Rick DiPietro Quotations

We responded. We played hard for Brad. It was a good team win against a very good team. We can build on this.

We felt like this was it, make or break for our playoff run. This was how it's supposed to look all season.

We're battling. Everyone thought Mr. Stirling was a good man and a great coach, but in this business change needs to be made sometimes. We're going to do everything we can to make this head coach successful.

This was as desperate as I've seen us this year. We're not in a position to look at the scoreboard. We have to control what we can.

When you're already out of the playoffs, you need to find to certain things to motivate you. I thought we did a good job of stressing the fact that this is a huge rivalry for us and we owe it to our fans and ourselves to come out and put in a good effort.

Obviously, you're going to have jitters the first time you play in this event, but at the end of the day, it's still the same game.

On the first one, someone got a piece of it. Luckily, I swung my head around to see him and got my glove and arm up in time.

If we could use that same recipe for other games, we'd be in good shape.

I didn't want it to be me that didn't allow us to sign him, ... He's an important piece to us winning. I want him here as much as anybody.

I don't even think it was reality four years ago. I was 20 years old. Mike Richter's been the guy for USA Hockey for 15 years.

I can't put it into words. ... It's as disappointing as I could possibly feel. There were a lot of Ranger fans here tonight. It's tough, but you have to expect that.... It's too bad we couldn't silence them in the third period.

I don't think any team stops playing hard because they had some injuries.

He had a couple of good looks. Fortunately one went wide, which was big for us.

We're on a downward slide, and things have to change quickly. It's frustrating. Every time we take a step in the right direction, we immediately take a step backward.

Guys weren't happy with the last game and how we came out. But that's over, and this win is going to be a good stepping stone for us.

This was one of those games that we didn't deserve to lose. They took it to another level in the second period. We needed to have that killer instinct and put teams away.

I think it is encouraging that we are working harder. Our work ethic has improved and, if that continues, we will start making strides.

I think it is encouraging that we are working harder.

I thought we had a good shot all along. As far back as we were, we realized we weren't playing our best hockey. Guys have been waiting patiently to turn things around. It's starting to happen now and it's an exciting time for us.

I think we played good enough to win.

I think we've been pretty good defensively since the Olympic break. It's been good team defense.

I think we're just trying to keep it simple. At this point of the season, we have to just trust our system and go out and play.

Our goal is to get to the quarterfinals. As long as we do that, it's been a successful round robin.

Pittsburgh really came at us hard, had us scrambling there. They crowded the net, too. There were a lot of shots I didn't see.

Like slow-motion, off the shin pads, ... Another weird bounce.

It feels like a must-win situation. The games keep getting more and more important.

I think guys are taking this loss harder than the (blowout losses last week) to Ottawa, and to Pittsburgh. Those were just bad games we didn't deserve to win. This is one where you left everything out on the ice . . . and deserved better.

We need all the points we can get right now. We've kind of been digging ourselves a hole and any way we can get the two points, we'll take them.

We're all professionals here, but it's definitely going to be tough now to gain that eight spot.

We have to put ourselves in a position where those two points mean something.

We have to play harder with more desperation. We needed those two points badly but we couldn't get them.

We have a long road until the Olympic break, and hopefully we can keep getting those wins, ... It's one game, and I'm sure it's going to help me out a little bit. But at the end of the day I've still got 40 more before the break.

We were going to give him a ticker-tape parade when he showed up, ... but I couldn't keep my eyes open.

We came out these last two games with fire in our bellies, ... These last two games have been pretty intense, but at the end of the day, they don't ask you how you won, but if you won.

Those were just bad games. If you look at them, I don't think we deserved to win. This is one of those games, you look at it, you left everything you had on the ice. You felt like you deserved better.

Who would have thought? Everyone had us written off for dead two weeks ago.

When you lose and don't get a chance to play for a medal, it's the most disappointing thing that could happen in hockey right now for me.

We went from one end of the spectrum to the opposite in a matter of two games.

Did he have a hat trick? We really contained him.

A win's a win. To see 60 shots and lose wouldn't be a good feeling. I'll take this any day.

That was a brutal move, I should've just stayed in the net. That was embarrassing.

This is a rivalry, regardless of whether it's for the playoffs or not or back-to-back, there's no excuses. This is what our fans look forward to and we look forward to. I don't think we came out with our best effort tonight.

This is grind-it-out hockey and we don't have any room for mistakes. Tonight was good stepping stone.

This isn't something any of us are used to.

This is playoff type hockey. Every game feels like a must win, especially with the current situation that we're in. Disappointing. Obviously we needed these two points. But, they (games) just keep getting more and more important.

They moved the puck pretty well and exposed us a bit, ... (Crosby's) a good player, but that's a good line.

They gave me a huge chance by allowing me to play for the national program,

You don't want to get pulled in a game whether you make the Olympic team or not.

There were a lot of Rangers fans here tonight.

They're a little bright. But they stopped the puck.

There's a lot of teams we're chasing. It's no different from tonight and even versus Pittsburgh they were important points and it's another opportunity to catch those teams in front of us.

It seems like every time we play someone who's from here or who has played here, they have big nights. It's good for him. He's a great kid ... Hopefully he can continue it, just not against us.

It's a tough loss. Games this big you can't afford to drop like that in the third period. We did it again, and we're just putting ourselves further and further behind the 8-ball.

It's a great honor. It's something as a kid you dream about. I remember watching the (1992) Olympics, with Ray LeBlanc. It's an exciting time. It's a great opportunity and a great challenge.

It plagued us quite a bit earlier in the season and cost us a lot of games, a lot of points. It cost us again tonight. It's tough to swallow, obviously. We let one slip away and have two more big games to go.

It's frustrating as a goalie. I can't even put it to words right now.

It's random testing, right, ... They see me and every time it's, 'OK Rick, you're up.'

It's still a point lost. We're in no spot where we can be satisfied taking just one point. We need to take as many points as we can get.

That goal was awful. It hits my glove, hits my mask, goes off my shoulder, goes off my stick and goes in.

It just seems like that kind of stuff has happened to us in the third period when we have a lead. Hopefully, we can use this game as a turning point in the season.

No, there's no excuses. I don't think we played as well as we did in Montreal. I don't have any answers, I wish I did. It's not a good game. We have to keep playing hard. We owe it to our fans and to each other to play hard and keep trying to win hockey games.

It's tough. It's definitely tough. It's a sad time for all of us. I thought we were playing our best hockey as a team. It's tough now to see some of your buddies leave. It'll be tough sledding here for the next 21 games.

It was just a chance to play some competitive hockey for the first time in a bunch of months with the lockout.

Anytime you walk around the corner, all you ever hear about is Mike and the '80 Olympic team. This group of guys, we have a strong feeling of pride in playing for our country.

Anytime you see a guy with that much fire and that much pride stay down on the ice, it's gotta be pretty serious.

That might be one of the best periods I've ever seen us play.

Every time you go to the rink and get ready for the season, it weighs on your mind,

I mean, guys have personal goals now and things they want to do. We have to keep winning. There are still 10 games left. We owe it not only to ourselves but the fans to come out and play hard.

I'm proud of the guys. We could've kind of tanked it after losing six and stuck our heads between our legs and said, 'This one is over.' But we continued to work hard.

I kind of made a bad move there.

I'm from the same town (Winthrop, Mass.) as Mike Eruzione, so every time you walk around the corner that's all you hear about is Mike and the '80 Olympic team. I think this group of guys has a strong feeling of pride about playing for our country.

If you have any pride or love for this team, you can't go out and lay eggs. This is a big time of year, regardless of the situation. We've got to come out and play hard.

I honestly don't know; I can't answer that. It's not something I want to think about right now. I've still got a whole month and I'm focused on business at home.

If you want to talk about trash talking, you're talking Snowy. He's one of the best.

I put it on target, but there were a lot of guys back there. I took a look up, and even if I got good wood on it, it was likely to be knocked down before it reached the net.

I don't know if things have to be turned around. We had two losses against two good teams. You can go undefeated in the preliminaries and still get beat in the quarterfinals. As long as we get there, we'll be OK.

I don't know how to explain it. If we could bottle up these efforts against the Devils and use them every night, we wouldn't be fighting for a playoff spot. Some teams you just match up well with and I guess this is one of them.

I don't know if the league expected it to be this fast and upbeat, ... I don't know if it was just this series - how pumped up the guys were. But every game you see now is 35 shots and 10 power plays. It's a whole new game and I hope the fans are enjoying it.

I don't know. I'm going to go see a doctor (Sunday).

I feel happy that we got the two points, ... It was an exciting game to be a part of.

You can't say that? I thought it was cable. I guess I'm watching too much cable TV.

The clerk saw their last name and took care of them. Told them where to go and what to do. My grandfather's from Italy. I've been all over Europe but never here. That's what makes it so exciting.

The first 15 minutes were great; we played as well as we have all season,