Quote Roundup: Locker Cleanout Day
By
Pens writing staff @PensInsideScoop / Penguins Team Reporter
On what he will miss the most:
Fleury: "I don't know. It's been such a long time, a great ride. I've met a lot of good people. It feels like home, for me. Everything."
On Fleury:
Crosby: "It will be tough (saying goodbye). It's something that I don't even like having to talk about it. Playing with someone that long, going through what we did, it's pretty special. We've got some great memories and we'll see what happens with things here in the future."
Cullen: "It's pretty clear what he means to this town. He rode in the truck behind me in the parade yesterday and listening to the fans, everything that they said to him and the support they gave him, it's pretty clear what he means to this community. I know what he means to this team and I haven't played with many better teammates than him. I just remember when he stepped in in Game 1 of the playoffs, the way that he played and what he did for us and the way he stepped up. I know what he's gone through these last couple seasons, sitting next to him in the room. And you know, he comes to the rink with a smile on his face every day and does his best to support his teammates and it's never about him. He's a pretty unique person and a pretty unique teammate. Whatever happens for him, whoever gets him, is going to be very lucky."
Hagelin: "He's probably the best teammate you can have. He's always positive and just a great guy in general. I don't think you'll find a better personality in sports when it comes to being a good friend and a supportive, positive teammate."
Dumoulin: "It's sad. He's the type of guy I want in my life at all times. If I could follow that guy around all day, I'd be happy. He's such a fun guy to be around and I love that guy so much and he's such a great player he's going to be good no matter where he is."
Murray: "We had a unique relationship for sure, but a great one I think. He was a really big mentor for me and that moment on the ice after we won where he handed me the Cup, that's a moment I'm never going to forget. It's one that meant a lot to me, so that just says a lot about who 'Flower' is and anybody who gets to play with 'Flower' - much less a goalie partner with 'Flower' - is really lucky to have him around. He's just so selfless, I think. He puts the needs of the team and his teammates above his own and treats everybody with respect no matter who you are. He's just one of the best, most genuine human beings you'll ever meet."
On Cullen:
Hagelin: "He's an incredible guy. Cully, since Day 1, you could just see he's a guy who loves the game and he loves being around his teammates. He was always extremely nice to me and we're going to have a long friendship. Whatever decision he makes, its up to him. He's definitely good enough to play another 3-4 years. You could probably ask any guy in here or any GM in this league and they probably want him. Obviously, it's a decision he's going to have to make. Obviously he has three kids who love the game as well, and it was fun to see them get to be a part of it all year."
On being teammates with Cullen and Fleury:
Rust: "Playing with those guys has been unbelievable. 'Cully' has been an unbelievable asset for us young guys, just his presence, his demeanor, the way he just handles himself, the way he's kind of joking around but knows how to be serious, he knows what to say and when to say it. I don't what you could say about 'Flower' that isn't great. He's awesome. He's one of the best teammates you could ask for. He's always having a great time, he's always welcoming guys, he's always playing little pranks, but I think that helps build chemistry and having a guy like that on your team is special and makes everyone a little bit closer."
On Daley:
Dumoulin: "I remember the first day Dales got here and I picked him up and we were riding in the car and it seemed like it wasn't that awkward even though he was the new guy, he was just talking with me and we were just talking to each other and it was fun. I sat next to the guy for a year and a half and I loved just coming in the locker room and being able to talk to him, whether it be about hockey, we talked about hockey a lot, but we also talked about life and stuff. He's been through it all and he's an older guy and I mean, I love that guy to death. That's definitely a guy I'll keep in touch with for life."
On the parade:
Maatta: "It was a phenomenal time. Just seeing how many people and the support group we have, the fans, it's unbelievable. I think when you see how many of them show up, and just how excited they are about it, you see how big of a thing it is. It kind of makes you humble."
Dumoulin: "It was fun. It was exciting. You definitely learn from the parade before. This one was a lot of fun. You could see the excitement in the crowd, in the people and it carried through us. It was fun to go every block and to see waves of people. It gives you such emotion and you just want it to be the best time of your life."
Kessel: "It was a great time. The fans came out and supported us. It was unbelievable. How many people were out there? It was bigger than last year. It was a neat experience."
On the chance to three-peat:
Crosby: "It's a great challenge. It's great to be able to have that opportunity to try and do that. I don't see why we wouldn't try to do that and aim for that, but we'll see what happens. We've got a good chunk of guys that we know are going to be back, and who have gone through this, and some who have won back-to-back, so I think that will certainly help if we're going to try to do it."
Hagelin: "Nothing tops this. Nothing is better than winning the Stanley Cup. Once you do, you just want to keep doing it. We obviously have a great team to do it, but right now we're just happy what we did this year. We're going to think about this win for a while before focusing on next season."
Dumoulin: "Everyone here is as hungry as ever and we feel celebrations and after going through it twice now we want to do it again. It is the best time in the world. it is what everyone wants and obviously we want it again."
On what this week has been like:
Guentzel: "It's been crazy. It's hard to put into words. I mean, what it means to win the Cup, it's something you work for your whole life. Obviously hopefully next year do it again. This is awesome (laughs)."
On how much he's looking forward to the offseason:
Crosby: "It will be good. It was a long stretch of hockey there. Just physically and mentally, those are big games to be a part of, and I think getting some rest will be good. I feel really good. A lot of guys were playing through so much. It's incredible what guys were playing through and we were able to get through all of that and still find a way to win. I wasn't playing through anything close to what a lot of guys were, so I feel really good. I'm lucky that way. We'll try to use that time to recover and get ready."
On if he's reflected on his whirlwind journey since arriving here:
Schultz: "Not really (laughs). I've just kind of been enjoying it lately and I'm sure now it's going to start to wind down and I'll be able to, but I'm so happy for this group of guys. And to be a part of it, it's unbelievable."
On having the most Cups of any active player:
Kunitz: "I feel very fortunate, but the first thing that comes to my mind is being able to play on some really good teams with some great players. And then basically the luck of being part of that many teams that have gone to the playoffs that have won that much, I feel extremely fortunate to be able to win - but also to make all those friends and be part of other people's careers throughout your own career."
On knowing this won't be the same group next year:
Cole: "We've all become so close and have accomplished so much together, it's going to be tough to see guys go. Unfortunately that is the business side of things. We know that. But I think looking back, you can look back at pretty fond memories of what we have accomplished and knowing we'll be seeing each other for the Cup reunions, so that will be a plus."
On why the free agents fit in so well:
Cole: "I think it's a mix of everything. The coaches here are obviously fantastic, the team here is obviously very good. That certainly all helps. But I think a lot of it is just good players who were in not ideal situations. You look at Justin Schultz, who was getting booed on his home rink, and comes here and was very much the power-play quarterback that held our team together when Kris Letang went down. So enough can't be said about how good of a job our scouting staff and general managers have done at finding guys who are in maybe not as ideal situations, and getting them for pretty cheap and then having these decisions pay off."
On the blue line:
Dumoulin: "We had to go through a lot, whether it was in the regular season or playoffs. I think that made us strong. You saw, it seemed like after every game we were rallying together. It seemed like if we went through a game without an injury, we considered that a good game whether it was a win or a loss. It got to the point where all you could do was laugh at it and it kind of kept the room loose, it made everyone involved and everyone had to be ready at all times."
On the younger guys who were together in the AHL and came up as a group last year:
Rust: "It creates a special bond between all of us young guys. We kind of went through all of it together, from being ATOs in Wilkes Barre and playing there to getting our first call-ups to kind of just trying to establish ourselves here. Through the ups and downs I think we've all kind of been there for each other and I think that makes things a little bit better and it's a bond we're never going to forget."
On if he and the other young guys from last season can appreciate how tough it is to win the Cup:
Sheary: "Yeah, it doesn't seem too hard right now. I think a couple of the older guys were saying how it's not supposed to be this easy. I think we went through a lot this year and we had a lot of challenges to overcome. We can draw from that experience too. It's not always about learning from losing, I think we can draw from a lot of the experiences we had and hopefully we can keep it going."
On what it means to people back home in Sweden to see him and Hornqvist score in the Stanley Cup clincher:
Hagelin: "There was a lot of talk about that from my friends back home and Horny's friends as well. It was pretty sweet. I remember 'Cully' was telling me at the morning skate there - it was just me, Cullen and Horny on the ice with Flower and (Cullen) got off the ice and some of the media people asked him 'Do you think the team is ready for tonight? How was the morning skate?' He was like, 'I'll tell you this, the Swedes are ready.' And we ended up scoring two goals. He mentioned it to me that night, and it was pretty cool, especially to see Horny score that game-winning goal against his former team that shipped him away. I'm extremely happy for him."
On his youngest son Joey:
Cullen: "Man, that kid. It's funny, I always tell my teammates that with that one, you're going to see him on the news someday. I don't know what for, but you're going to see him someday (laughs). He's a little fireball, so he stirs the pot at our house. There's no stopping him."
