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Numminen has missed three straight games and has found it difficult to sit back and watch with his young teammates playing the most important games of the season. And having to answer the same old questions every single day hasn't been thrilling, either.
"It's terrible," he said. "There's nothing you can do about it and you feel so down and you feel so bad. You just want to go out and play but you can't do that. It's really frustrating. And talking to you guys every day, it's not fun, to be honest. You guys are nice people but it gets old."
Much of the focus in the local coverage Saturday centred on the defence. One local column criticized GM Darcy Regier for not obtaining a defenceman at the March 9 trade deadline and having to rely on minor-league callups like Jeff Jillson and Doug Janik at this critical juncture of the season.
But Ruff for the second straight day didn't buy that argument.
"Our defence didn't play that bad," Ruff said. "I watched the video again. It had nothing to do with how our defence played, it had to do with our finish."
Top-line centre Daniel Briere, however, felt the offence was affected by the defence.
"Maybe the coaches won't agree with me, or some of the other players, but the feeling I have is that early on we just sat back a little too much, we wanted to make sure our new defencemen would have a chance and we wanted to support them in our zone. ...
"I think what happened last night was subconscious."
Ruff would have none of it.
"That's a bunch of crap. I'm sorry they feel that way," said Ruff. "But we haven't felt that way all year. If in their minds they feel they overcompensated, then it's my job to get their minds set in the right place. That falls on my shoulders.
"If that's where they were at, they won't be there tomorrow."
Ruff held a meeting with players Saturday morning. His message?
"There's nothing to get down about. We're staring at a series that's 2-2," he said.
In a city known for its less-than-stellar sports history, the bandwagon quickly unloaded. A sense of doom filled the airwaves after Friday's game.
"There's no reason to panic," said Briere. "That's the message we have to pass around the dressing room and send for our fans and our city. I know people have a tendency to panic a little quick. I mean, it's 2-2. Sometimes people fail to realize that. Nobody is going to win 16 straight games to win a Stanley Cup."
"It's terrible," he said. "There's nothing you can do about it and you feel so down and you feel so bad. You just want to go out and play but you can't do that. It's really frustrating. And talking to you guys every day, it's not fun, to be honest. You guys are nice people but it gets old."
Much of the focus in the local coverage Saturday centred on the defence. One local column criticized GM Darcy Regier for not obtaining a defenceman at the March 9 trade deadline and having to rely on minor-league callups like Jeff Jillson and Doug Janik at this critical juncture of the season.
But Ruff for the second straight day didn't buy that argument.
"Our defence didn't play that bad," Ruff said. "I watched the video again. It had nothing to do with how our defence played, it had to do with our finish."
Top-line centre Daniel Briere, however, felt the offence was affected by the defence.
"Maybe the coaches won't agree with me, or some of the other players, but the feeling I have is that early on we just sat back a little too much, we wanted to make sure our new defencemen would have a chance and we wanted to support them in our zone. ...
"I think what happened last night was subconscious."
Ruff would have none of it.
"That's a bunch of crap. I'm sorry they feel that way," said Ruff. "But we haven't felt that way all year. If in their minds they feel they overcompensated, then it's my job to get their minds set in the right place. That falls on my shoulders.
"If that's where they were at, they won't be there tomorrow."
Ruff held a meeting with players Saturday morning. His message?
"There's nothing to get down about. We're staring at a series that's 2-2," he said.
In a city known for its less-than-stellar sports history, the bandwagon quickly unloaded. A sense of doom filled the airwaves after Friday's game.
"There's no reason to panic," said Briere. "That's the message we have to pass around the dressing room and send for our fans and our city. I know people have a tendency to panic a little quick. I mean, it's 2-2. Sometimes people fail to realize that. Nobody is going to win 16 straight games to win a Stanley Cup."
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