As we coast into the All-Star break, let's hit the rewind button and check out what coaches and players have had to say about their teams. We've tried to pass along, from local and wire reports, a worthy mix of comments that are not only recent, but also that reflect each team's state of the skate, so to speak.
In our first of three comments from outside the team, Blue Jackets captain Lyle Odelein summed it up too nicely after a November game against the Red Wings got away from them: "They turn bad into worse in a hurry."
Center Jeremy Roenick, on his 1,000th point (kudos to Mark Recchi for nearly corkscrewing himself into the ice in an effort to retrieve the puck), which was scored Wednesday night in a 3-1 loss: "It's a treat. I'm very fortunate to be here a long time and playing with such great players. It woulda been nicer if we had won, but I feel very proud of it, no question. There are some great hockey players who have done it."
Captain Tony Amonte, Jan. 25, after ending St. Louis' 10-game winning streak: "It's a different club, a different feel. I've been waiting four years to be in a position like this."
Head coach Robbie Ftorek, in the mother of overtime understatements, following Wednesday's OT win over Montreal: "It was a big win for us. We haven't won too many overtime games. This is a good way to head into the All-Star break. I love this scenario."
Winger Pavol Demitra, Wednesday night, after scoring two goals and helping end the Blues' three-game losing streak: "This game was huge. We were struggling for a couple of games, but tonight we played well for 60 minutes. Now we have three or four days off and all we think about is the win."
Captain Joe Sakic, after Colorado lost its final game before the break, 5-1, to Nashville: "It's disappointing the way we finished the last couple of games. We worked hard, we played real well and then we came home and played two sloppy games."
Winger Shayne Corson, Jan. 30, the night after their first back-to-back wins since Jan. 3 and 5: "I think the break is going to be nice because we have a lot of guys who are sore right now. We should be able to get the momentum back pretty easily. I don't think it will be hard to continue from this."
Winger Daniel Alfredsson, Jan. 29, assessing his own chances at winning the scoring title: "I'm going to do all I can. It's not my main focus, but still it's nice to be up there. You need to put a hot streak together. I'm averaging a point a game. If you go back the last few years, a point per game puts you in 40th place, almost. I think it's tougher to score these days. I think every player is going through the cold streaks, where teams are shutting you down ... [The race] is definitely wide open."
Center Vincent Damphousse, after a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Penguins: "Our team has been scoring a lot and it's been diversified all season. We don't have a player who's in the top 30, but goals have been coming in from all over the place. The [five-game road] trip has been difficult, so to finish with a win before going into the break was certainly what we were looking for. We need it because Dallas is closing in on us ... it's a big two points."
Head coach Andy Murray, not long after closing out January with the franchise's first 11-win month: "We've just kept working and tried to stay consistent from day one. We were one win away from the best December ever, too, so that's two pretty good months of hockey. But with the teams around us, there's no comfort zone."
Captain Markus Naslund, Jan. 28, the first day he spent atop the NHL scoring race, thereby becoming the first Canucks player to do so this late into the season: "Sure, it's nice to see my name up there. I might keep the paper. It's fun. It's special. I'm enjoying hockey. It's fun again. But more important than [the scoring race], we have a game to play tomorrow."
Center Mike Comrie after Wednesday night's 2-2 tie with inter-province rival Edmonton: "That was a really good point. If we keep playing like that, we're going to start winning some games. That's the way we have to play. The last three games, that's the best we've played in a long time."
Winger Mark Parrish, on Alexei Yashin's first hat trick with the Islanders, in their last game before the break: "We've been on again and off again and haven't been able to be consistent. It's nice to have that confidence going into the All-Star break. Not just for Yash and I, but for the rest of the guys, too."
Head coach Paul Maurice when asked what he'd think of someone who told him that, after one win in eight games heading into the All-Star break, his team would be running away with the division lead: "You'd be accused of being a fairly heavy drinker at that point. Maybe a blood test would be in order."
Former Stars winger Donald Audette, who had played two months this season under Ken Hitchcock, on Jan. 25: "I'm not surprised he was fired. There were about 20 players who weren't happy in Dallas. His message wasn't getting through."
Winger Sandy McCarthy, after the old-time hockey, 6-3 loss in Wednesday night's brawl-marred loss with to the Isles: "I know don't how we could play like that. We knew how important the game was, but we didn't show up at the start. It wasn't just one or two guys, it was everybody. I don't know why."
Center Yanic Perreault, Jan. 25, on the Hart Trophy candidacy of Jose Theodore: "He's been great. Goaltending has been one of our strengths this year. We knew that in training camp. [Theodore] is playing great and that's one of the reasons we're in a battle for a playoff spot ... Is he a candidate for the MVP? That's for the reporters to talk about."
Alexei Kovalev, who played under Kevin Constantine in Pittsburgh, on his former coach's zest for breaking down gametapes, Jan. 28: "Sometimes, it's too much. Sometimes, it drives guys crazy. He's trying to give as much information as possible, but we play so many games and to watch video over and over again, it's kind of tough."
Goalie Sean Burke, Wednesday night, after making his second start (he stopped 41 of 42 shots against Florida) since returning from a groin strain: "I was hoping to get back to the way I was before [the injury]. I felt I owed the team that."
Mario Lemieux, Jan. 23, after the team's third consecutive win following his point-fest of a return: "Obviously, I'm getting better, game after game. But I'm not quite where I want to be, physically. Hopefully, that's going to come in the next couple of weeks ... It's a good feeling in the room now. Everybody is relaxed, having fun. That's the way the game is supposed to be."
Head coach Greg Gilbert, Jan. 28, after the Flames' 4-3 OT win in Minnesota, when asked if Marc Savard, who drew a penalty late in that game, had slipped out of the doghouse: "Yeah, but dogs have four paws. One down, he has three more to go." On Wednesday night Savard scored a hat trick against the Red Wings.
The team's leading scorer, Miroslav Satan, Jan 28, on Lindy Ruff trying to find consistent scoring, especially on the road, with inconsistent line combinations: "Sometimes we [the top line also includes Stu Barnes and J.P. Dumont] get hot and we seem to be getting points in every game and helping the team offensively, and sometimes we have stretches when we can't figure out what it is, but we don't have so many chances or we're not producing as much. So maybe in those times it's better when we split up for a game or two, and then get back again."
Head coach Ron Wilson, from the it's-this-simple department, Jan. 24, when asked where the Caps have to improve: "The defense has to clear the front of the net. The team has to clear the puck out of our zone. We have to play smarter, not get caught deep, know how to forecheck, not get trapped up the ice, not look up in the third period and say, 'We've got the lead; the game is over.' No excuses ... In professional sports, playing defense is a test of your character. Anybody can play defense; not everybody can play offense. That's all we ask: batten down the hatches when people are missing and get the job done defensively. You don't deserve to play if you can't do that."
Defenseman Cale Hulse, prior to Wednesday night's win, No. 21 of the season (after 54 games last season, the Predators had 20): "We like how we're playing at home and we're not happy about how we're playing on the road. I think we're pretty close to last year's pace. It'll be nice to get into this break, then have only four games and we're on Olympic break. You just want to kind of refresh your mind and body, because March is pretty similar to the way this past month has been." Last year, Nashville finished with a franchise-record 34 wins.
Center Wes Walz, Jan. 8, on what coach Jacques Lemaire has meant to the Wild: "I've learned more in the year and a half I've been with Jacques than I have my whole career. Nobody sat down with me in the back room and showed me this is what we have to do. He's taught me things that no other coach has taken the time to do. Jacques takes pride in trying to make players better and ultimately making the club better. That's his job, and he takes pride in it."
Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, a few days before heading to the shooting gallery that is the NHL All-Star Game: "I don't think you can worry about it too much if you get scored on in that type of game because it's more for the forwards to showcase themselves. It's more of a game for the fans and I'm sure they would much rather see a 15-14 game instead of a 2-1 final."
Leading scorer Paul Kariya, after the Ducks lost 4-2 to the Kings on Jan. 21: "I can't score. I've never gone through anything like this. I've never felt any worse personally. Nothing even close. I've tried to stay positive through it, but it's tough when you feel you're not doing your job. It's one thing if I wasn't getting any chances. But I'm missing empty nets. It's ridiculous."
Head coach Mike Keenan, Jan. 30, in reference to an effort to further sell his players on the notion of making the playoffs, by asking the officials before Wednesday night's game to call it as if it were a playoff game): "Any team that's in the position we're in has to have the respect of the officials going into a game. Often times, the perception is 'Well, they're not involved in the playoffs, we can relax a little bit.' We want them to be quite the opposite in their approach and I thought they did a superb job tonight."
Head coach Curt Frasher, after Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Maple Leafs (in which Ilya Kovalchuk shed his gloves to fight Karel Pilar, who had earlier knocked the Calder favorite's linemate, Pascal Rheamue, out of the game): "The last two or three outings we have brought some bad habits back into our game. I should have reminded them the All-Star break starts tomorrow, not today."
Head coach Dave King, Jan. 11, after Jamie Pushor and Kevin Dineen were scratched for a 5-1 loss in Chicago: "You don't want to scratch veteran players, but we're going to try to rotate our lineup. What we've tried right now hasn't been so successful, so you've got to juggle a little bit. That means you might see a lot of line combinations. You might see a guy who has played a lot of games take a game off to give somebody else a chance to play. [Radim] Bicanek needs to play because we have to evaluate him. We've got to further evaluate Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre. To do that, somebody has got to come out."
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