John Tortorella Great Quotations

He's got to go down and play. The next time he gets a chance here, and it could be this year, you have to come in with the mind-set that you need to try to make a difference. I don't think he played badly, I just don't think it was a situation where he was trying to make a difference. He was just kind of feeling his way through it a little bit. And the minutes he was getting, it doesn't give him a great opportunity.

I won't have to say a word to him about that. We have felt, since he has been with the organization, this kid is going to be a captain someday. He handles himself at such a young age as a pro, and I feel that's the ultimate compliment to a player. He's got some great leadership qualities as far as how he carries himself - not his words - but just how he carries himself and that's very important.

I think this is a great opportunity for John Grahame, who has been spitting bullets at me since he got here to be a No. 1. But you know what, it's not going to be me making the decisions, it's going to be them making the decision for the team, and that's the most important thing.

The key to the game was, I thought our power play was very good early, and Theodore was better. He made some great saves. Later on, I thought our power play struggled and you know it's going to come back and bite you, sooner or later.

We had some great opportunities. In the first half of that game, I thought we had some good opportunities. I think that's the key of the game. Both teams had some opportunities, they scored on a couple, we didn't.

We just tried to get through it, and we found a way. It's unbelievable. It's a great feeling.

I think he is great for our game. He has some jam to his game to add to his talent and the dynamic player he is he's the total package. He can be a one-on-one player, but he can also make a play and make another player look good. With that talent and that type of jam, he has the full package.

Our team had a great season last year. But to be considered a great organization, you have to do it again and again. That's the difficult thing. To be considered a great organization, we still have some steps to go.

Remember Good is the Enemy of Great? This year, we need to say that Great is the Enemy of Excellent.