For more on this story, go to CSNPhilly.com and also hear Chris Pronger's reaction:
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Peter Laviolette Press Conference Transcript – Dec. 4, 2009
Courtesy of the Flyers:
“I don’t think there’s any clear cut way when it comes to winning. A lot of teams have a lot of success playing more of a defensive-minded game. And I’m not even commenting on what was going on here. I just think there’s an approach that takes the game that way, and then there’s an approach that says well, if you get two men in on the forecheck and if you pinch your D [defense] and have more of a Buffalo mentality, you can have success that way. My thought process is to get some pressure on the puck when you can in the offensive zone, in the neutral zone… play a real good defensive game, because if you’re giving up goals you can’t find the success you’re looking for. But I know that when you’re attacking the offensive zone and the offensive net, you’re not playing defense.”
Q: When Ken Hitchcock came here, he talked about what it was like to be fired and what he tried to learn from that. Are there some things you feel like you have learned or are there things that you’d like to change?
“I think you’re constantly learning. When you’re coaching, when you go through the bad times as well as the good times, you’re learning. You probably learn more in the bad times. I think that just adds to the experience that you bring to the next job. The time that I had in Carolina, you experience the highest of highs and then you experience the lowest of lows when you end up not having the success you want and you get fired, you take all of that and what you put into trying to make a team successful when you couldn’t, trying to make a team successful when it was, and you take all of that with you.”
Q: On the flip side of that, what do you learn from winning it all?
“I think when you win it all you learn how hard it is and how much work you have to put in, and I think maybe guys will tell you that who have won the Cup. It’s almost like you separate from your family and your personal life and your only focus and only objective is to win the Stanley Cup when you’re in that playoff push and that playoff run. It’s a lot of work. But when you hold the Cup at the end, you realize how very much worth it it was to put in that work.
Q: From what you’ve seen, are the Flyers a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?
“This is a good hockey team. I haven’t even coached a practice yet. So I think it’s unfair to say that it’s good or it’s bad. We should probably have some practices and play some games. There’s some good players on this team. There’s a lot of players that most teams in the league would want to have a piece of. I think it’s important to get out of there and do some of that work that we talked about before we start talking about the Stanley Cup.”
Q: Thoughts on leadership of the team…
“I haven’t even been in that room, and I’m not even sure of the divide you’re talking about yet. All I know is you mentioned two pretty good hockey players [Richards and Pronger]. I think when I get in there tomorrow and I talk to these players and we play some games, I think things always kind of sort themselves out and you can see things, they become visible. I know that Richards is a pretty good hockey player. He’s a competitor. And I also know that Chris Pronger is a warrior and a leader. It’d be wrong for me to say anything other than that about the divide that you’re talking about, because I’m not familiar with it.”
Q: Without the benefit of a training camp, how do you have to speed up the process of getting to know the players?
“Well I think that’s important too. Sometimes you come in and you’re so focused at putting things in place that you don’t take your time [to get to know the players], and that’s important. So that will be done. But I also think it’s important not to just come in and hit them over the head with 50 things tomorrow so they freeze on the ice tomorrow night. It’ll be a work in progress, but there will be some changes tomorrow. I think once you put something in place, it gives you the opportunity to correct it and to address situations that aren’t being done the way you want it. So we’ll work at it.”
Q: Going back to the leadership thing, are you a coach who believes in a larger kind of leadership group, or do you think it’s better to have a small number?
“I believe that you need a good captain on a team. But I also believe that you are who you are in life, and there are people who are good leaders. You don’t need a letter on your chest to be a good leader. But I do think that you need somebody to grab the team and to be that captain. I’m not sure what it is that you guys are talking about yet, but we’ll cross that bridge down the road. I think you are who you are… I think your true colors always come out.”
Q: Do you think the players know enough about you, know that you’ve won the Cup recently, that there will be an instant respect element?
“I think you earn people’s respect. I think it’s a two-way street with everybody. You go in and you do the work, and you try and find ways to win hockey games. I think that’s how you do it, you earn it and work for it. I plan on coming in here and doing some work, and I think the players are going to do the same thing.”
Q: When you first took over in Carolina, how did they respond to you?
“It’s going to be a different day tomorrow. Everybody’s going to be looking around and not sure, and we’ll get through it. That’s all I can tell you, we’ll get through it.”
PAUL HOLMGREN remarks:
after Thursday's 3-0 loss:
“Late last night I made up my mind about making a coaching change. I believe we need a new voice at this time.”
what Laviolette brings:
“[He’ll bring] more of an offensive push, pressure style in all zones, not only the offensive zone, but defensive zone, as well."
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger • 
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