Conference call: Claude Julien

MONTREAL -- On Thursday, Claude Julien fielded questions from the media regarding his preparations for Phase 3 of the NHL's Return to Play Plan, and the security measures in place.

Read an abridged transcript of the call below, which has been edited for clarity.

Question from Jessica Rusnak, CBC Montreal

Did you get any details from the NHL on how coaching behind the bench during the games is going to work? What's the protocol? To try to keep some kind of distance? Will you be forced to wear a mask? Just that kind of stuff.

Right now, I don't think we have confirmation of what's expected of us. I know there's some flexibility there, as far as how comfortable we're going to feel. The NHL is going to treat us the same way they'll treat the players as far as making those decisions, but I know they're working on it. One thing that's going to be a bit of a comfort to everybody is that the players are going to be tested on a regular basis. Whether it's every second day or every day, I know they're going to take all of the precautions necessary, and that goes for everybody. So, I think we're going to start feeling a lot more comfortable once everybody in the group has tested negative, and hopefully things stay that way. At the same time, I think everybody can take as many precautions as they want. I know for a fact that when I've gone out a few times where I am, and I've gone into a store, I've had no shame in wearing a mask. If anything, I think it's a cautious way to do it. And that's what I do - I wear a mask, I wear some gloves, and then I'm just being careful. I think everybody as individuals can take as many precautions as they want, and that's my intention. I think the NHL really wants to do this right and will do as much as they can to keep it as safe as possible. These things only work if the people that are involved cooperate with them, and I think that's what we're going to see happen.

And do you think it would be realistic to be able to coach well wearing a mask? It will be quiet because there won't be fans there, but do you think it will be easy to get your message across to the players wearing a mask?

The ironic part of that, is a lot of the times when we're talking to players or between coaches, often we'll put our cards in front of our mouths so that TV doesn't read our lips. So maybe the mask is a good solution to that, and I say that tongue-in-cheek. But at the end of the day you're still able to talk with those masks on, and if that's what's required, we'll do it.

Question from Jean-Francois Chabot, Radio-Canada

In the discussions between the NHLPA and the League, there's the question regarding players who have recently signed contracts. In the case of Alexander Romanov, is he part of your plans for the Return to Play, and would you like to have him with the team when play resumes?

Yes, I would like to have Romanov. He's a good young talent, and a future Canadiens player. If it's possible, of course I would like to have him in our group. Having said that, for the moment, we have not been given any confirmation one way or the other, in terms of whether he's eligible to play. We're still awaiting news on that front.

Question from Josh Clipperton, Canadian Press

Sounds like the players won't be quarantined during training camp (Phase 3) if it does go ahead. What will your message to the team be in terms of staying safe during a time that could be a soft spot, because the players will be at the rink - but then they'll be in the community at large.

I don't know that they'll be in the community at large, because at the end of the day it's pretty simple; They're allowing players to come to the practice facility, and they want them to go back home afterwards, to keep isolated from everything. As an organization, we're going to do everything to facilitate that kind of stuff for the players - whether it's getting them groceries or whatever. What I'm hearing from the players is they're taking this very seriously. They're very diligent in keeping themselves safe. They know the danger of it for them, their teammates, their families and everything else. I have confidence in our group so far. Knock on wood, we've been pretty healthy. We haven't had any cases, so we want to keep it that way.

How much time is too much time for a coach when it comes to preparing for an opponent? I was talking to a GM the other day, and he said sometimes four days feels like an eternity even. What do you plan to tell your players, to not overload them?

What we've done as a coaching staff for the last few months, is once a week we met via teleconference and watched some video for ourselves. I'm a believer that as a coach, you can never get too much information - as much as you can get is great. The important part is what you share with your players, and that's where you have to be careful. We're going to leave here very soon and we're all going to be in Montreal, and that's when we're going to put together what we need for the players. [...] We feel well prepared. Now it's just a matter of minimizing the information and going after the important things that we think will make a difference in that series. That's the approach we're taking right now.

Question from Eric Engels, Sportsnet

It's been recorded that Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be participating in your camp, assuming that camp goes on as expected. What are you expecting from him and what has your communication been with him? What opportunity might he have to participate with your team, even though he was down in Laval when you stopped playing?

I think a lot of things will have to get put into place once we're all together. First of all, the players all have the option to opt in or opt out. That's to their discretion. There's still a lot of question marks out there before I can say anything with certainty. A lot of things have to fall into place before I can make those kinds of decisions. What I am happy about is that he's actually been deemed healthy. He had an injury at the end of the year that really set him back, so the stop to the season has given a lot of the guys around the League with long-term injuries an opportunity to come back. So, we look forward to seeing him back with us, and when we do, I think we'll be able to assess and decide which direction we're going with all of our players.