Transcripts Courtesy of the NHL Communications Department

Media Day comments from Blackhawks players Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Marian Hossa, and Jonathan Toews

Comments from Patrick Kane

Q.         (Question off Microphone).

PATRICK KANE:  Get this thing started tonight if we could.  But I’ll wait a couple more days and try to get ready.

Q.  A little bit of teasing here [indiscernible]?

PATRICK KANE:  I guess that’s respect, hey?  I don’t know what that’s about.  But, hey, I’m sure I’ll probably hear it from some of the guys, who knows.  That’s the way our team is.  No one is ever serious anyways.  Everyone is joking around with you.  Ask someone a question, no one’s going to give you a straight answer, no matter who it is, that’s the way we are on the team.

Q.  Is this similar to the Olympics, the height and stuff, or different?

PATRICK KANE:  I think so.  I think it’s even bigger because it’s not just one or two games or a whole tournament.  You’ve got a whole seven games ahead of you and you’ve been in the Playoffs already, too, for a month or so now.

So it almost seems like it’s even bigger.  I think to be honest with you, something at the Olympics, I think you realize the opportunity you had.  But this almost feels like it would be better to win this one.

Q.  Most people outside of Philadelphia have you guys as overwhelming favorites in this series.  I’m sure you guys respect that, and would you rather go in as favorites or does it matter?

PATRICK KANE:  It doesn’t matter at this point.  The biggest thing for us is we’re here.  We feel we have a good team.  I’m sure Philly feels the same way.  Obviously they’ve been playing really good.  And for them to get to this position they would have to be playing really good, especially the positions they’ve been in.

They’ve had a roller coaster ride of a season whether it’s the changing of a coach or being down 3‑0 and then coming back.  Or even making it this far to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

So they’re going to be a tough team.  They’re really similar to us in a lot of ways.  They’ve got a lot of depth up front.  They’ve got some big shooters back on defense and some guys that can shut you down, too.

So I think it’s going to bode really well for a really good series and really exciting, too.

Q.  Sharp played with a lot of these guys, came up with a lot of these guys.  Has he been able to ‑ played with Richards and a few others.  Has he been able to fill you guys in a lot?  I know you played them once, but it’s a different situation.

PATRICK KANE:  To be honest with you, we haven’t studied too much of them yet.  But we’re going to do different things, whether it’s power play, penalty kill.  I know Sharpy will love nothing more than to win this series, especially against his own team guys like Eager, too.  It’s not just him.  But I’m sure it’s anyone.  Even a guy like Leighton on their team, I know he was drafted by Chicago.  And I’m sure he’d love to win against us.

So I haven’t been in that situation where I’ve had to play against my former team.  But I’m sure it’s something, every time you do, you want to beat them.

Q.  How big is the magnitude of this [indiscernible]?

PATRICK KANE:  Right now it’s setting in, to be honest with you.  It almost feels like it’s back at the All Star game in Montreal, when everyone had their little podium and a lot of media outlets around, too.

So it’s a huge deal.  Seems like it’s bigger than the Olympics to me right now, to be honest with you.  It’s going to be a long series.

It’s not just one game.  And we look at our team, we’re really excited about the guys we have.  It’s going to be exciting.  How could it not be?  The city’s on fire.  You walk around Chicago and everyone’s rooting for the Blackhawks, everyone’s expecting good things.  So hopefully we can give it to them.

Q.  (Question off microphone).

PATRICK KANE:  It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.  But I think those are pretty cool, obviously.  Everyone has a lot of fun at those.  And it’s something you’ve got to do.  It comes with the job, I guess.

Comments from Duncan Keith

Q.         (Question off microphone).

DUNCAN KEITH:  It’s in the back of your head a little bit, you know.  That would obviously be pretty special to be able to do that.  I don’t know how often that’s happened before.  But that’s the goal.  Let’s face it, that’s what we’re here for is to do that, and to win the Cup; but at the same time, I think it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves and think about it too much, which we don’t.  We’ll take it one day at a time here, getting ready for this final series and looking forward to playing a good first five minutes and a good start to the first period and the first game.

Q.  (Question off Microphone).

DUNCAN KEITH:  I’ve always wanted to win a Stanley Cup.  I grew up as a kid wanting to win the Stanley Cup.  And hoist that above your head.  You watch it so many times as a kid and for me that’s going to be bigger.

Q.  (Question off Microphone).

DUNCAN KEITH:  He’s done a lot of great things for this franchise and this city and for all of us players.  I think really once he took over it’s been a whole new world for the players and for everybody I think involved that follows the Blackhawks.  The list goes on from just the way we’re treated as players, and, obviously, getting the games put on TV.

And I just think that he’s done so many great things, and it’s a privilege for us as players to be part of this organization.

Q.  Looking back to those early days, what was it like playing here when the place was half empty the enthusiasm for the ownership, in particular.

DUNCAN KEITH:  No, it wasn’t.  I remember those days pretty good, my first couple of years in NHL.  As a young guy, I’m just happy to be in the NHL and be a part of it.  Dream your whole life to be a part of NHL, and you finally do and it’s great.  As time goes by, you realize when things do change, just how much better it is now and how much of a hockey city this town really is.  Like I said, it’s just fun to be a part of that, living in this city and playing for this team.

Comments from Dustin Byfuglien

Q.  There’s two big bodies out there colliding.  Have you thought much about it and how you’re going to work that?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  A little bit.  But not too much.  I’m just going to have to do what I have to do to be out there and do the simple things to get things going.

Q.  You love to help yourself in the crease.  You’re hard to get up that big 6’6″ body.  It’s like a big tower in there.

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  It’s not going to be easy.  He’s going to try to get in front and try to get in position.  That’s something I’m just going to have to do and make sure that I get positioned first.

Q.  Is that overwhelming for you to know that it’s a key matchup, the X factor in this series?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  I’m not really worried too much about it.  The focus on me, it’s a big thing.  But for the most part I’m just going to go out there do what I have to do.

Q.  Dustin, have you thought about what it would be like to bring the Cup back, and have you let it enter your mind?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  Not yet.  I haven’t got that thinking in my head so far.  I just go day by day, and if it comes along, gets closer, I think I’ll start thinking about it.

Q.  I talked to your mom, she said the town is maybe 2,500, but it might be 20,000.

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  Might be more people coming into town for sure.

Q.  Your mom said that she bought you a shaft when you were a kid, basically you couldn’t break it because you couldn’t afford another.  You still have it today; is that accurate?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  I have a lot of shafts.  I couldn’t break back, big aluminum ones all they do is bend before they break.

I have a couple of them.  And that’s something that definitely that as a kid growing up trying to break a stick so you get a new one, but we couldn’t.

Q.  What’s it like to tangle with Pronger, have you felt playing the Flyers before how much will it increase (Indiscernible).

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  They’ve got a big team over there.  Definitely going to be a good matchup.  Not going to be an easy battle.  But that’s something that I think as a team, I think we’re going to be ready to match up and everyone’s going to be ready to go.

Q.  Pronger tough to deal with one‑on‑one for you?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  I don’t know.  I really haven’t got to deal with him too much before.  And after Game 1 I’ll let you know.

Q.  Is there a key, you think?  Clearly you’ve watched game film on him.  Is there a key thing you can bring in that crease?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  You know, not offhand that I can think of.  You just gotta watch and see what he does and read off of it and try to do the best you can to get position or get your stick down.

Q.  Obviously, playing with those two is completely different than playing with the other guys.  Lots of top players.  Can you describe what it is like to play with two guys handling the puck?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  Yeah, they like to dump pucks and get in on the forward track and stuff.  All they’ve got to do is go out there and get them the puck and stand in front and just find open areas on the ice and they’ll seem to find you.

Q.  The Pronger question she brought up a moment ago, would you say individually, as far as the guys you’ve been banging against in front of the net in the Playoffs, is this your biggest personal challenge to get through him?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  I don’t know.  It’s probably going to be one of the bigger ones.  He’s probably going to be the biggest problem out there.  But for the most part, every series I’ve had a couple of guys that have been easy to work around.

Q.  But in terms of size and strengths and experience, certainly he’s got some of that, right?

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN:  He’s definitely got the experience and the size and stuff.  And he’s definitely smart and he’s been around and knows how to handle situations.  So the work is going to be cut out for me.

Comments from Marian Hossa

Q.         Third time a charm for you?

MARIAN HOSSA:  I really hope so.  Obviously, it’s very interesting being three times with three different teams.

Q.  Third time in the Final.  Just give us your thoughts on that.

MARIAN HOSSA:  It is a really interesting situation.  Really unique.  I really hope so.

This is the time, definitely want to win this time, and being in the Finals, definitely want to touch the trophy.

Q.  Anything changed when you think back of going to the Final with Pittsburgh, and then with Detroit, what have you learned and what’s changed as you get ready for this one?

MARIAN HOSSA:  There’s always a few different things you learn.  Obviously, when you didn’t win, you kind of have the time during the summer to think about things, got more enthusiasm coming to the new series.  It really helps.  We have a great team.  A great chance.

Q.  Your general manager, Stan Bowman, talked about the enthusiasm and the city waiting another nine years to win a Cup.  From a player’s perspective, what does it feel like?

MARIAN HOSSA:  It is awesome feeling.  Since Game 1, the building was sold out.  And the fans were unreal.  This town is a true hockey town since the beginning.

Obviously, they proved it last year when they lost against us in Conference Final, and this is another step and people are going crazy in the city.

Q.  You’ve been through this media day stuff before, right?  So you know all about it?

MARIAN HOSSA:  That’s correct.

Q.  How do you handle all these repetitive questions?

MARIAN HOSSA:  It’s the same thing.  Like, what happens in the dressing room, now wear a nice hoodie in comfortable seats.

Q.  How exciting is it for you?

MARIAN HOSSA:  Definitely it’s exciting.  But this time we want to make sure it’s a better finish than the last few years.

Q.  That’s right, you’ve got something to prove, right?

MARIAN HOSSA:  Definitely.

Q.  The city’s rallied around the team, too.  Coming here the first year, can you see it?

MARIAN HOSSA:  Definitely.  Since Game 1 was sold out and since through the whole year, you know, people were unbelievable, fans coming to the games.  You can feel the enthusiasm in the city.

Q.  You’ve been through this before.  Does it ever become routine after a while, or do you still get kind of giddy when you go through this experience?

MARIAN HOSSA:  The truth is, this is the third time doing this type of interview.  So could get easily used to it.  But I want to make sure we’re in a better finish this time.

Q.  When you came here to the Blackhawks, did you expect this ‑ did you think this team was capable of coming this far?

MARIAN HOSSA:  Definitely.  When I was signing as a free agent, in Chicago, I knew how good a team it is.  Obviously, sometimes you can face some injuries, things like that.  But so far it’s been great.  We had a great run since the beginning of the season, and we are not in the Finals by accident, but by hard work.

Q.  Give us your thoughts on this series.  What kind of series do you think it will be with the Flyers?

MARIAN HOSSA:  It’s going to be a tight series.  Lots of maybe people, does a favor, obviously because of the standings, but the Flyers play really well in the Playoffs.  They’ve got a great team.  Lots of experience, too.  It’s going to be a tight series.

Q.  How important is it to you to set history come the first guy to play on three consecutive championship teams with different teams?

MARIAN HOSSA:  Well, that’s not as important as winning the trophy.  That’s the most important.

Comments from Jonathan Toews

Q. (Question off microphone).

JONATHAN TOEWS:  Yeah, we were very excited to clean that up and finish in our own building.  But, you know, it felt like the longest week ever waiting for this game on Saturday night.  But we’re looking forward to it.  We’ll be ready for it.  We’re just trying to save our energy for now and not get too jacked up and ready to play when the game is not until Saturday night.

Q.  When you see all this media here, what goes through your mind?

JONATHAN TOEWS:  Well, this is it.  Obviously this is the big show.  It’s gotten bigger and bigger every series.  You can tell.  The series against Vancouver, playing a Canadian team there’s always going to be a lot of media attention in Canada.  This is the ultimate thing.  The entire hockey world is watching this.  These are the type of games you love to play in.  It’s a fun thing to be a part of.

Q.  You guys have won at so many different levels, World Juniors, World Championships.  Memorial Cups.  Does all that winning help you when you get to the Stanley Cup?

JONATHAN TOEWS:  Of course.  It doesn’t really matter where you’re at.  When you’re there, it’s always a huge deal, whether it’s the World Juniors or World Championship, if it’s something new to you, a new experience, it’s so exciting.

You know you don’t want to feel the feeling of disappointment if you lose, so you work hard and you learn kind of what it takes to win and how to overcome what your opponent is throwing at you.

All that experience does help you, but this is going to be the ultimate battle, I think.

Q.  You’re not used to having that disappointed feeling.  One of your guys are going to feel it at the end of this.

JONATHAN TOEWS:  Yeah, that’s the unfortunate reality of it.  Right now it’s exciting.  Just to believe.  We got an entire city behind us.  We feel like this is the year for us.  And we’re going to throw everything we can at them.

The support we’ve had from our family, from our fans, everything has been incredible.  We want to win it for them, but most of all, for each and every guy in that locker room.

Q.  (Indiscernible) struggled through the first half of the season.  There was some debate whether he would make the team, and he did.  What did you see at that time?

JONATHAN TOEWS:  Again, he’s a guy who doesn’t take anything for granted.  He works for everything.  That’s what we kind of had going as a line.  We had a pretty player in Rick Nash, I guess.  Not like the two of us, who are just kind of scrapping around out there.  You know, we worked hard and we scored some big goals as a line.  We shut down some big lines as well.  So you get the sense he’s one of those players that’s competitive and doesn’t matter whether he’s playing defense or offense.  He’s going to make you work for everything you get against him.

Q.  (Indiscernible).

JONATHAN TOEWS:  It’s been a couple of days.  So it’s definitely sunk in.  That’s a good thing.  Over the hype, over all the excitement, just trying to relax, take a deep breath.  Every time you think about the end result, it’s still so far away.  It’s going to be a heck of a series, a heck of a battle.

You just got to take it one inch at a time, one period at a time.  And, you know, you win those small battles and you might win the war.  That’s what we’ll focus on.  Nothing to get excited about.

Q.  How much do you see this series as a battle between two young Canadian players?

JONATHAN TOEWS:  I think that’s just a small part of it.  You look at our team up and down.  There’s so many similarities as far as skilled players, defensive players, goaltenders, things that we’ve been through as far as injuries and adversity as a team.  We’ve both worked very, very hard to get to this place.  I think they are feeling equally as confident as a team as we are right now.  That’s what’s going to make it so exciting for the fans to watch this series.

But, you know, it’s going to be a battle.  We understand that.  And it’s going to take everything and everyone we got.  So we’re really excited about that.  And it’s going to mean more in the end.

Q.  Does it bother you that there’s so much talk of the two of you?

JONATHAN TOEWS:  Yeah, you know, that’s the way it is sometimes.  The story line could change after Game 1.  Everyone seems to want to talk about certain things at the same time.  Right now that might be one of the hot topics.  I definitely understand that it goes beyond just two players, one on each team.  So I’m not letting something like that bother me right now.

Q.  Can you talk about why you decided to stay in college when you had the opportunity to enter pro hockey?

JONATHAN TOEWS:  I was playing college hockey.  I wanted to come in and make an impact as a young player.  And Chicago was still a team that was struggling at that time.  I really enjoyed my time at North Dakota.  And even ‑‑ the easy thing is you’re so excited, so pumped up about what you can do at the next level when you get drafted that the second they flash a contract in front of you, it’s the easy thing to do is to sign it.  But just didn’t feel I was ready yet.  I made the conscious decision maybe I needed another year.  North Dakota wasn’t a bad place to stay for one extra year.