Questions for coach Cooper.
Q. Jon, status of your goalie, Ben Bishop?
COACH COOPER: Well, in honor of the 11-year anniversary of our
organization’s first Stanley Cup, how would John Tortorella answer that question?
Q. Is he available tomorrow night?
COACH COOPER: I’ll just leave it at that (laughter).
Q. Brad Richards was saying the other day that one thing that really distinguishes the triplets line is they’re willing to try to do things that might scare other young players. Why is that?
COACH COOPER: Actually, I haven’t really I guess thought of it that
way. That’s a really good player, skilled player, as Brad Richards
thinking the same way they think.
They’re willing to play the game uncomfortable, if you know what I
mean. They go outside of probably what’s the norm. The one thing that
really makes them work, though, is they all have extremely high hockey IQs and can play the game at a really fast pace.
Ultimately if you want to have that kind of success, you have to
compete. All three of them do that. They’re not afraid to go to any area
on the ice.
Richie is right, they’re willing to do that. The other thing, too, is all three of them really get along with each other off the ice. I think that chemistry and friendship helps them, too.
Q. Do you know who is going to play in net for you tomorrow?
COACH COOPER: No, I don’t, which would tell you, if I don’t know,
that Bish could be available. You’ll have a better indication, I guess,
tomorrow at the skate. Although our morning skates are all optional
anyway. Bish, notoriously he goes on sometimes during them and sometimes
he doesn’t. I’m sure you’ll get a clue then tomorrow.
Q. In a world where the way the game is looked at is changing
dramatically, do you avail yourself of the advanced metrics that are available for hockey analytics?
COACH COOPER: I think information is good. I think you’re naïve not to take in everything around you. If statistics is part of that, I want to see it. I want to have it at our disposal.
How much we use or how much it changes your thinking, I can’t sit here and say, well, I’m 100% analytics says yes, so that’s our direction.
The one thing that analytics does not take into account is the human mind, the human spirit and the human soul. So I think that comes into play. If there’s one combatant to analytics, that’s it.
Mostly, I want the information, and we use it.
Q. Patrick Roy said earlier this year in trying to build his team
into a contender, he doesn’t just want to be a good team, he wants to play a style that’s pleasing for his fans to watch. Your team would fit that description. What is your true organic philosophy on the way you think the game should be played even at this time of year, whether you can appreciate how entertaining last night was for everyone?
COACH COOPER: Yeah, I’ll be honest, I don’t know how somebody could leave that rink last night and not be an instant hockey fan if that was your first game.
To me, it’s a speed sport. These guys are phenomenal athletes.
Ultimately I coach games to win games. I guess there’s different ways to
do that. But we believe these guys have these abilities, why not take
advantage of them?
I’m a big believer in literally playing the whole game skating forwards. I think you can do that.
I think your best defense is having the puck. So if you can have it as much as you can, it’s really tough for the other team to score.
The entertainment value, I know we are in the entertainment business a little bit, but I don’t really put any stock in that. I think we’re in the winning business. Ultimately any fan will tell you, I think winning’s the greatest entertainment.
If you look outside our building, inside our building, there’s two teams left standing, we’re one of them, you can’t get a seat inside or
outside. I think for the fans, the fact that you’re winning, it’s pretty
entertaining.
But you’ve watched us enough. You’ve seen the way our team plays.
It’s how we play.
Q. You have been, on the road during the playoffs, better than the
regular season. Any explanation for that?
COACH COOPER: Actually, to be honest, it’s different because in the regular season, you’re going on five-game road trips, you’re in five different cities, different time zones, you’re playing back-to-backs.
Playing on the road in the NHL really doesn’t work in your favor a whole ton.
I think when you look at our home record, I’m not making light of anything, but teams usually come down to Florida, and they’ve been potentially somewhere where it’s been 20 below. They get four days in Florida, they play us and the Panthers. I think one of us should take advantage of the team at some point in there.
So we’re kind of a destination city because you have to come down and play us both. So I think that works in your favor.
But on the road, it’s different. Especially where we are
geographically, we’re going on long trips all the time.
The one thing that I know going to the playoffs, there was so much talk about how bad we were on the road, I think it changed our focus.
Conversely, there was so much talk about how good we are at home, we just took that for granted. We wanted to put a show on at home. It didn’t work out for us.
I truly believe, if it makes any sense at all, that our poor record during the regular season kind of united our focus. I think that’s why we play better on the road.
The other thing, too, is you get breaks. The rest, all that, helps out, too.
Q. Referencing that style of play question a little bit, all through the series, no matter which one it is, going into the Stanley Cup Final, but Game 1 and Game 2, the difference between the two styles, can you talk about your team’s ability to adapt to no matter what the game seems to be playing out as?
COACH COOPER: Well, I think that’s what’s great about our group. I think for a lot of these players growing up in their life, I’m not so sure defense came first in their repertoire of playing, which to me, I don’t
care. For a coach, it’s much easier to make an offensive-gifted player
learn how to play D than it is to make a defensive-minded player score goals.
I think playing defense is a choice to me. You got to make the choice, do you want to do it or not. Everybody from our captain down to our goaltender, they make a choice to play D.
Now, do we do it every single night? Do we get caught up in games where it’s run-and-gun, we get caught up in that? There’s no question. A lot of that, you know, it’s human nature, the way we like to attack, the way we like to play.
Are we the perfect team? No, we’re not. I think we’re a fun team.
I think we’re a committed team. I think we play as a group. When the game is on the line and those guys got to buckle down, they know how to do it.
I think that’s, I guess, the way we’ve adapted. When it’s time to go win a hockey game, these guys find a way to do it. That’s what’s been great about them.
Q. I know you know Joel very well, have a relationship with him. He was one of your mentors, you said. Have you cut off communication as Marty and Stammer did in the last round?
COACH COOPER: Well, we spoke actually – as I said, when they
advanced to the Final, we spoke right after that. We’ve spoken a couple times.
I think just because you’re in the Final together, it doesn’t stop you from becoming friends. We’re in a different position because we coach our teams, but it’s 20 players going against 20 players. They’re the ones battling it out. We’re just the two guys that have prepared our teams.
Have I cut communication off with him? No, we don’t speak on a daily basis in this time. But if I walked by him on the street, I would make a point of going over to say hi to him, there’s no question.
Q. If Vasi does play tomorrow, he’s played well in some tough
buildings. What about him makes him able to step up to the challenge?
COACH COOPER: Well, the game that sticks out for me, we ended up
losing that game. But when we were on the Island, we were fifth game in
ten nights, it was a tough trip for us. I think Vasi kicked out 40-plus.
We didn’t have the puck the whole night. We had a 1-0 lead sometime in the
third. I don’t remember exactly. We ended up losing the game 2-1, but we
should have lost 10-1.
The building was rocking. It was just a crazy atmosphere. He was
unreal. He just played with this unreal calm about himself. That’s kind
of when I knew we had something in this kid. Other games, usually he’s come in in tough situations sometimes. He’s had to battle his way through.
Even in the playoffs, we’ve put him in in tough situations.
He’s played under some bright lights. He’s World Junior, KHL. These guys are with him more than I am. I’ll tell you, I don’t know if we have a more prepared player in our locker room than that kid. He’s ready to go in at any moment. You got to love that in him.
So if Bish can’t go tomorrow, is that a blow to us? Sure it is. But do we think the series is lost because Vasilevskiy is going in? Not a chance.
I don’t know. I look at our tandem, I’d like to stack them up
against any tandem in the league because I think we’ve got, you know, 1 and 1A.
Q. When it comes to defending against Toews and Kane, together or
apart, how much is it being hyper aware where they are?
COACH COOPER: You have to be aware of that at all times. They’re
two outstanding players. We’ve got some good players on our team, as well.
We didn’t get here, you know, by not being able to play.
We have a lot of confidence in the Stralmans, Hedmans, Garrys, down the list, that those guys can make it hard on players.
I know that a lot has been made of the last couple games of Paquette’s line, how they’ve neutralized Toews’ line a little bit for two games. If Toews’ line has to go against Fil’s line or Johnny’s line, we’re comfortable with that.
That’s one of the assets of our team, if one line gets caught out there with somebody, there’s not any stress on our bench. It’s not as if Brian Boyle hasn’t faced top centers in his career. He’s gone against these guys. That’s what is good about our group, we have that balance.
To answer your question, of course we’re aware when they’re on the
ice. They’re dangerous players. We respect them immensely. But we don’t
fear ’em.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
COACH COOPER: Thank you.
(Feature Photo/Getty Images)
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