| Quotes |
| "I'm not the biggest guy in the world, but I need to have that physical element in my game to be effective." ~ Brenden Morrow "He was a slob when he was a teenager. But his house is in good order, I must say. I was impressed. He really looks after things. Dany's 21, so his mother and I still worry about him. But once you get down here, you see he's doing just fine." ~ Dany Heatley's father Murray on seeing how his son is doing on hid own. "He's dangerous and he can score from anywhere. I've played with a lot of great players -- Pavel Bure, Alex Mogilny, Brett Hull -- and Gabby's kind of a mixture of Bure and Mogilny. He has explosive speed, he can shoot the puck, and he makes plays. He's still young, so who knows how good he can be?" ~ Cliff Ronning on teammate Marian Gaborik, who had a hat trick at Los Angeles Nov. 4 "Before they came out with emergency inhalers, every time I had an attack, my mom or dad would have to take me to the emergency room for an adrenaline shot. That was really the only quick cure for an asthma attack." ~ Mark Eaton, on growing up with asthma, in the Nov. 21 edition of the Tennessean "You have to have a positive frame of mind both on and off the ice." ~ Justin Williams "It's great. It's fun. You meet a lot of people who tell you what you're doing wrong. Or they'll say, 'C'mon, let me just hit you once.' But no, it's great for the kids and it was for a great cause." ~ Boston Bruins forward P.J. Stock on the team's 14th annual Wives Carnival. "Hitch was on me every single damn day. Every day Hitch says something to me. Doesn't matter who you are, he won't let you forget it. He'll stay on you and stay on you and stay on you until you change. I don't want to call it tough love maybe he's not as pretty as a nagging wife, buta lot like that." ~ Philadelphia Flyers center Jeremy Roenick on the many "reminders" to score from coach Ken Hitchcock. "I always wondered what it felt like to have Keith Primeau in my lap when you are trying to make a save. Next time I'm either going to have to take him out or get big real quick." ~ Buffalo Sabres rookie goalie Ryan Miller after surrendering a goal to Philadelphia's Keith Primeau. "He can be as good as he wants to be," Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff said of Ales Kotalik. "It's his drive alone. That's the difference between a good player and a great player: It's the drive inside you that can get you there." Name one player on the Wild that you would never share a hotel room with while on the road? "Probably myslef, because I snore." ~ Marian Gaborik "Gaborik, he snores." ~ Antti Laaksonen "He's probably one of the best hockey players in our game, and in my opinion, he's a better person than he is a hockey player. He's polite, he's humble, he always wants to learn and he's always got a smile on his face." ~ Jeremy Roenick at the 2003 All-Star Game, speaking about Dany Heatley "After his second score, we decided to pass the puck to Dany and it worked. You know you are looking at a record. If somebody gets four goals, you want to pass the puck. I want to be on the ice when somebody breaks the record. If it can't be me, then I want it to be somebody right next to me." ~ Washington's Jaromir Jagr on trying to set up Atlanta's Dany Heatley for goals in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game. "I think we should be motivated not to be embarrassed. We keep playing the way we're playing, we're going to find ourselves on the bottom of the pile. And nobody wants that. That should be a little more motivation." ~ San Jose Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart on what should motivate his team for the remainder of the season. "We're not, what's the word I'm looking for? We're not intimidating. We don't make anyone hesitant to do anything against us. People can go get the puck, they can stand in front of our net. We can't stand in front of their net. All of us in general are not playing intimidating. We're not intimidating whatsoever. I think that's hurting us because other teams aren't afraid to make a mistake against us." ~ Forward P.J. Stock on the Boston Bruin's struggles. "He makes good reads and gets his shots off," said Maurice. "This guy has a lot of poise for a young man. He has played a lot more minutes then he has before." ~ Paul Maurice talking about Bruno St. Jacques "I'm not looking at this as a bad thing or a downgrade by leaving Phoenix and going to Buffalo. I look at it as something fun. I want to come in and make an impact. I don't want to be a role player. I want to help the team. I know I'll have the chance to do that, and it's going to be up to me to take it." ~ Forward Daniel Briere on being dealt from the Coyotes to the Sabres. "He's an incredibly talented, gifted player with the puck and he does everything with his head up. I haven't seen anybody that young and that gifted -- let me change that, so we don't turn him into Michael Jordan here, I haven't coached anyone that young and that gifted." ~ Carolina Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice on forward Radim Vrbata who has been on a tear since being acquired from Colorado. "I really didn't know what to expect when I took the job. It's been more than I thought. I've learned a lot, and not just the coaching part. it has been fascinating to be around Pierre Lacroix and the business part. He likes his coaches to be involved in every aspect, and that has been exciting. When I took the job, I wasn't just going to push pucks around, and that was one of my criteria." ~ Colorado Avalanche assistant coach Rick Tocchet on his first taste of professional coaching. "To be part of the Finnish national team in a world championship on home ice is something very special," says Kari. "Finland has never won on home ice so the pressure will be even bigger. We know that every Finland game will be a sell-out and these pressure filled games is what hockey is all about. In games like that I feel like I want to eat the puck." ~ Kari Lehtonen talking about representing Finland in the World Championships "This is the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I'm going to play as long as I can until they kick me out." ~ Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Eric Weinrich, 36, who was slated to appear in his 1,000th game Monday March 24, 2003. "You go through so many emotions," said Kolanos. "Disappointment. Confusion. Frustration. You're a little scared. I was out a whole six months. That's a lot of time to sit and wonder and worry. But I had a tremendous support group around me... my parents, friends, teammates. They kept me going, kept me up, kept me positive. The only question you want answered is: When? Then in February, I was able to start training again. I got back in two games at the end of the season, which was good." ~ Krys Kolanos talking about missing time during his concussion "When Scottie left, all the talk was about the NHL. But because of his age and the time of his life, we told him he should be a big part of Team Canada -- and to help them bring back a gold medal instead of a silver. A lot of players say they want the spotlight, and they really don't. Others want it because they positively thrive in it, and he's one of them. He will take that challenge of being captain and take it to the next level." ~ Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz on the decision to allow Scottie Upshall play for Team Canada in the World Junior Championship "Everybody does have a role, and my role is to be physical and bring energy. That's what I have to focus on. Getting your nose dirty." ~ Forward Manny Malhotra on his role with the Dallas Stars "Hockey is a sport of momentum. When you play well and make the right decisions you get a couple of lucky breaks and it seems like it has the domino effect. But when things are not going your way, the domino effect is still there, but it's going in the other direction." ~ Colorado Avalanche coach Bob Hartley "They definitely want to learn. These are great kids who are definitely talented, but on top of being exceptional players, they are good people -- a sign that those kids will keep growing and keep progressing, and I think they will become attractions in this League." ~ Atlanta Thrashers coach Bob Hartley on Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk "Those three again, have been every game. They are hungry around the net, they are making plays around the net, they are getting available for one another, and making it look easy for one another, and it's because they are working away from the puck to support each other." ~ Avalanche coach Tony Granato on his team's top line of Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejuk, and Alex Tanguay "This is a Thrasher on steroids. I needed something meaner. The old one looked like a cartoon character." ~ Atlanta goalie Byron Dafoe in regards to the much more ferocious looking bird on his new mask. "Around the League now, people are starting to talk about the way this kid, at his size and age, competes against the good players in the league." ~ Mighty Ducks General Manager Bryan Murray on rookie Stanislav Chistov "He looks a little bit like a stork out there. Kind of like Gumby, he rolls off guys, a little bit like Jason (Allison). People wouldn't call Jason the most elegant player in the world, but he certainly is effective. He's quite similar to Jason Allison. Deceptive speed too." ~ King's coach Andy Murray on winger Alexander Frolov "Winning is addictive and we got a bad addiction right now." ~ Jeremy Roenick after the Flyers beat the Maple Leafs 3-1 "I know you've heard all the cliches before, but I'm really happy to be here. Getting to see all you guys (in the media)... this is 'Hockey Central.' This is great. It's a whole different atmosphere than where I came from. I'm playing for keeps now, and I'm pretty excited to be here." ~ Tony Amonte after being traded from the Coyotes to the Flyers "When I talked to Tony Granato this morning, he said there's lots of pressure on young guys like me with so many stars here. But I'm very thankful they gave me the chance to play in the NHL with guys like (Joe) Sakic and (Peter) Forsberg. Hopefully I can bring something to Carolina." ~ Radim Vrbata on being traded from Colorado to Carolina "Just his presence out there is so noticeable. It looks like he does everything in slow motion, like it's so effortless. He's got such natural talent. You can see he's working on his confidence, on his cutting and spinning the puck and how comfortable he is doing it. Straight ahead, he's a locomotive." ~ Blues assistant coach Don Lever on the rehabilitating Chris Pronger "It feels good to know that we have the spot in the playoffs and it's ours and no one can take it away from us. We should all feel good about that. We've worked really hard all year for this." ~ Mighty Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere "He plays a strong positional game, and that's what's important under the new rules. Derian is a smart player, you knew he would adjust." ~ Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock on Derian Hatcher having a strong season with the Stars "Hockey is not a sport where you can play 80 percent. It's a lot like football in that unless you're going to hit as hard as you can, there's no sense playing." ~ Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice on the nature of hockey "It was an unbelievable honor to walk up and name Rick Nash the No. 1 pick overall. I think this brings it to another level, when we can announce that we've signed a three-year contract with Rick, the best contract given to a junior player in the history of the NHL." ~ Blue Jackets President and General Manager Doug MacLean on signing top draft pick Rick Nash "Everybody says he is hurt, he's not hurt. He just complains, been complaining since Sept. 1. He says he's sore and then he goes out and practices for 90 minutes. Believe me, he's not hurt, not injured. He just complains all the time, so get used to it." ~ Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock on goalie Roman Cechmanek "When I was growing up, hockey was it. If kids who have diabetes see me play, and say, 'Well, I can do that, too,' well, then it has done some good." ~ Boston's Nick Boynton, a diabetic, on playing in the NHL with the disease "It's his natural position. That's where he played in junior, and that's where I see him playing later in his career. He's so smart and you want him in a position where you make the best use of his talent. Playing him at center tonight addresses a short-term need, but we're also looking ahead at the long-term." ~ Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock on inserting Simon Gagne at center in place of the injured Keith Primeau in a Tuesday night win against Montreal "Now when we go to other cities, they won't have flyswatter promotions. People will know what the name means now." ~ Columbus goalie Marc Denis on the team's decision to take the "Stinger" mascot logo off the team's uniforms. "(Brent Johnson's) job is so important, but it's different from anything he's ever had. He's not in the position he was, but he doesn't lose the experience he had. He's had success, he's won in the playoffs, he was excellent in the playoffs. You only expect him to improve, but the situation is different. He's a young guy, he has all the skills and he's going to get better. He's not going to be in the (backup) position long." ~ St. Louis goalie Chris osgood on teammate and backup Brent Johnson. "That Horton kid was born in 1985. I already had two Stanley Cups and he wasn't even born yet." ~ New York Rangers captain Mark Messier on Panthers rookie forward Nathan Horton. "He's here for a reason. You think the kid's only 18 years old, but when you get out there and he starts stoning you, it doesn't matter how old he is." ~ Detroit's Darren McCarty on Penguins rookie goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. "The best advice I ever got was from Patrick Roy. He said, 'When things are going good, work harder to make sure they stay that way.' That's what I try to do now." ~ Avalanche winger Alex Tanguay on the advantages of working hard. "My mother always said, 'put on a toque or you'll catch a cold.' It was hard to feel good out there. My equipment was so cold. It was hard to move. I'm a side-to-side goalie, but it was hard to slide on that ice. I was just throwing myself around." ~ Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore, who struck a memorable pose with a toque (knitted hat) sitting atop his mask for the Heritage Classic. |
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