Q. Coach, do you resent what happened yesterday with your assistants being asked to leave the Canadiens practice, and what is your reaction to the reason why? COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, we were treated very unfairly yesterday. There is no rule. There was no agreement between both teams. That is the exception, not the rule. I mean, I’ve been asked in the past to do this on a couple of occasions. Usually the coach calls me or the GM calls the GM, never happened. What happened yesterday was uncalled for. Without a doubt, my staff handled it with a lot of class, just like our team, play whistle to whistle, don’t get involved with the other stuff. We’re very credible. This is the National Hockey League, and that type of behavior, we’re lucky it didn’t escalate. Q. Just wanted to ask you about something else you said yesterday. Therrien made a reference to knowing exactly what Brassard’s injury is. Did that bother you at all or did you interpret that as threatening in any way? COACH VIGNEAULT: Let’s put it this way, I hope nothing happens to Brass, the player, and Michel could be in trouble. Q. Yeah, the level of gamesmanship seems to have really ratcheted up. Some of the Canadiens question the severity of Derek’s injury, Derek Stepan. Is the level of gamesmanship getting out of hand, would you say? COACH VIGNEAULT: I can’t speak for the other organization. If you ask me about Step, he’s got a broken jaw that just got operated on. I answered about the incident yesterday. I can’t comment on their players saying Step’s injury is fishy. We’re trying to play whistle to whistle. We’re trying to do the right things. I know in the hockey world we were painted as dishonest and dishonorable; we’re not. We follow the rules. We follow the rules on the ice, and we will follow the rules off the ice. Q. Coach, to the man in the locker room they are echoing the same sentiments. They want to play the game and stay out of it. How difficult is it for you to have to deal with that and trying to get them to focus on that? Does that take away from some of the game planning as well? COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, I mean, hockey is a beautiful game. It’s done by great competitors on both teams. I wish a lot of this stuff didn’t happen. When it does, you deal with it. I don’t think it has a major effect, if any, on the ice. I don’t think it helps our game, but some people decide otherwise. Q. Coach, nothing on Derek since you mentioned him? Obviously, he was out this morning. COACH VIGNEAULT: He’s recovering at home. He stopped by this morning quickly to say hi to his teammates. He’s recovering at home, and there is no timetable at this time. Q. With all the other stuff that was said yesterday particularly of Briere saying that McDonagh slashes as much as any other defenseman. Is that insulting given what Mack does? COACH VIGNEAULT: You can make what you want of it. Ryan McDonagh plays the game in an honorable way. He’s one of the best defensemen in the league in my estimation. The Habs can have their own view. Q. With all that’s gone on, does your desire to beat this team grow with everything that’s gone on? COACH VIGNEAULT: My desire before the series started was as high as it could be, and we want to move on and compete for the Stanley Cup. This other fluff-fluff stuff, you’d have to ask them. Q. Coach, wanted to see if there was an update on Brassard? I know you’ve spoken a lot about him on that line with Duke and Pouliot? COACH VIGNEAULT: I’d say he’s a game-time decision. Q. So if he is back, what kind of boost would you expect from that line as you’ve said before, it’s been maybe the most consistent line all season on this team? COACH VIGNEAULT: I expect exactly that from them. I expect them to go out. They’ve had big moments in big games. Tonight, without a doubt, for both teams it’s a huge game. Both teams know the importance of it, and I’m sure we’re going to have a great hockey game. Q. From all that’s been said from their side, has your relationship with Michel Therrien been impacted at all by this? COACH VIGNEAULT: I think he said prior to the series, for this two-week period, we’re not really friends and he’s probably right. Q. I know your team’s speed has been a plus for you all season, particularly in this series, it seems like it’s given the Habs trouble. Could you talk about Carl Hagelin and his speed and what kind of challenges he’s presented. COACH VIGNEAULT: When Carl plays a north-south game, a quick game. He can be a handful for any defenseman in the league. Like I mentioned prior to this, like on the left side with him and Kreids and Benny, you have three guys there that have a lot of speed and it can make it challenging for the opposition, if you use it in the right way at the right time, and I think for the most part, Hags has done that for us.
The classy way to handle things. The exact opposite way the Habs and Therrien have handled things. As we move on in this series it becomes pretty clear. The Habs knew they weren't good enough. Knew they couldn't get their team up enough. So they decided the best way to handle things was to do what they have done and talk smack and play games. Personally I think it tells you all you need to know about Therrien and that organization, but you can all be the judge of that on your own. We'll see if this works out for them or not. I am very doubtful that it does.
It's sour grapes and reaching for any self motivation/distraction. Doubtful this happens of price wasnt injured. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
I am as pumped for this game as I have been in a long time. I love AV too. He is not just a really good coach he handles himself well and I think it filters to the team. You picked the right gm to go to Chuck. Let's Go Rangers!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Not even a 1% chance Al. This ALL changed when Price got hurt ON A CLEAN PLAY. Ever since then the Habs have been whining and crying all the way up to their coach. This series has become what they turned it into. What I fully believe they wanted to turn it into because they felt they couldn't win any other way Al. If Price doesn't get hurt ON A CLEAN PLAY none of this happens. I bet Stepan never gets hurt. Carcillo play never happens. And this is a regular good solid series like the WCF. BUT since Prust and Therrien (mister clean...clean but didn't try to avoid...clearly a reckless play and everyone can see that) decided to go this whiny route, this is what the series has turned into. Shame for the sport that this stuff happens. Turns casual fans off. Our job is to win tonight and take a strangle hold of the series. And stay above the BS and just play hockey and win games. That's our job here.
Agree 100% Dis. I am crazy pumped. And I also believe this is the game to be at. Got lucky in that regard. After tonight one team will be able to claim this series is in their control (even if it is 2-2 Montreal would have home ice back and all the MO). So pumped for tonight. I like Al's prediction also. I see something similar. 4-2/5-2 or so. Again I would be flat out shocked if we get beat tonight.
After a drama-filled Saturday in which the Montreal Canadiens booted the New York Rangers assistant coaches from practice, accused the club of gamesmanship and made questionably threatening comments about one of the injured Rangers players, coach Alain Vigneault fired back in his pregame news briefing Sunday morning prior to Game 4. Vigneault ripped the Habs for Saturday's slew of incidents, beginning with Habs coach Michel Therrien's decision to throw Rangers assistant coaches Ulf Samuelsson and Jerry Dineen from practice. Afterward, Therrien said there was an implicit understanding between organizations that opposing coaches are not permitted to watch a team's practice on non-game days. "We were treated very unfairly yesterday," Vigneault said after the team's morning skate at Madison Square Garden. "There is no rule. There was no agreement between both teams. That is the exception, not the rule. I've been asked in the past to do this on a couple of occasions. Usually the coach calls me or the [general manager]. Never happened." When asked Sunday morning whether such a pact existed, Rangers general manager Glen Sather told ESPNNewYork.com: "Absolutely none." Sather went on to explain that he received a phone call from Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin Saturday inquiring about this understanding and Sather explained he never agreed to any such thing. Bergevin then apologized to Sather for the misunderstanding. But while Sather was able to shake it off as "silly," Vigneault was clearly still irritated. "What happened yesterday was uncalled for and without a doubt my staff handled it with a lot of class, just like our team -- play whistle-to-whistle, don't get involved with the other stuff," Vigneault continued. "Very regrettable. This is the National Hockey League. That type of behavior, we're lucky it didn't escalate." That wasn't the only thing he took issue with, either. Vigneault was similarly displeased when asked about Therrien's comments, made Saturday in his native French, about knowing the precise nature of Brassard's injury. Vigneault seemed to interpret such remarks as threatening toward his player, who is expected to return Sunday after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury sustained in the series opener in Montreal last Saturday. "Well, let me just put it this way: I just hope nothing happens to Brass," Vigneault said. "The player and Michel could be in trouble." The gamesmanship between the two teams has ratcheted up a significant degree. Though the Rangers have largely tried to remain above the fray -- save for Vigneault's pointed comments about the officiating in Game 3 and Brandon Prust's suspension-earning hit that broke Derek Stepan's jaw -- the Habs took a number of swipes at the Blueshirts Saturday. Some players questioned the severity of Stepan's injury -- Stepan was discharged from the hospital Saturday night after undergoing surgery on Friday to repair his fractured jaw -- while one griped about Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh's proclivity for slashing.
I don't ever recall hearing a coach comment about knowing where a player is hurt. It comes off as a threat even if it's not meant that way. If I was on the ice I would be tempted to send a puck his way.
Its all mind games whether intentionally at ranger players or tonights officials. The team needs to block all that shit out and go back to their game. And that is getting pucks to the net, hard forecheck and causing hab turnovers Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
