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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNINGJune 7, 2004Dave AndreychukVincent LecavalierBrad RichardsDarryl SydorTAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Seven DARRYL SYDOR: (Laughs) Hasn't really sunk in yet, tell you the honest truth. I am just so happy for these guys that have been here the whole time honestly. I was able to experience it a few years ago and been with the organization in Dallas and gone through it and won. Just to come in at the end and see these guys grow and be able to see this organization get to -- it's exciting. Q. Darryl, could you talk about your feelings when you witnessed Dave Andreychuk finally raising the Cup after all these years? DARRYL SYDOR: Everybody knew about -- obviously everybody knew about it. But everybody was just hoping so much. I mean, if we were doing it for anybody it was him. We saw what happened with Ray Bourque and the other day I think a big turning point was when Ray called Tim Taylor, he just -- it almost brought tears to my eyes that this guy has been here so long, hasn't been to the Finals and to get him the Cup this is awesome. This is for Dave Andreychuk. This is for the guys that have been here. Q. Darryl about the Final five, six minutes, the flurry the Flames put up, talk about Nik's play in that time, how he held up? DARRYL SYDOR: I think the big save on three-on-two I think it was, I am not sure if it's Nilson on the far ride or someone on a one-timer, and I mean that was just a huge save he got across me that pad save. Right there I think that was a big turning point for us. We were letting him have some shots but Nik was there. He obviously has been a wall all Playoffs. It's great to show that because there has been a lot of criticism. Q. What does this mean for a young man from Prince Edward Island to win a Stanley Cup? BRAD RICHARDS: Anywhere it's unbelievable, but when you are from a small place like that there's not many of us in the NHL, and you know, so proud of where I am from. They are behind me everyday, every minute and you know, so many calls and posters and whatever you can think of was sent to me. This was for them. Q. Brad, what is it like to have your name on the Conn Smythe trophy along with Gretzky Lemieux? BRAD RICHARDS: One of those things that's unbelievable again. I know it's a cliche, but we wanted to win the Cup and that was the main goal. That's a bonus. Obviously, it's a great honor. I will never forget that. Goes without saying, I guess, it's an unbelievable honor. Q. Brad, how satisfying is this for you personally after what happened last year in the Playoffs and when you came up to Tampa Bay your rookie year this team was at the bottom. Talk about the raise from there to now? BRAD RICHARDS: Yeah, it's the whole organization you know, and no one thinks of Rick Dudley, and Phil Esposito and his group. That's what I was drafted by and Rick Dudley who was here my first year and a half, he got some of these guys then Jay took over and every year just got better and better and the group of guys that they have and the coaching staff, it's just perfect. Rammer and Tort fit each other perfect and the guys they brought in and the way we gelled together and not much changeover helped this team gel and it's from the first day I was here 'til now, it's unbelievable. We thank everybody that used to be in this organization and coached us and whatever you have it because they all helped us along the way. Q. Brad, you touched on it after the game a little bit. You mentioned your trip home over Christmas and you realized how fortunate you were. Talk a little bit about that but also just before that you had a meeting with Coach Tortorella in December, kind of laid out a few things for you. Talk about the transformation from that? BRAD RICHARDS: Well, it was an awful first half. We were losing. Seemed like all our top players went in a slump. I think I had 4 goals, 3 goals, and thought the world was falling apart. Went home for the first time in six or seven years at Christmas and was only for 24 hours, but really enjoyed my family. It just made me realize how fortunate I am to be in the NHL and just go have fun with it. As far as Tort and Rammer, talking to me, it was in Boston and it was the same game, I think Vinny got a little slap too. His was more publicized than mine, but they went at us both and wanted us to pick up the game, the two centermen, and I think we both realized it from then and we played a lot better hockey in the second half. Obviously with Louie picking up his game and everybody else it just helped. They really made us realize what it takes to win. Q. Brad, what do you see as the difference in this series because it went down to that Game 7. It went down to hairy moments in the third period of Game 7. What made you better than Calgary? BRAD RICHARDS: You know, better is a tough word because you win by one goal in seven games. They played unbelievable. Could have went either way. It's just last man standing. Basically we might have one won one more battle, one more big save, obviously another goal, but there's so many little things you can break it down to, you know, two teams to go one goal in seven games, that's the way it should be. Q. Brad, do you see this victory as a triumph of the style of hockey that you guys play? I mean, even after they came back and scored that first goal and narrowed the gap to 2 to 1 you guys were still playing it seemed the safest way. You guys didn't drop back. You still kept attacking. Do you see that as a triumph of that kind of style of hockey? BRAD RICHARDS: Yeah, we tried to play that style all game, all year. I don't think we attacked as much as we'd like the last five or six minutes. That's normal. Doesn't matter what style you play; it is tough. We tried to play it all year and there was never a doubt, we went through slumps. We won four games in December and November and December, I think, there was no way us as a team and this coaching staff was going to change that. We didn't change it since the Olympic break in 2002. That shows the confidence that we had in the system. It's aggressive. Guys are pinching. You get caught sometimes, but we live with it and as long as everybody is on the same page backchecking and trying to win every battle, we are very confident we can win with it and we did. You still had to play different styles but we got it done. Q. What is it like to win with Brad Richards, the two of you have been playing together for so long? VINCENT LECAVALIER: It means a lot. We have been together for since we are 14 years old playing in high school and juniors and you know, getting drafted in the NHL were the odds. We came here, both of us and we were in last place for four years, three years, now we are winning, so it's unbelievable, it's great. Q. Dave, when you signed here you never could have expected this this quickly. What was it like when you actually went out there and had the Cup in your hands? DAVE ANDREYCHUK: Well, you dream about this day for a long time obviously. Taken me a while to get to this point and I don't believe you can put it into words the things that are going through your mind. The years that you got knocked out in the first round. The years that you didn't make the Playoffs, all the players that you have played with, and obviously my teammates, we battled all year long to get home ice advantage and it happens to be that we win the Stanley Cup in a 7th game in our own building. I will tell you, I can't put it into words the way I feel. Q. Would you talk about the beautiful play you made on the second goal? VINCENT LECAVALIER: I was just trying to get away from the defenseman. I think the first six games, especially last three games that was my problem, I couldn't -- seems like I couldn't go around those guys and tonight I made sure I brought the puck to the net as much as I could. I got a little lucky, got a good bounce, went in my skates and I made a pass to Fedotenko; he has been too hot all series and I knew that he'd put it in. Q. The popular theory was if you guys won tonight you were thinking of retiring. Are you going to take this moment or this opportunity to make an announcement about your future? DAVE ANDREYCHUK: No, I am -- I am going to savor this moment with my teammates and my family, and this is going to last a while. Then I will make a decision then, but obviously this is the pinnacle. This is what we play for and it's taken me a while to get here, so, but I am going to wait and see what happens. Q. Vincent, you and Cory Stillman had been under fire over the last few games for lack of offensive production. Talk about what was perhaps a breakout game for both of you of sorts tonight? VINCENT LECAVALIER: Well, I think Calgary held us up pretty good during the whole series 5-on-5. I think they played great. They are solid. They were hitting us, played very physical and we knew that tonight for us to beat them we had to get some goals 5-on-5 and we had to play in their zone obviously more often than they played in ours. Every shift we had it was like we were playing the last one, it worked for us tonight. Q. Dave, as you are skating around the ice holding that Cup, howling; what runs through the mind? What is that sequence like? DAVE ANDREYCHUK: Not falling first of all, not dropping it (laughs). You know, it runs through that this is something that you dream about. It has taken me a while to get there. Obviously my teammates deserve a lot of the credit of why we're here. But it was a moment that has gone through my head lots of times. Finally it happened. Q. Dave, 40 years old, 22 seasons, it sounds familiar. Do you now know what Ray Bourque felt like? DAVE ANDREYCHUK: The two or three conversations that I have had with Ray in the last couple of days, you know, I learned a lot from watching him in those Playoffs. I learned about not what happens on the ice, but the way that he handled himself. And I couldn't have been more proud of what happened to him. Having known the man and known the way that he approached the game, I am so glad that I finally got to, you know, to put my name on it. Q. Dave and Vinny, is there a game you could put your finger on where you could feel maybe during the season a change in attitude? People talk about the New Jersey game where, Vinny, you scored at the end, and Dave, you scored in overtime. Was that a pivotal game that changed the attitude? DAVE ANDREYCHUK: We had a lot of those games. You don't end up in first place by not having a lot of those games. I think coming out of a slump that we had in December, the way that we played in January was building up towards the Playoffs. But we did some good things in the Playoffs. We hung together as a team and we battled through a lot of adversity and that's the sign of true winners. VINCENT LECAVALIER: I can't really think of a game. I don't remember that game. But it was a long time ago, but I do remember in December how you know, I don't know how many games we lost, but we just weren't getting things done. We started in January and never looked back, so you know, once you get confidence you know, things can go well and that's what happened for us. Q. Dave, what were your thoughts sitting there in the box those last 20 seconds? DAVE ANDREYCHUK: I was disappointed I couldn't be on the other side with my teammates savoring the moment. But they battled very hard. You know, you go seven games and you win by one goal, I have been on that side of the fence lots of times. Calgary should be given a lot of credit for what they have done to get to the Finals. But for me, I clock-watched a lot more tonight than normal, especially after they scored that goal. But our team showed the perseverance that we have got all year long of getting the job done. Q. Dave, I caught a conversation with Jay Feaster outside the locker room. He said at one point that at trade deadline time he offered you an opportunity to go to a contender and win the Cup -- it didn't come down. Can you talk about that situation? DAVE ANDREYCHUK: Sure. I was on the 12th hole at Hunters Green making birdie putt and the phone rang. It was Jay. He offered me a chance to go somewhere else. He didn't want to make the deal. I agreed with him. I said to him that my job was not done here after one year. I was glad to stick around. I think we did a lot of good things at the end of that, my first year here. We didn't make the Playoffs, but we battled very hard, set ourselves up for the next year. Obviously I am glad I stuck around.
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