Seth Appert Postgame Interview vs Columbus Blue Jackets (12/30/2023)

Seth Appert Postgame Interview vs Columbus Blue Jackets (12/30/2023)

Hello hello what was that like to coach in your first NHL game I mean um you know today was just trying to get here and try to keep it uh as smooth as possible so I mean it wasn’t I really didn’t have any time to think about it’s not about

My first NHL game um we’re just trying to get here and make it as smooth with dowy being sick right now as possible so that the staff and the players could be in the right mindset and there would be no disruption for them and put us in the

Best position to try to win the game tonight case you shared with us that you told the group that even though you hadn’t been here long that you thought that they were playing pretty well and they just need to stick with it what what was just your your impressions you

Know throughout the game as they were generating chances but just trying to break through there yeah that was after the second um because you know it’s easy sometimes during adversity to when you’re playing good and you’re getting those chances and you’re down um to get frustrated right that that’s natural um

But I really liked the way we were playing we had a great first it was unfortunate we gave one up late thought we had an outstanding second um it was unfortunate we came out of it uh down by one so my my message going to third was

Um you know don’t get bored playing the right way because what we were doing what they were doing as a group was working and we were grinding and we were wearing them down um and I thought that if we stayed with it um that we were going to get the results and and

Obviously uh credit to the guys they did um but I think what might go unnoticed a little bit is I think there was four or five really big block shots in the third period uh Benson you know having one of them I think Skinner had one of them you

Know there’s like four or five like if they get that third one it’s harder to come back so real credit to the guys selling out to block those shots to give us the opportunity for the comeback Seth what was the chronology of you finding out that you were coaching this game um

Kevin called me this morning at 8:30 to 9 somewhere in there um you know we’re getting ready for our game uh at UDA tonight and uh you know he told me that just wanted to put me on on watch at that point uh Donnie wasn’t feeling good

Uh didn’t have all the details at this point um but to be prepared in case they needed me to come um you know his you know he talked to you guys you know the his philosophy on it was U me coming up allows everything else to be the same um

For the players the the assistant Co coaches the staff everything just runs the same so um then I went I was in Roch then I contined to do the work preparing I think at you know 10: then Kevin called again and said you know we’re

Going to need you um so I finished up with my staff andot um helped getting them prepared for our our game there tonight uh then drill up here got here uh about noon uh with with the saber staff uh spent a couple hours with them with Donnie uh on on FaceTime um talking

Through the game plan the strategy the you know the line matchings all the you know I’m I’m so familiar with these guys like the the one thing is like in our organization the way Kevin runs things and the way Donnie runs things we talk

All the time uh I I spent an hour on the phone with Kevin just yesterday uh I’m on the phone with Donnie with their staff I’m texting with these guys um you know the communication throughout our organization uh is excellent and we’re always sharing information and and uh

Trying to help each other and also I I think it’s my responsibility in the American League to mirror almost identically there might be some some differences the style of play and the systems of of Buffalo because I would hate for one of our players from rers to get called up and be unfamiliar

So our systems uh are most of our verbage um are are very very aligned right so uh that that connectivity uh allows for a smoother transition you on top of that you’ve also coached plenty of guys in this room and you know others through Camp how much do you draw on

That when on short notice inserting yourself into this yeah you know there’s probably a third or more of this team that that’s went through Rochester in my time so um obviously you know I’ve had some great memories and great relationships and I coach Sammy back

When he was 16 17 years old um and and so and then now I’ve been with the organization for a number of years so I’ve been at you know four different training camps and um and and credit to Don he he he incorporates our staff a lot during training camp and during

Rookie camp and things of that nature and development camp and so um the guys have a familiarity level with with myself and our staff in Rochester and that makes for situations like this to be uh quite a bit easier coach talk about mirror talk about the defensive strategy tonight compared to the last

Time you played uh columus well I wasn’t you know here last time um and obviously you know I know the score and I I watch all the games if we’re not playing and and uh we got a great group in that room that that room is a is a tight group

That cares that has a lot of Pride and is fighting uh to become a really good hockey team and you know we there’s a lot of Pride they they know the score from last time and and I think the defensive effort tonight um as I talked about before with the block shots you

Know the defensive effort right off the The Hop was was strong uh the forwards were reloading uh very hard tonight getting over the top of them I thought our defensive gaps were strong and then willingness to do the dirty things like win and Puck battles and blocking shots

And that limits a really skilled offensive team’s chances um and when we made mistakes I thought oie was outstanding tonight which was great to see good you know EK as well as anyone just that was best theme in the weeks just what did you what vibe was he

Giving what did you notice for him tonight that made him effective I thought he looked uh on it from the start they had two real good chances in the first five or six minutes uh you know it’s funny I think the team that played last night sometimes as an edge

Early and then if you can withstand that you can kind of flip that on them because of your freshness and and the fact that they maybe a little tired so o made a few big saves early he looked sharp he looked aggressive um there’s just such a

Presence at a command about him when he’s when he’s on his game and you know as we all know he was in a great spot a couple weeks ago before before he got sick um and he’ll get that back um he’s he’s uh he just works too hard he’s too

Good of a teammate uh he puts too much time into it not to to get that game back on form and tonight was was a great start with that and the save you know he made or in overtime I don’t know if he saved it or you forced the shot over um

But uh that was huge you know you give up there’s chances in overtime it’s three and three and and he delivered in a big way you were the better team for most of that hockey game how do you keep I mean it’s late you’re down a goal how

Do you keep frustration from setting in them knowing they’re the better team but yet they’re down by a goal you know well first of all I think it’s started there was a hair of it and what really flipped it on the bench and the second was the

Penalty kill I thought that penalty kill mid late second period whatever that was um was was just full of life and energy and it was smothering in in feel uh didn’t give up many many chances had pressure on the puck and that that that the guys the bench drew a lot of life

From that so I thought that was a big turning point in the game for us um and then as I said earlier mity referenced it uh that was my full message in between the second and third uh was was that I haven’t been in the locker room I

Haven’t been on the bench with them and feeling them uh but how good I felt about the the energy the play the vibe of the group and that if we stayed the course uh like I said earlier don’t get bored playing the right way it’s working

Don’t just because we only have one goal doesn’t mean it’s not working it’s working stay with it and eventually um we’ll we’ll find a way through and obviously that was a hack of a shot by mity to get us tied it was four hours ago that Kevin said he expected you to

Go to Ottawa can you confirm that are you going to Ottawa I will be going to Ottawa yeah we talked to Donnie post game um he’s doing better uh but but still uh you know pretty much you know he’s under the weather uh significantly

But he is feeling a lot better um and I will be going to Ottawa yeah talk about some of the things that you would do to better the power play I know in Rochester it’s 22% here it’s like 13al you know um I have all the faith in

The world in in Matt Ellis and the coaching staff here um and they’re working hard every day on it that’s you know certainly um you know I don’t have enough uh time here to to have any opinion on that um but I know that uh I

Know the pride and the and the effort uh that Matt puts into his work and I know he had this group humming uh in a big way uh for most the last season and I know they will again what’s the confidence level for you and guys like

Jack and JJ and Dylan knowing them from before and Ro but then seeing them play the way they did throughout the game tonight yeah um you know there is a comfort level with guys you’ve coached before um you know and uh obviously JJ and Jack uh you know and U amongst

Others were big parts of of a lot of success that we’ve had in Rochester U both in the regular season the playoffs and so uh you know Jack texted me today and um you know his uh I think it was he said count on the fact that 22 won’t be

Sleepwalking tonight you know and uh as that was a little famous banter he and I had uh with a little bit of a shouting match at each other on the bench one time in Rochester so um you know when you coach players um as young as they were when I

Had them Sammy even back to the ncdp krabsy and Quinter and JJ uh you just go through a lot together yeah you really do you go through a lot of adversity their way from home sometimes for the first time you know they’re they’re failing uh a lot of it

For the first time in their pro career at time or their hockey career and you just you go through a lot together and and I think anytime you go through shared adversity together um and you come out in the other side you know there’s a there’s a closeness and a

Bond that you have that that stays there what was your pregame speech like we what it was but between the second and third period what did you you had time to think about it on the drive I’m guessing you know say um so that was basically we talked to Donnie and the

Staff came up with um the four main key points so Matt Ellis and Marty delivered uh most of the Tactical things that we need to be aware of when you’re playing Columbus um and then I delivered what we collectively uh decided were were the four main key points uh against Columbus

So real simple it was you know that the fact that we wanted to make them defend uh they played last night you know they’re really good offensive team so let’s let’s make them defend I think we did a really good job of making them defend tonight uh we wanted to give them

No easy offense uh because they’re so skilled they’re forward group so talented so let’s not give them easy offense um you know we wanted to play a fast North based game that’s something that Donnie’s really been on them about the last few weeks getting back to

Playing faster um like they have in the past you know so that was basically the main message is those three three four things quick quick quick um and and that was it I don’t believe in big uh rah rah speeches um I think as a coach if you

Have to rely on that uh that means you probably didn’t do a good enough job preparing in the first place so and I know the staff had two they felt great they had two really good practices the last two days um so I know the players and the staff felt great going into

Today’s game thank you

Seth Appert Postgame Interview vs Columbus Blue Jackets (12/30/2023)

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