L.A. Kings Coach Darryl Sutter talks about Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final
Los Angeles Kings Coach Darryl Sutter faced the media on Wednesday to discuss Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils. Below are highlights from the transcript (provided by the NHL) of the news conference.
Q. Darryl, any lineup changes tonight?
SUTTER: We’ll make the decision after warm-up, as per every home game. We have extra guys. We don’t know their lineup, so we’re not sure of ours either.
Q. How do you like Simon’s game the other night?SUTTER: I answered it yesterday. Hopefully he’s better tonight.
Q. You have played so well. Even though there’s a lot more at stake tonight, do you try to keep everything the same?SUTTER: I think routine is really important for players. Do the same thing today as we did last game. It’s not that we have to change anything, that’s for sure. You know what, as I said all along, there is a point that it’s about the players. The farther you go, the more games you play, so ... can pretty much leave it at that.
Q. Darryl, the players will admit to having a little bit of uneasiness yesterday because there was time to think. Today there’s no time to think. What about you yesterday?SUTTER: Went to the rink, did our normal work. Went to the hotel last night, had a good sleep. Drank my pail of coffee this morning, ready to go. They’re people. You know what, anybody who is on this stage, either team, they want to Play. Days off are just about traveling, reloading, that’s it.
Q. Is there a certain amount of shutting the outside world off that needs to happen?SUTTER: Yeah, I think we’ve done a good job of that right from the start. Most of the kids hadn’t been through this at all, the Final, the playoffs, the whole procedure of it, the process. They’ve done a good job of getting in that swing. At the same time, you want them to enjoy the challenge of it, because for lots of them, as I’ve said, it’s the first time, last time, only time.
Q. You just mentioned for the players -- first time, could be the last time.
SUTTER: It’s true. Do you know? I don’t. Nobody does. There are only two teams that I know of that have gone back-to-back in the Finals, and they had to lose and win. That was Pittsburgh and Detroit. They played each other back-to-back.
Q. As a coach, is it more heightened, that feeling of not knowing whether you would ever make it back or not?
SUTTER: No. It’s not about the coaches. It’s about the players. I said that. It’s sort of repetition, but they’re the guys that do the work.
RELATED:
Photos: 2012 Stanley Cup Final
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
