martin weiss, tampa, florida

after viewing the first game of the finals, i really felt that tampa looked out of sync...was this because they had just come off a 7 game series which was played with so much emotion and intensity they were drained/tampa underestimated calgary's intensity?

Bill Clement

  (1:03 PM)

Martin, I think you hit the nail on the head twice. Part was a Game 7 hangover and part was underestimating Calgary. That won't happen in Game 2. But the Flames this morning all told me that they think they can be a lot better too. It should be good.

Twonk (Boston)

Bill. Tortarella says tonight isn't a must win for Tampa. Do you agree?

Bill Clement

  (1:05 PM)

I agree with John not referring to it as a must win. After all, what do you tell your players tomorrow if you lose tonight? Do you say, 'Well, we're doomed. We lost that must win game?' So he can't say that it is. Can Tampa come back from a two-game deficit? It's possible but I wouldn't want to try it.

kenneth

Hey Bill what is your take on Bettemen's comments on the same day as the first game of the Stanley Cup final?

Bill Clement

  (1:07 PM)

He has his press conference every year at the same time. It just so happens that this year there are multiple issues to discuss, some of which are difficult to sugarcoat. Questions were asked and the commissioner answered them, just as he does as this time every year.

Jayme (Hoboken, NJ)

With Martin out of the picture, how do you see the coaching vacancies being filled in the league? (Sens, Rangers, Coyotes, Jackets)

Bill Clement

  (1:09 PM)

Sorry to burst the coaching bubble, but I am not thinking in that direction at all this time of year. So I am really not keeping up with the gossip or the realities. It's like I am living in a tunnel, two teams at a time, one game at a time. I am keeping my shifts short, backchecking like a demon and trying to block as many shots as I can. Wait a minute, that was my dream last night.

Claudell, NJ

Bill. Based on Clarke's comments, have LeClair and Amonte played their last games as Flyers?

Bill Clement

  (1:12 PM)

With the team that was built to win it all having failed, you can bet there will be changes, and it wouldn't be a stretch to think of Amonte and Leclair being done. I just don't know what's left on LeClair's contract.

Anthony, Toronto

Mr. Clement. Is it possible for a player to win the playoffs MVP, without making it to the Finals? ie: Keith Primeau. Thanks!!! You are truley and gentleman's gentleman!!

Bill Clement

  (1:14 PM)

Thanks Anthony. I won't tell you about the guys I speared when I played. It's possible but I don't think it will happen. By the time this series is over, people like St Louis and Iginla will have erased Keith Primeau's effort from most people's memories.

Nick (Greensboro, NC)

Bill, I heard Jim Rutherford the other day on a local sports radio show say that NHL teams nowadays are built more through free agency than through the draft. In your opinion, would you say then that NHL draft picks are hit or miss, much like baseball, where as football or basketball teams can directly be affected a bad draft?? thanks

Bill Clement

  (1:16 PM)

I don't think you can be directly effected from one bad draft, but if you have two in a row or more, then you're in trouble because you've got no good young players coming. Remember, the free agents are the older guys. You still need to grow your own players through the draft.

Mark (NYC)

John, LeClair has 2 years at $9m per, but what are the chances he or Amonte would take a monster pay cut (ala Kariya) to stay with the team for the chance of a cup?

Bill Clement

  (1:18 PM)

Probably not very good since you'd be spending sure dollars on another hope. If the Cup could be guaranteed, they'd do it in a second. The Flyers have really only one option that they can control part of and that is to buy John LeClair out because nobody is going to trade for him with $18 million left on his deal. Another possibility would be spreading out the contract over a number of years. Short of that, the Flyers can't do much.

Mike (Mineola)

Bill, with giving your work address last week, has the volume of mail increased about ten-fold? And second question, the Bolts seem to be a team that must, as a whole, play as a motivated bunch. If Tampa can't get themselves up as a whole, coupled with Calgary's tendency to become a ravenous wolf, is this series Calgary's in 6? That's my prediction. Thanks!

Bill Clement

  (1:21 PM)

The big word you used is 'if.' And if Tampa Bay doesn't fear Calgary, then they won't get their edge back, and Calgary in six would not be a bad pick. FYI -- I checked with Bristol this morning, and the mail truck is backing up to the door as we speak to dump my load of mail off.

patrick, raleigh NC

Can We now say after winning the Art Ross and 2 Maurice richard trophies and leading Calgary to finals this year- Jarome Iginla is the best player in game right now? your thoughts?

Bill Clement

  (1:23 PM)

He is certainly the most complete. Forsberg would be the other one. But Peter doesn't shoot enough to score in big numbers.

Hugh

What do you think of the play of Chris Simon?

Bill Clement

  (1:24 PM)

I think he's in better shape than he's ever been and that's because of Brian Sutter in Chicago. Brian taught him what it takes to be a factor in the NHL so Chris looks quicker than ever before. And he really has underrated hands.

Anneliese (Monterey, CA)

Hey Bill! As a Sharks fan, it was tough seeing them lose to a team full of former Shark players. I was wondering, what impact did Marco Sturm's abscence and Nabokov's knee injury have on their playoff run? What do the Sharks have to do to win the Cup next year?

Bill Clement

  (1:26 PM)

No way to really know is there? But I saw Colorado win the Cup without Forsberg one year. And Calgary is in the Finals without Reinprecht, McAmmond, Gauthier, Lydman and Lombardi. Somehow you have to find a way.

Rob (San Jose)

Hey Bill, Next time you see Keith Primeau, can you ask him to teach his brother Wayne to be a dominant beast in the crease?

Bill Clement

  (1:28 PM)

Yo Rob, you know that I will travel the globe this summer looking for Keith to make sure that your wish becomes a reality. My life is hereby yours. And by the way, Santa Claus says hello.

Madhan (Atlanta, GA)

Hey Billy, Great Show. What you do think Jacques Martin brings to Florida that no other coach has so far? Do they have the Talent to compete?

Bill Clement

  (1:30 PM)

He brings incredible x's and o's knowledge and no, right now, Florida doesn't have enough to compete. But we don't know what the other teams in the East are going to look like, nor do we know what Florida is going to look like. Stay tuned. If Keenan makes the right moves, they will be very competitive next season.

Cyrus (Philly)

Bill, lets not kid ourselves. Everyone is trying to hype up the Lightning to make them more popular, but there is no way TB fans are going to fill up the house next year. They're all just a bunch of a bandwagon fans. Having them in the Finals is bad for hockey.

Bill Clement

  (1:32 PM)

Hey Cyrus, you're from Philly, right? I can understand your pain. But Tampa is allowed to go to the Cup Finals like everybody else is. What would it be like if we limited our sport to only six or eight teams that had the right to get there. Tampa's earned their right. And I agree, they won't draw 21,000 next season, but 16,000 would be a great number.

Mike (Mineola)

Bill, great work. After seeing game one, do you draw similarities to Tampa's performance with the one in Game 2 of the ECF against the Flyers? Or are the Bolts physically and mentally run down from that series?

Bill Clement

  (1:34 PM)

I don't think they are run down. I think they were happy to be playing Calgary because they think that their team is superior. John Tortorella this morning agreed with that. Just like the Islanders, Montreal and the Flyers wanted to play Tampa, and underestimated them, the Bolts did the same thing in Game 1. You'll see a different team tonight. But all the Flames guys I spoke too this morning were unhappy with how their team played. I think tonight will be a much better hockey game.

Bill Clement

  (1:35 PM)

Gotta run, folks. Thanks for your great questions. Tonight is going to be a super game. Don't miss it.