Lemaire likes Crosby; MacT bullish on Zetterberg

President and CEO of MLSE Richard Peddie addressed rumors this week concerning Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson and coach Paul Maurice.

Spanning the hockey world for the best quotes of the week has resulted in some beauties thus far this season and this week’s edition of Quoteworthy is no exception.

***

“There isn’t a Ferguson watch out there, there isn’t a Maurice watch out there. The owners are human and they are fans, too. We run the same gauntlet of emotions as the fans, but at the same time, we cannot react to fans ... there has to be a clear, balanced look at the team based on trends.”

-- Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment President Richard Peddie on Toronto’s burgeoning rumor mill about the status of Leafs GM John Ferguson and coach Paul Maurice.

***

“It’s definitely been a mixture. There were positive points and negatives and I would say it’s been an October that in a lot of ways will be good to get rid of.”

-- Vancouver Canucks GM David Nonis is clearly looking ahead to November.

***

“A lot of young American players look to him as their role model. Watching him as a North Star and then coming to Dallas and winning a Stanley Cup, he’s definitely a guy the American players look up to.”

-- Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen on Mike Modano.

***

“If I was watching that game on television, I would have turned it off. We weren’t skating, we weren’t physical, we weren’t doing anything right. Two shots in the first period, that was embarrassing.”

-- Canadiens forward Chris Higgins after a loss to the Thrashers onTuesday.

***

“Just work hard in practice, try and stay on top of your game, take care of the little things that only goalies know keep them sharp, and try to do your best in games. Is it going to work every night? No, but when it’s over, I leave it and move on to the next game. It’s supposed to be fun, that’s the way I approach it, especially now.”

-- Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood’s philosophy of goaltending.

***

”If it’s a different situation, maybe I don’t take a six-year deal. But we have a promising, up-and-coming group, and I really wanted to be a part of that. I look around and half the guys in this room are under 25.”

-- The Kings’ Dustin Brown on deciding to re-sign with Los Angeles.

***

“This is not an excuse, but you do miss a Jamie Langenbrunner up front, a Colin White on the back end. Other guys put too much pressure on themselves to fill that void instead of just going out to be good players. Do I think we have the horses? Yeah, I do. I really think we can score enough goals. Right now, it’s making sure we stay responsible defensively, and the details of your game have to be very good.”

Well Said I "I'd love to have one on our club … if they make any more. He's the perfect kid you want on your team. He's an example. He's young and he's got, it seems, the experience to be a leader on his team because of his work ethic. I can't compare him to any of the players I've seen in the past." -- Wild coach Jacques Lemaire after seeing Sidney Crosby notch a goal and three assists in a Penguins win against Minnesota.

-- New Jersey Devils coach Brent Sutter on adjusting to life without Jamie Langenbrunner (sports hernia) and Colin White (eye injury).

***

“It would be nice. It definitely would be nice. Then again, if I’m going to be in the League, I might as well go for one record, I guess.”

-- Calgary Flames defenseman David Hale, who has yet to score a goal in 162 career games.

***

“Nigel’s got good quickness and he’s got a great stick. He knows where the net is and the puck is certainly following him around. When you’ve got a guy that is confident and desperate to stay here, that often times adds up to a pretty good night. We’ve got a pretty good player there, quite honestly. It’ll be interesting, as we become more healthy, to see what we end up doing.”

-- New York Rangers coach Tom Renney on the play of rookie Nigel Dawes.

***

“Everyone has to pick their game up even more now. He’s a key part of our team. It’s going to be a whole team effort. That’s the game of hockey. You lose a guy and everybody’s got to rally. It’s a good opportunity for me because I’m going to get more minutes and, hopefully, provide what the team needs.”

-- Bruins Glen Metropolit on the injury to Patrice Bergeron.

***

“I just look at myself, and I feel I have to contribute more than I have in the 10 games. I’m trying to work hard at it each and every day at practice, on the ice, off the ice, watching video. For us to win, I think I’ve got to play better. I think it was a little bit better the last two games, but it’s still not at the level I see myself playing at.”

Well Said II "He’s a genius the way he uses the ice. Every time he moves the puck he’s moving it to a teammate with more space. That’s what the great players do, they make other players better. He opens things up and he’s a handful." -- Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish on Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg.

-- Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek

***

“Of course, if you know you’re going to be a free agent, it’s one option. But I wanted to stay here. It’s a good team, my family likes it here. I was positive it was going to happen.”

-- Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff on re-signing with the Flames.

***

“It’s a huge, huge step for our team. If he was unrestricted, I think it’s pretty safe to say he would’ve got a fair share more. It’s great to see that he wanted to stay here and be part of the group. You look over the last few years, I don’t think there’s a goalie that’s been better consistently.”

-- Flames’ captain Jarome Iginla on Kiprusoff’s decision.

***

“I knew coming off a year where we were a little bit disappointed, I knew we’d be rested. I knew we’d have that same group we had two years ago, and I think moments like this are rare in a long career. Those are the things that drove me to come back, and the hard work is finally paying off. All that time I put in, I put five, six months in of five days a week, trying to get my body [ready] to come back and play. And so for me to have a start like I’m having, it feels good. It feels like, ‘Hey, if you work hard, good things will happen.’ “

-- Carolina defenseman Bret Hedican

Material from personal interviews, wire services, newspaper, and league and team sources was used in this report.

Mailbag

Ice Age  |  Mailbag  |  Quoteworthy