Illegal. Would you change much about how the team plays?
Craig: We’re going to tweak some things, but no. Well, we’re not. I believe in what we are doing here. The players believe in what we do. There are some things or habits or details that might be a little different, but that’s all the coaches that have been here from Bruce Cassidy to John Tortorella. So, well, we have a very good foundation. We have a foundation for how we play. We are a team that values ​​defending, can defend, can check. And then when we get a puck, we want to make sure we attack and get up the ice. I think the game has become very much a support game and a lot of five man squads.
Illegal. Kelly (McCrimmon) uses this phrase all the time: every horse runs its own race. Each team runs its own race. Each player drives their own race. Do you want to win? Like, it’s the same as an automatic. But you also don’t want to find yourself in situations where you’re making decisions in November or December about playing a little too hard with a guy. Like, it’s the playoffs, you’ve got a playoff team, a team that was two games short. Season management, is that something you’ll be looking into?
Craig: Well, I think we’ll take care of all that. I mean there are people, whether it’s sports science areas, my coaching staff running their areas, the players, building those relationships with the players, how do they feel? I think this year is going to be completely different for our team and our players than last year with the condensed schedule, Olympic breaks and everything that goes with that. The training camp will be different. We have 12 days of training camp instead of 19. Players now, there are four exhibition games instead of seven, so it will have a different feel in that regard, and I don’t mind our group, the sense of urgency. But as far as player management goes, we know what our ultimate goal is and we have guys that have won, whether it’s a Stanley Cup, Four Nations, Olympic gold medals, at the highest levels. So they understand what goes into that and being a part of that team. What we do in October, November, December is we build our base in January, February and then mid-April when you want to play for the dog days. So we have to be aware of it as a group, I say, because it’s not just me, it’s the players, it all depends on how we do it. At the end of the day, it’s my decision on opportunity, playing time, practice, all those kinds of things, but it’s something I’ll look at every day knowing where our team is at.
Illegal. You have a pretty veteran group and guys you have a lot of experience with. You’ve won with Sean (Bourke) and John Stevens, and then Dom (Ducharme) has been a head coach in the NHL, and you and Mark (Letestu) go way back, right? Are you excited to work with your staff?
Craig: Yes, a lot. I’m so excited to have the band back. I think, again, these guys were two wins away from the Stanley Cup, very good at what they did and in position. Joel Ward now has a great opportunity to go to Henderson and be the head coach. We’ve replaced him with Marc Letestu, who’s a really good young coach who I think will fit in well with our group. I’ve won, like you said, with Sean Burke, John Stevens, Dave Rogowski, so there’s continuity here. Obviously, there are some things that, if I went to Henderson the last three years, whether it’s timing, meetings or certain things that I’d like, and we’ll get to that, but I’ve got to empower my staff to coach, to be themselves, and I think that’s going to be really important, and I’ve got to make sure I continue to let these guys do that.
Illegal. Why are you such a leader?
Craig: I guess I was raised that way. I have some respect for my mom and dad and with that my upbringing. I think that’s what I believe. I’ll be myself. I like to win. I’m competitive. I think if there’s something that needs to be done, it needs to be done. I’ve always believed that the best leaders are willing to do it themselves or lead by example. I guess if you’re willing to do it, you can ask someone else to do it. Then the best leaders surround themselves, and I didn’t choose the players on my team, but surround themselves with people who are like-minded and have the same goals. I think that’s something we’ve tried to do here with our staff. That’s something Kelly (McCrimmon) and George (McPhee) tried to do if they made the team. Back to myself, I think it’s who I am and what I believe.
