“Al did such a great job as captain last year. I need to focus and concentrate on helping this team win hockey games. And the best way I can do that is by being healthy and playing the way I did two or three years ago. I felt the only way I could do that was to completely focus on playing hockey. Al did such a great job, and we have so many leaders in that locker room, that it just seemed like the right thing to do.”
“He's been great at camp. He definitely has a great set of hands and he can sniff out the net, that's for sure. Hopefully he's going to be a player who can step in and show some scoring and pick up a role on this team.”
“The so-called splinter faction in the union that is going a different direction has been drummed up by a lot of media members and people hoping a deal gets done. I can unequivocally say everyone is on board and understands the issues better.”
“It's a huge win for us. It pulls us ahead of Los Angeles in our conference. It's great to head into the break winning five straight, but coming from behind in all of those games might be tempting fate a little bit.”
“You can look at a number of things with Al. Obviously the accolades -- the Conn Smythe, the Norris Trophy, the Stanley Cup, renowned as the hardest shot in the league. But the leadership in the room. The way he approached the game. The way he carried himself. That was the biggest thing.”
“I'm excited to be getting back on the ice and playing hockey. It's a new team, a fresh start. I look forward to having a lot of success here ... let's get camp started and get going.”
