Ken Hitchcock Quotations

We're in a tough state right now. We have some real adversity. Every mistake is in our net. We can't score on the chances we get. We can't kill penalties.

We started off fast and we kept it up.

We're not going to put him in unless he's 100 percent. If he's 100 percent after today, we'll probably let him go at it. But if he's not, then we will wait until Saturday.

We're not going to put him in unless he's 100 percent.

We're starting to gain an identity and confidence. We're starting to build. You can hear it in the banter on the bench.

We're starting to gain an identity and a lot of confidence. The game (Sunday) against Ottawa has really moved our game up a notch... You can hear things on the bench, the bantering between players, which is excellent. You can hear the locker room has a lot more life. Our team is starting to gel.

We're starting to gain an identity and a lot of confidence, ... The game (Sunday) against Ottawa has really moved our game up a notch... You can hear things on the bench, the bantering between players, which is excellent. You can hear the locker room has a lot more life. Our team is starting to gel.

We're so far removed from the end of the season. There are still 20 games to go. We're all focused on our own group.

We?re going to take Randy right through to the end of the day here and see how he looks. He had a really good first game, which was most impressive. I like what he does. He?s very smart and the way the game?s being played right now you need people who are smart offensively and defensively. He?s done a great job.

What a great play off the boards, ... He went one-on-two and beat everybody off the boards.

We?re going to have to make some adjustments. We honestly don?t know how this is going to work for us until we play some exhibition games.

We feel confident in his ability. He has the speed to get up on the attack.

We're not a one-trick pony. We've shown it all year that we're not a one-trick pony.

We knew what was at stake here. We need to win these games if we are going to improve.

We knew they were going to play games for us, but to switch locker rooms before we even played a game, we never even thought about that stuff. We had our 23 guys and we thought that was it, then bang, bang things change dramatically.

We know how important Game 3 is and know we're down 2-0. It was a frustrating loss for everybody. And we acted emotionally, me included.

We have to get some continuity in our lineup. We've got to get away from the juggling act we've had going on here all year.

Whenever there's something in the stomach, you get nervous but I've been assured it's nothing. I'm still going to be nervous until Peter is back on the ice playing pain-free.

When your top goal scorer goes out, everybody sees it.

We want him to want the puck, to skate with the puck and find people open with the puck. Hopefully, he can do it. He's shown flashes where he takes off and goes, and sometimes he backs off and becomes conservative.

We want first badly. As hard as we've worked, we've earned that right. At one time, before we were decimated by injuries, we were first overall in points. Today and Friday are points we must have.

We were banging around it so hard in the second that I felt, even though we were down 4-1, that if we made it 4-2 early (in the third), which we did, if we kept going we could still tie up the hockey game and maybe win it. We had a lot of good chances, but we didn't finish and then they scored the fifth goal.

We were a team going very well for an extended period of time. In the last 10 days we have not played near as well as we are capable of.

This was as dead as we've been in a month. I don't remember us playing this poorly. We had no work ethic. Their workers controlled the hockey game. Our goaltender was outstanding, but when you go on the road and allow almost 50 shots on goal, it's not good.

We want the division crown. Our focus is still on catching the Rangers. Our record against those (teams) above us is a lot better than those below us. We have no success against Tampa or Buffalo and limited success against Montreal, if any. We want home-ice advantage. Our fear is not who we play.

We deserved to be tied or ahead after the second period.

We deserved at least a point. Maybe two.

There are players who have been though this. And the comment was: 'You can expect this every night.' . . . Hatcher had a big role in that. He was speaking seconds after we got into the locker room . . . (reminding players to) get ready for the next one.

We're a team of 23 guys, and the only thing that's going to be a constant is the centre-ice position. The rest is going to move and move quickly. I don't think you can cast in stone, even from day to day the line combinations.

We did our job at home, we have to win in their building. We have to find a way to win a game in their building.

We have players who played for the Phantoms last year who do a lot of things really well that are going to help us,

We're halfway through the trip and still have a lot of games left, and then we come home with no rest before we get Colorado. We're like a lot of teams. We have a tough month of January ahead of us because of the Olympics.

When I look at Simon, I see the same player I've seen for two years. But now he plays with a center man who is a playmaker. I see a guy who gets to the puck who never got to it when he was here previously. He gets a lot of goals off the rush, which he never used to get before.

When things are going really well, you're thinking that it's not necessary (to have a captain). But when things aren't going as well, you need to have firm direction in the locker room. ... If you have a captain with experience, why not take advantage of it?

Let's see how he looks when he comes back over here. This is a different game over here. Angles are different and there's a tremendous amount of activity around the goal here; a lot more than there is in the Olympics. The shot totals are a lot higher here and the quality of shots is a lot higher in the NHL. Let's see how he plays when he comes back here and let's see how his energy is.

Oh, yeah. These kids are 20 years old and it's a lot to put on their plate right off the bat. This is a whole other level, and it took them a couple games to get into it. But Carter and Richards really played well (in Game 3).

No. You had one team playing reckless and one team trying to get away with playing careful. We didn't get away with it. We had to dig in.

Now people are starting to see what we look like as a team. Hopefully we can stay healthy. We've been chasing it all year.

Right now it's about getting points. We are trying to get this thing back on track and we have a lot of work to do. We know that and players know that. We are starting to build it back again and it's a good feeling.

Right now, I need to worry about us, not the Rangers. We need to do some regrouping now.

Peter's a special player. He's the complete package. He's a competitive player with a high level of skill.

Peter's a special player, ... He's the complete package. He's a competitive player with a high level of skill.

Peter is all business. At this time of year, the emotion is all in the players. It's all in your locker room. It doesn't come from the coach. The intensity and the emotion all come from the players.

Peter felt real good today. He felt 100 percent, actually, and we pushed him pretty hard.

I guess I need to apologize. I know better than that. I kind of lost discipline the way our team did in the game.

I don't know whether it's the fear of getting embarrassed or whatever but we've got a lot of competitive guys and we really love to play in these type of games.

I can just tell you on record that whatever happens, we need and want Wayne there. He is our leader. He got us through some tough times in '02 and we expect him to get us through some tough times in '06.

I am excited and curious to see how we respond. In games 5, 6 and 7, you get a defining message on what you are going to be down the road, whether it's the next series or whatever.

But that pass and that goal at the end of the third period... the goal was great, the pass was unbelievable.

But the game is still played on the ice. Having been in the same shoes as Tampa once before (winning a Cup in Dallas in 1999), you don't want to disrespect somebody who has won a championship. And they earned it and deserved it. They're the ones with the knowledge right now. We're all searching for that.

I have lots on my plate right now getting our players to change their technique,

I have a better idea of what to do with Hatcher (this) morning.

I find the entertainment value of the playoffs is out the door. It's all about competition. This, to me, brings it back to grassroots where it's one team playing another team and it doesn't matter who's covering the game or who's watching.

I found him to be a good friend and a great competitor, and one of the most loyal guys I worked with and for. He has wonderful people skills and he allowed everyone to flourish in his respective role ... he put his ego aside to allow that. I respect Pat Quinn the coach and Pat Quinn the man much more.

From a confidence standpoint, this helps us. We know we can come in and play well in this building.

I don't think we need a division title game to motivate us right now. I think what we need is better play for 60 minutes.

I don't think it's an issue now. They've played each other since so I don't believe it will be a problem.

For us right now, getting home-ice advantage in the playoffs is absolutely critical. We want to get as high up the ladder as we can because of how competitive it is right now. Every home game we get as an advantage is important.

For whatever reason we waded into the series. We almost got away with one in Game 1, but we're locked in now. Hopefully, we can make it really interesting, but emotionally we're locked in.

For whatever reason, this team just seems to wade into things. We waded into this series. We almost got away with one in Game 1. We didn't get away with it in Game 2. We're locked in now.

Goats is a very emotional player who plays on the edge, and sometimes that edge tilts.

Goats is a very emotional player and he plays on that edge. Sometimes the edge tilts. But when you get those players they really become factors as the series wears on. There are things that go into people's minds when you play against that type of player.

If it's working, then we'll stay with it. If not, we'll move (combinations around) and, quite frankly, in the first five games we do want to see other combinations either during games or during practices.

He was all right. He?s got a good record. He?s our designated Devils goalie.

He, (Wayne) Gretzky and Gordie (Howe), for me, personally, are the guys. Special player, special person, special talent.

He's a young player in his first series. He got welcomed in a big way. He'll be back.

He has everyone in the National Hockey League surprised. We didn't expect him to be this physical or this dominating so early in the season,

He has a sore groin. I saw him talking to the trainers so I pulled him out.

He has an honest appraisal of himself. He's hard on himself and he's demanding of himself. That's what makes special players. You talk to anybody who is a special player in the league... They put more pressure on themselves than anybody else does.

He has to play a certain way to be effective. He's a very emotional player and plays on that edge. Sometimes that edge tilts, but that's no different than a lot of other players. They play on that ledge all the time. But Gauthier has been really dependable. He's able to play against the other team's best players and it has an impact in the game.

He'll help immensely. Eric gives stability back there. It allows the young guys to go back where they are more comfortable and we're not asking too much of them.

He needs to have a big year. It's his third year pro and that's usually when players start stepping ahead. He showed flashes in the (Calder Cup) playoffs and now all we're looking for is consistency.

Whatever Peter decides, he'll have our support. He's not going to play if he's not 100 percent.

Whatever he decides, we'll support him. But he's already said he's not going to play until he's 100 percent -- either here or there. Who knows? This might be a two-week injury and he might need a full two weeks to get healthy. I'm not sure if their country is holding a spot for him, but he's not playing until he's 100 percent.

We took really poor penalties. We made defending mistakes. When you don't kill them off, it's deflating. And when you don't score on your opportunities, it's even more deflating.

When he's healthy, the way this game is played now, it's built for him. He's quick. He's smart. He's hard to get a handle on physically. He's a huge asset. It's not just him as a player, but he makes people around him better. He's a good teammate.

We've got to take care of business inside our division. For us right now, getting home ice advantage in the playoffs is critical. We want to get as high up the ladder as we can.

We thought with maintenance we could keep him healthy through the season. Then he got banged hard into the boards and we looked at the recovery time. The specialist in Nashville recommended immediate surgery.

We are fighting through a lot of adversity. We lost a couple more guys and guys are digging in.

He's a competitor -- that's why he got the start. He'll rebound nicely.

He's a significant player of our team. We need him in the lineup.

He's a really smart player who kind of grows on you. He's always in the right place at the right time and he's solid everywhere.

He's kind of an unsung hero on the hockey club. He just does his job and competes every night. You know what you're going to get when he comes to the rink.

He scored so many big goals for me in Dallas. It was frightening how many big goals he scored. The '98 and '99 seasons, he had comeback goals, clinching goals, important goals. That was it. Not the goals he scored, but the importance of the goals he scored.

He scored so many big goals for me in Dallas, ... It was frightening how many big goals he scored. The '98 and '99 seasons, he had comeback goals, clinching goals, important goals. That was it. Not the goals he scored, but the importance of the goals he scored.

He's earned a right to be a prime time player for us. (Sim) has just come out and earned his spot.

His name, rank and serial number. As long as he tells me that, he's good to go.

He's good for shock therapy. We don't necessarily listen for his ideas, but for his passion.

We maybe had three inside shots in the third period. We had kind of wild turnaround shots. We didn't have any presence with shots at the net. We were one shot at the net and gone.

We look at that as a compliment, first of all,

We made some really poor decisions and we gave up three or four odd man rushes. Even though we only gave up 15 shots, we played really poor defensively.

We made some great strides last year, but there's another level out there. I think it's a group effort to get to the next level. We don't need one thing from one player, we just need a little bit more from every player. We are capable of taking the next step as a group, but it's just a little bit more from every player.

We made mistakes that it doesn't matter who we played. We made really poor decisions. We made poor reads.

He wasn't ready. He was sweeping the ice away. What are you going to do? This is the new NHL.

He was outstanding. He gave us a chance to win and it was good stuff.

He was our best player. He was the big reason we got two points. He was outstanding.

He was really good. He was outstanding and gave us a chance to win and it was good stuff. We had a really good start to the game and then we were killing penalties in the first period and that?s when we really needed him. ..In the end, we needed him again. It?s good for him to make him feel part of the group again.

He was really good. He was outstanding and gave us a chance to win.

He was happier on that side and as a result, he was exceptional in practice (Wednesday). He likes the left a lot more because he thinks it helps his confidence and speed.

He was absolutely dominant, ... He controlled the tempo and played a wonderful hockey game. A lot of guys did.