He's forced our hand. We've got to get this young man in. |
He's got a good group of teammates. They're pulling for him. I think that speaks to Shane as a person. I think his teammates generally like him and they're hoping the best for him. They understand what he's up against. |
He's got a young man in Brian Elliott that has tapped into his system to a degree maybe like no other, I'm not sure. Then you've got a young man like Shane Connelly who has come such a long way in his tenure with Howie. That's got to pump you up, too. |
He's gotten his imprint on that (program) and he's done it as a head coach, which I know is something that Mark really wanted to do. And now we're on that same path. We've got a couple more things we need to take care of, but we've given ourselves that chance, too. |
He's like a surrogate grandfather. He represents a reference you can always go back to. |
He's not going to give you fantastic offensive flair, but he's never going to let you down defensively. |
He's skating, and that's a step. He's still a big step away from being ready. It's nice to see him out here and I know he desperately wants to get back in. |
I can tell you directly I wouldn't have done that a few years ago. But that's part of my growth and being able to enjoy the moment. |
I can tell you this explicitly, that nobody was looking at this as just a third-place game. There was a lot of pride on the line. |
I can't answer that. I know within our league that reputation is there. |
I didn't say a word. The penalty-killers jumped up and they started talking about what they needed to do. |
I don't think so. They're both motivators and pretty strong ones at that. |
I don't think that would be very prudent on our part. |
I don't want earplugs in their ears. I want them to relish that. Because unless you relish it, having earplugs is a false way to play. You've got to be able to play at a higher level, and I don't think earplugs are going to do any good. I want earplugs out. I want our guys turning the volume up. |
I guess we can take some credit with how well they're playing right now. |