Mark Recchi Quotations

One of the things we haven't done very well this year is learning from our mistakes. Everybody makes them, but you have to learn from them. That's what we did in our last two games, learned from what we'd been doing wrong and it paid off.

None of us would have any idea about something like this, no, absolutely not.

None of us would have any idea about something like this, no, absolutely not. I was just as surprised as everybody else was and, you know, I think it was shock throughout the whole league, really.

Obviously, it helps you feel little bit better because you want to help the team and do the things you're capable of doing. But obviously you want to get more wins. Right now my focus is on trying to do the right things.

If we keep playing the way we are defensively, and competing, eventually it will turn our way. It has to.

I don't have answers anymore. I've never been on a team like this. I really don't understand.

I don't get sick talking about him because he is such a great kid. The respect he has for older players and the game is impressive.

We're competing a little harder. And the guys who aren't competing aren't going to play.

Sid was the best player on the ice.

I enjoy it here, my family's here, but I really don't know what's going to happen. If they came to me and said they really needed to make this deal, it would be something I would have to think about.

He was so excited, I thought he was going to give me a kiss out there.

He's young. We all were like that. You're not the type of goalie he is unless you are that competitive and have that drive to be the best. It's a learning process to where you get over that and you worry about it after the game but the next day it's a new day. It's not always easy. But with his work ethic and the way he does things I don't worry. Obviously his mental approach is something he's going to get stronger and stronger at.

He's a very intelligent hockey player, No. 1, that's his biggest thing. He made people better around him. He had a terrific competitive edge to him that kept him playing for a long time.

He's been a real good player for us and he really started to find his groove the last five or six games.

He's been doing that forever. He's their superstar.

He's going to be all right. He's pretty smooth out there. It's fun to watch him. His first couple of steps are incredible.

He's going to do some things that, obviously, some people can't do.

He's a sponge right now. He's just trying to take everything in, and that's unbelievable for a young guy that's had all the accolades he's had up to this point. It'd be pretty easy for him to go the other way, but he's not. He's such a great kid.

Staal is one of the premier young players in this league. It's fun working with him.

Pittsburgh has been down for the past couple years, but we'd like to get back in it. Philly has been tremendous and we want to get to that level. It's exciting for the fans when you see each other more times per year. We hope to build more rivalries.

It hasn't been easy what he's had to do. The team's losing more and he's trying to keep the team in Pittsburgh. It's got to wear on you after a while.

It doesn't seem to have hurt him, has it? It's pretty amazing, what he's done. He's obviously a terrific, terrific player.

I think the people here are pretty realistic. They want to see effort. And I think they enjoy this team.

I think it's going to be great for the game. It's really going to be a fun thing.

I thought we were turning the corner. We had a good stretch of games, and we've taken a little step backwards now. We have to find a way to get back again.

We know it's a wonderful chance for us.

We have to learn from this, not just get excited. We have to learn from this and start something where we at least feel good about ourselves going into the (Olympic) break.

We have to play better. We're at home. We should have a lot more energy. There was no enthusiasm, there was no excitement to play.

(Yesterday) was really the first day I saw him frustrated in practice. We'll see how it goes the next couple games and if need be, the older guys, that's part of our responsibility to see that he stays focused on the right things.

We played hard (Saturday). Eventually, we're going to find ways to win. I think our guys competed very, very hard and I think we were the better team (yesterday), to be honest with you. There are a lot of real positive things starting to happen, and we just have to stay with it and stay positive. If we compete like this, we'll eventually turn this thing around.

We didn't quit and that's important. We are looking for a lot of positives right now. We've got to stay focused and positive and those were definitely positive signs.

We had an opportunity to win the hockey game in the third period and allowed two goals right in the slot. Good road teams don't let that happen. We have to get better at a lot of things right now and we will, but that's one thing we have to get stronger at.

We played a pretty decent game and to lose like that at the end is tough. But we got a point. Look at the positives and make sure we stay focused on the right things and move forward from this.

We don't play good hockey until we get behind for whatever reason. If we'd played like that early in games, we wouldn't get into trouble.

We have to get better at it. That's one are where we really, really have to get better. Not enough desperation. Once we get that we'll make it a lot easier on ourselves.

We're starting to figure it out. We've got a lot of new faces. We've got balance between young and old. And everybody's trying to push in the right direction to find the right way to play.

We're finding ways to lose instead of win. (Monday), we didn't have enough guys competing. When you play a team like this, you need everybody. We were much better the other night at home. We have to find ways to start winning these.

(Crosby's arrival) will really revitalize hockey in Pittsburgh, back to when I was fortunate enough to win back in '91. It's pretty awesome. We've got our season tickets going crazy ... it's been pretty exciting around here.

Dumb. I honestly don't know if I could reach him, if I even wanted to punch him.

It would have been 12-0, if not for him. The kid is incredible. He's scary good.

You can tell he competes very hard and wants to be successful. Like Sid. I think that's why these kids are that good. They really want to do well. They really want to compete. And they really want to be difference-makers.

When you get goaltending like that, you have to take advantage of it.

It was very exciting for us. I get one more crack at it. That's what we play for. I just wanted a chance to get back there and raise it one more time.

You hate to say it, but the kid really reminds you of Mario at that age. He's big, can skate, can shoot and looks like he has something of an edge.

We all care about one thing and that's trying to win. I was in the same situation in Philly and there are always enough pucks, guys are playing their roles.

Ray is a very smart player. Obviously he's got great talent, and we're hoping he's able to come back and make a difference.

I'm just looking forward to getting into a little routine here in Carolina. I really haven't had a chance to do that.

I just want to make sure that, if our line was out there against him, we were in his face all the time.

I'm not going in there to be the savior. I want to be a piece of a great hockey club. If I can be a little piece that can get it over the top, that's what I'm looking for.

It's tough to see that happen. He's done so much for the game of hockey, so much for the city of Pittsburgh, keeping the Penguins here, doing everything he can possible to keep them here.

I want to be a piece of the puzzle on a winning club.

That seems to be the way it's going for us. Five-on-five, we're fine. Special units we aren't. It was the difference (Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers) and it was the difference (Thursday). We have to play with a lot more urgency on both units.

It's inexcusable. The effort part is something that can be controlled, and it's not there right now. It's really, really, extremely frustrating for everybody.

It's very similar. There are a lot of guys that can move the puck and a lot of high scorers that are very fast and it's definitely a lot like that.

I haven't heard anything (about when he might return). I really don't know. He's been at games, and last week, he practiced. I know he's been working out. I think he's coming on our next trip with us.

He's everything we expected. It's great that he could come in and do a good job like this in his first month under all this pressure.

Hopefully, it's a starting point. That's what we have to look for right now. We're getting better.

He's very composed at what he does. He's very focused and he knows what he has to do. He knows how to prepare for games. He's very good at it, he doesn't get sidetracked, he knows what he has to do to deal with the media and gets it done, then focuses on what he has to do. He's tremendous at it for 18 years old.

I really like what we're doing. We're just not putting the puck in the net right now.

It was just one of those nights early on. It's just hard. We kept battling and that's the one great thing about our team right now. We definitely don't quit. But we have to find ways to be better and not get ourselves in such big holes here.

They brought in some good people that are more interested in the winning aspect of the game. Obviously, everybody wants to play, but they're going to do whatever it takes.

It's great we didn't quit, but it sure would be nice to put ourselves in a different position. It's obviously a nice sign when the guys aren't quitting and still trying to do the right things. But obviously we have to be a little more prepared for the starts of games. It's too hard to dig yourselves into holes like this and try to come back every night like this.

You could tell the first five minutes. For whatever reason, we couldn't get going.

It's been really quiet. It's been quiet throughout the whole league. I would have thought more would be done by now, but it's definitely been quiet.

It might be a fear. You don't want to get embarrassed, especially at home. It's just something where the first one went in and we seemed to get a little life.

It's nice to get that out of the way. You want to make a good impression on your teammates and play well. And this was an important win for us.

It's like 'Groundhog Day' half the time. We can take away that we showed a great deal of pride in the third and played hard and battled, but we did the same things that have been getting us in trouble all year to get us down four goals. We haven't been very good at learning from our mistakes, from our losses and even from our wins, and that's something we have work on.

It's something where we really have to learn from this and learn the feeling of what it took to win this game. We have so many young guys that this is a learning curve. Every game's a learning process and we haven't been very good at learning. Hopefully we can take this and get better here.

You don't want to let these guys down in the dressing room. You want to show them you're worth whatever they gave up and help this team do whatever it takes to get to that next level.

They played better than us. Toronto was much better than us. ... We weren't as desperate as them.

We have to continue to play like that. Five on five we were still a better team. We just have to make sure we stay positive and stay focused and work on the things that are actually costing us games right now.

We have a lot of great young kids here and there will be a need for some veterans, some guys who have been through it and if I can help teach some of them some of what I've learned, that would be tremendous.

It's going to be a breath of fresh air for me. I just can't wait to get there, lace them up and get in the lineup with these guys.

It's been a new experience. I can't stand the music in the dressing room any more, so I know I'm getting old.

It's been a great 20 years. We all should be so fortunate we had the opportunity to be around him.

They're going to have to grow that identity with some younger players and some of the veteran guys that they brought in to fill that void. You know, the one thing obviously in Jersey is Marty is there. That's a huge reason why they've been successful for so long, as well.

He's got a lot going on in his life right now. And he obviously feels that this is the time.

I don't think they had 10 even-strength, 5-on-5 quality chances.

He had better get married soon, because he's getting uglier every day!

What scares me is how easily it happened.