PITTSBURGH — Michel Therrien was late getting to the media podium inside Mellon Arena today.
“Sorry, I had to go back to school and pick up my daughter,” Therrien said.
The coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins was in a lighter mood than previous days in this Stanley Cup final series with the Detroit Red Wings.
Therrien spent a lot of time complaining about the referees after the first two games, but a 3-2 victory in Game 3 had him seeing the sunnier side of life again. But he knows his team is still in a hole against the team that has dominated the league all season.
“The next game is going to be another huge challenge for us,” Therrien said. “We’re in the same position like we were yesterday. But our team got some confidence from that first win.”
The Penguins took the day off from practice, as did Detroit.
Penguins forward Ryan Whitney said his team is starting to get a better feel for playing a Detroit team they didn’t see in the regular season.
“You get used to some of their tendencies,” he said. “But we know it’s still a great team over there and a real tough one to play against.”
