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McPhee on Not Outplaying Jets, Caps Beating Pens; Gallant on Yzerman |
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Sheng Peng
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As we await the winner of Washington-Tampa Bay, we've gotten a chance to have extended media availability with George McPhee and Gerard Gallant over the last couple days.
Here are highlights from these sessions, including great stuff from McPhee about missing out on Jon Cooper and whether or not the Golden Knights actually outplayed the Jets. Gallant reminisces about Steve Yzerman as a roommate and what it was like to play against McPhee.
We should have regular player availability tomorrow.
McPhee, on selecting Marchessault in Expansion Draft:
Watching him last year and seeing him the year before, it looked like he really had something, some pop. He wasn't getting a lot of icetime, but he sort of stood out in a certain way. There might be more to this player.
When we knew what we had, we were aggressive in terms of trying to get a deal done. What he wanted most, in my mind, was respect.
He's finally going to have a team that was going to put a long-term deal on the table for him. Respect he was a good player. Pay him like he should be paid.
McPhee, on interviewing Jon Cooper in 2012 for Washington head coaching job:
We probably should have hired him. In fact, I know we should have hired him. Good coach. Exceptional coaching record. If you looked at wherever he had coached, the teams just had terrific records. It couldn't be coincidence, year after year after year. He's a very good coach. He should've been hired.
McPhee, on his perspective on how Golden Knights outplayed Jets, besides Fleury and goalscoring:
I don't know that we outplayed them.
We've all seen the games. There are different momentum shifts. They have a good period; we have a good period. They have a good 3-4 shifts; we have a good 3-4 shifts. What you try to do is try to get the momentum back for your team. Get one line out there to win a shift, get the next one to win a shift, and see if you can start tilting things.
McPhee, on Fleury:
Rather him on our side than playing against him. I've had that experience.
He's playing very well. I've mentioned in the past that Dave Prior really thought he could have him playing better than ever. So far, he's right.
What we admire about him the most is not just the playing ability. It's the leadership, integrity & high character. Always knowing the right way to do things. Other-centered, not self-centered. Just a really high-quality person. The way he treats kids, fans, referees, coaches, anybody in the game. He's just one of the finest you'll ever meet.
McPhee, on David Conte's role:
Dave had a broader perspective of how to approach things, how to put a team together that we really found value in. He continues to have good insight.
I'll get an e-mail from him every 3-4 days. It's about what he's seeing. It's always insightful.
He's a good voice in our room, whenever we get together to talk about an amateur draft, pro trades, whatever.
McPhee, on how proud he was of Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom getting over the hump and if he's talked to anybody on the Caps about beating the Penguins:
I've talked to a few people in the organization, corresponded with the manager today.
There are a few texts that go back and forth sometimes with Alex.
I was really happy for the organization. It's been one heck of an organization for a long time. Really, it's an organization that has drafted very, very well, maybe the best in the league over the last 10 years. They deserve to be where they are.
McPhee, on Reaves:
I wanted to wait as long as we could to determine what we had as a team. At the Trade Deadline, we felt it was a very good team. But it was getting thin. We were getting banged up. Guys out of the line-up, we had other guys playing hurt. We wanted to do the very best we could for this team that was playing its guts out, to help it.
We wanted to add some skill, so we got that in Tatar. We wanted to add some heaviness, and we got that in Reaves.
Reaves, everybody knows how tough he is. But that's not the only reason why we acquire a guy. He could play.
We just thought, when we get into the games down the stretch or in the playoffs, we could have a guy that could play the game right, get the pucks deep, chip it behind their D, go in, pressure them, play physical, wear them down, hold people off, try to get separation, take the puck to the net, play the shifts in their end of the rink.
The first San Jose [playoff game Reaves played], every shift they played, they were in the other team's end of the rink. They've had a lot of shifts in the other team's end of the rink since then.
We just noticed when he went into the line-up, his linemates suddenly got better. The 4th line, in the middle of that San Jose series, was not playing as well as it had in the past. We needed to shake something up there. Ryan did a good job of reviving the line, giving us good, hard safe minutes.
Some nights, even though they're not scoring like some of the other lines, they're one of our better lines. Because they're playing the game right. The other team isn't getting chances. We're keeping it deep on them, playing physical.
McPhee, on Perron:
He turned out to be a far better playmaker than we originally thought. Really hangs onto the puck and holds people off and uses his strength.
Provided playmaking on a line where you got Haula who brings speed and can score. James Neal, who can score. It was nice to add a playmaker to that line.
McPhee, on bringing a championship to Las Vegas:
The interest in this team is just incredible. For all of us, one of the neatest experiences of our lifetime. Maybe the neatest, most unique experience.
Las Vegas has been a wonderful place to live and work.
We just hope this fairy tale that we’re in here can continue the next couple of weeks because it would be really great to deliver a championship to this city and these people.
McPhee, on Engelland:
I don't think he's anywhere near the end of his career.
He's a very good player. His hockey sense is very, very good. He understands the game, really knows how to play. He's probably our most fit player. I would expect he'll going to be able to play for a while. We were happy to extend his contract and hope that we can again. We should be able to.
You see a guy like Chara play into 40 or 41 because he stays in tip-top shape. Engy can do the same thing.
Gallant, on how good defensive structure was in third period against Winnipeg in Game Five:
I thought the San Jose [third period in Game Six] was as good a hockey defensively as we've played all year. I thought the one in Winnipeg was very good -- not quite as good as the San Jose one -- for close-out games, I thought our team did an unbelievable job in both those games.
The games that I look back to in the Winnipeg series was Game 2 and 5 in their building. We played exceptional hockey. Those were probably our best two complete games of the series.
Gallant, on penalties taken against Jets:
There's been a lot of penalties, we're just putting that stick in there, catching their skates.
We're playing a good game, we're playing a fast game, and sometimes those penalties happen. The last game, I think we had 4 penalties against us, 3 of them were just unfortunate situations where the stick goes into the feet, guy trips over it. That's not about preaching discipline, that's about making sure we're not reaching with our sticks.
Gallant, on Yzerman:
We met each other in our time in Detroit. We became good friends. More to do with being off the ice and being roommates for a little bit.
Obviously, a player like myself, I enjoyed playing with a top-end player like Yzerman. You get more points, more goals, more looks at the net.
Now, we don't talk a whole lot. We text each other once in a while and wish each other luck. But we've both got children and families.
When we bump into each other, we're still old friends.
Gallant, on if Yzerman was a considerate roommate:
Oh yeah, definitely. He was the younger guy, so he had to go get the food. He was the better player, but he still had got to do the food.
Gallant, on playoff grind:
We're in the Stanley Cup Final, but it doesn't really feel like it's been a grind. Our guys are fresh, they're ready to go.
Gallant, on playing against McPhee:
He was a hard-nosed player. I think there were similarities in the way that me and George played. He worked hard, he competed hard every game he played.
Gallant, on if McPhee could make the Golden Knights:
I think so, yeah. Find a spot for him. Fourth line.
Gallant, on if he was surprised by how quickly team's defensive structure came together this year:
We talked about the game we wanted to play. We didn't come in here and say we're going to be a high-scoring team or we didn't go into here and say we're going to a defensive team. We came in here and said we wanted to be a good team. We want to play fast, we want to play quick. When you do those things, it makes you play both ends of the rink.
Gallant, on Reaves:
The day we got him at the Trade Deadline, there was nothing about the "goon" type of thing. He's not a big production guy, but he's an important guy. Forechecking, doesn't take a lot of penalties. He works hard, he's a great teammate.
When he wasn't playing for most of the first two series, he never said a word. He worked hard, kept the guys loose, told the guys, "Let's be ready."
He gets his chance and he's played great hockey. It's not surprising to me.
When I talk about making my 20-man roster, it's not an easy job. We're leaving 2 or 3 or 4 really good hockey players out.
He took advantage of the opportunity and played really well and scored the biggest goal so far in the Knights history.
Gallant, on his coaching staff and how duties are delegated:
We have a lot of fun, our staff.
We work as a team. It's not one guy running the PK, he takes credit or the blame. We discuss it as a group and that's the way I like it.
For example, Mike Kelly and Ryan Craig might do the Washington tape. Myself and McGill will do Tampa Bay tape. We'll break stuff down. Once we know who we're playing, we'll put it all together and discuss it and figure out the best plan of action. And again, we'll break down the tape, but we want to make sure we're playing our game.
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