talked about. We're a really good hockey team when we do that.
We need to stick with what got us here and take that into tomorrow's game.
Q. We've watched Ryan Kesler for many years. What's he like off the ice? His personality is not of the everyday hockey guy, but does that personality help to take the Ducks kind of where they're trying to get here?
RYAN GETZLAF: I don't know about the personality changing. But our locker room hasn't changed a lot in the last five, six years.
What he brings to the table, what he brings to the rink has allowed us to take steps forward, for sure. When you're talking about adding depth the way he's brought it in throughout the whole season, it gives us a better chance to win every night, when you're talking about him playing against top-end talent, making it harder on them, bringing that little bit of an attitude that he really doesn't care who it's against, what they're bringing, he's going to try to make it hard on them that night.
Q. A lot has been made of playing mad or playing angry. Why is that state of mind translating so well to the ice and will you bring that tomorrow night?
CAM FOWLER: I think that goes back to us setting the pace out in the game, being the aggressors and playing on our toes. You can call it different things. You can say it how you want.
I think at times in this series, if we give up a couple goals early or we're down a couple, it seems like then it kicks in. Then it's like, Okay, they're playing mad. They have nothing to lose. We're able to score a couple goals and we get ourselves right back in the game.
The challenge for us is doing that for 60 minutes. Like I said, when we do that, we feel like we're big, we're strong, we're able to pin teams in in their own end, let these guys get to work down there. That's when we're at our best.
You know, it's a challenge to do that for 60 minutes, but we're capable of doing it. It's just going out and executing it tomorrow.
Q. We've heard players talk about when they were kids playing, This is Game 7, the Finals, this is to win the Cup, the Olympics, whatever. Where was that rink for each of you guys? Where was that arena? How many times do you remember actually scoring that goal?
RYAN GETZLAF: I don't know. I mean, back in Regina there's a rink on every corner, it's almost like Starbucks. I played in a lot of Game 7s as a kid. Most of them were probably out front of my house on the street. That's where you learned to play, where we loved to play, was on our street.
We played street hockey almost every day. Winter, summer, didn't matter.
CAM FOWLER: Mine was in my basement at home in Farmington. We didn't have anything finished or anything. It was all concrete. I threw one of my buddies in the net, I'd say 10 seconds left, breakaway, Game 7. If I missed, I'd do it over again until I scored (laughter).
Q. You have been playing this game for so many years, especially with the goal of winning the Stanley Cup. Is it difficult to kind of silence the outside pressure and just enjoy the opportunity and challenge of playing in this Game 7?
RYAN GETZLAF: Well, I mean, it's not easy. If it was easy, everybody would be able to do it. I think it's part of being a professional. Like I've said all along the way, when you lose Game 7s, you lose out of a series, those kind of things, you lose big games, you learn from 'em, learn what you can do differently.
It's about your preparation. I was thrilled with the way we went out today and worked. Practice was high-tempo getting ready for tomorrow. I think that's part of the preparation, is doing it the day before, doing the morning skate, those things, so that when you get to the game, you don't have to turn it on, it's just there already.
Q. You guys have done a good job of talking about how you're focusing on your game. What is the mindset when Toews and Kane are out there together? What do you have to do to keep them from exploding?
CAM FOWLER: It brings a pretty unique challenge for us. They did it last game, too. I think both of them bring unique skill sets. When you put them together, it makes for a pretty good combination.
For our whole mindset defensively, it doesn't change a whole lot. They're two players where you certainly have to be aware of either one when they're on the ice. Kane, you know, definitely likes to come back more in the neutral zone, gain speed. He likes to pick his way through the neutral zone. Toews likes to do that, too, but he's also greasy in front of the net. He competes. He works hard.
You know, they both bring unique challenges. They're two great players, so you have to be aware when they're out there.
Q. Guys, after six hard games against these guys, especially Duncan Keith, you see he keeps having an impact, he's not yielding, do you almost have to write off that he's going to have some kind of impact in Game 7? How do you then adapt and say, This is how we can still win, acknowledging he's going to have some kind of impact in this game?
RYAN GETZLAF: Well, you always acknowledge that you're going to try to do certain things against certain players.
The world class players, it's not like they're never going to make plays or do things. Dunks is a player that makes a lot happen when he's on the ice. We try to stick with our game plan, dump it in his corner, make him work in his own zone, where he has to make special plays in order to get involved in the game.
Like I said, when you have players with top-end talent, you have to force them to do things that are special. You can't let them get away with doing routine plays that end up impacting the game.
Q. Cam, can you say anything about that?
CAM FOWLER: Yeah, I mean, Getzy pretty much hit the nail on the head there. He's a world-class player who has been in this position before. So, you know, it seems like the big stage, only he elevates his game when it comes down to it. Just as a defenseman myself, I really admire the way he plays the game.
He's certainly had a big impact on their team last game, which was big for them. Like Getzy said, you have to try to grind those guys down, make it difficult for them. If he's defending in his own zone, obviously he can't contribute offensively, so the more you make him defend, the harder it is on those guys. I think that's the main thing we're looking to do.
These guys have done a great job with it all series. That's why we've had some success.
Q. Cam, going back to your days in the basement, you said if you missed the breakaway, you'd try it again until you got it right. If Game 6 the other night got away from you guys, you have another opportunity to get it right. Last year when Game 7 got away against L.A., there was no other opportunity to get it right. Does that make this chance, do you embrace it even more?
CAM FOWLER: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, sometimes you have to go through experiences like that to really get to the point where you want to be. We're fortunate and lucky enough to now have a Game 7 in our home building for a chance to go compete for the Stanley Cup.
I think if there's one thing I've learned, it's to really embrace the opportunity. We're lucky to be in this position. I think previous years, you know, I put a lot of pressure on myself, maybe just overthinking the game too much.
It's still a hockey game. You just have to go out there, compete as hard as you can. For me, I'm trying to enjoy this process as much as I can because, you know, you're not sure when opportunities like these come around again.
So I'm really looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for our team, something we should be excited about.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
RYAN GETZLAF: It's a secret. We can't tell them that stuff.
Questions for Corey and Ryan.
Q. Corey, after Game 6, Bruce talked about how nerves got the best of you last year and in Game 6 this year. Do you agree with that? If so, how do you prevent that from happening one more time?
COREY PERRY: I think we learned our lesson the other night. No, we got to play on our toes. We were waiting for something to happen last game. Eventually it did. We were on the wrong side of it.
I mean, if we play the way we did in Game 5 at the start of the first period and continue that all the way through, you know, we're going to be good. That's the way we have to play.
Like I said, if we're on our toes, we'll be all right.
Q. Corey, after that last game, Ryan kind of took it upon himself and placed a lot of blame on himself. Knowing him as well as you do, what kind of response do you think you'll get from him in this next game?
COREY PERRY: Oh, he's our leader. When he takes a lot of blame, normally, you know, the next game is one of his better games. That's what we're looking for.
He can take all the blame he wants, but there's a lot of blame to go around in that game. It wasn't just him. You know, there was different things that happened. Normally, like I said, when somebody has an off night, the next night's probably one of their better ones.
Q. Corey, you guys haven't hesitated when talking about the pain of past defeats. How badly do you guys not want to have the same old same old happen?
COREY PERRY: It's happened too often the last couple years. But you win tomorrow night, and people start talking about something different.
We're not focused on the past. We're focused on tomorrow night, starting something different.
It's one game to go play for the Stanley Cup. You know, it doesn't get any more exciting than that. That's what we're talking about today: go out, go play your game, do what you normally do, don't try to do somebody else's job, you'll be okay.
Q. Corey, when you play against a guy like Ryan Kesler, then he's in your dressing room, what have you learned about Ryan Kesler, maybe the kind of impact he could have on a Game 7 tomorrow night?
COREY PERRY: He's definitely showed that he battles and he's a competitor. When you play against him so many times, you know, the first part of your career, you understand and you see that. When you have him on your team, it definitely helps to have him on your team rather than playing against him.
We've had many battles in the past. It's just battles in practice now.
Q. This series started on May 17th. For the past 13 days, it's been nothing but about beating the Blackhawks. How much of this Game 7 is about preparation and how much of it is just going out and competing?
COREY PERRY: You can prepare all you want, think about it all you want, but you have to go out and do it. You have to go out and play hockey, do your job.
Since the series started, like you said, it's all about beating the Blackhawks. That's all it is. You have to go out and beat that team on the other side.
You have one opportunity to make it, make a chance and play for that Stanley Cup. That's what you want to do.
Q. Ryan, your list was fairly short when it came time to leave Vancouver and find somewhere else to go. Why Anaheim?
RYAN KESLER: I know this team can win. You know, obviously when you get a taste of the Stanley Cup Finals, you get that close, you want to be back. I think we all know careers don't last forever, you only get a kick at the can a couple times. That's why.
Q. You're a guy that is hard to play against. Opponents generally don't enjoy the experience. Between your time in Vancouver and your time with Team USA, what has it been like meshing with these guys now and being friends with them?
RYAN KESLER: (to Perry) Do you want to leave the room for a second (laughter).
No, they're great guys. Obviously you're talking mostly about Getzy and Perry. Like Perry has said, we've had many battles over the years, battles that we joke about now.
I see how hard these guys work on a daily basis, how they lead our team. It makes it easy for me to follow them. Obviously they're the leaders, and I'm part of the leadership group. But those are the guys that we follow on the ice.
When they go out and do their jobs, it's easy for us to do ours.
Q. Ryan, it's just two guys on the ice, but it's been a lot of fun to watch you and Jonathan Toews go at it. It's not the first time. What is that experience like? What has it been like in this series to go out and for the most part know that is part of your responsibility, to go out and wear him down?
RYAN KESLER: It's obviously a challenge. You know, he wins some nights, I win some nights. That's the way it goes when you have that caliber of player you're trying to defend.
It's been no different than other series. Obviously we have a battle, but it's a piece to the puzzle. There's 19 other guys on both teams that are trying to do the same thing, not just one battle of many.
Q. Corey, you have worked so hard to get home ice during the course of the season. Now that you have it, Game 7 in your building, how do you make sure you use that to your advantage this time around?
COREY PERRY: Obviously, the emotions are going to be high. Everybody's going to be jumping right off the hop. The crowd's going to be into it. All those things you can use to your advantage. But you can't go over on top of what you have to do. You still have to play hockey. You still have to keep your emotions in check.
It's why we play 82 games in the regular season, is to get to this point, if this point ever happens, which it has. We have to go out and do the right things.
Like I said, if we are on our toes, keep pushing forward, make something happen, not wait for something to happen, I think we'll be okay.
Q. Ryan, this series has been so incredibly close, right down to the number of goals scored by each team, are we destined in Game 7 to see it determined simply by who gets a bounce or who gets a break? What, in your mind, should determine which of these teams goes on?
RYAN KESLER: I think who wants it more. You know, I don't think it's about X's and O's anymore. I think it's about who wants it more and who is ready to out-compete the guy across from him. Whoever that is is going to win the game.
Q. Corey, with these Game 7s here, in previous ones you played in, do you feel like you guys showed your best? How important, win or lose tomorrow, will it be for you guys to show your best in Game 7?
COREY PERRY: Well, I think Ryan just said it. If you out-work the guy standing beside you, you're going to have a better opportunity. That's what it's about.
I'll just say what he said. It's not about X's and O's anymore. It's about out-competing, out-willing, wanting it more than them. That's all it's about.
You want to go out there and you want to prove yourself. Yeah, it hasn't gone the way we wanted it to in the last few Game 7s. But I think, you know, this is a different team. There's different pieces to the puzzle now. We got to go out and we got to prove that.
Q. Corey, you see a lot of Duncan Keith. Ryan talked earlier about trying to keep the puck in his corner, force him to make special plays. When you guys pound him as much as he has in this series, yet he plays that many minutes, goes on and plays the best game of his series in Game 6, do you wonder if you can get to him and wear him down?
COREY PERRY: Obviously he's one of the top athletes in this game. The minutes he's played, the pounding he gets, you know, yeah, you want to keep doing that and keep him in front of you. That's all you really want.
When he has the puck, don't let him make those plays. I mean, he made some plays where we got out of coverage on defense. Yeah, he can make those plays, find the open guys.
He's one of the top, top players in this league, and it's for a reason.
Q. Ryan, you were asked a couple minutes ago about matching up against Jonathan Toews, shutting him down. How do things change when Patrick Kane is also out there on the ice, you and the other four guys that are out there together?
RYAN KESLER: It doesn't. We have to keep the puck out of the net. Simple as that. There's five guys going against five guys. Obviously when you add Kane to the line, it adds a little more skill.
But, you know, our job's the same thing. Keep the puck out of their net and put it in ours.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, guys.
COACH BRUCE BOUDREAU
Q. The whole series there's been flurries of goals. That's happened frequently. Do you have a theory on that, and if not, can you make up one?
COACH BOUDREAU: Well, if I'm trying to make something up on that, it's that when one team scores, the other team gets down, and the team that scored is pretty excited, they come right back. If you don't get ready right away, they score again.
But, I mean, I don't have a definitive real answer for that.
Q. Bruce, you guys obviously have game plans to win the series offensively and defensively. What changes in your game plan a little bit when you know the chances of Toews and Kane is a real possibility in a game like this or like in Game 6?
COACH BOUDREAU: Well, I mean, they've done it the last two games a little bit. We expect them to do it again. I mean, to me guys that are out there at this stage have to be able to play against guys that are out there. We get the last change, which is good, which means they have to change on the fly to get them.
When that usually happens, faceoffs become very important. They've been great at home in faceoffs. We've been good at home in faceoffs. Whoever usually gets the puck has possession and it's usually in their zone. Makes it difficult to change.
Hopefully we can win a lot of faceoffs tomorrow.
Q. Bruce, coming out of the game yesterday, and even today, maybe there was a little tension before Game 6 than you'd want. Is tension going to be natural for a game of the magnitude of tomorrow? How do you deal with it, combat it?
COACH BOUDREAU: Well, I mean, I think we talk about it. I think today's practice was very upbeat. I mean, you can use the words that we were tense. I think both teams in the first period were sort of, Let's see what the other team is going to do first before we react to it.
We didn't react. Three and a half minutes they had three goals. And once we scored, it was like, Oh, man, we're in a hockey game.
We've got to make sure we keep the composure no matter what. There's a good chance they'll score first. I mean, we have to make sure we keep our composure and keep coming at the teams like we've done all year and not go, Damn, they scored, woe is me.
We have to have a strong mental game tomorrow as well as a strong systemized game and all those things. Mentally strong is going to be a real big advantage for somebody.
Q. Is that the major adjustment that you want to be made from Game 6? You've tweaked the third and fourth lines, as well.
COACH BOUDREAU: I wanted to see it in practice today. We tried that a little bit. I wanted to make sure that if that's the route we're going to go, I wanted to see if they at least had sort of some good chemistry together.
We talked about it. We'll talk about it again tomorrow morning. But that's by no means set in stone, those lines today.
Q. Bruce, you talked about having stronger will and resolve, being a mentally strong team. What does Ryan Kesler bring to that? How does he change what's going on mentally with your team?
COACH BOUDREAU: Well, I can't read into it. But Ryan Kesler plays angry. He looks like he's a man possessed when he's out there, as does Jonathan Toews. That's why those two have such great battles together.
But he sure brings a determination and will. That's all you can really ask of him, I think. I can't get into the heads, and I'm not trying to get into the heads any more. It's Game 7, boys, lay it on the line. There's nothing to save yourself. Either Sunday you're done or Sunday you're continuing to play up to seven more games.
Q. Bruce, how much do you think the losses of playoffs past creep into their minds? How do you help them channel that into something positive and constructive?
COACH BOUDREAU: I don't think it's crept in their minds. Listen, last game was the first game we lost in regulation in the whole playoffs. Usually what our team does, if you get bucked off the horse, you get back on and keep riding.
That's what we're going to do. We're going to keep going and hopefully go at them pretty strong. If we play the best game we can play and we lose, we'll be ticked off, but at the same time we will know we gave it everything we had. But if we play the best game we can play, usually the success is on the other end.
That's how we're going to react to everything.
Q. I know your job as head coach is to prepare your team and stay in the moment. Have you got a sense through all of that of just how good this series has been?
COACH BOUDREAU: You know what, I asked the question yesterday to somebody. I said, Has this been a good series? They laughed at me. They said, Are you kidding, it's been as good as it gets.
You don't notice it. You're playing game to game. All we see a lot of times as coaches are mistakes. So we don't appreciate how good it is. Even last game, it's 3-2 with five minutes to go in the game. I think everybody probably thought, Oh, this game's going into overtime, as well.
But the goals I think are both the same for both teams. It wouldn't surprise me if there's a lot of numbers that are very similar because it has been a good series. Both teams have a tremendous amount of warriors that don't want to lose. When that happens, it usually becomes a good series.
Q. Bruce, with all due respect, you've lost five of the six Game 7s in your coaching career. How much does that weigh on you going into this game, especially going up against Quenneville who has won two Cups?
COACH BOUDREAU: He's lost two out of the last three Game 7s, hasn't he?
Q. Yes.
COACH BOUDREAU: OK. You're just bringing up things to talk about. I don't think about any of that stuff. Everything is its own entity. This is a new game tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach.
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