Chasing Stanley

CS 14 Wait For It.

‘You did great, Tylyn. Honestly, you did it just as we rehearsed.’ We are all gathered around the TV watching the press conference in the Lemieux’s suite. Sid and Tylyn are sitting together in the over stuffed occasional chair. Mario and Ray are relaxed on the couch. Nathalie, who is still trying to calm down, is pacing by the window talking on her phone rapidly in French. And I’ve got the remote control and a dining room chair. ‘Tomorrow after the morning skate there will be a short Q and A session. It’s up to you how you want to do this. Sid likes the scrum at his stall, Dan usually holds a scrum outside his change room, or others like a more formal press conference style like tonight. You’re in the drivers seat Tylyn. You choose how you want this to happen.’

I take a sip of beer as while Tylyn thinks about her answer. I've spent the couple of hours before the press conference tonight prepping her on how to answer questions. I want her to think her responses out very carefully before she replies. If necessary I will have all her questions vetted. As the PR gal for the Penguins, it’s my job to handle all the media. Normally players and coaches come to us with some experience so it’s just a matter of coaching them on tactics. Tylyn is new to this part of the game.

‘Well, I’m not very tall so a scrum with me standing up could prove difficult. Could I have a tall stool to sit on? Like maybe a bar stool or something? I like the idea of something less formal.’ I like the fact that she has taken her time to answer the question. I like the fact that she’s thought through the answer.

‘Anything is possible. Now you said earlier that you wanted to close down the morning skate? Do you still want this to happen?’

‘Yeah, if that’s okay. I want a bit of time to adjust to this. It’s new to all of us. I think it would be better to sort it out of the public eye. Let us have one practice without the media watching then maybe we can reassess it.’ Maybe Mario, Dan and Ray are right. Tylyn is more mature than the average 21 year old. She’s been thrown into the deep end and is learning to tread water very quickly. ‘Tony, Todd, Gilles, Andy, Billy and I are meeting briefly tonight to discuss how best to approach this. Obviously, they have been working on a plan.’

Sid has been watching the interview whispers something to her. I can’t hear what he has said because his lips are in her hair. I can see the reaction on her face. She and I will have to work on her game face. I know Sid is totally behind this so I wonder what he is saying. He’s leaving on doctor’s order in the morning with Hairy. This is more to protect him than for his actual health. Tylyn turns to look up at him. It’s a sad smile that she gives him before she nestles in closer to his chest.

‘What time are you meeting with them?’ I ask.

‘As soon as we are done here. It’s been a long day.’ Tylyn pauses and thinks. ‘ I guess this is the first of many long days. I said I’d text them when we were done. They’ve set up a table in Tony’s room so I’ll go there.’

‘If you want anything released to the press let me know. Those guys have been briefed on what to say. Why don’t we meet up for breakfast to discuss the next phase?’ I suggest knowing how little time we have before our next media session.

‘Sure that sounds great. What time?’ Sid untucks his watch arm from around Tylyn. ‘How does 730 am sound? Will that leave enough time for prep and a coaches meeting before the 10am skate?’

‘730 works. I’ll draft up some stock questions so we can prepare for. That’s all I have. Tylyn, do you have any questions?’ I look at my new protégé.

‘Not that I can think of at the moment but if I think of any I promise to ask you.’ She looks so earnst. ‘Thank you, Jen for everything. I really appreciate all your help.’

‘Hey, we’re going to head out now. We’ll see you in the morning for breakfast okay?’ Sid calls over to Mario and Ray. ’91 has a coaches meeting and Hairy and I are going for a short walk.’

‘Nuit, Sid. Nuit Tylyn.’ Nathalie holds her hand over the speaker of the phone.

‘I’ll come with you, Sid’ Ray says to him. ‘A little bit of fresh air doesn’t hurt anyone, does it, Hairy?’

And with that we all troop out of the Lemieux suite after saying our respective good nights.

…….

The night air is cool after being in the warm room. Hairy is sniffing around some low bushes lining the parking lot of the hotel. Ray has been talking to me about how my being in Pittsburgh will take some of the pressure off the team. Morrow left earlier today so Duper is staying in his room while 91 moves into our room. After breakfast tomorrow, Hairy and I will drive our way back to the ‘Burgh.

‘The plan is simple Sid. Tylyn is going to be a figurehead to deflect attention from the assistants. She knows that, they know that and I’m pretty sure the media knows that. Jen has her job cut out for her to keep this ship on course.’ Ray ability to talk and text never fails to amaze me. ‘Jen has told with me that once you’re out of here in the morning, she is going to suggest that she and Tylyn share a room. That gives Jen more time to prep Tylyn on the media.’

‘The only thing I don’t like about this plan is my leaving. I feel like I should be here to support her. What if something happens? I really am not supposed to fly.’ Hairy walks back to toward me. She has been poking around the bushes but the sound of my voice brings her attention back to me.

‘We aren’t going to let that happen. She will never be out of sight of the team. Biz is organizing rotating shifts. It surprising I know but he cares about her. Heck they all care about her. She’s like a little sister and god help anyone who tries anything.’ Ray picks up the ball that Hairy has dropped at our feet.’ The worse case scenario is we will be back in PIT on Sunday night. The best case scenario is we will see you in six days.’

‘Six days.’ Ray and Mario might have a plan of 91 being a figurehead but I know how competitive she is. I know that she does not take losing well. I know she will not let this team lose to the Flyers. Period. End of conversation. It just won’t happen. ‘I’ll see you in six days, Ray.’

‘If we go to game seven and the CEC is still not operational….’ Ray starts.

‘Don’t even go there. Actually, do but not with me. Go there with the team. They are the ones that have got to know that they will win the next three games. Ty will drag them through if she has to but they have got to know that losing is not an option.’ Hairy has returned with the ball and looks up at us questioningly.

‘Right. I’ll talk to them in the morning.’ Ray tosses the ball again. ‘Are you renting a car to go back? What about the train? I hear it a pretty trip.’

‘Amtrak doesn’t allow dogs. I tried but it’s a definite no go. So I’ll pick up a car and we’ll head out before the morning skate. Jen doesn’t want me to talk to the reporters again.’ I flip the ball this time. ‘I feel so useless.’

‘You’re not useless but you’re going to be out of sight for a bit. Stay on the phone with her. I was hoping that Tylyn would choose the press conference style for her scrums that way you could coach her answers via skype. We’d set up a computer in front of her so you could help her along. She answered well today but the questions are going to get tougher.’

‘She did answer well. I liked her response to what do you hope to bring to this team? You know the guy was meaning skill or experience but she answered with 15 wins. I was dying trying not to laugh. She is so focused.’ I smile remembering the look on the reporters face when she answered. They all looked confused.

‘Yeah, and that is truly what she brings to this team. And I don’t mean just the players, but everyone involved. Tylyn brings focus, determination and what did Bettman call it chutzpa. We want her to deflect attention away from the team. And that she did so well. That scrum of media went nuts tonight wondering what the hell hit them. If we could suit her up and put her on a line….’ Ray lets loose an evil chuckle. ‘Those Flyers would all be gripping their sticks and checking their cups.’

‘Yeah, that would be hilarious.’ I laugh with him. ‘I’d love to see Hartnell size her up in the face off circle.’

‘Tylyn would take him down at his knees. She was right when she told Missinelli from the Fanatic sports radio that she has been training for this her whole life. Did you see the look San Filippo give Mario when he helped Tylyn onto the stool? It was classic.’ Ray kicks Hairy’s ball under a bush. ‘The size difference them is huge between them. It was comical.’

‘Yeah, Mis looked dumb founded.’ Hairy is digging around underneath the bush. I can’t actually see her but the bush is moving. When Hairy finally emerges, she’s covered pine needles. She gives Ray a triumphant look and shakes her ball at him. ’That’s the spirit girl. Never give and never surrender. We better head back upstairs before this girl gets any messier.’

‘Sid, one last thing. Please try not to worry. Jen and her team are going to be working with Tylyn. The rest of the coaching staff knows what needs to be done. The team knows what needs to be done. Let us do our job. Tylyn will be fine.’ Ray looks way more confident than I feel.

…..

‘We stick to Dan’s plan. That’s all I’m saying. The system that Dan plays is complicated but it works.’ Tony Granato has been defending Dan’s game plan since this coaches meeting began. It’s not that the rest of us sitting around the table are actually against the plan but rather how to make it happen when we are missing the key components. Like Dan himself.

‘I am not disputing the system works but the Flyers are playing a grinding game. We have to match that. For Dan’s system to work our defense has to be able to jump up into the play and that leaves Flower undefended. Look at games one and two we had our heads handed to us on a plate due to turnovers. The offense has to create plays and score not give up goals.’ Reirdan rails back at him. ’We won game three because of Sid. And now he’s one of the pieces missing.’

‘If you want a quick review, I’ve got some tape ready to roll.’ Andy Saucier is our video co ordinator. He’s always got tape ready to roll.

‘So the bottom line here is where are the holes and how do we plug them? Sid’s line is missing a center, Geno’s line is banged up but playing minus a solid right winger, the third and fourth lines are pretty solid….’ I wade in hoping to turn the discussion back to a productive discussion. ‘Are there holes in the defense?’

‘Bill Guerin, did you not see games one and two? Are there holes in the defense?’ Assistant coach Todd Reirdan’s main focus is the defense so he should know. ’It takes time to develop a defenseman. It takes seasoned defensemen time to learn Dan’s plan. We have a couple of young Dmen and a couple of newer Dmen. Yeah there are holes.’

‘So what do we do about them? Sid’s line needs a center so what about putting Jussi between Dup and Kuni? Geno needs a winger? Stick Iggie in there.’ These seem to me to be obvious solutions but as a development coach I’m kinda new in this room. ’Morrow’s out or he’d have been good on Sid’s line.’

‘You’re right of course Billy, but Iggie just doesn’t fit on that line. It’s been hard finding him a place. Just ‘cause the guy is talented doesn’t mean he can play the system.’ Tony Granato and I have been friends for years so I’m not offended by his exasperation. ‘I think that we move Dup or Kuni to Geno’s line. And make a new line with the other, Jussi and Iggie.’

‘That’s a lot of juggling for a must win playoff game.’ I say. I look to the one person in the room who has yet to say anything. ‘You’re awfully quiet coach?’

We all look down the table at Tylyn. She’s busy moving coloured pencils around her place at the table. In front of her is a sketchpad that she has been colouring. For a young gal, her opinion carries weight here. Dan respected her opinion enough to consult her on set plays he wanted to develop. I know that he’d sometimes call her after a tough game. I know he called her after both loses in this series.

‘I think that we need to win face offs. I think that we should leave the lines alone as much as possible. Ultimately, to get goals you to put the puck on net so leave Geno, Nealer and Iggie as a line. What lines had success in games one and two? I think you’ll find it wasn’t our first two lines. They were pretty much shut down. I think that Todd’s right. Philly is playing a grinding game. So I’d play our two most solid lines against them. I’d play the third and fourth’s a lot. They have been solid.’ Tylyn has stopped colouring and looks at Tony. ‘The team needs this win any way they can get it. This is not about playing one system against another. It’s about winning face offs, controlling the puck and getting enough goals to win.’

‘So you’d have the third and fourth lines play more than the first two lines?’ Tony looks at her astonished.

‘Yes, because that’s what it takes. Hold Geno’s line for the power plays or maybe cycle them out there a bit but let’s face it they have had some nasty turnovers and that is a risk I don’t think we can afford to take.’ She flips a page over in her sketch book. ’Dup and Kuni can get ice time with Jokenin when we need to rest the grinders but they have got to know that we’re holding the line here to win. This is Dan’s system only tweaked a bit.’

‘What do you guys think?’ I look around at the other guys sitting at the table.

‘It’s unconventional… I mean your first line is called your first line for a reason.’ Todd is shaking his head.

‘Tylyn’s right. I can show you tape that it was our third line that did the most damage in game two. So it was only one goal but that was better than the three goals that Geno’s line gave up while being held off the score sheet. They had the most chances. The third and fourth lines are the guys with the pluses beside their names for both those games.’ Andy who usually only plays a supportive role in these meeting is speaking out.

‘Say we do this. Play the lines in reverse, what about the defenders? Do you switch them up too?’ Reirdan points this question at Tylyn.

‘I don’t think so. I think you leave them playing the system. They know that when the third and fourth lines are out there we are in defense mode. The first two lines are our offense. I think that the big question is who is in goal?’ Tylyn has scrunched up her face in a definite It’s a tough question and I’m thinking about it look. ‘We can’t afford to give up any goals.’

‘So you think Vokoun?’

‘I don’t want Flower’s confidence destroyed but…. He tends to lose focus with all that orange out there swirling around him. He gets too emotional. We need to approach this game with calm, controlled confidence. Take no penalties and give up no goals.’ Oh yeah that’s the look on her face, calm controlled confidence.

‘Interesting, shall we put this to a vote then.’ Granato asks the group. The rest of us nod our assent. ‘Okay how do we make this happen…what do we work on at our morning skate?’

….

‘Mostly, it was fine.’ I tell 87. ‘ Jen had the tallest stool set up for me but the crush of reporters almost knocked me over. She says from here on in she’s going to seat me behind a podium or something.’

‘Don’t let those guys push you around. So you’re already?’ The deep voice at the other end of my phone asks.

‘No but ultimately yes.’ I know what he is asking. Am I ready to face this game as a coach? ‘We’ve been prepping the team. No penalties. And to stay quiet and calm. No retaliation. Do you think I should give them a speech? Gandolf always gives us a motivation speech.’

‘If you want but keep it short. I don’t usually find that they help.’ Behind me a buzzer sounds that cuts him off. ‘Look you better go. Know that I’m out here rooting for you guys. We’ll talk again between the periods if you want. You know I’m at the other end of the phone. Tz.’

Bill Guerin has opened the door and gives me a nod. I can hear the crowd of people in the background. The noise is deafening. I give myself one last look in the mirror. I look way more confident than I feel. I’m in my new away game dress, with an off white jacket and tights. I’ve swept my hair up into a I mean business knot. Just like our practice this morning, this is all business. I put my game face on.

‘Let’s go, Billy.’ I say to him. ‘Let’s go win this game.’

…..

‘I’m struggling getting on to the internet. I haven’t been able to check the score or watch any of the feed.’ Ture is way more into this than I would have thought for a Dane watching the NHL. ‘What happened? Did they win?’

‘It was interesting.’ I tease him. I want him to feel it just like the rest of us did. Ture is at some outpost in Denmark/ Sweden/ Lapland working with a group of soccer players. It’s some team building exercise. I don’t know but wherever they are Ture only has access to a phone. ‘Do you want a play by play analysis? Can I give you my best Howie Meeker?’

‘You’re a tease, David. You really are. Just tell me.’ He groans at me.

‘I wish you could have seen Tylyn behind the bench…jumping to see over the players and Laviolette laughing at her. The station kept playing the tape over and over again. Someone brought her a chair or something to stand on but the first five minutes of the game she spent trying to see over her players. I’m sure it go viral on Youtube.’ I tell him. ‘The first period started out fine. Well except that the Penguins didn’t start their first line of forwards. That really surprised the commentators. They only played their top two line for a couple of shifts each. You could tell that Laviolette the coach of the Flyers was struggling matching lines. Everytime Laviolette out his top guns, they were met with a group of grinders. You know what I mean by that? Guys that don’t necessarily make fancy plays but control the play with their bodies. They tend to play a more defensive style. It was like the Penguins didn’t care if they scored a goal but that they didn’t get scored on. It was driving Laviolette crazy. Even the couple of shifts that the top lines played, they played tight to the defense. It was weird. The Pittsburgh Penguins are known for their offence skills. ’

‘Were they playing a trap?’ Ture asks.’ Who was in goal?’

‘Vokoun. Not so much a trap but definitely they were controlling where the puck was and not giving up any chances on goal. So the first ended scoreless.’

‘Were there any penalties? Tylyn was worried about penalties.’ Ah so she did call him.

‘In the first, there were none. By the second period, you could see that the tempers were getting short. It was a lot of hockey without many stoppages in play. The Pens were holding their tempers but Philly was starting to get sloppy and took two minor penalties. Unfortunately, the Pens couldn’t capitalize on them. Just before the end of the second one of the Pens’ young defensemen leapt into play too early and they were called for too many men on the ice. It was too bad. It was a lousy penalty to take. Vokoun got beat on his short side by a hard shot screened shot. I mean up until then the guy had been standing on his head keeping the puck from behind him. So they started the third down by one goal.’ I take a sip of my peppermint tea.

‘Don’t stop …did they win?’ Ture asks again.

‘Wait for it. The third period was when the tempers really started to flare. The grinders from Pittsburgh had probably played more hockey minutes in this one game than they had all of the month of March. You could tell that they were flagging. Then Philly got a three on two break away straight up the middle. Well they totally ran by the Pens forwards and it was a foot race to the goal. Except for the shooter was hauled down and awarded a penalty shot. It was only the second penalty for Pittsburgh. Tylyn to her credit stood up on the players bench squished in between two guys, got Vokoun’s eye and gave him the old. My eyes are on you sign. It was funny. But the goalie, stood up in his crease, adjusted his jersey and skated out to face the shooter. It was like Tylyn told him. Stop this one. And he did. Vokoun had his mark and deflected the shot into the corner boards. That save I think gave every one sitting on that bench more energy. The grinders came out again and the battle was back on. It wasn’t a pretty game to watch. But battle was the right term for it because they fought every moment of the game.’ I can hear Ture tapping.

‘So they lost?’

‘Wait for it. The battle continued until the last 3 or 4 minutes of the game. That’s when the Pens sent out the top two lines who basically all night have only played maybe a few shifts per period. They were basically fresh playing against guys that had been physically abused all night. And with less than one minute left on the clock, the Pens tied the game.’ I know I screamed with delight and I’m not really a hockey fan.

‘So they went into overtime?’

‘Wait for it. They went into double overtime. The first overtime was basically back to the defense style. Not much happened. It was like they were circling each other waiting for a mistake with both teams playing very conservatively. By the second overtime period exhaustion must have been kicking in because players from both teams were getting sloppy. The Penguins had a couple of power plays and didn’t score. The Flyers only had one power play when a ref made a bad call. He called a delay of game against the Penguins when the puck clearly on replay was deflected off a Flyer stick. Tylyn, bless her heart, called the ref over to explain the call to her. I can’t believe that she didn’t understand. I think that she was making a point to the ref.’ I try to describe to him.

‘No, I bet she was giving her players a rest. She was using time to rest her team.’ Ture explains. ‘Continue… please.’

‘Whatever the ref couldn’t recall the penalty. So it was up to the PK to kill another one. I don’t think that my heart can take another one of these games. It was like being on a roller coaster ride. Up one minute and then down the next.’

‘DID THEY SCORE????’

‘Who?’ I say innocently.

‘THE FLYERS!’ Ture’s blood pressure must be rocketing.

‘No, no they didn’t. There was a turn over. The puck was in a scrum of players in front of the Pittsburgh net. I mean all the play had been down in that end for the better part of two minutes without a whistle. The players were jostling each other and the puck shot out between some legs basically on the stick of Letang. He flipped over up ice just as the penalty ended. The kid came out of the box caught up to the puck and raced in on Bryzgalov. It was like …after all that scrabbling… it was beautiful. He had time to set up his shot and just drifted one by the Philly goaltender. The audience was stunned into silence. I mean up until now they were on their feet roaring encouragement for their team. The Pittsburgh bench cleared. It was like they had won their own personal Stanley Cup final.’ I am not telling him I teared up.

‘So they won. Tylyn’s team won.’ Ture says with an exhale.

‘Yes. Yes they did.’

‘You know you could have said that at the beginning you know.’ And maybe I could have but I wanted Ture to have the same sense of excitement as the rest of us.