	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING

June 2, 2004

Darryl Sutter

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Practice Day

Q. Your reaction to the suspension and did Ville come on this trip? Did he stay behind?
COACH SUTTER: He's not on the trip.
Q. Reaction to the suspension?
COACH SUTTER: Expected. It holds up exactly to what happened in the Playoffs to date. It's expected.
Q. I asked Colie Campbell this question, he said to me: "Did the Flames put you up to it?" I said: "What about the Stillman hit and where is the difference there?" Can you just talk --
COACH SUTTER: The decisions are made in New York, not Toronto. So you can talk to Colie all you want.
Q. Ville obviously brings a certain edge to your team. How different are you without him in the lineup?
COACH SUTTER: One less Fin. Fewer vowels. (LAUGHTER).
Q. When he was suspended against Detroit your team responded in Game 5 and Game 6 to knock the Red Wings out and played very, very fundamentally sound hockey. I would assume that's your expectation again in terms of they find a way to be resilient?
COACH SUTTER: Yeah, I don't know what bearing that has on tomorrow's game, but hasn't seemed to -- you know, we're used to it, quite honest. We hear about one or two guys injured on the other side. We're used to that. We're dealing with a lineup that's missing a lot of skill and -- hey, our team, not me, our team is very --
(Coach Sutter's Cell Phone Rings).
Probably New York again. Got to talk to Canada's team. (Laughter).
We're used to it. Doesn't really affect us.
Was it shocking to you that they suspended him? No. It wasn't to us either. As I said, we have seen it all through the Playoffs. We have lost three players total to injuries that there was a total of two minutes called; not -- that's as far as it went. So fine, we know what we're up against. We're the underdog. We've said that. I am not saying it now to make a point, but it's dead on true. We're the little team that wasn't supposed to be here and a lot of people don't want us to be here and to make sure that we're not successful. We know that.
Q. You say the decision was made in New York; not Toronto, but you did talk to Colie --
COACH SUTTER: Hey, the media is a powerful tool, believe me. And it's unfortunate that's what ends up -- you know, I hold myself responsible because I don't bitch and whine in the media. I don't let our players talk about officiating in the media. You know, it would be better off making headlines about other incidents and I don't. We never complained about -- quite honest, a lot of you guys didn't even know about some of the injuries until the next day, and you don't know their bad hits until we bring it up after the fact. So, that's something I have learned that you should bitch and complain and whine and it has an impact.
Q. Any thoughts who will replace Nieminen on the second line?
COACH SUTTER: Well, you come to our practice every day; you see what we have, who our healthy players are.
Q. Your Game 5 playoff, 3 and 0, you have only allowed one goal. Game 5 has been good to you. Any particular reason why?
COACH SUTTER: In Game 5s? Again, we just look at it as this series and we're trying to beat the trend to you know, because we're not supposed to be playing great defensive hockey, so we're just trying to stick with that.
Q. When you said that you're the team that's not supposed to be here and people are making sure you are not supposed to succeed, what do you mean?
COACH SUTTER: Next question. I answered that question.
Q. Do you mean the League? The media?
COACH SUTTER: Do I have to answer it?
Q. Please.
COACH SUTTER: Pardon?
Q. Please.
COACH SUTTER: None of your business.
Q. You have been asked a variety of this question throughout the Playoffs, but your goaltender in Game 5 has given up one goal in three Game 5s. Can you just talk about how he is when he gets to that --
COACH SUTTER: Every game we win our goaltender is a big part of it, obviously. I think that, you know, it goes without saying, the biggest reason that we were, you know, became a playoff team was because of him and obviously you win big games along the way. I think that's also evident in the playoffs, too, I think that, you know, in a lot of ways he doesn't get enough credit because he doesn't like to talk to you guys and doesn't beat his own drum at all. So I think that in the big moment he's been our, you know, the guy that's got us through it all.
Q. I know you haven't been watching TV or listening to the radio down here, but there's been a lot of screaming and complaining about how the Lightning are such a talented team and that they are not allowed to play their game because the Calgary Flames are not willing to skate with them. What is your reaction --
COACH SUTTER: Who is not willing to skate with who? They aren't skating with us?
Q. People are saying that this is turning into a street fight. That seems to be the perception down here in the United States.
COACH SUTTER: Good.
Q. What is your reaction to that?
COACH SUTTER: I am glad we got in. Wow. How long does it -- how long did it take to get through customs today?
VOICE: Not long.
COACH SUTTER: Nobody got charged for street fighting, did they? That's good.
Before we leave, did Tampa make their players available yesterday, travel day?
Q. Yes, when they arrived here.
COACH SUTTER: How did they do it?
Q. None of the players --
COACH SUTTER: None of the players were here? Oh, so the Calgary Flames aren't available today then. That's it.

End of FastScripts...

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297