blank'/> THE PUCK REPORT: Patrick Kane Interview - 2009 NHL Awards

Friday, June 26, 2009

Patrick Kane Interview - 2009 NHL Awards

Last week we met with the Chicago Blackhawks' barely legal Calder winner and Canucks killer Patrick Kane at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas to discuss Scotty Bowman, playoff grudges, and favorite road cities. These are his stories.

Q: When does the emotion of a playoff series end for the players?
A: I think when the game’s over you kind of sit there and think about it. You realize it's not the end of life and you gave it your all. As long as you’re giving it your all and you’re out there working hard that's all that matters.

Q: What’s carries over to the next season in terms of lessons or grudges?
A: Maybe take down a name here and there but you try not to hold the grudges. You try to play as much as a sportsman as you can. If you hold grudges it’s going to take away from your game. You got to go out there and only worry about playing your game. If you’re going to hold grudges in this world and this new game you’re going to be in the penalty box a lot and you’re not going to be very successful.

Q: Have you reminded Luongo tonight of your hat trick last month?
A: When the hockey season is over you just try to be friends off the ice. All hockey players are great guys. They present themselves so well and they’re so friendly to talk to. I don’t think there’s any hard feelings there.

Q: Knowing how long the season can be when you go deep into the playoffs are you going to train differently or try to pace yourself during the regular season?
A: I think it came down to timing in the playoffs. We didn't get the timely goals. If we scored one of those overtime goals and made it a 2-2 series that could be a totally different series. That comes with experience. Timely scoring comes with experience.

Q: What impact did Scotty Bowman have on your club this year?
A: He was definitely a bird’s eye view. He didn’t really come into the dressing room and say too much. But I think when he had a point he would tell everybody what his opinion was and I’m assuming they would listen to him.

Q: Are you a talker in the room?
A: I think a lot of guys talk in different ways. I don’t really talk in the room when it comes to pumping guys up. For me I just like to joke around with the guys and keep them loose and try to keep myself loose and not too uptight. The guys who are the real talkers in the room would probably be Sharp. Sharp’s a big talker.

Q: Is Byfuglien a talker?
A: No. Byf’s the same way. He likes to joke around and keep guys loose and have fun . If one guy can’t keep the guys loose one day they’ll be another guy who steps up and tells the jokes.

Q: Do you have a favorite road city?
A: Montreal. I love Montreal. That was a fun city. Obviously LA was a nice city to go to. There's a lot of nice road cities. Fort Lauderdale doesn't suck.

Many thanks to Patrick for speaking with us. Best of luck next season.

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