|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NHL STANLEY CUP FINAL: PREDATORS VS PENGUINSJune 10, 2017Patric HornqvistBryan RustNashville, Tennessee - Practice Day Q. Bryan, you were in the Playoffs last year. Take me back to what it was like the day before Game 6, how you felt going into that game, and here you are again the same spot? BRYAN RUST: I think you try as much as you can to keep it -- it's just another game. Obviously the stakes are raised and things are a little bit more important and there's a little bit more pressure, but you try and just treat it like any other game, just kind of stick to your routine and do what you do and you've got to know what makes you successful. Q. Patric, you're one of the guys that played in the World Cup before the season started. I was wondering, after 100 games plus last year, then the World Cup and another 100 games plus this year, how do you feel physically having played so much hockey in that span? PATRIC HORNQVIST: Obviously I think we all feel really good. This is what we dream of when you're a kid to play in the Finals, and now we have a chance to win a championship again. You can't be tired in this part of the year. Just stay focused and play the right way out there. Q. A lot has been made about the ice; is it a really difficult crowd to play against in Nashville? Is it the toughest crowd? BRYAN RUST: It's obviously loud, but any time you're -- at this time of year, any building you go into is loud. There's adjustments, you've got to talk a little bit more, you might have to play a little bit more simple. And I think it's as much communication on the bench and with your line mates and guys on the ice is important when the building is as loud as it is. Q. This is your second deep run together; what stands out to you about the closeness of this group? PATRIC HORNQVIST: We've been through a lot since the coaching change after last year, and we were struggling last year, too, to get in the Playoffs. And then we went on a really good run there the last 15 games, and really carried that momentum into the Playoffs. This year I think we had a really good regular season and we just keep building every time we go on the ice together and try to get better every time, and now we're standing here in front of a huge goal, and yeah, it feels good to obviously have the same group and same confidence, and we know we can do it. Q. I think most of us in this room know what it's like to be nervous the day before a big job interview or a big exam but we don't know what it's like the day before you win a Stanley Cup. Take us through how you fall asleep, how you relax. PATRIC HORNQVIST: I think we all are so excited to get the game started tomorrow, so we just try to -- like Rusty said, we just try to keep the same routine and almost like another game, like it's -- obviously it's a huge game, but in the same way, it's one hockey game. We have our routines and we've been through it so many times. We can't change our routines for a regular season game or a playoff game or Stanley Cup Final game. It's the same thing, and yeah, we'd better be ready. Q. Bryan, do you remember the first time you were told you were going to be playing on the line with Sid and what your reaction was and what it's been like to be playing with him and what you've picked up from him? BRYAN RUST: I can't really remember the exact first time or the date, but the game -- the first game I played with him, I think I was -3 and I had the worst game I'd played as a player in the NHL. I tried to do too much. But just being able to play with him and kind of learn from him and see what he does on and off the ice and how he carries himself, the little extra things he does before and after practice, things that really make him such a great leader and a great player, just trying to kind of learn and absorb as much as I can and kind of maybe learn a thing or two. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|