We can probably all agree by now that finding a good nick name for the line of Danny Brière, Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell isn’t that easy.
Leino agrees.
“Yeah, I guess it’s pretty hard to come up with a name for us”, he laughs.
“But we’ve been doing alright. It’s nice to score goals and help the team.”
Hartnell admits it feels nice when people are talking about their line and even trying to come up with a name for them. He reminds that it’s the result of all the hard work the whole line has done.
“We work hard, also in practice. The chemistry is there and we have the chance to put up points every game and help the team win. Wins are the most important thing this year.”
Finding a name for the line might not be simple, but every member of the line agrees that their plan on the ice is simple. Hartnell goes to the net and battles along the boards, Brière is the sniper and Leino the playmaker.
“That’s the recipe”, Leino confirms.
“Everyone has their own job. Nobody tries to do the other guy’s job.”
“I have the easiest job”, Brière claims. “I just try to get open and drive to the net.”
“My role is simple”, Hartnell adds in the same, modest tone. “I drive to the net and take care of the rebounds. I try to create some traffic in front of the net and make more room for Danny and Ville that way.”
Leino thinks the whole line sees the game the same way. Hartnell mentioned chemistry and Brière agrees:
“You can’t teach the chemistry between your linemates, though sometimes it can develop over time. But with us, it was there immediately.”
It’s also something that doesn’t just stay on the ice. The chemistry has developed into friendships.
“Both of these guys are terrific persons and I spend quite a bit of time with them off the ice, too”, Leino says.
Leino doesn’t see why the line couldn’t keep up with the current pace and there might even be room for some improvement. They just have to remain consistent and keep working hard.
“You just have to play every shift so that you can be happy with them. It means you can be pleased after the season.”
Defenseman Kimmo Timonen shares praise for the whole team and says everything has gone according to plan so far.
“Everything has gone just perfect all season. If you look at our team on paper, it’s a good team.”
“If we just play our system, we win games. As soon as we loosen up, the games get tough.”
“Winning the Cup was so close last year that it was a huge disappointment. That has probably motivated us.”
“Now we know that we have a team that can win the Stanley Cup.”
This report was based off of a Finnish-language story released by STT.
