Hockey Quotations | Page 13

It's unfortunate (the lockout) got as ugly as it did. I think our fans, hockey fans, are true blue fans. They love the game and they love the fact that the hockey players are probably the best athletes out there, in terms of being personal, and they're going to come back in droves.

You think American professional hockey players, paid in the millions, will risk being put in handcuffs to come play in Turin? Come on. Let's be realistic.

The NHL on OLN is a marquee property, ... We wanted someone who knew the game backwards and forwards, and Mike stood out as the man for the job. His experience and his passion for the game are going to be key as we present this new-generation hockey season on OLN.

Confidence covers a whole bunch of different areas. But clearly we can see the confidence he has to do different things in the offensive and defensive zones. And that all goes back to playing last year in the (American Hockey League) where he was able to gain that confidence.

It's pretty hard to see me continuing to play hockey and he can't do what he loves anymore,

It's pretty nice. It's kind of the old style. Hockey has a lot of tradition so I think it's good to have kind of the old-school look.

It's really fun to be back out playing again. It's been a long layoff for everybody. Old or young, I think it's real exciting for everybody to get back and get back in that routine of being a hockey player.

It's tough when you get to 90 points and don't get a playoff spot. We played some good hockey this year.

It's unbelievable. I remember going to the Gulls games when they were in the (International Hockey League). Also, I'll see my family. I haven't played hockey in San Diego in like 10 years. I can't wait.

It's understandable that it's still a topic. Women's hockey is going to be in the spotlight internationally, and I'm looking forward to seeing those former Gophers out there representing the United States.

It's playoff hockey for us. We can't take any night off, it's such a tight race.

It's playoff hockey right now. This is it. If you don't lay everything on the line, you don't have a postseason. This team has already proven a lot of people wrong since most people didn't think we would be in the position we're right now. We believed in one another and believed in the system.

It's playoffs now; that doesn't really matter. We had to concentrate on getting a Hockey East championship.

It's really too bad because for Canada at these Olympics, it was very successful. We're all very disappointed as a men's hockey team we didn't win the gold.

It's great for Swiss hockey that we won. We have to be careful because it's one game.

It's great for women's hockey to see that it's not just U.S. and Canada across the board.

It's great getting that first win of these playoffs. Especially so since Canon-McMillan isn't really known yet as a hockey power.

It's been our nemesis all year. I really can't put a finger on it. It's not for lack of effort. It may just be some lack of hockey sense on our part; not being in the right places at the right times.

It's been a life-long dream for me. But I wouldn't rule hockey out.

I wanted to keep playing in Denver for a long time, ... There's no better place to play hockey than in Colorado, where our fans have been so supportive. We always have a chance to win every night. I'm looking forward to the upcoming season and this new NHL era.

I want Steve to play this year. I still think he's got some great hockey in him.

The Kings would like to thank Andy Murray for his loyalty and dedication to our franchise over the last seven years. Ultimately, I have not been happy with the direction our hockey team has been going, and without making a change now, I didn't see that direction changing.

The core is pretty much intact from the world championship team. We think we have players of equal or greater ability. We still have a lot of experience. Their hockey knowledge is solid because of their backgrounds.

The fans spoke, ... They told us what they wanted and we tried to deliver while minding the hockey traditionalists as well.

Their defensemen are dangerous and get involved in the offense. There's skill in the forward lines and Tyler Sims is one of the top goalies in Hockey East. They're playing really well.

The integrity of the game is obviously very important. And betting on hockey is obviously something we don't want. Until you know all the facts, you don't know how it's going to affect the game or put a black mark on it.

Their body language would have to be different. You still have guys asking questions in a 6-2 hockey game. They?re being men. I have to practice the same thing that I?m preaching, too. There has to be accountability for our actions -- myself and our entire club.

The fans are starting to see that we have a good chance to finish in first place and they got a taste of playoff hockey today.

The field hockey staff is thrilled about our teams continued success in the classroom. To win the Patriot League and still achieve excellence in the classroom is something we are very proud of. This team continues to excel as talented student-athletes each year.

The kids had heard it from their peers and the hockey community that this was going to be a down year. We had to sell it to them that we are capable.

The kids just played well. I still think, we've talked all year about this, our best hockey is ahead of us.

That's all we've talked about. For six weeks we've been talking about how we can only control what we do, and we've got to win hockey games.

That's a lot of skill, a lot of speed and a lot of hockey smarts all on one line. They mesh pretty well together and they're the type of line that should be dangerous every night.

That's anything in New York. It's the capital of the world. That's the way it is. It will always be that way. But, at the same time, as much as people might not want to say it, the Devils have been good for hockey too.

That's as down as I've seen a hockey club. We've been riding them so hard in the last month and a half that they were drained. I think that's understandable because every game was like a playoff game for us.

That's a great hockey team. Beating that team in a playoff series is obviously a great accomplishment for our hockey club and we know it's a surprise to almost everybody outside this dressing room. We knew we matched up well against Detroit and we were able to do what was necessary to get through some tough patches and prevail in the end.

It's been crazy. I never knew that after going away for six years with the goal of playing professional hockey somewhere that I'd end up 20 minutes away from the place I played when I was growing up.

It?s been frustrating since Day One. There?s things that need to be addressed in a huge way. It?s been frustrating on a personal level and a hockey level. I know a lot of other people feel the same way.

It's been great. It's been a while since we had a chance to do this stuff. The last time was at the start of the year in Montreal. A couple days away, putting our minds on the side and not thinking about hockey a little bit may be enough to help us rest mentally and it's something we needed right now.

It's important that we distinguish between legalized gambling and illegal gambling. I want to emphasize that we don't condone any form of illegal gambling. But when it comes to legalized gambling, the question is where do you draw the line? You are talking about limiting the rights of a hockey player to participate in a legal activity.

It's impossible for me to go back and put on that hockey sweater again.

It's human nature to sit a little bit on a lead, but the game was very evenly played throughout. They had chances, we had chances and it was just a good hockey game and they pulled it out in a shootout.

It's better than it was. I couldn't walk the first day, and now I'm out here skating. As far as when I'll be back, I don't know. Anyone who's had an ankle sprain knows it's pretty painful, especially for a hockey player.

It's very important to continue the winning ways so it starts to become a habit. It's a great habit to have learning how to win hockey games at all times of the year.

It's very important we keep our edge about ourselves as we fight through this. There's a lot of hockey to be played. We can't look at the standings. We need to work each and every day and just try to find a way to get points.

It's what you want from a good league and good balanced competition. It should be a whale of a hockey game.

It's where you want to be. And I don't think we've played our best hockey yet.

It's why we all play the game. When you play street hockey as a kid and are playing out games in your head, you are not scoring to make it 7-1. You want to score to make it 4-3 or score the game-winner.

It was good to contribute. It was really big for our hockey team, we've been on the short end of the stick the last couple of games but this will be a boost for our team.

It will allow hockey fans to see a whole new game and get closer to hockey than ever before. This is so cool. We're really looking forward to it.

It will be horrible for us. Our business ebbs and flows with the events at the arena. Whenever there are hockey games or concerts at the arena, that's our peak business.

I guess I wouldn't have believed it. But it's been a pleasure being part of the rebuilding process, being a piece of the puzzle as we built a championship team. It was nice being part of that and being able to win three Stanley Cups and sort of put hockey on the map in New Jersey.

I had been going to school at St. Michael's for six years since Grade 7 and playing for the Buzzers (of the Provincial Jr. A league) was a good mix that I wanted to keep going. Balancing hockey and school, I did not know anything different.

I had been going to school at St. Michael's for six years since Grade 7 and schooling and playing for the Buzzers (of the Provincial Jr. A league) was a good mix that I wanted to keep going. Balancing hockey and school at a place like St. Mike's, I did not know anything different.

I guess we're kind of teetering on that line right now. Obviously, we haven't played close to our best hockey in the last three or four games. And if we want to do some damage in the playoffs, we're going to have to fix that soon. Real soon.

I like to not have to put that much on one player. Henrik has been our outstanding goalie this year. Kevin (Weekes) has been terrific, but Henrik seems to bring out the best in our hockey club.

I know a lot of people in Manitoba since I played there two years. It's going to be good. It's weird to say, but it will get me away from hockey too. I can rest, even if we're playing.

I know I can take my kid out to a hockey game whenever I want. I got three (tickets) for $45. You can't get one in Detroit for $45.

I know nobody on that team has more points in the National Hockey League than me. So if they want to go that way, good luck.

It helps a lot when he has a smile on his face and good mood. It's great to see he's doing well as a human being, even if hockey isn't there for him. It's really a feather in his cap, his ability to kind of move on and realize that maybe hockey wasn't the thing he was meant to do in life.

Climate change is the biggest threat to hockey since the NHL labor talks.

Clearly, our league and our game have undergone tremendous change. The 2005-06 season is still young, but everyone from casual fans to expert commentators like many of you here today concurs that NHL hockey has been reinvigorated,

I just know we're ecstatic about the opportunity to come down with probably a younger group of guys than we had in Toronto and a great goaltender in Luongo. We feel we can make an impact and make the Florida Panthers a better hockey team.

It helps when you win the game. If you give a team a chance to win a hockey game, that's a good feeling. Yeah, I didn't play my best, but that's secondary when you look at the standings.

It has to be the '80 Olympic hockey team.

If there is an advantage to be gained by this, it's that we think we can beat this team. We feel like we can come in here and win, that's an important feeling to have as a hockey club. You've got to be really feeling strongly about yourself and your ability to beat anybody any night.

I just hope they beat each other up. I hope it goes three games and we have a weary hockey team to play.

I just love the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants aspects of doing play-by-play for OHL hockey, ... There's still some hockey fans out there who haven't given the OHL a try, and if they check out our broadcasts, they'll find out the OHL is a very exciting league that showcases the NHL stars of tomorrow. They will hear all about tomorrow's top draft picks before they make it big.

I think our fans were anxious to have hockey back, and they're going to be in a good mood. It's a long, cold winter in Boston without hockey and the Bruins. I know for us, as players, it's real good to be back and to be doing what we love to do. Hopefully, we can make it up to our fans by having a great season and giving them what they want (a Stanley Cup).

His focus and concentration have always been so strong that no matter what is going on around him, he doesn't alter his course. I've always thought that great players always play at the same level, no matter what the situation is. That's what made Matt Carle such an outstanding college hockey player.

His hockey IQ is very high and a lot of the guys really respect that. He knows what to say and he's not afraid to stand up for what's right. If he thinks that somebody is doing something wrong, he's not afraid to say, 'Hey, get to work.' He is easily our most vocal player on the ice.

His impact on Yale, Yale Hockey, and me personally has been profound. I enthusiastically embrace the challenge of building upon his legacy while taking the Yale Hockey program to the next level.

His confidence with the puck is night and day. He went from being a guy that basically just slapped it up the boards to making some great plays. So much so that we've put him on the power play. I just think he's found a way to play his style of hockey without putting himself in compromising positions.

His excitement is the biggest thing we thrive on. He wants to be out there all the time and he wants the puck. He wants to win hockey games ? which has been tough this year ? but without him I don't know how many games we would have won.

I know him, and he's a big part of our hockey club and it's going to be a big challenge.

I'll usually sit down with my two boys to watch hockey and, unfortunately, it was kind of an empty spot in our plans to do stuff together. I'm really excited that the season is back and I'm glad they made some of the changes they did.

In the NHL these days, you don't get surprised by too much. When we went and got Cory Stillman , you could kind of see it coming that something might not work out. We still had hopes that they would get both of them signed -- that would've been really good. That's the business of hockey right now, and other teams go through the same thing every year.

In the second period, it was pretty good for us. We probably played as well as we can as a hockey team and didn't get rewarded quite as much as we thought.

I heard about it. You just have to see who recruits you. It feels really good. This is a historic school and hockey program.

I just gave that opportunity to Steve. That doesn't mean (Samuelsson) isn't going to. ... He is a heck of a hockey player. I talked to him about it. I wanted to get Steve going and to give him an opportunity.

In the Midland game, we were a ticked off hockey club, coming off of a bad loss.

In the mini-game format everyone understands what their up against. I told the guys to get a lot of rest tonight because you're going to be playing a lot of hockey tomorrow if we play our cards right.

In the opening parade the athletes carried all their equipment. So you have people dragging their teammates in a bobsled and people carrying their skis and their hockey sticks.

In the next five weeks, we have a lot of games at home and many of them are against teams in our division. If we want to jump into this race and get that last spot, we have to cash in at home and win hockey games.

I haven't played a league game in a long, long time but it felt better than I thought it would, ... You just want to win the hockey game when you're coming back.

In the third, we were a lot more determined hockey club.

If you want to win the hockey games you have to make sure you score on the power play and make sure they don't score on the power play. We knew special teams were gonna be huge.

But I did think we would score more than we are now. We've gotten chances to score, and we haven't buried them. And you don't get as many scoring chances in this type of tournament as you get in the National Hockey League.

But he had all of those experiences last year. And granted they were at the American Hockey League level, but those were still experiences at that level which was the highest level that there was. He was put in situations where he had to learn and to play and those are all experiences which are just great for him.

Cam Neely was the hockey player the other hockey players wanted to be. He was blessed with a rare blend of talent, strength and determination and inspired other players to play as he did - hard and unrelenting.

His achievements further cement the Hull family legacy of hockey greatness.

He's settling in great. Tonight was a huge win for him. He kept us in the hockey game.

His ability to face adversity earned him respect. His dedication to hockey ... earned him the enduring appreciation and thanks of everyone associated with the game.

Baseball doesn't seem very important on a day like this...When you live in the United States and you think it's the greatest country in the world, you feel somewhat protected and immune. You read about [terrorism] happening in other parts of the world. A day like this makes you rethink. A lot of us really have a false sense of what the world is really like.

He still has the passion and the desire to play, and he's going to help this hockey team.

Hockey is the only thing that I'm not good at that I love.

You do not play hockey for good seasons. You play to win the Stanley Cup. It has to be the objective.

Play every game as if it's your last one

But to get on real solid economic footing, it has to embrace the everyday sports fan. And if the only time the everyday fan gets exposed to hockey is with a scandal, that doesn't help.

Honestly this is an important experiment for us. We're going to find out here in these next exciting years whether this can be a hockey town. Frankly, I was very heartened by what's transpired in Tampa, the way that city has embraced hockey.