Ken Hitchcock Quotations

I guess I need to apologize. I know better than that. I kind of lost discipline the way our team did in the game.

When I look at Simon, I see the same player I've seen for two years. But now he plays with a center man who is a playmaker. I see a guy who gets to the puck who never got to it when he was here previously. He gets a lot of goals off the rush, which he never used to get before.

Oh, yeah. These kids are 20 years old and it's a lot to put on their plate right off the bat. This is a whole other level, and it took them a couple games to get into it. But Carter and Richards really played well (in Game 3).

Now people are starting to see what we look like as a team. Hopefully we can stay healthy. We've been chasing it all year.

No. You had one team playing reckless and one team trying to get away with playing careful. We didn't get away with it. We had to dig in.

Peter felt real good today. He felt 100 percent, actually, and we pushed him pretty hard.

Peter is all business. At this time of year, the emotion is all in the players. It's all in your locker room. It doesn't come from the coach. The intensity and the emotion all come from the players.

Peter's a special player, ... He's the complete package. He's a competitive player with a high level of skill.

Peter's a special player. He's the complete package. He's a competitive player with a high level of skill.

Right now, I need to worry about us, not the Rangers. We need to do some regrouping now.

Right now it's about getting points. We are trying to get this thing back on track and we have a lot of work to do. We know that and players know that. We are starting to build it back again and it's a good feeling.

I don't know whether it's the fear of getting embarrassed or whatever but we've got a lot of competitive guys and we really love to play in these type of games.

Let's see how he looks when he comes back over here. This is a different game over here. Angles are different and there's a tremendous amount of activity around the goal here; a lot more than there is in the Olympics. The shot totals are a lot higher here and the quality of shots is a lot higher in the NHL. Let's see how he plays when he comes back here and let's see how his energy is.

When things are going really well, you're thinking that it's not necessary (to have a captain). But when things aren't going as well, you need to have firm direction in the locker room. ... If you have a captain with experience, why not take advantage of it?

I have lots on my plate right now getting our players to change their technique,

Guys going out all the time, we needed to suck it up.

I can just tell you on record that whatever happens, we need and want Wayne there. He is our leader. He got us through some tough times in '02 and we expect him to get us through some tough times in '06.

I found him to be a good friend and a great competitor, and one of the most loyal guys I worked with and for. He has wonderful people skills and he allowed everyone to flourish in his respective role ... he put his ego aside to allow that. I respect Pat Quinn the coach and Pat Quinn the man much more.

From a confidence standpoint, this helps us. We know we can come in and play well in this building.

I am excited and curious to see how we respond. In games 5, 6 and 7, you get a defining message on what you are going to be down the road, whether it's the next series or whatever.

I don't think it's an issue now. They've played each other since so I don't believe it will be a problem.

Goats is a very emotional player and he plays on that edge. Sometimes the edge tilts. But when you get those players they really become factors as the series wears on. There are things that go into people's minds when you play against that type of player.

Goats is a very emotional player who plays on the edge, and sometimes that edge tilts.

For whatever reason, this team just seems to wade into things. We waded into this series. We almost got away with one in Game 1. We didn't get away with it in Game 2. We're locked in now.

For whatever reason we waded into the series. We almost got away with one in Game 1, but we're locked in now. Hopefully, we can make it really interesting, but emotionally we're locked in.

For us right now, getting home-ice advantage in the playoffs is absolutely critical. We want to get as high up the ladder as we can because of how competitive it is right now. Every home game we get as an advantage is important.

I don't think we need a division title game to motivate us right now. I think what we need is better play for 60 minutes.

If it's working, then we'll stay with it. If not, we'll move (combinations around) and, quite frankly, in the first five games we do want to see other combinations either during games or during practices.

I have a better idea of what to do with Hatcher (this) morning.

But the game is still played on the ice. Having been in the same shoes as Tampa once before (winning a Cup in Dallas in 1999), you don't want to disrespect somebody who has won a championship. And they earned it and deserved it. They're the ones with the knowledge right now. We're all searching for that.

But that pass and that goal at the end of the third period... the goal was great, the pass was unbelievable.

We've got to take care of business inside our division. For us right now, getting home ice advantage in the playoffs is critical. We want to get as high up the ladder as we can.

When he's healthy, the way this game is played now, it's built for him. He's quick. He's smart. He's hard to get a handle on physically. He's a huge asset. It's not just him as a player, but he makes people around him better. He's a good teammate.

He's a competitor -- that's why he got the start. He'll rebound nicely.

We are fighting through a lot of adversity. We lost a couple more guys and guys are digging in.

We thought with maintenance we could keep him healthy through the season. Then he got banged hard into the boards and we looked at the recovery time. The specialist in Nashville recommended immediate surgery.

We made mistakes that it doesn't matter who we played. We made really poor decisions. We made poor reads.

He was our best player. He was the big reason we got two points. He was outstanding.

He was outstanding. He gave us a chance to win and it was good stuff.

He wasn't ready. He was sweeping the ice away. What are you going to do? This is the new NHL.

We maybe had three inside shots in the third period. We had kind of wild turnaround shots. We didn't have any presence with shots at the net. We were one shot at the net and gone.

He was absolutely dominant, ... He controlled the tempo and played a wonderful hockey game. A lot of guys did.

He was happier on that side and as a result, he was exceptional in practice (Wednesday). He likes the left a lot more because he thinks it helps his confidence and speed.

He was really good. He was outstanding and gave us a chance to win.

He was really good. He was outstanding and gave us a chance to win and it was good stuff. We had a really good start to the game and then we were killing penalties in the first period and that?s when we really needed him. ..In the end, we needed him again. It?s good for him to make him feel part of the group again.

We made some great strides last year, but there's another level out there. I think it's a group effort to get to the next level. We don't need one thing from one player, we just need a little bit more from every player. We are capable of taking the next step as a group, but it's just a little bit more from every player.

We made some really poor decisions and we gave up three or four odd man rushes. Even though we only gave up 15 shots, we played really poor defensively.

We look at that as a compliment, first of all,

He, (Wayne) Gretzky and Gordie (Howe), for me, personally, are the guys. Special player, special person, special talent.

He has an honest appraisal of himself. He's hard on himself and he's demanding of himself. That's what makes special players. You talk to anybody who is a special player in the league... They put more pressure on themselves than anybody else does.

He has a sore groin. I saw him talking to the trainers so I pulled him out.

He has everyone in the National Hockey League surprised. We didn't expect him to be this physical or this dominating so early in the season,

He has to play a certain way to be effective. He's a very emotional player and plays on that edge. Sometimes that edge tilts, but that's no different than a lot of other players. They play on that ledge all the time. But Gauthier has been really dependable. He's able to play against the other team's best players and it has an impact in the game.

He was all right. He?s got a good record. He?s our designated Devils goalie.

He's a young player in his first series. He got welcomed in a big way. He'll be back.

His name, rank and serial number. As long as he tells me that, he's good to go.

He's earned a right to be a prime time player for us. (Sim) has just come out and earned his spot.

He scored so many big goals for me in Dallas, ... It was frightening how many big goals he scored. The '98 and '99 seasons, he had comeback goals, clinching goals, important goals. That was it. Not the goals he scored, but the importance of the goals he scored.

He scored so many big goals for me in Dallas. It was frightening how many big goals he scored. The '98 and '99 seasons, he had comeback goals, clinching goals, important goals. That was it. Not the goals he scored, but the importance of the goals he scored.

He's kind of an unsung hero on the hockey club. He just does his job and competes every night. You know what you're going to get when he comes to the rink.

He's a really smart player who kind of grows on you. He's always in the right place at the right time and he's solid everywhere.

He's a significant player of our team. We need him in the lineup.

He's good for shock therapy. We don't necessarily listen for his ideas, but for his passion.

I find the entertainment value of the playoffs is out the door. It's all about competition. This, to me, brings it back to grassroots where it's one team playing another team and it doesn't matter who's covering the game or who's watching.

Whatever he decides, we'll support him. But he's already said he's not going to play until he's 100 percent -- either here or there. Who knows? This might be a two-week injury and he might need a full two weeks to get healthy. I'm not sure if their country is holding a spot for him, but he's not playing until he's 100 percent.

Whatever Peter decides, he'll have our support. He's not going to play if he's not 100 percent.

He needs to have a big year. It's his third year pro and that's usually when players start stepping ahead. He showed flashes in the (Calder Cup) playoffs and now all we're looking for is consistency.

He'll help immensely. Eric gives stability back there. It allows the young guys to go back where they are more comfortable and we're not asking too much of them.

We took really poor penalties. We made defending mistakes. When you don't kill them off, it's deflating. And when you don't score on your opportunities, it's even more deflating.

My opinion is that this (game) is a good wake-up call. We weren't prepared to pay the price (tonight).

Look, it's my responsibility to get the team ready, OK? This is on me. We were embarrassed for our fans and for the city of Philadelphia with the way we played. We've got to make amends when we go back home and get this series back even. We've got a lot of work to do.

Look, it's not pretty. It's about getting points right now. We talked about fighting to the end and we fought to the end and got two points.

Players get hurt and we don't how long they're going to be out for. We're going to get a real hard look at these guys right away.

Our overall defensive play and goaltending have been excellent through six games. What I like is that we have different people every night who are chipping in. They've kept us competitive.

Patrick is a natural center, not a wing, and we have too many centers. That's all this is about. We had too many centers.

I will always remember Brett for that goal. He showed his colors. He went on the ice when I told him not to go, and I couldn't get him off. No one is ever going to talk to me about Brett Hull's character. I have seen his character.

I will always remember Brett for that goal. I will remember him for being a guy who was almost like a stealth player. You never knew where Brett was on the ice, and then all of a sudden, he stepped into a shot and scored.

I thought we were a little lethargic during the first two periods with all the travel we've done. Our timing was better and our checking a lot better in the third period. We did a better job of getting ourselves into a scoring position later in the game.

I think everyone is hoping physical play will be allowed. Our team is built that way. You cannot play in an emotional setting without getting physical. Over 82 (regular-season) nights, there are times it's hard to get physical. But when your focus is on playing the same team every second night, it's hard not to get physical.

Management misses an opportunity to build a team greatly.

Management has given us a real fighting chance here to have a real good team. And it's our job now, coaches and players together, to try and put this thing together.

I thought he was joking. I thought he's just screwing with me because he knew I was taking a break for a week.

I think that it's given a lot of people, including myself, time to pause and reflect,

I think the biggest difference for us was that we got the lead. We weren't chasing the game. We had the lead the whole game. It allowed us to play our game a little bit better. I think that was the biggest difference.

I think the concern is you don't want to waste a great performance by a goalie. We got that type of performance. But we didn't execute offensively for him.

I think there's a tremendous feeling of team in the locker room. Nobody wants to be the person that lets the other person down right now. If you stay with that feeling, you can take a long run.

Robert has gone through the natural growth of a good goalie,

Our whole game was solid today. This is now the fourth game in a row where we had almost the same lineup. We haven?t been able to do that for four months. Now we are starting to have lines stay together for more than one game and some continuity is coming onto out hockey club.

Our whole season has to be about quality and not quantity. We?re going to have games like (Wednesday) and we?re going to have to get used to it. But it snowballed for us. We started taking too many penalties. We were all over the map.

Our role players came through. You had one team (Washington) playing reckless and the other trying to get away with playing careful.

Our team feels really good about itself right now. For any other team to lose their best player in pre-game warm-up, that's emotionally draining and these guys really responded.

Over all, this was the best game they've played in the series. They were very tenacious and they caused us to make soft plays with the puck at inopportune times.

I think he was beat up. He goes from being a 15 or 16-minute player playing as a forward to a 25-minute player playing as a defenseman with all the hooking and holding and the physical play of the playoffs, he was simply beat up.

Keith, when he feels good, is just going to come to the games, he's just going to observe the team's play, take notes and hopefully give us some insight, kind of like a player-coach who isn't playing.

I think that's a fair thing to say. I don't like it, though. I'd like to see other people step up. We're not a one-stick pony. People must step up when Peter is not on his 'A' game.

I think the proving ground is when we play this way, we have success. It's a hard way to play. It's difficult and very demanding. The decision you have to make as a team is do you want to play this way and win or do you want to find an easier way to play and take your chances? They like playing and winning.

I think we play better when we're desperate. The big question mark now is, can we answer the bell again a second time? We've played some games like that in our building and then we haven't come back with near the emotion or intensity. We have to play with the same sense of desperation or increase it for more minutes if we expect to win.

I think we were overwhelmed the first 10 minutes. That's my responsibility. We were embarrassed, embarrassed by the way we performed and embarrassed by the way we finished the hockey game.

I think you're seeing in our team the realization of how difficult this challenge is, how hard it is, is starting to grasp everybody. I think you'll see our team starting (today against the Czechs) to dig in at a whole new level.

I thought as the game wore on we were out-competed. This was like a playoff game. For a game where you're going to checked this hard, I thought we had too many people below the bar today. Way too many people.