Chiarot: ‘We enjoy going to battle together’

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Assistant coach Luke Richardson spoke with reporters via Zoom.

He was followed by eight players, including defenseman Ben Chiarot, forward Tyler Toffoli, defenseman Jeff Petry, forward Phillip Danault, defenseman Shea Weber, goaltender Carey Price, forward Nick Suzuki and forward Cole Caufield.

Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:

Richardson on the challenge presented by the Lightning compared to the Canadiens’ previous three playoff opponents:

We’ve played some offensive-minded teams and we’ve handled them well. This is maybe even another step higher in that offensive potency that they have, but it’s another team in the NHL. We’re just going to take the next step, just like any other team would at this stage, concentrate on what we do well, be very aware of what they do well, and be alert on the ice at certain times with certain players. We’ll focus on that. But, playing our game to the best of our ability will counter any team that we play right now.

Video: Stanley Cup Final Media Day: Luke Richardson

Richardson on the Habs’ “underdog” status throughout the postseason:

We believe that we aren’t the underdog. We’re very confident in ourselves and what we’ve accomplished. But, in the same respect, it’s fine. We’ve kind of tuned out the outside of the dressing room and let people say what they want to say. I’ve heard the players say it. We don’t even have to say it to them. We hear them talking about it. That’s a great attitude to have. We don’t really use it as a motivation to prove people wrong, but you can kind of have a little bit of an ignorance in you that you want to show people that we belong more than they’re wrong.

Chiarot on the culture established by Weber:

The thing with Webby is, once we hit the ice, it’s all business. There’s no messing around. He wants everything done exactly the way the coaches want it done. That’s a big reason why he’s been so successful as a player. It’s his attention to details and his seriousness once we hit the ice. Off the ice, he’s got a relationship with everybody in the room. He’s “dad” to the young guys and he’s buddies with all the older guys. He connects with everybody. That’s why he’s considered one of the best captains in the League.

Video: Stanley Cup Final Media Day: Chiarot and Toffoli

Chiarot on why this edition of the Canadiens is special:

We all just really enjoy being around each other. We enjoy being on the ice together. There’s not one guy in the room that doesn’t really have a great relationship with all his teammates, whether it’s the older guys with a guy who has been around for a couple of months in Cole, or guys who have played together for years here. Everyone has a great relationship. That’s why we’ve had success, and we enjoy going to battle together.

Toffoli on Weber’s leadership:

He’s a pretty vocal guy in the room, but whenever he kind of speaks up and there’s something that needs to be said, he says it. You could tell that everybody basically stops what they’re doing and pays attention. He leads by example. He’s been doing a great job. He’s a warrior, and the things he’s been doing, it’s remarkable. I love him as my teammate and as my captain.

Toffoli on facing goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy:

He’s a great goaltender. He’s been playing great for them. We’re just going to have to keep finding a way. I don’t think we necessarily have to change too much of our game. The way we play is being consistent with ourselves. We score nice goals, we score goals in the dirty areas, all those little things. I don’t think we’re necessarily going to change anything. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing.

Petry on the impact of Price’s presence between the pipes:

That goes a long way. Whether you’re up in the game or down in the game, he’s always calm and collected. His movements seem effortless. He doesn’t get rattled in the net. His calming presence sends a calming message to our whole team. If it’s a tough stretch in the game, he’s back there making saves and making them look effortless. It goes a long way. Knowing you have a guy like that behind you, it’s something special.

Video: Stanley Cup Final Media Day: Danault and Petry

Petry on defending Lightning sniper Brayden Point, who boasts a League-leading 14 playoff goals:

He’s a highly-skilled player. Every team we’ve faced has a player that is very similar to that, so we don’t have to change our game. But, you have to know when he’s on the ice and make it difficult for him, whether that’s taking away his time and space or being physical on him. We’ve faced players with that ability before, so I don’t think it changes anything on our mental approach.

Danault on his emotions since the Canadiens punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final:

It’s tough to put into words. Winning is all that matters right now. It’s really special to participate in the Stanley Cup Final.

Danault on neutralizing the Lightning’s big guns:

I don’t know the matchups just yet, but I think we have four good lines that can counter the best players on the other side. No matter the matchups, we’ll be ready. It’s definitely a huge challenge going up against Tampa’s top players.

Weber on his journey with the Canadiens since being acquired in June 2016:

I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I was fortunate to be traded to a great city and organization. There’ve been some hard times, there’ve been some good times. It’s a part of the journey and a part of the story. It’s been a good ride so far, and I hope to keep it going here.

Video: Stanley Cup Final Media Day: Price and Weber

Weber on the collective approach to the matchup versus Tampa Bay:

We’re just going to stay in the moment, to be honest. I don’t think you look at it in terms of being where you want to be. We’re in the position we want to be, but we’re not at the end result. We’ve got to live in that moment and stay focused and just keep in the grind.

Price on his relationship with general manager Marc Bergevin, and the embrace they shared after eliminating Vegas:

We’ve gone through a lot together during his tenure. We’ve gone through a lot of great times and a lot of hard times. I was just happy to share a joyful moment with him. He’s really earned it. 

Price on the emotion of reaching the Final 16 years after being drafted by Montreal:

It’s just excitement. It’s been something that we’ve been working towards our whole lives. We’re finally getting the opportunity and we’re just looking forward to it.

Suzuki on playing for hockey’s top prize in his sophomore NHL season:

It’s been a pretty crazy ride. This season has been unbelievable. You just want to cap it off by winning that championship. Being my second year, some of the guys haven’t even been to the Final yet, and they’ve been playing for many years, so we want to take full advantage of that.

Video: Stanley Cup Final Media Day: Suzuki and Caufield

Suzuki on the “internal competition” in the locker room statistics-wise between the players:

It’s just mostly defensive stats that we keep track of. Everyone wants to be high on the list. It’s just kind of a team thing that we made up near the end of the year. It’s been fun to compete with everyone. Everyone wants to win after each game. It’s been fun to have that.

Caufield on a season filled with personal accomplishments, and capping things off with a trip to the Final:

It’s just part of the ride. I’ve enjoyed every second, every chance I can to put on my skates. This year has been crazy, but it’s been a lot of fun.

Caufield on being teammates with Weber and Price, and trying to help them win the Cup:

It’s pretty crazy, just getting to be with them every day and kind of see what they do on a day-to-day basis, how well they take care of themselves, and how much this moment means to them. They’ve been playing for it their whole lives. Just to be able to share this with them, it’s been a lot of fun, but you kind of see how serious this is. I saw that right away when I first stepped in the room. This is for them at this point.