Scott Young may be the most decorated NHL player that you’ve never heard of. And that may be because nearly all of his achievements came within the context of his team. But during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a time when ‘team’ is the ultimate focus, that seems entirely appropriate.
In 17 NHL seasons, Young played for two Stanley Cup winners (Pittsburgh in 1991, Colorado in 1996), three U.S. Olympic teams (1988, 1992, 2002 silver medal), a World Cup of hockey champion (USA, 1996), and two Beanpot champions in his two seasons at Boston University (1986, 1987). However, despite 1,181 games, 342 goals and 756 points, Young never made a NHL All-Star team (he did have 40 goals with the Blues in 2000-01).
These days, Young, who retired after the 2005-06 season, lives in the Greater Boston area, where you can find him coaching his sons in youth hockey, playing for the Boston Bruins alumni, or working on his golf game.
In 17 NHL seasons, Young played for two Stanley Cup winners (Pittsburgh in 1991, Colorado in 1996), three U.S. Olympic teams (1988, 1992, 2002 silver medal), a World Cup of hockey champion (USA, 1996), and two Beanpot champions in his two seasons at Boston University (1986, 1987). However, despite 1,181 games, 342 goals and 756 points, Young never made a NHL All-Star team (he did have 40 goals with the Blues in 2000-01).
These days, Young, who retired after the 2005-06 season, lives in the Greater Boston area, where you can find him coaching his sons in youth hockey, playing for the Boston Bruins alumni, or working on his golf game.
Boston accent in tow, and in town to check out Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series between Washington and the New York Rangers, Young sat down with From The Blue Seats for a Q+A with a decided focus on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
FTBS ─ When did you realize that playoff hockey is different from the regular season?
Young ─ My first season in the NHL with Hartford, and we opened at Montreal in the Adams Division Semifinal. The atmosphere in the old Forum was amazing. Back then, we played four games in five nights, two sets of back-to-back. Playing that format was a grind. But immediately I could tell everything was different. The speed, the intensity, the physicality. As much as anything, the way the coaching staff prepared us to play. We broke down every aspect of the opponent, every system, every player and injury.
FTBS ─ Were there playoff teams you were on that you felt were special?
Young ─ I think I learned the most from that 1991 Pittsburgh team. I was still early in my career and had been traded from Hartford to Pittsburgh for Rob Brown. That Pittsburgh team would rout people, 7-2, 8-1. But I didn’t know if we had what it takes to win in the playoffs. New Jersey took us to seven games, and I believe we lost the first game of every series. So we had adversity in every round. But, when Mario (Lemieux) wanted to turn it on, he was something special. And we had a young (Jaromir) Jagr, and he started to really define himself with winning goals, overtime foals.
FTBS ─ What are the characteristics of a Stanley Cup-winning team, and which teams today do you think have it?
Young ─ You have to have a blend of veteran leadership, young, hungry guys, and a goaltender that you have extreme confidence can steal a game for you. And you need toughness. Having guys that have been there before is important. They have a lot of calm, and that rubs off on everyone. Guys like Ronnie Francis. Right now, I look at Boston and I see those qualities. They have a goaltender in Tim Thomas that should win the Vezina. They have a Norris-quality defenseman in Chara that can calm everything down like a Chris Pronger or Al MacInnis. And then the young guys like Milan Lucic and David Krejci have stepped up. I really like the makeup of this Bruins team.
FTBS ─ Did you feel as though winning a Stanley Cup was a relief?
Young ─ Yes. When you win a Cup, it’s not so much being elated over winning it. It is a massive relief that we didn’t come this far and lose in the Cup Final. Being the loser in the Final, I can’t imagine what that would be like. I remember later in my career with St. Louis playing Colorado in the conference final. Peter Forsberg goes down with an injured spleen, and thought it was lining up for us to win it all. But, how many guys have said that over their careers? So, yes, it’s a massive relief winning a Cup.
FTBS ─ How tough is it coming back in a series when you face a 3-1 or 3-0 deficit in games?
Young ─ In 1999 when I was in St. Louis, we were down 3-1 to Phoenix and we came back to win the series. In my mind, it was because (Coach) Joel Quenneville put the feeling in us that we were the underdogs, that we needed to play loose and just push them. Game 5 was in Phoenix and he said, “they don’t want to go back to St. Louis. We’ll win there and they don’t want to be in a Game Seven at that point.” That mentality kept us very loose. Being down 3-0 is a little different. It’s tough because you realize you haven’t even won a single game and now you have to win four straight. It just looks like such a long road.
FTBS ─ What do you consider your biggest single Playoff moments?
Young ─ The goals you remember the most are the game-winners in the playoffs, the OT ones. I had two against Patrick Roy, one for St. Louis against Colorado in double-OT, and one against Montreal when I was with Quebec. I also had an OT winner in that Phoenix series with St. Louis. The other moments I remember are after clinching a series. You come back into the dressing room and you really appreciate your teammates and they appreciate you. Even series that you win 4-0 you have that appreciation. And having someone like an Al MacInnis come over afterward and say, “great series,” that’s a really good feeling.
FTBS ─ What are some of the smaller Playoff moments you remember.
Young ─ In the Stanley Cup Final in 1996, we were in Florida with a three-game lead and we were heading to triple-overtime. I was walking across the dressing room and I caught Patrick Roy’s eyes. He was kind of nodding up and down, and that gave me the same feeling that we were on the verge of something special.
FTBS ─ As we saw last night in Carolina, video reviews are an important part of making sure the games are decided on the ice. In 1995, you were part of a controversial playoff game between Quebec and the Rangers when a goal was disallowed. How does a team rebound from that emotionally?
Young ─ It’s hard. You go from being excited when Joe Sakic scores a goal, but then your’re kind of lost. What’s going on? What is the explanation? You feel like something was taken from you and you’re at a loss for words. You try to just get past it and move on, but if another break goes against you or you give up the next goal, mentally it’s tough to come back from. Momentum can change very quickly.
FTBS ─ The NHL Draft is coming up soon, can you recollect your own draft experience?
Young ─ I was in a hotel and teams were conducting their pre-draft interviews with prospects at the same hotel. I was taking a nap before I had a meeting with New Jersey. I guess I didn’t write down New Jersey’s hotel room number, because I knocked on a door and there were all these guys sitting around smoking a cigar. I saw John Cunniff and then (Hartford GM Emile) Cat Francis, so I thought, “Uh oh, this is the wrong room.” Funny thing is, they ended up choosing me (1st round, 11th overall; New Jersey chose Neil Brady of Medicine Hat with the 3rd-overall pick) because of the way I handled myself in that situation.
FTBS ─ When did you realize that playoff hockey is different from the regular season?
Young ─ My first season in the NHL with Hartford, and we opened at Montreal in the Adams Division Semifinal. The atmosphere in the old Forum was amazing. Back then, we played four games in five nights, two sets of back-to-back. Playing that format was a grind. But immediately I could tell everything was different. The speed, the intensity, the physicality. As much as anything, the way the coaching staff prepared us to play. We broke down every aspect of the opponent, every system, every player and injury.
FTBS ─ Were there playoff teams you were on that you felt were special?
Young ─ I think I learned the most from that 1991 Pittsburgh team. I was still early in my career and had been traded from Hartford to Pittsburgh for Rob Brown. That Pittsburgh team would rout people, 7-2, 8-1. But I didn’t know if we had what it takes to win in the playoffs. New Jersey took us to seven games, and I believe we lost the first game of every series. So we had adversity in every round. But, when Mario (Lemieux) wanted to turn it on, he was something special. And we had a young (Jaromir) Jagr, and he started to really define himself with winning goals, overtime foals.
FTBS ─ What are the characteristics of a Stanley Cup-winning team, and which teams today do you think have it?
Young ─ You have to have a blend of veteran leadership, young, hungry guys, and a goaltender that you have extreme confidence can steal a game for you. And you need toughness. Having guys that have been there before is important. They have a lot of calm, and that rubs off on everyone. Guys like Ronnie Francis. Right now, I look at Boston and I see those qualities. They have a goaltender in Tim Thomas that should win the Vezina. They have a Norris-quality defenseman in Chara that can calm everything down like a Chris Pronger or Al MacInnis. And then the young guys like Milan Lucic and David Krejci have stepped up. I really like the makeup of this Bruins team.
FTBS ─ Did you feel as though winning a Stanley Cup was a relief?
Young ─ Yes. When you win a Cup, it’s not so much being elated over winning it. It is a massive relief that we didn’t come this far and lose in the Cup Final. Being the loser in the Final, I can’t imagine what that would be like. I remember later in my career with St. Louis playing Colorado in the conference final. Peter Forsberg goes down with an injured spleen, and thought it was lining up for us to win it all. But, how many guys have said that over their careers? So, yes, it’s a massive relief winning a Cup.
FTBS ─ How tough is it coming back in a series when you face a 3-1 or 3-0 deficit in games?
Young ─ In 1999 when I was in St. Louis, we were down 3-1 to Phoenix and we came back to win the series. In my mind, it was because (Coach) Joel Quenneville put the feeling in us that we were the underdogs, that we needed to play loose and just push them. Game 5 was in Phoenix and he said, “they don’t want to go back to St. Louis. We’ll win there and they don’t want to be in a Game Seven at that point.” That mentality kept us very loose. Being down 3-0 is a little different. It’s tough because you realize you haven’t even won a single game and now you have to win four straight. It just looks like such a long road.
FTBS ─ What do you consider your biggest single Playoff moments?
Young ─ The goals you remember the most are the game-winners in the playoffs, the OT ones. I had two against Patrick Roy, one for St. Louis against Colorado in double-OT, and one against Montreal when I was with Quebec. I also had an OT winner in that Phoenix series with St. Louis. The other moments I remember are after clinching a series. You come back into the dressing room and you really appreciate your teammates and they appreciate you. Even series that you win 4-0 you have that appreciation. And having someone like an Al MacInnis come over afterward and say, “great series,” that’s a really good feeling.
FTBS ─ What are some of the smaller Playoff moments you remember.
Young ─ In the Stanley Cup Final in 1996, we were in Florida with a three-game lead and we were heading to triple-overtime. I was walking across the dressing room and I caught Patrick Roy’s eyes. He was kind of nodding up and down, and that gave me the same feeling that we were on the verge of something special.
FTBS ─ As we saw last night in Carolina, video reviews are an important part of making sure the games are decided on the ice. In 1995, you were part of a controversial playoff game between Quebec and the Rangers when a goal was disallowed. How does a team rebound from that emotionally?
Young ─ It’s hard. You go from being excited when Joe Sakic scores a goal, but then your’re kind of lost. What’s going on? What is the explanation? You feel like something was taken from you and you’re at a loss for words. You try to just get past it and move on, but if another break goes against you or you give up the next goal, mentally it’s tough to come back from. Momentum can change very quickly.
FTBS ─ The NHL Draft is coming up soon, can you recollect your own draft experience?
Young ─ I was in a hotel and teams were conducting their pre-draft interviews with prospects at the same hotel. I was taking a nap before I had a meeting with New Jersey. I guess I didn’t write down New Jersey’s hotel room number, because I knocked on a door and there were all these guys sitting around smoking a cigar. I saw John Cunniff and then (Hartford GM Emile) Cat Francis, so I thought, “Uh oh, this is the wrong room.” Funny thing is, they ended up choosing me (1st round, 11th overall; New Jersey chose Neil Brady of Medicine Hat with the 3rd-overall pick) because of the way I handled myself in that situation.
2 comments:
Awesome interview; I thought the draft story was the best. The intricacies and off the ice moments you only hear about when you sit down to talk with the veteran players are priceless. Great to learn more about Scott!
Many thanks for your response. I am always interested by players like Young - guys who were good enough to play almost 20 years and saw everything there was to see ... but who never had the limelight. I think these are the guys that truly experienced the game for what it is.
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