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Byron Dafoe & Harry Sinden Press Conference from Friday, October 29, 1999
Posted: Sunday October 31, 1999 01:08 AM
Harry Sinden: This is a happy day in the Bruins offices. Byron and the Bruins have come to an agreement on a contract. We now have our number one goalie in the fold which gives all of us, and all of his teammates, I'm sure, a great deal of comfort. We look forward to Byron continuing his great play that we've seen here for the two years he's been here over the next three years of the terms of the contract. I can tell you, and I think Byron will say the same thing, that we're glad this, which turned out to be a bit of an ordeal for both of us, is over. Byron Dafoe: Amen to that. I have to admit it's been a tough few months for me. I went into a battle with Harry and I think we both agree that it was tough on us as individuals and the organization, but I think we both felt that we had to do what we had to do. The bottom line is that we've both come to an agreement and resolved it and are both happy. That's why this whole process went through. I know I can honestly say that I'm satisfied and I'm ready to put my sweater on and start playing again for the Boston Bruins. Question: Did it just get to the point where you had to say, "It's time ..." Byron Dafoe: Well, I have to admit a couple of days ago it was either "do it or don't do it". I was at the point where if it wasn't going to get done in the next day or two then I was going to look elsewhere, as much as I want to stay here in Boston. Harry and I got together today and we made it work. I must say I'm extremely happy. There's alternative situations to deal with, but my number one was to stay in Boston. Question: When you say 'look elsewhere', what do you mean by that? Byron Dafoe: Well, obviously, if I wasn't going to be a Boston Bruin, I would go somewhere else via trade. And Harry had all the power over how that was going to happen and when it would happen. That was my only other way to go. But as I said, my first alternative was to stay here in Boston and thankfully Harry and I got together and made it work. Question: Harry, do you think it would have been feasible to get a fairly even exchange for Byron? Harry Sinden: We never initiated any trade talks. We did have what turned out to be a serious inquiry from one club that didn't get very far. We were biding our time before we reached that conclusion and were hopeful that we could come to a resolution of our contract problems with Byron and would never have to address trading him. Question: So this is a three-year deal? Harry Sinden: This is a three-year contract, right. Question: Byron, how soon do you feel you'll be ready to play? Byron Dafoe: Well, looking at the schedule I see we play, obviously, tomorrow and then not until next Thursday. I've been skating pretty much every day on my own and obviously that can't compare to an NHL full-fledged practice, but I feel that I'm in very good shape. I think four or five practices and I should be ready to go. Obviously Pat's going to be the main determinant on where and when I play. Question: Is it your expectation though, that once Pat says you're ready, you're back in there? Byron Dafoe: Well, yeah. I want to play as soon as possible and I want to make sure I'm at the highest level and ready to go before I enter a game. If it's New Jersey next week, that's great. If it's a game later, whenever Pat thinks I'm ready. Question: Harry, we know you've been through this drill before. Byron talked about it was do or die for him. Had you reached that point at all or did you think that you still had time? Harry Sinden: I was trying to keep patient and hopefully time would resolve it. I hadn't reached a point where I was throwing up my hands. I just hoped that we could get together like we did today. In all of these situations, compromise is the answer and that's what happened. Question: Do either of you feel that any bitterness will linger? Byron Dafoe: Harry and I had a lengthy talk today when I came in and met with him in his office and we cleared the air of everything that was said. Some of it is scripted, some of it's personal, some of it is just to make things happen and some of it's said in haste. I think we both agreed on all of the above and put our differences aside. The bottom line is this was a negotiation process and we've both come to an agreement. What's been said in the past doesn't matter and we both are moving forward. Question: Have you talked to any of your teammates? Byron Dafoe: I haven't talked to anyone since the deal has gotten done. I kept in touch with four or five of the guys through the whole holdout and the support from them was great. It's always a touchy subject. They're on both sides of the fence, but I'm just really looking forward to going back and playing with them. It's a family and when you're not there, the days are very lonely. Tomorrow is probably the most excited I'll be about going on the ice with Pat Burns in a long time. Question: So you haven't talked to Robbie (Tallas)? Byron Dafoe: No, as I said, I haven't talked to anyone. Robbie and I are very good friends and we've definitely worked well together in the past and I'm sure we'll work even better together in the future. Question: Byron, did you feel pressure at any time from other players to keep the salary levels up? Was that a factor in your decisions? Byron Dafoe: There's a lot involved in negotiations, whether it be from the Players Association, teammates or other players around the league because we're all kind of lumped together one way or the other. Bottom line is, what you're doing for yourself and the team you're negotiating with. I didn't come in to sign a deal if I was going to be unhappy with it. I wasn't going to do it just to get a paycheck. Obviously, what I sacrificed I proved that. I came in and Harry and I, we both moved on the subject and I think we're both happy and that's what it came down to. Question: What kind of things have people out on the streets said to you? Harry Sinden: Tell them about my e-mails. Byron Dafoe: I don't know if I can say all of the things that have been said on TV, but I must admit that the public's been very supportive of me. Harry's notorious for these negotiations, we all know that. He's a shrewd businessman, there's no question. I'm just happy that it's done and I'm happy and I'm sure Harry's happy on his side. Question: Were you able to view the team's progress through October? Byron Dafoe: I watched the games and it was very hard for me to watch, win or lose. Just not being able to go our there and contribute to the team. They've definitely turned the corner these last four or five games and it's good to see. We're a very talented team and being picked by a national magazine to go to the Cup finals says a lot about this organization. I'd definitely like to be a part of that to get to that level. Question: Were you concerned because the goalies were playing so well this season? Byron Dafoe: No. I didn't know John Grahame's ability but I knew Robbie Tallas'. I knew what type of team we have and I had no ill will that they would play good and force my hand. I knew that we would go out there and we would have a tough start. It wasn't so much how the team did, it was how Harry and I got together and got it done. I wasn't concerned with how the team was doing. I think I made that apparent when I tried to get it done right before the trip. Because that was the toughest part of the season and I wanted to be part of that. Unfortunately we didn't agree on terms then but we do now. Question: Harry, why now? Harry Sinden: There were no factors outside of the compromise that Byron and I agreed upon. I didn't take into account the possible injury to Robbie at all and I don't think Byron did either. I know he didn't. This just happened today because, I think, inevitably it was going to happen one day and today was the day. At the risk of being repetitive, we finally agreed to agree instead of agree to disagree. Question: How long did it take to finally settle it today? Harry Sinden: I think about 40 minutes. Question: Did you give more than you wanted? Harry Sinden: We don't discuss terms but when you make a compromise, that's what happens. Question: Byron, can you talk about over the month of the season, how you went about things? Byron Dafoe: Holding out is a very lonely place to be. At the start of training camp I went back to Los Angeles to try to get away from it all. I ended up coming back after a few weeks and staying here in Boston for the duration of it. I read everything, I watched everything, I saw how the team did and I talked to the guys. You want to be part of it in some way, at least know what's going on inside the dressing room. This could have kept going on for a couple of months, who knows? I just felt that it had to come to an end sooner or later and I wanted it to get done sooner. Like Harry said, we both gave up on parts and we both extended ourselves more than we initially felt we would. And thankfully it's done. Question: Was your agent part of this deal when you talked to Harry today? Byron Dafoe: I don't really want to comment on that. I'll say that I called up Harry today and came in and we got the deal done. Question: Is he still your agent? Byron Dafoe: I really don't want to comment on that whole situation.
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