Stanley Cup Final Quotebook: Media Day

RALEIGH, N.C. - Turning the page from Friday's long-awaited Eastern Conference Final victory, the Carolina Hurricanes were back on the ice for practice on Monday.

Business as usual, every member of the roster was available, as the details were dialed in ahead of tomorrow's series-opener against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Following the effort, almost every member of the roster was made available at either an individual or a two-seated pod inside Lenovo Center, taking questions from reporters who had traveled from all over the globe to be here for the league's final battle of the season.

Below is one standout quote from each player pod.

Sebastian Aho when asked about the narrative that the Canes had an "easy" path to the Stanley Cup Final...

“Playoff hockey is never easy. I don’t know who… It’s literally never easy. There’s no easy game, there’s no easy shift, really. It’s always a grind. The record (12-1) doesn’t really mean too much to me. It means that we’re here now, and we get to play for the Cup, but it’s kind of irrelevant to us what the record is for both teams. Everything starts again, and we’ll be ready for Game 1 tomorrow.”

Frederik Andersen elaborating on his stellar postseason thus far...

“I think I’m just in a good spot, letting the game come to me and just feel like I have an answer for every situation. Just playing in the moment, really, has been a big key for me. I’m not really worried about the result, just trying to be process-focused. That’s something that I think when I’m at my best, I’m really good at honing in on.”

Jackson Blake discussing his line with Hall and Stankoven and their production in the playoffs...

“I think throughout the whole year we had so many chances that didn't go our way. Every night it felt like we were having a couple chances that should have went in but didn't. I think something just started clicking at the end of the year, with Stank scoring every single night going into the playoffs. He got hot at the right time, that’s for sure, and now he is still scoring every single night… Throughout the whole year, we've been playing well, and then at some point at the end of the year, we just really took off and continued it through the playoffs. Obviously, the playoffs is a whole different level of hockey; it's a lot harder than the regular season, so hopefully we can continue what we've done through the playoffs and bring it into this series.”

William Carrier on what it was like to win the Cup in Vegas, and what it’s like to chase it now…

“There’s a lot of guys here that deserve their name to be up there. They’ve been around it. It’s just something magic. To that point, I’m kind of doing it for them. Trying to bring them up, trying to get them to feel the same. To win that last game is the most important part, and you go through the summer, and it’s an unbelievable feeling. So if I could bring these guys to live that, that’d be great.”

Jalen Chatfield laying out his keys to winning the Stanley Cup...

"I think we understood that we need every single guy to buy in, because that's what it takes. I think through the first three rounds, you've seen that we've been playing the right way, and we've had each and every guy doing the right thing. So I think just adding the key pieces and staying consistent with our game plan, and having everybody buy in.”

Nikolaj Ehlers on arriving at the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with the team...

“This group was ready for it. I wanted to come in and bring something - bring what I bring. I haven’t changed my game a whole lot. I haven’t had to. I think the way that this team plays with speed and just getting on the other teams is something that’s really been hard to play against for me, personally, over the last eight years. So to be on the other side of it and now having this opportunity is what I wanted, so I’m excited for it.”

Shayne Gostisbehere talking about what’s brought out the best of his game in Raleigh…

“I think it’s just a collective sort of thing and sort of culture they’ve built here. I remember my first year in the league here, there was 4,000 fans, and they weren’t too good, so it’s a compliment to those guys who have been here long-term. Slavo, Jordo, Marty, Fish, Svech, and even Jarv. They’ve built this thing from ground zero. You come into the room, and I’ve been traded here at the deadline, I’ve signed here as a free agent, so I’ve seen it in different ways, where you know you’re just trying to hitch your wagon to this moving thing. It’s just the non-negotiables. When you get here, there’s a standard set, and that’s the standard. If you don’t do it, you’re going to stick out and it’s not going to be good. So you get the best out of yourself, and you get the results too. It’s a collective thing. Obviously, the community is awesome. I’ve played in some big markets before, and coming to the south, so to say, it’s cool to play hockey here.”

Taylor Hall ahead of his first Stanley Cup Final...

“It’s so much fun. I feel like I deserve it. I don’t feel like I’m here, and I’m like, ‘Whoa.’ I really feel like our team deserves it. I feel like we’ve paid the price. We’ve gotten better, and we’ve earned the right to be here. I couldn’t picture a better group to be here with.”

Seth Jarvis on the moment at hand...

“It means everything. This is what I’ve dreamed of since I picked up a hockey stick. I’ve played in the Stanley Cup Final in my head 3,000 times because I was seven years old. To be in the moment now, I’m extremely grateful and just couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity.”

Jordan Martinook looking back on the Mikko Rantanen trade(s) and how things have played out…

“I think, looking back on all that, in the moment, you’re a little worried about how things are going to work out. But now, a year and a half later, when you can kind of just take a step back and see the bigger picture and see what we’ve been able to do because of that, with Stankoven and obviously Key, our team is in a really good place… Who would’ve known what would have happened if he would have stayed or if he would have gone, but we’re happy with the guys we’ve got now.”

Jaccob Slavin on what it means to have this chance specifically in Carolina…

“It’s awesome. This is my home, here in Carolina. My wife and I, we call it home. We stay here during the summer time. Outside of the rink, we love the community here. We love the people of the city. So from that aspect, it’s an unbelievable opportunity, and we’re extremely excited for [the chance to] bring the Cup back here to Raleigh. But from an organizational standpoint and the people in this organization, they’ve been nothing but kind to me and my family, nothing but amazing. We consider this organization family now, and so we love being here and the people here. Roddy, Tulsky, everybody from top to bottom, and it’s somewhere that I never want to leave. It’s a place that is home.”

Jordan Staal elaborating on what he learned from going to the Cup Final in 2009, and what he hopes his teammates do to handle the chaos…

“Yeah, it’s a lot, obviously. It’s a different animal getting here, seeing all (the media) and all the questions. On top of that, there’s extra distractions with people that you want to be a part of it, but it can be overwhelming at times. So it’s just a matter of saying ‘No’ if you can, if you need to, and really just focusing in on what you need to focus on, and that’s Game 1 when that puck drops. Know that it’s a full-on sprint, and you’ve got to be ready…”

Logan Stankoven discussing his journey over the last 15 months...

“It was tough at first, just to kind of swallow it and realize that I was getting shipped out. You get drafted by that organization and it’s got a special spot in your heart, and to get traded that fast and being in my rookie year, I didn’t see it coming. But I think everything kind of happens for a reason. Dallas got their player, and I think I just want to become the best version of myself here in Carolina. Just how welcoming everyone’s been here, the fans, my teammates, I absolutely love the city and couldn’t be happier that I was able to sign long-term here.”

Andrei Svechnikov on reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in his career...

“For me, personally, we went through so much hard work throughout these eight years. We’ve been in a semifinal many times, and now we’re here, but still the job is not done yet. This is the biggest stage right now, and we all know that, but we’ve got one more step to do here.”

Sean Walker pulling back the curtain on the mindset of the team as they prepare for their biggest test to date...

“You have to treat it like another series. Obviously, there's a bigger prize at the end of this one, but you just have to take it one game at a time… The stuff that you went through in previous series and previous years in the playoffs, you can relate to. I don't look at it as a huge thing that is going to hit us.”