NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: AVALANCHE v RED WINGS

May 23, 2002

Bob Hartley

COACH HARTLEY: We're going to get more about that. We always get our injury report in the afternoon after a game. So at this point, he was ready. He came back on the bench and he was ready to go. So I'm assuming today that it's like a bruise, but I can't tell you right now.

COACH HARTLEY: It's giving us a chance to regroup, to refocus. Tomorrow we'll have a good practice and we go from there. I think that we know our history when we're facing adversity, and once again we have to go back to our dressing room. It comes down to the players making sure we execute well. I know we need to be better and I'm convinced we'll find a way once again to be better.

COACH HARTLEY: We kept playing the same way throughout the entire game. I feel where we missed that last is our best players were not able to capitalize on some great chances that we could have to put them away. And that's where I think that we really missed, because definitely to expect to beat the Detroit Red Wings with one goal is a tough challenge. I feel it's not on the defensive side we really missed, it's more on the offensive side.

COACH HARTLEY: I believe our experience and our leadership, when it comes down to adversity, plays in our favor. We've always been talking about the quality of our people in our dressing room. Definitely when you count on quality people, you'll know that they'll care and find a way. We're facing a great challenge and a great team. Like we told you before game 1, a team that's very deep, that can produce offensively. We have six great defensemen. They went to get Hasek. You look at their full season. You look at the success they got. They had a great start and then they generated good momentum for the entire season. Then they lost two games against Vancouver at the start of the playoffs. They got on a roll. That's the kind of team they are. I think, once again, I have full trust in my players. I think we're facing a great hockey club, and we have to respond better than we did last night.

COACH HARTLEY: Everyone was disappointed after the game. I talked to just a couple of players in the locker room. You know, this is human nature. No one wants to lose a Conference final game in overtime. And everyone was very disappointed. Hey, there is nothing we can do about this this morning. We have to turn the page, learn another lesson, and take it to Game 4. I think that's the only way we can approach this.

COACH HARTLEY: I look at the regular season. The LA Kings they were four or five points behind us. The San Jose Sharks after two games they had the same amount of points as us. And now we're facing a team that finished way ahead of us. I think parody in this league is very well established right now. Yes, last night I really believed that our four-minute power play was a turning point to the game. There was other situations like we don't miss chances because we want to. Like, we're a very proud organization. Those guys they always respond very well to pressure, to challenges, to critiques, but you know there comes a point of time when you don't always execute the way that you would want to. That's why the good thing of our business, we're playing a seven-game series. You have a chance to redeem yourself and I have full trust in my players that they'll find a way.