This is pretty self-explanatory stuff, but below are partial transcripts of what a few Sharks had to say during today’s media availability. Full videos of these interviews can be found on the Sharks website or embedded below. Joe Thornton, Todd McLellan and Doug Wilson’s are nearly-full transcripts whereas Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s and Patrick Marleau’s are just the highlights.
I’ll add more over the course of the evening [including the corrected transcript for Marleau].
UPDATED: Now with Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and exit-interview Patrick Marleau.
Joe Thornton
Think about anything explanation for what went on the past four games?
“Nah, I think I’ll think about that you know, probably until next year some time. The way we played in the firs three games and then what we did in the last four it’s mind boggling. I think I’ll lose sleep over the next couple months for sure.”
Joe what’s the sense as far as expectations of change after a series like that?
They don’t, we have to keep high standards in here.
Do you expect bigger changes than usual in here?
“I have no idea, Dave. Ever season there’s gonna be change, how much, I’m not sure.”
On losing to the Kings two years in a row and what has to change:
“A lot. Everything. Two years in a row we haven’t been good enough. We just collectively have to get better.”
Is this team good enough as currently set up?
“I believe so. But you know, the reality is there’s gonna be changes. Guys are gonna go to free agency, the draft, it’s gonna be a different team.”
On what changed between games 1-3 and games 4-7:
“I think our forecheck in the first three games was very relentless, but for whatever reason we got away from it. When we’re playing north-south hockey that’s what’s worked for us. We got away from a lot of things and that’s one of em.”
On disappointment/range of emotions:
“Absolutely. You have such a good feeling like 10 days ago, you’re on cloud nine. And now it’s time to say goodbyes and it’s tough/ We’ve got a great group of guys here and you don’t want something that was special to end.”
On Todd McLellan:
He has done a lot for every one of us in here. We’ve had a lot of good years and I think this was a good year with the exception of the last four games. That’s the reality. You know, he’s a hell of a coach and I think most guys will say that about him.”
On reactions/changing feelings since the loss:
“This is the first time I’ve left my house since the game. It’s definitely the worst loss of my career. Yeah, I’m not gonna get over this for a long time. This one hurts a lot.”
On what went wrong:
“I don’t know if you can pin-point it to just one thing. I don’t know, we just didn’t get it done and there’s a lot of things that go into that.”
On his future with the Sharks:
“I’ve made it clear that I want to come back. I like it here, of course. But there’s two sides to it. They gotta want me to come back. Then again there’s two sides to it, they gotta way me back. I don’t have anything to go on right now. I believe I’m part of the solution, not part of the problem moving forward, but we’ll see what happens.”
On what the problem is:
“I want to be part of the solution which is winning the Cup. I want to help and do a lot of good things out there. What is the question, what’s the problem, we just didn’t get it done, I don’t know if you can necessarily say it’s one thing. Sometimes maybe that’s evident. The last couple games we got shut out and then a goal and a goal.”
On whether the Sharks have what it takes to win the cup next year:
“I still like the makeup of this team and yeah, expectations are always high, but I’m very disappointed and shocked that this group of guys couldn’t get through it. It’s obviously, yeah, that’s a big part of it. I truly strongly believe that there’s a lot of good things in this locker room.”
On the coaching staff:
“I don’t think the coaching is the problem. The players have had some bad coaches in the past, but at the end of the day the players have to go out there and get it done. I don’t know if the coaching, speaking for myself, it’s on the players, we’re the ones that need to go out there and get it done.”
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
On frustration with not being able to play in games six and seven:
“Very frustrating. If I could’ve been there, I would’ve.”
On injury:
“It’s a full body injury, upper and lower.”
What’s missing from the team:
“The fourth victory.”
On whether he could have played through the injury:
“You have an upper and a lower, you would’ve needed a full body cortisone shot.”
On McLellan:
“Since I’ve been here, he’s been one of the best coaches in the league.”
Patrick Marleau
[Note: I mistakenly transcribed the post-game interview, which is embedded above. I’ll add the actual exit interview later this evening.]
On what led to four straight losses:
“We made mistakes we haven’t made all year and they capitalized on ‘em.”
On where he felt it got away:
“I think [game four] we put in a good effort and then we came out with no jump in game five.”
On the underachiever narrative:
“I don’t usually agree with it but when you do something like this…yeah, it’s hard to take.”
On specific problems:
“We probably tried to make too many passes instead of just taking shots at the net. Obviously there are things we would have lot to have done different.”
When you look at this series will you look at in terms of we lost it instead of you won it?
“Yeah, I think so.”
Todd McLellan
Thoughts on series:
“I spoke about this at the press conference a couple days ago and my opinion hasn’t changed one bit. In fact I’m mor frustrated now than at that point if you can believe eit. We got beat in a number of different areas. Their core group stepped up and performed at a very high level ours fell off a little bit. And uh, my disappointment is as much or greater than it was at that moment.”
What made the frustration worse?
“Probably the opportunity to go back and look at it again. We went it looked at it again and it just makes us more frustrated.”
Was there a final meeting with the team?
“Doug had one with the players. And he made it very clear how disappointed he was in the whole org not just the players, included all the stuff and anything up and anything down.”
On his position/future with the club:
“I took responsibility and I still do for the performance or lack of of the team. With accepting the role as the coach you accept that responsibility. You can’t play, but their core was better than ours.”
On what fans should look forward to in terms of change:
“I don’t know”
Doug Wilson
On meeting with the players:
“What’s said in this room stays in this room.to our fans, this isn’t a nick or a scratch, this is an open wound. The emotions are raw and the disappointment runs deep and should resonate and live deep for a long time. We have already started a process for what decisions we’re gonna make.”
Reaction to the series:
“We didn’t get it done. Performance speaks. When you’re up 3-0 in a series you step on the throat and put ‘em away. They were able to come back and establish their game for four games we played it for three, it’s not good enough. That’s the truth. There are a couple of options, status quo is not one of them.
On coaching staff:
“Our coaching staff is part of [the plan] and my recommendation includes them being part of that going forward.”
When will decisions be made?
“Probably 10 days to two weeks with our ownership being the firs tot be dolt and certain players. That’ll be the process. You make mistakes by having emotions run the day but um the right decisions will be made with the head for whats right for this organization.”
Did this team get too comfortable after a 3-0 start?
“Talk to me in two weeks.”
Was game five a head scratcher?
“I wouldn’t use the term head scratcher. I would use more severe terms.”
On fans feelings of frustration:
“They shouldn’t let it go way. The relationship with the fan base runs so deep, especially with the fan base that we have. That’s what you want. That’s why this hurts so bad and we’ll make the decisions to make ti right, but it can’t be done in 24 hours and it shouldn’t be done in 24 hours.”
On flexibility for next year:
“We have flexibility because of the plan we started last year. The decisions that will be made are the guys that play the way we need to play we’ve got younger players that have really experienced certain things and stepped up and some of our best players were our youngest guys. So you’re not starting from scratch where you have key young players in key positions. It’s not a six or seven year thing because of what we started last year before the trade deadline.”
“With that flexibility we have three picks in the upcoming draft, believe me some of these guys will be getting an expanded role on this team and some guys that aren’t here this year will be here next year.”
Responsibility on individual players/staff members:
“It’s what before who. We’ll get to who eventually.”
——-UPDATE——-
Patrick Marleau [no, actually]
Some really long irritating diatribe about how this team is going to have to “own this”:
“Yeah it’s obviously a low point for us and we’re gonna have to… it’s gonna be with us a long time so if we have to use that as a motivational tool and learn from it and know that you never want to feel that way again.”
Have you gone back and watched the game?
“I haven’t gone back. I mean, I’ve watched the game 100 times in my head already but I haven’t gone to the tape or anything. Not just that game, the series.”
On getting too comfortable with a 3-0 lead:
“Um, I think it can seem that way, but some of the effort and the bounces and the effort we had at first kinda dried up for us. We were still getting some of the chances they just weren’t ending up in the back of the net.”
Does it get in your head?
“I think that had a lot to do with it. Things were going so good at the start, like you said, maybe go ta little comfortable. Those weren’t the kind of games you expect in the playoffs against LA, they tighten up in a hurry. We were making mistakes we would never make in the regular season and they took advantage of ‘em.”
How’s the body right now?
“Some bumps and bruises, gonna take some time to rest up and then right back it.”
On the coaching situation caused by the series:
“When you hear stuff like that, you feel like you let your coach down. That’s the way we should feel. There’s a lot of respect and a lot of belief in our system and what the coaching staff has done here and I think we let him down.”
Logan Couture
Has the sting gone down a little bit?
“No. It’s probably gotten a little bit worse. It’s gonna hurt for a while, probably all summer.”
What’s missing?
“I don’t know. We just didn’t find a way to win.”
What has to happen to beat LA?
“It’s tough to say exactly what we need to do. We need to find a way to win that fourth game.”
On McLellan:
“He has taught me a lot about this game, all the coaching stuff we’ve had here for five years has been very good to me. Todd is a smart hockey mind and he knows this game very well.”
On the loss/locker room:
“People on the outside don’t see what we go through in this room. That’s probably the toughest loss I’ve ever gone through.”
On another good team coming up short:
“We have a great hockey team in here. It’s another year you can kinda say wasted, given how good a team we are. It’s pretty tough to take.
Joe Pavelski
On the series:
“It’s just something that turned on us quick and we never stopped it. It was just a play or two, I think.”
On Joe Thornton saying “everything” needs to change and what that means to Pavelski:
“You know it’s, it’s tough to answer. I just think it’s a little bit more. Each guy would just have to find a little bit more. It’s just add it all together and you’re gonna get that result. We were there, we had a really good team and it kinda spiraled out of control. They got better and we got worse. When you get to that third win your game has to improve it can’t go the other way.”
How frustrating is it to not be able to stop the spiral?
“it’s really frustrating. You play to put yourself in a position like that. For it to turn like it did, it’s really hard to explain.”
Did the team get away from the north south style?
“At times probably. When you’re playing good everything’s happening quick, everyone’s moving quick and moving the puck.”
Thinking about hitting too much?
“Each player is probably a little different. The powerplay probably ended up being the end of it. Being physical is a big part of our game and a big part of our first three victories. There might’ve been times we went looking for hits too much, but you gotta play that way to a certain extent and we just got off some of our structural system play.”
On feeling good about the season:
“Regular season, yeah. Playoffs, were there for a little bit. Playoffs come around you wanna validate anything you’ve done in the regular season as an individual and as a team. To do it the first three games and then let it get away from you, it’s tough to really be satisfied with anything you’ve done. We play to put ourselves in a position to play this time of year. We didn’t earn the right to play any more hockey.
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