Wayne Gretzky Game Quotations

We don't have the depth or the skill level of Detroit so our work ethic has to be as high as theirs. Obviously, the first part of the game it wasn't . . . .Quite frankly it looked like we were enjoying the fruits of Thursday night's victory (over Dallas) too much.

When you're playing, there's nothing like it, ... You know you can go out there and affect the outcome of the game each and every night. Now the effect I can have on the game is very different, but the passion I have to help this team win is still the same I had as a player.

We didn't have a very good first period to say the least. Then Johnson's goal was a big goal. That was a big sort of turning point for us in the hockey game to be able to come in after the first period only down 2-1.

There is so much parity in the game, there are so many teams that are stronger, and it is much tougher to get 400 wins now. There is such a fine line between winning and losing, so to accomplish something like that in this era is pretty special.

Every game is a stepping stone to getting to the final game. We had a really good first period and all of a sudden the tide turned.

There's going to be a lot of good unrestricted free-agent defensemen (available) this summer. We're in the game for those guys now. We have the opportunity to bring in some impact players.

It's the easiest thing in the game of hockey, and I was a player, that you always turn back and try to blame the goaltender. There's no excuse there. Curtis will be fine. It's not Curtis' fault that we got beat 8-4.

It's always a tough situation when a great player has to retire. He's meant so much to not only the National Hockey League, but the city of Pittsburgh and that franchise. You don't replace players like Mario Lemieux. He's a great hockey player and a good person. The game will miss him.

I'm glad the NHL has finally stepped in and put him back in the game and reinstated him,

I don't think that we as a group worked as strong early in the game as they did, and that was the difference. If you look at a team like Los Angeles, they are successful because they are pulling together in the same boat. Everybody is going in the same direction, everybody knows their responsibility and does their job.