Eaves Addresses Media Monday
November 18, 2002 | Men's Hockey
Wisconsin men's hockey coach Mike Eaves spoke to the media on Monday during UW 's weekly news conference. Eaves talked about various issues about the team.
A transcript of the news conference follows.
How much did the team get from the win and how they won the game on Saturday' 'The first point about that game is how well we played up until the end of the game. We didn't play as well as we thought we were capable of on Friday night, and we came out Saturday night and were a different team in all aspects. It was probably our tightest game. The offense is a funny thing. It comes and goes ' we had a hard time scoring and their goalie played well, but by staying patiently persistent we found a way to get a shot in the net that the goalie didn 't see. Even if we had not won the game in overtime, had we come out of that with a point it would have been a good point. We could have built on that. But since they won in overtime and winning sells itself, we can go back to work today with a little lighter jump in our step.'
Is it a part of the tradition in hockey to allow players more ownership of a win' 'I think it is a tradition in any sport. Players have to win games. It doesn't matter what sport it is ' they are on the court, they are on the ice, they are on the football field, and the best thing that coaches can do is get their best players on the ice and let them do their thing. Sometimes as a coach you have to read your team. There are days and nights that you have to give them your energy, but for the most part this Saturday's game was a tie in that we as a coaching staff felt that 'You fellows have to step up. You are teammates; you need to talk to each other on the ice and on the bench. And if some guy runs you at our bench and your teammate doesn't talk and tell you that he's coming, I am going to get in your face and I'm going to ask `where in the hell were you' '. The bench was great on Saturday and it was a pleasure to be with those guys. '
Do you think there was a point where the guys were nervous about saying the wrong thing in front of the new coach' 'Possibly earlier, but we said before the game `Don't worry about making mistakes. Go out there and play and compete. Based on what we've done over the past month and a half, we let that stuff happen. Don't give me the excuse that you didn't have any confidence, you go play and compete and good things will happen. ''
What will it be like coaching against Zach Parise since he has been on your team before' 'Zach is a special player. You try to limit him, as you do any play in any sport. He has things you don't teach. The puck finds him. The thing that most people don't know about a player like Zach is that he is the ultimate competitor in anything that he does- in school, in ping-pong. He plays to win in anything he does. I think that's a message that we have to give to our team and have very special awareness when he is out there.'
When you look at Parise's numbers, there is a dramatic difference between what he has done outside the league and what has happened inside the league. Is that because of the attention being paid to him, or is that because of the upgrade in competition' 'In answering questions like that, I don't think there is ever one distinct reason. It is usually a combination of reasons. I think the things you just addressed in your question answer the question. More attention is paid to him because he got off to a real good start, plus teams are going to be very aware of him and they are going to get guys out there that are bigger and stronger and have a way of playing good defense. It's probably a combination of many things when it comes to dealing with Zach.'
Is there a guy that you can compare him to coming in the league like this his first year' 'That's tough to answer. I haven't been around this league long enough to really say. Any player that has got a propensity for the puck to find him is the kind of player that Zach is. You cannot teach that. It's on a higher level. It's like Mario Lemieux in terms of the puck can just find them and they have the ability to put it away. He 's got some innate things that you don't teach, and that is what makes him hard to play against.'
There have been comparisons made that Parise is much like your son: 'They grew up together in Shattuck. They played a little bit against each other. They are both competitive and have God given abilities. I think Zach has a little more of that innate thing where the puck just seems to find him, but they do have some similarities.'
Do you know much about North Dakota' Have you seen much of them on film' 'Not yet. John Hynes is breaking down film as we speak so that we can practice accordingly this week. In a quick look at their stats, they have a propensity to take penalty minutes, so we will spend some time on our power play this week ' not that we wouldn't have anyway. But we will work on our power play and our specialty teams. If you take a look at their goalies' numbers, they are not where they would like them to be. That's what we know about them right now. We'll know more after John looks at the film.'
At this point in the season, is it natural to assume that this many freshmen would be a part of your top two lines' 'We said at the beginning of the year that we didn't know where our goal scoring was going to come from and they were going to have an opportunity to get in there and show what they could do. We really had no choice. That is what has happened. They are doing the things we have asked them to do and they've been put in situations where they have been able to be successful. That is the way were running our team ' the kids who are playing well are the ones that will play. It is interesting to talk to the guys ' they like that. And I look at it like `Why wouldn't we do it like that '' The coaches want to play their best players and some nights that changes. But, if you play well you are going to play.'
How close is Dan Boeser to coming back' 'I'll see the doctor this afternoon. I think Dan in his mind thinks Michigan/Michigan State. He is going to practice this week without any contact and light contact with the puck. Then the following week if he can participate in drills, we will see where he is at. At the earliest I would say Michigan/Michigan State, but it is more probably that it will be the following weekend versus Minnesota.'
How do you like your schedule' 'Where we are, it just doesn't matter right now. It is not an immediate focus for us right now. We are trying to get so many things established that the schedule is one of the last things we look at right now.'
What does the North Dakota-Wisconsin rivalry mean to you ' 'My junior year we played up there and there were no referees on the ice during warm ups and we had a brawl. That is the first thing that comes to mind. Bob Johnson is on the ice trying to break up fights and he comes off with his fingers 90 degrees from where it should be. From that point on I think they had referees on the ice. It is just an intense rivalry. They had another incident back here in Madison after we had left. It is two schools that have a rich tradition in hockey that take great pride in that. Any time you get together it's going to be head-to-head and it is going to be a great series for energy.'
