Eddie Olczyk Quotations

We knew they were a dangerous team, we knew they were in the slide they have been in. We were in a similar slide early in the season.

We really feel good about the way we're heading into training camp.

Certainly, standing and watching didn't help. Instead of being proactive, we were reactive.

I enjoyed it when I was doing it before I was coaching. And getting a chance to work with a major network, you're out there and people see you.

He helps their team out immensely. He's been a top player for a long time.

He has the skill and the speed, no question about it, and the shot to play at this level. He's one of those guys who has a tremendous opportunity to be on our team.

When he was that disgusted, to be as animated as he was, just shows to me there was no way it was a penalty.

He's always going to get his number called on the power play. And he's experienced enough to be able to bounce from line to line.

He's a tremendous hockey mind, and he's been around a long time. I'm sure he's brought a lot to that team.

He's going to do a great job. He's a knowledgeable guy, and I think he'll do a really good job.

He's been battling something the past few days. He will not play. We will see how he feels Thursday.

There are spots available, there are roles available. It's whether or not guys want to accept and execute those responsibilities and the opportunities that they're going to get in camp.

I thought he did a couple of really good things. If you were really watching, he made two or three really good plays that just didn't get finished.

I think the urgency and the desperation have gone up. We've gotten points in three straight games and we've had opportunities, now we need the consistency aspect. In order to win in this league, you've got to play 60 minutes, and I have the utmost confidence we'll do that.

I thought he played much better, that he is getting involved and has started to get more comfortable over the last couple of games.

Most guys want to get in a groove and play a whole game. That doesn't mean that if they stink the joint out, they won't get the hook after 20 minutes, but I just think the mind-set is important, that they know going in that the plan is that they're going to be there the whole game.

We've had many mature 18-year old players that have come into this league and handled a lot. Not many have come in with the hype and the buildup as he has and he's handled it very well.

We're really happy with the way that he's played. I don't think there's any doubt he'll be heading back to Pittsburgh with us. He's earned that right.

We'll give guys an opportunity. That may be the difference for them being here, or not.

The execution wasn't there. This is the last thing we saw coming. ... This is the toughest game of the season.

There are a lot of guys who we've signed but haven't had a chance to see up in Pittsburgh yet. They're going to get their opportunities.

To be quite honest, since he got hurt, he looks more confident. I don't want to say he looks fresher, but it seems those couple of days off did him good.

We want to give him the opportunity to become the best player he can, in all three zones. When a guy wants to play all the time and he wants the puck, it's important for us to give him those chances.

You have to know the time, you have to know the score, you have to know who's on the ice.

We tell them, stick on the ice, stick on puck, stick on stick.

We did all the little things and got timely goals, the power play chipped in and we got great penalty killing and excellent goaltending and good determination in the dressing room. We weren't going to settle for anything less than a win.

Both guys played really well. Erik fit in very nicely and did a lot of good things, just really gave us a jolt in the middle. And Ryan played a lot of power play, did a good job killing penalties.

The bottom line is, we've got to find a way to win a game. The lack of wins hasn't been from effort or work; maybe it's just a matter of working a little smarter.

They kind of fit him in for a checkup. He said he was feeling fine, and just wanted to make sure he's being looked after.

There will be guys in this camp who might play really well but might not get an opportunity. But yes, there is room. Guys come in and out, guys are hurt, there's opportunity. It just comes down to where we think guys fit in for us.

It's game we should have won. But the other night, the Kings led by four goals and lost. You're going to see games like this now.

Desperation is a good word, but just working smarter and doing the little things, especially in our own zone, will take care of everything else.

It's disappointing. I'm proud of the guys that we got a point. They really battled and we certainly had some opportunities for a win.

It's behind my first priority with (general manager Craig Patrick) and Mario (Lemieux), but I'm looking forward to it.

I'm extremely happy for the guys. They showed a lot of moxie and a lot of courage and I couldn't be more proud of them. There have been games we've been down before, and that's a credit to them (to come back). I couldn't be any happier for them.

I'm sure on the inside he had some nerves going, but they won't be as big as they will be eight days from now. That's all part of the process of becoming a pro.

I like the way he played. He has acceleration on-ice presence, he finds the holes, picks his spots and darts to them. He has speed and skill.

I just know he had a stomach virus or flu symptoms last week and sometimes those things stick with you. And when you try to work through them and play at the level that he expects to play at, sometimes you don't let yourself get back (to being) completely healthy.

By Sunday night, I'm hoping that we're going to have a pretty darn close look to what we're going to have on Wednesday. We're still trying some things, putting some guys in situations maybe they're not ready for, but the only way we're going to find out is to put them in there.

He played really well. He's done everything we've asked him.

These are guys who are difference makers. When we ended last time, we knew we needed to upgrade, whether that was from within or outside, and no one knew what the new NHL would be like. We knew we had to improve our team and we knew we had some deficiencies. ... We're real excited.

The guys played as gutsy a game as you can coming off a long trip and found a way to get it done the other night. It is disappointing to know we can play like that and then not have it tonight. ... It's going to be a long 48 hours before we play Monday night.

The lineup we'll have in there, I think the people will enjoy seeing. It will be an exciting night, I think, for everybody.