Panthers, Oilers take part in Stanley Cup Final Media Day
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for Saturday night from Amerant Bank Arena
The Stanley Cup Finals are one day away.
Just one more sleep, folks.
On Friday, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers each took a turn on the ice for one last practice before Game 1 Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
After skating, the two finalists took part in Stanley Cup Final Media Day.
For those wondering what exactly happens on media day, here’s a basic rundown.
A large area of the arena concourse was repurposed to accommodate multiple media scrums at once, with multiple ‘pods’ set up for a player or players to sit at and answer questions.
Half the team goes first, then after about 20-30 minutes, the second half the team replaces the first half.
It’s very much a giant free-for-all, with dozens of journalists and media members scrambling to get their interviews.
Here are some highlights of what a few of the Panthers had to say:
Paul Maurice on winning a Stanley Cup:
“Everybody's different. Every coach is different. And it's seems to me, as you age, you get a different perspective on life and what's important and valuable. I need to win one. Now, it's not gonna change the section of my life that's not related to hockey at all. That’s just the truth, that's how I feel. I’m 30 years into this thing, I wouldn’t mind winning one. When it's over, because I thought it was, you get to a point – I don't even want to say peaceful, I used the word peaceful, I’m not sure I ever got to peaceful – but I understand what it feels like to feel like it's over and you didn't win. I know coaches that feel the opposite at all. Maybe it's a function of I think can carry the losses, and that goes back to starting very, very young. I'm gonna know when this thing is all over, either how good I got, or how good I was. I won’t need somebody else to tell me that or to value my career. I’m not saying I’m going to value it really high, I’m not telling you where I’d value it. I’ll have a pretty good idea of the job I’ve done when it’s over. Yeah, I’d really like to win one.”
Evan Rodrigues on skating with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk:
I think we've done a really good job since we got put together. Benny (Bennett) and Chucky (Tkachuk) are a lot of fun to play, with especially come playoff time. Two guys who play hard, play physical and play with a lot of speed. If Benny gets going up the middle, he’s fun to connect with and get rush chances with. We've done a good job so far, and I think that Benny’s has gotten better and better as the playoffs have gone on, and he's really hitting his stride right now. We’d like to see that continue in this final series.”
Sam Bennett on getting back to the Stanley Cup Final:
“We’ve had this goal since we were eliminated last year. Right from training camp, our whole mindset was to get back here and get another shot at this. It wasn’t an easy journey again, but we’re excited and we’re ready this year.”
Dmitry Kulikov on Panthers captain Sasha Barkov:
“He has been a player, even at a young age you could see that how mature he was in terms of how he how he thinks the game and how he approaches the game. He's never taking it easy on himself, he is always the one that pushes himself and everybody else alongside him. You could see how a guy like that could become the leader of the team.”
Ryan Lomberg on the Stanley Cup (which was on a table a few feet away from Lomberg’s interview pod):
“I looked at it a couple of times when we first got out here and I got chills. I feel like if I keep looking I'm just gonna stare at it. So I've tried to imagine it's not there, because I'll be facing that way if I'm thinking about it.”
Anthony Stolarz on defending the Oilers:
“I just think it's gonna be a team effort. I mean, our entire team, our entire premise is based on defense and being able to cover for guys and our back check is relentless, so I think if we just play and stick as a five man group we'll be able to neutralize them.”
Carter Verhaeghe on Florida staying relaxed and having fun:
“I think that's how our team is able to play our best. Being tight never really helps our game and we're definitely not a team that gets really nervous and really scared of the moment. We like to keep it loose. We're all playing a sport, living our dreams and having fun, so that's kind of how we like to play it.”
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