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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: PENGUINS v RED WINGSMay 29, 2009Dan BylsmaRay SheroDETROIT, MICHIGAN: Practice Day Q. I spoke to your old broadcast partner Steve Carell and he said the broadcast job is open if you'd like it. But I guess you're happier with what you're doing now? COACH BYLSMA: I'd actually when I retired from playing and started to move on and was trying to find a coaching opportunity, one of the things I did entertain was being his color guy possibility. So maybe some day I'll knock on his door again. But right now I'm pretty happy in the situation we find ourselves in. Q. I just wondered, the wings are pretty banged up though they may or may not have some guys back tomorrow night. What is your feeling about going against them when they're hurting and your team appears to be quite healthy; is that correct? COACH BYLSMA: Well, the playoffs is one of the times of the year where you really don't know how healthy a team is until it's over with. We're going to anticipate playing a healthy players and healthy guys and have their full complement. And we're going to try to play a way that we can play our style of hockey and play at our pace, and force them to have to deal with us. If that's the type -- if we can play that way, we're going to try to force them to deal with us. And if they're healthy or not healthy, that's the way we're going to try to play. Afterwards we'll find out what the real story is. Q. Were you ever -- how surprised were you on July 2nd when Hossa signed with Detroit? At any point in time were you led to believe if you had matched an offer that he would have stayed in Pittsburgh? RAY SHERO: No, no, not at all. I don't know if I was surprised. I was probably like everybody else more surprised it was a one-year deal. And, you know, this was the first question I get here, which I probably you knew was coming, and Marian's had to deal with it as well. He was with us for a few months and did a tremendous job for us. Was a tremendous teammate. And like some free agents, including your own, they elect to move on for financial reasons and otherwise. When he called me, which he did himself, and I wished him the best of luck. And, you know, I feel very good about our -- he's moved on, we've moved on, good for him. And, you know, I feel very happy for our group of players that elected to stay and saw this thing through. And to be back with this core group of guys and Dan and the coaching staff feels very good for us. So should make for a great final. Q. Can you talk a little bit about your thought process in February when you were chose to go with Dan? I guess, obviously, how you think he's done so far? RAY SHERO: How have you done so far (laughing)? COACH BYLSMA: Be kind (smiling). RAY SHERO: The thought process back in February was I didn't like the way the team was playing, and I think I'm on record on saying that. And through, you know, Michael Thierry, unfortunately had to take the fall for that. And I was up here last year with Michael. So it was bittersweet for me because of the success we had. Because Michael got us to a certain point and did a good job for this organization. But as a manager looking at the team, something wasn't right. You know, when I turned to Dan that day and called him, you know, I told him to think about it, and he called me back in five minutes and said I've got no reservations. This is a great opportunity. I'm going to do it. I think the results speak for themselves. He's done a fantastic job. He's made this, for me, the last three months have been my most enjoyable three months as a manager, quite honestly. It's fun to come to the rink every day with this group of guys and the players. I think we share a lot of similar things away from the rink, too. So it's been fun. So I think he's done a fantastic job. Q. A few years ago they reworked the rules that changed the game. This spring we've seen your series with Washington was one of the most exciting series anyone's ever seen. The two teams that are here now are both offensive skating, wide open kind of teams. Are we finally, four years later, getting exactly what they thought they were going to have? RAY SHERO: From a manager's standpoint, absolutely. I think maybe from a coaching standpoint, Dan could probably answer from a guy that played in the old system and is now coaching in the new system. But I think we saw this even our series against Philadelphia, which, let's be honest, it is a hated rival. They hate us, we hate them. It makes for great theater. As physical as that is, both teams have high-end skill. Then going to the Washington series, of course, that was, you know, with the media surrounding that, you know, these two guys, Crosby and Ovechkin putting on such a show and the rest of the guys following. It was great theater. You know, the game has opened up and the skill players play. The best part about it is it is still a physical, demanding sport where you see in every game in the playoffs. You need big time courage to have success. And it makes it a great sport. So I'd have to say the role changes have allowed us to play the game. But at the same time the best thing is the courage and sacrifice is still there. Q. From where you were last year as an assistant coach on a team that went to the Calder Cup final to where you're the Head Coach of the team that's in the Stanley Cup Final. Could you have imagined that in a 12-month period the arc of your career could have gone in such a significant way? COACH BYLSMA: Well, I couldn't have imagined that inside of 12 months that this is the situation I would find myself in. Did I have goals and aspirations and did I think it was a possibility? Was I -- you know, gathering experience and working towards a day like this? I hoped I was. I thought I could be. But certainly inside of 12 months, I never would have taken that bet. But I think in life twists and turns quickly, and it's really how we expect it. The best thing you can do is be prepared for an opportunity when the opportunity arises. And he I believe I was. And, it's not that I didn't drive from Wilkes-Barre to Long Island for that first game without some doubts or some thoughts about what I was getting myself into. But I'm confident that I could, you know, do what I thought I could do. And certainly the guys have been amazing in terms of how they bought in and how they want to play and how we need to play. You know, it's just a fortunate situation for me to be in this organization with this group of guys, and them now playing the way they're playing. I feel very fortunate 11 and a half months later. Q. As a multi-part question. From this point from last year you've added Bill Guerin, Miroslav Satan, and Fedotenko that came from organizations that be losing the past two years. Were there any concerns in bringing them? And what has each of them added to your team at this point? RAY SHERO: With the Billy Guerin situation, you know, we had scouted him quite a bit the last month, month and a half or so. He certainly was not at the top of his game. He was in a situation where they were more or less going with youth. He's a veteran guy. But we just felt that given the cost to acquire him that in the hole that we had, could he rekindle the magic and enthusiasm for the game, because we thought he could still skate. And obviously, he's answered that question and he's done a great job. He's always had a winning background, no different than Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan. Ruslan's won the Cup, Miro's been in the finals with Buffalo and Craig Adams has won a Stanley Cup. These guys are good people with winning backgrounds. Sometimes you're in a situation with a team that's going through a curve where they're at. But given a chance can, I think a lot has to be said for our group of leaders that we have, too, because we went through a big transition last July, and it took us a while to find our stride here this year. But I think with our group of leaders that we have and bringing in good people, they're surrounded by good people and very welcoming. The bottom line is I think we have good guys on our team with good coaches. Q. Growing up on the other side of the state, were you a Red Wings fan? And if so what is it like being back here playing for the Stanley Cup in your home state? COACH BYLSMA: I was a Detroit fan through and through in every sport. The Red Wings were probably the team I watched the least just because of the availability on TV on that side of the state. There wasn't very many hockey games. Listened to more Blackhawk games because my older brother was a Blackhawk fans. So just listened to hockey with him on the radio, but was a Red Wing fan. I'm actually jokingly taking credit for them and their turn around in the past 15 years or so. Because when I had to stop rooting for them they started playing good hockey. So I was dragging them down. But it's a team I cheered for. I came and saw a Red Wing game when Wayne Gretzky was here, their team. That was the one game I saw. But it's been a long time since I've cheered for the Red Wings. It's been through college and then into pro hockey, you cut those ties quickly and learn to fly other colors. RAY SHERO: I've never cheered for them (smiling). Q. Is Marc-Andre Fleury a different goalie this year because of what he went through last year? RAY SHERO: Marc-Andre Fleury to me I was talking to someone about this today, he's a 23, 24-year-old goaltender that in the last three years, this is going to be his ninth playoff series, which I find incredible. And to me, Marc-Andre Fleury, someone mentioned his numbers in this playoff weren't as good as last year, but to me it doesn't matter. He is making the timely save. Winning the games, and this is what it's all about in the playoffs. Our three series to me have been really incredible. There's been three defining moments in each series. One Game 2 against Philadelphia the save he made against Jeff Carter, open in that save. And in Game 7, the Washington-Ovechkin save on the breakaway. And last year against Carolina, Eric Staal with the empty net and 30 seconds left in Game 1 to tie the game up. And he came across and made that save. Those three saves define what Marc is about. He's about winning. You show me a young goaltender that's done what he's done at his age, and nine playoff series is incredible to me. He's being battle tested and getting better. And I think his best years are ahead of him. Q. Is it true that your next book will be called I love seven defensemen? And if you could talk a bit about maybe the unexpected bonus or benefit of going with the one forward short rolling Evgeni mostly and Sidney and maybe Jordan a little bit. But how that changed the dynamic for you guys? COACH BYLSMA: This would be a case where I let everyone know my feelings about a certain topic. And it's now coming back to visit me over and over again. There are situations before coming to the NHL we played seven defensemen and thought that was a good idea to play seven defensemen. Now, again, we find ourselves in a situation where we thought seven defensemen was the right way to go from both a standpoint to keep our "D" healthy, to protect our "D" if we did have injuries. But also to protect our "D" in case of too many minutes in a playoff series where you're playing back-to-back games and different scenarios. So while I favor having six, I'm the guy who made the decision to have seven and did it several times thinking it was is the right thing to do. So it helped us out the way we used it. It helped out the way Mike Yeo managed the defensemen with the series we had, did a great job with that. It can be very difficult giving seven defensemen and keeping them in the game and giving them a regular shift. But I think it was a big asset for us given the circumstances we're in. And those circumstances are ever changing. So we'll make adjustments going forward in that regard. Q. Getting back to Guerin, what has he done for the chemistry in your locker room and what's he done for Sid? COACH BYLSMA: Well, you know, Billy Guerin is the type of guy that walked in on the first day and immediately cracked a joke at our captain. That's the type of guy he is. It was a good humored joke, it was funny, and everyone laughed including Sidney. And he does that pretty much every day. But he's also a guy who knows when to say the serious thing, and he's probably said that five or six times at any given point in the playoffs and the regular season where he thought it was important he say the right thing and a serious thing. He was a guy last series that you pointed out before playing Carolina that the best thing they do is play as a team and have a battle level and continually bring that. And if we didn't match that battle level and weren't ready for that battle level we'd find ourselves in a very, very tough series. He was that guy. He was the guy who pointed that out. We talked about it throughout that series. That's what he brought to our team. He brings a lot on on the ice. He's a veteran. He's a smart player. He's done a very good job of working with and reading off Sidney, trying to figure out what he needs to do to complement that line, but he's been a huge factor in that regard. Q. Not since the Oilers and the Islanders, back to the '80s we have to go to see a rematch. Talk about that a little bit and what it means nationally and internationally for the hockey fans? RAY SHERO: I remember those series vividly and watching them growing up. I mean you had the islander teams that were so good. And I remember my father was coaching the Rangers and they beat them back in the '79 series in the semifinals. And the Rangers went to the finals and then the Islanders went on to win their four Cups. And you had the Edmonton team up and coming. We've heard a lot about that in the last couple of days. But I believe to have Pittsburgh-Detroit, and Detroit is the standard organization and team that everyone is matched against or compared to as they should be. Because we all know, you know, Kenny Holland and Steve Yzerman are synonymous with Detroit Red Wing hockey. They've won their Stanley Cups and deservedly so. I guess we're the young up and coming team, Crosby, Malkin, internationally makes for a great story. And within the NHL, it's wonderful. Dan and I talk about this a lot, that there are 30 teams in the league. To be amongst the last two teams, we said imagine that, the other team, they're pretty good. This is the Stanley Cup finals. There's only two teams left. We're hoping it's going to be a great final for the National Hockey League both here and internationally. Q. What you've got the same two teams in the finals. What makes you think the outcome will be different this time? What are the key factors that will come into play for the outcome to be different? RAY SHERO: Marc-Andre needs to make a good appearance as he jumps on to the ice and not step on the carpet, would be really good. You know, for us to have success in the Stanley Cup final we have to continue playing the way we're playing. You can talk about the experience we Drew upon last year, but those are words. We're going to see at the end of the series whether or not it's going to be a factor or not. So I really don't have an answer as to what this experience from last year is going to mean. As a manager, do I feel any different sitting up here the second year in a row? It feels absolutely fantastic. I've heard from other managers who have been in the league a long time who have never been to a Stanley Cup final. So I feel fortunate. But I don't play the game. To me what we have learned, I believe is through the first three series that we are a really good hockey team. We've got great experience. We've got great upper-end talent. Good goaltending. Our special teams are clicking, and we feel really good about ourselves. That's what we're going to take going into this final. If we draw upon last year if that helps us, that's wonderful. But we believe we're a really good team. That's what we're going to believe in. Q. You talked already about how you converted from a Red Wing fan into what you are now. How many Red Wing fans around west Michigan do you think are suddenly Penguin fans? How many are you hearing from? COACH BYLSMA: I'm hearing from a lot. A lot of my brothers coworkers in west Michigan are cheering for, interested in and cheering for the Penguins up to this point. And I would say a majority of them are now reverting back to their old colors and flying the flags from the cars as we see around the state. But there are a handful that think that friendship ties and family ties are stronger and will be cheering for the Pens. It makes for an interesting story. I get texts and emails saying you know, cheering for you up to this point. Now going back to the wings (laughing). I hold no animosity in that regard. I was commenting the other day from their standpoint they're probably going to be happy or excited for whoever wins. And from that standpoint, they're going to get a winner. But, I'd be cheering for the wings if I was a wings fan my whole life even if I knew Dan Bylsma or one of my brothers. It certainly makes for interesting story lines back in my hometown in western Michigan. Q. How do you think the seven-gamer with Washington prepared your group for this kind of spotlight given all the hype that was in that series and the pressure especially on your star players to match up with their star players and obviously winning that series. COACH BYLSMA: Yeah, the hype and dealing with that, I think was equivalent to what I can remember in the Stanley Cup final in '03. There was a lot of hype in that series. Lot of talk about the match-up of how great the series was and how good it was for hockey. But I think the one thing we've talked about and we're drawing on now as a team is a more focused group. They're more focused at the task at hand. Dealing with the ups and downs. A loss, getting down 0-2. And I've seen it in the way we approach game six in Phillie. The way we approach Game 7. While we're in the moment, we're still focused and ready to play our game, given the scenario. Doesn't matter if we're up or down or if we've lost two games. That's what's impressed me about our team. Game 6 in Phillie and Game 7 of that series was a big series we played. We were focused and ready for a big game in Game 7 and played a big game. That can be tough to do given the moment and the size of the attention that we were getting. And I think that's the thing that I see in our team. I don't know if that's from last year and the experience we had or if it's just this group of guys. Q. Were you of an age to remember your father's triumphs in Philadelphia in '74 and '75? And do you feel you're carrying on a legacy? RAY SHERO: Yeah, I was 12 and 13 years old, so I remember them very well. I grew up a flyer fan, believe it or not. But, yeah, my boys are 10 and 12 years old. They've read a lot about it. They've never met their grandfather. He passed away in 1990. But they've read a lot about him at the hockey Hall of Fame. They see the Stanley Cup and see his name, and that brings them great pride. They're telling their friends their grandpa won a Stanley Cup. I'm sure they'd be proud if their dad won one, too. But you're always proud. I'm always proud of what my dad accomplished in the game. So to me to be involved in the National Hockey League and looking back to where I was when I was 12, my father -- I was 9 years old, my father went to Philadelphia. So I've been around the league a long time. I've seen a lot and appreciated the game. Yeah, so it's looking back everybody wants to get their name on that Cup. That's why both teams are playing right now. End of FastScripts |
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