Demko, Lindholm, Miller and Myers – Year End Media Availability 2023-2024

Demko, Lindholm, Miller and Myers – Year End Media Availability 2023-2024

JT uh start with you just after a couple of days to reflect how do you look back on both the incredible season you guys had the run you went on and also the way it ended in games six and seven yeah I think it was a fun season I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a group and you look back at the uh you know getting the guys together early for camp and stuff I think it really paid off you know I thought our team was really close this year we got better as we went you know learned along the way and came up short but I think it was a really good learning experience for a lot of guys that sure what can you tell us about um what’s happened with you the last few weeks the initial injury that held you out of game two against Nashville and then how close you might have been to returning had things gone differently in game seven yeah I mean um probably you know the hardest thing I’ve I’ve had to go through as a player um with the play uh you know obviously we’ve been through some tough years here and finally get the opportunity and uh it’s always tough watching so um yeah it was really hard but uh I was uh really close to coming back and um you know I was looking to to probably be available for for the next series had we gotten to that point JT uh wondering I mean you guys had a great year a lot of guys had career highs it was very you guys were very healthy during the regular season what’s the challenge of rinsing and repeating and doing having another great regular season to follow that up yeah I think that is the challenge in itself but I think the you know the whole point of creating a culture and DNA as a group is that way you’re not thinking about that stuff it just becomes part of the way we play so we’re going to stress that again going into next season and um you know we’ve we developed a bit of a standard for ourselves as a group and I think that once you have that created it’s easy to fall back and you know where what the Baseline is and what you expect out of yourself and the teammates so um you know it’s welld deserved you know we want to still be playing but the break uh take some time off and then we start ramping up again at the end of summer Tyler you’re obviously contract up how would you like to return to Vancouver I guess is my question for next year yeah I would love to um you know what what we’ve been able to build here uh the last year and a half uh I think it’s really special to be a part of so unbelievable City uh the fans were um you know quite amazing in the playoffs it was uh it was something special stepping out uh for every game and uh I I would love to be back uh question for Tyler what have you seen uh what has been the biggest growth of this group over the last couple years where we saw you know from 2020 to last year it was kind of um downward trajectory but then you guys were able to bounce back after this year so what can you talk about the growth of this group overall yeah I mean when the changes were made uh think it was January last year um you know we found out pretty quick uh you know the standard and the culture uh were going to change and they needed to and I think for guys that were here I think everybody should be pretty proud of just buying into you know where we were trying to take the group and burying our head and and working it’s um you know it it’s pretty special to be in the position we’re in now uh looking back to where we where we come from and um you know in saying that we just want to keep getting better and and you know continue that buyin mindset to where we just keep improving as a group Elias I’m wondering if you can tell us a little bit about what it’s been like for you to come in uh right at the trade deadline and and go on this run with this team here no it’s been a lot of fun um obviously a great group of guys um obviously came in at a good time and and got to know a lot of guys during the allar weekend and and and um you know I had a lot of fun here um obviously we fall a little short but uh you know I thought we we all should be proud and it was a good experience for for everyone to you know push uh push Edmonton for for for seven games in in run two so I mean it was uh was it was great it’s no secret that you’re a free agent heading into the summer here what are you looking for in a deal and did you have enough fun to return to Vancouver be really specific yeah years and salary no I don’t know I mean uh obviously next next uh next couple days um probably talk to my agent and and go from there I mean it’s it’s still pretty fresh and and uh uh so I haven’t even really put a thought into it uh JT yeah you’re hiding back there um I know that uh you and Quinn and and the leadership group really kind of dug in last summer right and and had talked to each other about making this season different and and obviously we saw it was I know um talking to Patrick alvini says you know it’s a great season but it’s important to remember you lost your last game in the second round how important is it now not to be satisfied and not to be complacent or think well we did it this year next year we’ll Cruise past 100 points again how much how much hunger and intensity does there need to be to take yet another step I think that uh you know I can’t speak on behalf of everybody but I hope that you know that taste of the playoffs in cm Vancouver and May and what it’s like to play a game seven you know puts a hunger in a lot of guys stomachs and um shows the how close we are and um at such a quick turnaround I guess from last year and um um you know we have a we at the end of the day we have a really good hockey team and we have a lot of good qualities and these opportunities just don’t come around very often I’ve learned that and uh in over the years of my career and you know I was spoiled with playoff hockey as a kid then all of a sudden you go 5 years without it and then I’m you know 31 years old and it’s when you look at it like that it’s it things happen quickly and I just really hope that um you know that is going to be a challenge it’s not taking it for granted and raising the bar again because uh we could feel good about what we did this year but at the end of the day we still lost like you said and um you know for me it makes me want to work even harder knowing that we’re a goal or two away from final four right so it’s going to be a good test for us uh thater just based on how your last few seasons have gone injury-wise would you support limiting your workload in the regular season um that’s not really up to me so um I’m sure uh you know I’ll sit down with um Ian and the rest of the coaching staff and um evaluate kind of the best way to move forward with that kind of thing um but yeah I mean we’ll see and Elias uh as you head into the offseason how much weight do you put into culture fit coaching when you decide where you want to play next season yeah yeah I mean obviously a lot um you know um obviously I really enjoyed my time here and um like I said earlier we see what happens um you know obviously we’ll fall a little short but um there’s a really good group here uh a lot of good players and and uh obviously we would like to play longer but uh um you know yeah there’s a lot of aspects in in the play CER yeah uh Tyler question for you just about the coaching staff with guys like Adam footz or ganta around and this whole staff it felt like this is the best defensive style we’ve seen from this conu group especially this core of players um with those coaching with the coaches that you guys have how beneficial are they for you for just not necessarily changing your game but finding the best part of your game defensively yeah they were they were awesome um I’ve said I’ve said it a bunch but uh you know especially when talking about our Decor um you know there wasn’t a lot of guessing for us stepping on on the ice uh you know they held us very accountable um they’ come into the rink every day uh with constant reminders um things that we can get better at um and you know I thought I thought that communication and that approach uh from from footer and gch uh on the back end you know helped all of this out Thatcher one for you the very nature of your position puts a tremendous strain on on the body and and the movements that you guys have to make in today’s game when you talk to Ian do you have to change anything uh structurally in your game or is it more offseason maintenance how do you approach the offseason um yeah I mean I think uh you know there’s there’s a certain way of looking at it you know going into you know next season you know maybe I can tweak a couple things um system wise but you know I’m not going to try and reinvent my game or anything um you know obviously I I put a lot of work in in the summer and during the season um maintenance wise and you know that’s part of the frustration when you know something like that does happen uh knowing how much work you put in to make sure that doesn’t happen um so you know just try and keep learning and growing in that area and um you know do everything I can to to stay healthy can you take something from it like you’re not an anomaly I mean goalies around the league suffering the same ailments can you take something from that like I’m not this guy who’s injury prone it comes with the position yeah I mean doesn’t feel good regardless um not being able to play especially in the playoffs so um I mean it’s it’s a physical sport anyone can get hurt you know obviously goalies are you know probably have a little bit different um injuries than the the players do but uh you know they happen and it’s something you got to deal with JT uh you know 100 Point season for you obviously you’ve done a lot of good things and um a lot has been made this year about your personal growth and maturity and you’ve kind of downplayed at a time saying look a lot of good has gone on here and you know we’re winning and maybe that’s why but have you been able to kind of see where you’re at in your career and and your importance you know as kind of the emotional heartbeat of this group and how you’ve taken that step yeah I like I I really do believe it’s a fine line like you know when you’re winning uh my emotions accepted and when you’re losing it is certainly not so I just think that’s why I downplay it is you know I I am who I am and I just think that what comes to mind is the staff here has helped me embrace who I am instead of run from it you know you know I it was good that I’m kind of wearing my heart on my sleeve and a little louder but help me you know Channel it and it’s not like hey don’t be like this guy you know what I mean so I I don’t know I don’t look into it that much I’m just trying to do my job and uh if I do my job it gives our chance a better our team a better chance of winning and if everybody does that to a man I just think it makes everybody look better Thatcher I can ask you about the the goal tenders that played in your place and obviously you developed a really close relationship with Casey so but you also went through a similar situation to maybe what Arty goes through next year there was a time when you were asked more time in the American League or would I rather be here and you wanted to be here um how do you see that situation playing out and just talk a bit about what those guys did when you weren’t available yeah I mean I can’t say enough about both of them um stepping in like that obviously R was uh fantastic um you know played his ass off uh for this group and you know I tried to talk to him as much as I could I didn’t want to get in his way or you know be overbearing it’s it’s a lot on his plate but uh you know I felt like I was able to to kind of with them here and there and um even it’s just a a good morning you know a tap on the ass or something um you know might help them out but yeah I mean I don’t know what’s going to happen next year um obviously that’s not my decision um you know I’ve been fortunate to get really close with Casey and um you know we we have kids that are similar Age and and our wives are are close as well and and that’s been great this year so um yeah we’ll see and just GT looking at the power play and the playoffs were there things you guys realized now that you could have done differently you would like to try to Institute for next year are there are there lessons you can draw From This Moment yeah no question like we you know the power play was disappointing I mean I think that we all would agree I don’t know what the guy said earlier but I mean we had chances to change the course of games and we didn’t and inevitably that’s you know our habits weren’t good you know their habits were better than ours in especially in the Edmonton series I think that they outworked us had nothing to do with the puck luck or anything um you know they didn’t let us enter cleanly ever and it wasting a lot of time I don’t know we just we we uh our standard or whatever you want to say about the power play could get to another level no question and I think we all know that and uh we could have been a bigger part of the playoffs and and we just weren’t effective and we I just talk about creative it’s not about the goal all the time it’s just creating momentum for the team and I feel like sometimes we suck the life out of the building and that’s it’s on me I mean that’s I uh take a lot of pride in the power play so we’ll be better

Hear from Thatcher Demko, Elias Lindholm, J.T. Miller and Tyler Myers at the final media availability of the 2023-2024 season.

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