Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I really wanted to write a book [99: Stories of the Game] on the tradition and history of the league, where kids can pick it up and read it and learn things and say, "Geez, I didn't know that. That's pretty cool."
I didn't know that I'd like it this much, coaching both boys and coming out all the time and seeing how excited they are to play hockey. It reminds you of when you were that age and you wanted to be out on the ice.
You're always going to face a little bit of criticism from time to time. But I was so blessed in Ottawa for so many years. The fans were great to me there. I was blessed to have some good friends and family nearby.
These are tough games to play. We shared the puck and we wanted everyone to get a chance to score. Tough games to play in. We want close games. That is why we train so hard. We want to show our fans some even games.
I used everything as a positive to make me a better person and a better player. I have no regrets. Everytime I had to play a big game, I played a big game. I used some of the skepticism as a positive and motivation.
I'm very interested one day in becoming a GM. I have a lot to learn and need to put some work in. But down the road at some point, under the right circumstances, it's definitely something I'm interested in pursuing.
When I'm practicing, I think I'm pretty focused, and I spend a lot of energy on making sure I get better, but once I'm outside the rink, I think, like anyone else, I like to enjoy everything that everyone else does.
We all bring some different elements at the Games. Everything is a stepping stone for us after playing these two games. These Games are preparing us to play a 60-minutes game and preparing us for the gold-medal game.
And as you really dig deep and start talking to families about their goals, dreams and bucket list trips, you really get to know someone, which allows us to mentor them... and they start feeling comfortable with you.
The key for hipsters is that they usually try really hard, but the important thing is they want to come across like they don't try. To make it look effortless. I don't mind. It really fits New York, the hipster look.
I'll keep reducing my trading size as long as I'm losing My money management techniques are extremely conservative. I never risk anything approaching the total amount of money in my account, let alone my total funds.
I knew at a young age, whether I was playing baseball or hockey or lacrosse, that my teammates were counting on me, whether it be to strike the last batter out in a baseball game or score a big goal in a hockey game.
I am a family man. I do not want to be considered a womanizer or a ladies' man. I do not want to be attributed to romances that I never had. And example for me is my parents, who have created a strong family for life.
I always knew where I was going eventually, so it helped me to stay at home for three years. It helped me to develop my game. But it also helped me off the ice. Life here is way different, and I was able to get older.
I just have a lot of respect for Terry and his family. He played without a mask, and his life was tragically ended. And it just means a lot to me to be up there with him and the other greats that have played that long.
Courageous people are not afraid to fail. So often in life and in sports, we're afraid to fail. Instead, we should attack things with excitement and enthusiasm and think about the positives as opposed to the negatives.
I've decided to retire from the NHL. I kept praying for peace about the next step in my life. A peace that said this is God's will for your future. A peace that said whether or not this was the right time to walk away.
I swear I have never told a player to attack another player. In fact, I have told my players if they ever hear me saying something like this, they can break a stick over my skull. I ask only that they play aggressively.
I would compare that to when I first started with the Montreal Canadiens; it was a big family then, where the guys really stuck together and worked like a unit. But when I came back in '88, it was not like that anymore.
Everybody I talked to - from my friends to my family and some of the players - really gave me a lot of support from the start. And that certainly made me feel good about trying to come back and be one of the best again.
When I broke into professional hockey at 17 I was told that I was too small and too slow and I wouldn't make the NHL. Now it's kind of flip-flopped and the sense is I can't be a good coach because I was a great athlete.
Leaf fans loyalty is unshakeable. The fans keep coming back and it hurts, I have been there. I have lost in game six to go to the finals with the Maple Leafs, against Carolina and what a great final that would have been.
It's a great feeling, its something that I've dreamt about since I was little, and it's finally come true. It couldn't be better. Well I think that we stuck to the game plan. We got shots on net, and just used our power.
I saw this girl, she looks so sweet, I wonder why, I'm so scared to meet. I think about her everyday, I wake, I sleep and hope and pray, For that one day She will come to me And I will say, You are the one I wish to stay
Since the season ended, I've let things settle down, and I have to talk to the coaching staff and management. I really don't want to turn this into a big drama. So I plan on making a definite decision relatively quickly.
Don't forget, I'm 39. I didn't come here just for the money to impress myself. I'm not saying I am going to be dominating. I'm not saying I'm going to be good. But I can promise you I will do all the right things to play.
I tried to talk my daughter out of going with a hockey player but, he's a good kid. He asked me if he could marry Carrie before he asked her. I said: You want to what? I thought he was just going to ask for more ice time.
When you're trading well, you have a better mental attitude. When you're trading poorly, you start wishing and hoping. Instead of getting into trades you think will work, you end up getting into trades you hope will work.
It goes way, way back when we were under Sweden's rule. We always think they are better than us. We played against them so often for so many years. Every country has one opponent they want to beat and for us, it's Sweden.
As long as I could remember, since I was 5 years old, I watched the Stanley Cup. I stayed up, made a point of watching it presented, watched the celebration in the locker room, and always dreamed that maybe I'd get there.
I get up, I have breakfast, go work out, go to my eye appointment, come home, relax for a couple hours, and then go get my kids from school and start carpooling them around to their different activities and things they do.
I think as women on the national team, you start your hockey career and you also are starting to plan what you're going to do when it's over, because we don't make the millions of dollars and you have to have a life after.
Sometimes that happens. I know how it feels to lose eight or nine to nothing. It can be frustrating but it was good for us. This was a team that was hot the last nine games. It seemed like any puck we touched went our way.
I have played in the West for 14 years. I played against Dustin Byfuglien a lot. So it's not like I've been out East for my whole career and never played against the guy. That may have been blown out of proportion, I think.
The best things in life aren't easy. My career kind of sums that up. From the start of it to the end of it, there were a lot of twists and turns, a lot of different adversities. Having overcome those, it makes you stronger.
The biggest challenge was the cost to play the sport, and this is a challenge that my parents faced. They relied on the community and friends and family for support, and I learned to play hockey using second hand equipment.
Whether youre trying to learn in hockey or trying to learn in life, Ive always tried to be observant and tried to learn more, tried to evolve, whether its as a hockey player or as a person. With each year, I try to do that.
I was anxious to get started, There was so much anticipation. I wanted to get in the routine of playing games. It was just nice to be on a team, not competing against these guys in camp [but] trying to work together to win.
Canadian players have started to put more of an importance on the World Championships in the sense that as soon as they lose, they are called, they want to go play and they don't go only on the basis of if they are injured.
I think if you want to be a successful president or a manager of a team, you need to understand what the business is all about because you have to deal with the business side of the game to be able to do what you need to do.
I played everything. I played lacrosse, baseball, hockey, soccer, track and field. I was a big believer that you played hockey in the winter and when the season was over you hung up your skates and you played something else.
A lot of guys are missing teeth and don't get them fixed until they're done. I think that's pretty much the hockey trademark... guys figure, well, we're going to lose our teeth anyway, so we'll get them fixed when we're done.
I think that from the time you start playing sports as a child you see that your responsibility to your team is to play the best that you can play as an individual... and yet, not take anything away from being part of a team.
Whether you're trying to learn in hockey or trying to learn in life, I've always tried to be observant and tried to learn more, tried to evolve, whether it's as a hockey player or as a person. With each year, I try to do that.
I grew up in a city just outside of Edmonton, St. Albert. So I watched NHL games with my grandpa. I watched a lot of games, back then it was called the Smythe Division, and it was just Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
I want to reach that peak. I don't know when I'm going to reach it. I don't know how good it's going to be. But if I feel like I've done it all-that I've reached what I can reach at the end, there's no way I can't be satisfied.
I have to say I have the most experience. I'm a veteran when it comes to that, [my brothers] they're still learning. They have lots of potential. They're like first-round picks right now in the game, they still have to develop.
I try to pride myself on being involved with the fans and taking pictures when they're asked for because I know I was that little kid one day that really looked up to stars like myself, and I try to give them that on my behalf.
When I saw that goal, the first thing I said was, 'You won't see a goal like that ever again.' It's one thing to have second effort but, on top of that, the athleticism he showed. It's just an example of the talent that he has.
I've got a lot of great memories. The journey was great. It just probably makes you more hungry the second time. I'm a lot older and I think I appreciate it more being older now and how hard it is to get to the Final and win it.