Ilya Bryzgalov was finally introduced here in Philadelphia and CSN's Marshall Harris got to speak with him one on one following the main presser (which you can watch after the jump). Bryz says he's knows he's the new guy here and when asked about all of the changes the club has made this offseason, he stays focused on what he can control. "I know my job and I know what I have to do," Bryzgalov said.
His English is sharp and his tendency to tell things like they are appear quite high. HIlyae could be a very interesting voice in the Flyers dressing room for years to come.
Some of Bryzgalov's press conference transcript, all of which you can view here:
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On why he chose Philadelphia…
“The Flyers goal is always to win the Stanley Cup. That is what this game is all about. Winning is all that matters.”
“I’ve been in the league for eight years and every year I see they
[Flyers] have good players. They always play in the playoffs except one
year. Two years ago the team reached the Final and tried to win the Cup.
When I played in Russia, I followed the NHL too and I saw that the
Flyers were one of the top organizations who always has the ultimate
goal of winning the Cup.”
On initial impressions of skating with the guys…
“I see lots of talent and passion. These guys want to play hockey and win.”
On the pressure of the contract…
“I never put the pressure on myself. I know my job. I know what I have
to do. It’s from you [media]. It’s you that put the pressure on us and
create the pressure on the team. (laughs) It depends on how you can
handle it. I think I can handle it. I know what I have to do when I play
bad. I know what I have to do to fix it.”
On Philadelphia…
“It’s fun; it reminds me of Russia a little bit. It’s very green here –
lots of trees. The downtown area by Rittenhouse Square is a beautiful
area. The people are very friendly. I like it a lot.”
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On the contract situation with Phoenix…
“My agent did all of the negotiations. I didn’t know what was going on out there.”
On his agent making the deal…
“He spoke with me this season. He worked with the [Phoenix] ownership
who said that they were going to talk to me and we saw that it wasn’t
going anywhere. At that point, we knew we had to find a different team
for me to play for…a team with the goal of wining the Stanley Cup. With
all due respect to the ownership in Phoenix, it’s tough to do that out
there.”
On getting to know the Flyers organization…
“Nothing has changed. I came to the organization with the same players
who I’ve played against. I’ve met the people in the front office. We’re
all hockey people. We know why we’re here and what we have to do to
win.”
Philly a high quality organization that is top notch…starting with the equipment and the small details.”
Full presser: