Hockey people have interesting and often amusing things to say about their favorite game. Many of the best have been collected by author Glenn Liebman in his book, "Hockey Shorts."
The following are my 10 favorites, uttered by famous and not-so-famous players, coaches and executives. A short prelude explains why I like them so much.
1. HARRY SINDEN: The former Boston Bruins coach and general manager enjoyed golf as much as hockey. Here's how he viewed a pair of key aspects of the respective sports: "Goaltending is to hockey like putting is to golf. It really has no relationship to the rest of the game."
2. RON GRESCHNER: The former New York Rangers defenseman spent much of his NHL career trying to clear the area around his goal of opposing players. Philadelphia Flyers forward Tim Kerr gave Greschner the hardest time. He said, "Trying to keep Kerr out of the crease is like trying to tackle a jaguar. Not the animal -- the car!"
3. WAYNE GRETZKY: "The Great One" was taken to see a statue of him being built in Edmonton. Upon viewing it, Gretzky blurted, "You're not supposed to still be alive, are you?"
4. GORDIE HOWE: "Mister Hockey" was idolized by a young Gretzky. Years later, Howe was asked about Gretzky's amazing scoring prowess. Howe replied, "There's only one way to stop Wayne, and that's to lock him in the dressing room."
5. HARRY NEALE: The former Vancouver Canucks coach was one of the funniest men in the game. After one of his players injured both of his knees on the same play, Neale was asked if he had ever seen anything like it. "No, I have not," Neale replied. "It's pretty good, too, because the NHL record is three."
6. LUC ROBITAILLE: Currently president of the Los Angeles Kings, the one-time NHL scoring ace never stopped marveling over Mario Lemieux's skills. Robitaille once said, "A fire hydrant could score 40 goals on Mario's line!"
7. GUMP WORSLEY: The last goalie to play without a mask in the NHL, Worsley was asked by a newsman why he refused to wear one. To that, Worsley asked, "Would it have been fair not to give the fans a chance to see my beautiful face?"
8. PAT HUGHES. The Edmonton Oilers checking forward once was questioned about what it was like to go two months without scoring a goal. He chuckled and said, "I'd get a penalty every so often so my mother would know I was still playing."
9. PAT BURNS: During a break in the playoffs when his New Jersey Devils were on their way to winning the Stanley Cup in 2003, coach Pat Burns visited a boat show and commented to a friend, "The longer we go in the playoffs, the bigger the boat!"
10. KEVIN LOWE: Lowe won the Stanley Cup six times with the Edmonton Oilers (five) and New York Rangers (one), and had this to say about championships: "People in the streets don't come up and ask how much money you make in the playoffs. They want to see your Stanley Cup ring."
