JG: Everyone, whether it be us talking to both coaching staffs, thought this game would go 7 games, how did you manage to close it out in 5?
SA: Well, I think the first two games at home, oh I'm sorry, on the road were big. Winning the first 2 set a statement. I've got to give a lot of credit to Ranger fans coming into the Devils building. It didn't really seem like a road game. It really felt like a home game. They were so loud and that's a big thing. Obviously some guys came up huge. Tough to point anyone one, obviously Jags, Hank, Dru, and Cally. Many guys on the back end, everyone played awesome. This is step 1 of a 4 step journey. We have to get back to the drawing board this week.
JG: One of the guys you left out was Sean Avery and the work you did throughout the series. It certainly seemed like they were out to put a target on your back and hit you as much as possible.
SA: Yea, you know guys like Clarkson, he's not much of a player, and really he's not that effective when trying to play with me and we know he can't. I just tried to keep my head on straight and play through it. It's more important that I'll be playing in the next round and they won't.
JG: Now, it's obvious that so much of the attention during this series was paid to what occured between you and Martin Brodeur within the crease. What did you make of the amount of attention that was paid to that as somebody that never shies away from attention.
SA: As I told you before I read Vogue and not the sports pages. No one really talks to me about it. It doesn't really affect us. I'm clueless to what goes on and I don't pay attention to any of the Canadian sports stations or anything like that. I know it got blown up and apparently it was a big deal, but I just kept my head on straight and kept playing and ultimately we came out on top.
JG: Well what happened in game 4 was blown up in part because of what Brent Sutter said about the amount of physical contact made with Brodeur? How much do you think that impacted Brodeur's play in this series.
SA: Well, I think he probably did that it to himself more than anything. If you watch the games, he dove and was out of position a lot. It's just us playing hard and playing hockey and it's the playoffs. We're not here to make friends with anyone, we're just playing hard and getting our noses dirty, it's a war out there. We certainly don't care what anyone thinks about how we play as long as we win.
JG: It stood out in the handshake line that you and Martin Brodeur didn't exchange pleasantries afterward. Did that surprise you, what did you think about that?
SA: Everyone talks about how classy, unclassy I am, and fatso there just forgot to shake my hand I guess?
JG: Did you think he had that in mind from the start?
SA: I don't know, I'm sure everyone will spin it and come up with their theories. But we outplayed him, I outplayed him, we're going to second round and we have to keep this going, we've got 3 more parts.
wned: I LOVE THAT GUY!!!:laugh::laugh::laugh:
