NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: STARS v DEVILS

June 5, 2000

Claude Lemieux

CLAUDE LEMIEUX: Well, this is the Playoffs and now the Stanley Cup Finals. Coaches make decisions, and not because they personally like using some players more than others, but you are not going to be at your best every night. And he's got to go with the guys that are going better than others, and he has got to use certain players in certain situations. On certain nights you need a little more offense, you are going to use certain offensive players more than others. If you are trying to defend the lead, then you are going to be using your guys that are a little bit more maybe reliable defensively. Those are tough decisions for any coaches to make, but I think everybody accepts them, and guys are willing to sacrifice for the team.

CLAUDE LEMIEUX: He has done that on many occasions. Marty is pretty easy going quiet guy, but whenever the pressure is on, whenever he is single pointed at to be the man not putting out or whatever - not that anyone thought that he didn't put out as far as I am concerned we could have won both first games - but there were some bad breaks, you know, he came really big for us, especially in the Philly series in Game 5 and 6 and 7. He did the same thing for us in Game 3 here, played a great game.

CLAUDE LEMIEUX: We just got to worry about tonight. I think everybody understands what it means to us and what kind of position we can be put in. But we have been on the other side too where we were down 3-is and came back, so we are not going to feel comfortable until we put ourselves in the position of winning the Cup and when it is all over and done you can relax. But until then, you just have to plug away. You have to really focus and be prepared for every game.

CLAUDE LEMIEUX: I think people like look at the players that are going and then look at the players that are not going or the ones that have chipped in or not chipped in, but it goes like that. In many Playoffs that I have been involved in, I was the Guy shining, scoring the goals and others were questioned why they weren't. But bottom line is when you win, it doesn't really matter who gets it done. We all understand that the more depth you have, the more players you have, the better it is. Right now I don't think myself or any other guys that are supposed to are scoring or chipping in more -- are concerned about winning the game. Whether the Arnott line does it tonight or whether our line chips in, we have been assigned different roles and for different reasons, our lines has been matched up again the other team's top line. Last game we seemed to play against their checking line so we were, you know, in kind of a weird situation there for a while and then it changed in the third period. Again, we are just trying to win the game, whoever gets it done, if none of the forwards score and the defense score, Marty scores, it is all fine by me. Personal success in the Playoffs is going to be evaluated if you win the Cup, I think we are all going to be successful. If you don't, whatever numbers you put up yourself is only good for your only little repertoire and that is it.

CLAUDE LEMIEUX: I have always thought it is a great tradition. I think playing the game that we do and as mean as everyone has to be to one another to be successful, you must keep that tradition involved in part of the game. I think it is a great way to show everybody that when it is all over and done after all, everybody is just trying to accomplish the same goal as winning, trying to do the best and using different ways of, you know, talent, you might have been given, but all there for the same reason.