EurolancheDavid
Registered User
Eurolanche is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017. On this occasion, the Fan Club organized three meetings with former Colorado Avalanche players in Europe over the past months; the most player meetings during one season in its history. After respective meetings with Steven Reinprecht and Uwe Krupp in Germany, five Eurolanche members from Slovakia and the Czech Republic drove from Bratislava, Slovakia to Fribourg, Switzerland to meet David Aebischer – the former backup of Patrick Roy’s and Stanley Cup champion, who later became the Avs’ starter following Roy’s retirement.
What was the atmosphere in the locker room during intermissions? Were there any speeches from coaches or players?
It was pretty much the same as throughout the rest of the season. The coach comes in at a certain point, gives the team some pointers. Several players say something. As I’ve said, it didn’t really differ from other games. What was different was the focus of everyone in the room. You could see it looking at everyone’s faces in the room. Everyone was so focused that you knew that once we were up, we weren’t going to lose the game.
Do you remember the celebration after the game?
Yeah, everybody jumped on the ice, celebrated and took pictures. Then we went to the dressing room and celebrated there. There were a lot of people, some of whom I’ve never seen before, but it was fun. It was a great night.
Did you spend your day with the Stanley Cup in Switzerland?
Yes, I’ve spend my day with the Cup here. I’ve invited my family and my friends to my parents’ house. I’ve also invited my teammates and took pictures with the Cup. I also took pictures with it all around the city. In the afternoon, I let the fans come over so they could take pictures with it, too. I also wanted young kids who play hockey to have a chance to see the Cup in person. After all that, we had a small party not far from here with all the people that helped me during my career.
You said that the last time you’ve been to Denver was two years ago. Was the trip related to hockey or just a vacation?
It was around the time I retired. I didn’t do anything for a while and then I’ve been offered the job as goalie coach here in Fribourg. I wanted to prepare for the job, not just take it without any preparation, so I went to Dallas, where I followed the team practices, talked and listened to the coaches during intermissions and so on. I did the same in Denver, where I got help from Patrick and Francois [Allaire].
So it was at the time when Patrick Roy coached the Avalanche?
Yes.
What do you remember from these visits?
I remember a lot of things. I went to pregame skates and to the practice rink. What was funny was the fact that the dressing room didn’t change all too much. I mean, there are different pictures and stuff like that, but it has stayed pretty much the same. I knew Patrick, I knew Adam Foote and others from the training staff, so it was nice to come back and meet with some old friends.
Listening to Patrick Roy during intermissions, did you notice any differences between him and other coaches?
I think every coach is a little bit different in the way he approaches his intermission speeches and other aspects of coaching. I know Patrick. He is… Patrick. He didn’t change. He never tried to be somebody else, which was one of his strengths when he was a goalie and which is one of his strengths as a coach. He’s eccentric and says things how they are.
FULL REPORT AND TRANSCRIPT:http://eurolanche.com/article.php?id=9563
What was the atmosphere in the locker room during intermissions? Were there any speeches from coaches or players?
It was pretty much the same as throughout the rest of the season. The coach comes in at a certain point, gives the team some pointers. Several players say something. As I’ve said, it didn’t really differ from other games. What was different was the focus of everyone in the room. You could see it looking at everyone’s faces in the room. Everyone was so focused that you knew that once we were up, we weren’t going to lose the game.
Do you remember the celebration after the game?
Yeah, everybody jumped on the ice, celebrated and took pictures. Then we went to the dressing room and celebrated there. There were a lot of people, some of whom I’ve never seen before, but it was fun. It was a great night.
Did you spend your day with the Stanley Cup in Switzerland?
Yes, I’ve spend my day with the Cup here. I’ve invited my family and my friends to my parents’ house. I’ve also invited my teammates and took pictures with the Cup. I also took pictures with it all around the city. In the afternoon, I let the fans come over so they could take pictures with it, too. I also wanted young kids who play hockey to have a chance to see the Cup in person. After all that, we had a small party not far from here with all the people that helped me during my career.
You said that the last time you’ve been to Denver was two years ago. Was the trip related to hockey or just a vacation?
It was around the time I retired. I didn’t do anything for a while and then I’ve been offered the job as goalie coach here in Fribourg. I wanted to prepare for the job, not just take it without any preparation, so I went to Dallas, where I followed the team practices, talked and listened to the coaches during intermissions and so on. I did the same in Denver, where I got help from Patrick and Francois [Allaire].
So it was at the time when Patrick Roy coached the Avalanche?
Yes.
What do you remember from these visits?
I remember a lot of things. I went to pregame skates and to the practice rink. What was funny was the fact that the dressing room didn’t change all too much. I mean, there are different pictures and stuff like that, but it has stayed pretty much the same. I knew Patrick, I knew Adam Foote and others from the training staff, so it was nice to come back and meet with some old friends.
Listening to Patrick Roy during intermissions, did you notice any differences between him and other coaches?
I think every coach is a little bit different in the way he approaches his intermission speeches and other aspects of coaching. I know Patrick. He is… Patrick. He didn’t change. He never tried to be somebody else, which was one of his strengths when he was a goalie and which is one of his strengths as a coach. He’s eccentric and says things how they are.
FULL REPORT AND TRANSCRIPT:http://eurolanche.com/article.php?id=9563
