He is such a great team guy. He told us that he intends to come in and win the No. 1 job. But he also told us that, if he doesn't win that job, we will find no bigger supporter of John Grahame. From everybody that we spoke to, Sean is an unbelievable teammate and a great leader in the locker room. He is a great addition to our team. |
He's squeezing the graphite right out of his stick right now, |
I could read a little bit but I can't write very well. I took to protecting myself. You put a wall around yourself. And when I was given the possibility of talking, I could speak well and I think that really saved me. |
I don't have any concerns about that. I absolutely believe (we're still a Cup-caliber team). |
I just think that what happened with Gerald in terms of his maturity, is his mental toughness improved dramatically last season. I think that mentally he is very, very strong. He really did respond last year. A lot of times guys will pout, they'll bemoan their situation is not fair and all that -- none of that from him. Whenever they asked him to go in, all he did was stop the puck and win. I think he has matured tremendously, and we're excited about the possibilities with him. |
I never really was a GM, |
I think he's a player who has multiple gears, and he's a deceptive guy. He clearly can score goals, he can finish, he can set up plays, ... All of us who were in Traverse City are anxious to see him here. |
I think the biggest thing we're trying to find is consistency in our game. Through the first 41, it has been in spurts where we have put the entire game together. ... I don't know that it has all come together for an extended period of time. |
I think we can keep him, ... Is it going to be easy? No. But I know Brad wants to be here long term. I know Pavel Kubina wants to be here long term. I know John Grahame wants to be here long term. |
I think you'll see that hunger and that desperation in the playoffs. But the trick is, you have to make the playoffs. You have to take care of business and survive the grind of the regular season. |
I told him when I became general manager that I want him here for a career. I want him to be like a Steve Yzerman that we win a couple of championships here and at the end of his career his sweater is retired to the rafters and he is a Tampa Bay Lightning player for life. |
I'm certainly willing to let my reputation rise and fall on those two guys, ... We added two very good hockey players. We discovered some underutilized talents, and they can both be more than what they were allowed to be with their old franchises. |
I'm certainly willing to let my reputation rise and fall on those two guys. We added two very good hockey players. We discovered some underutilized talents, and they can both be more than what they were allowed to be with their old franchises. |
I'm not worried about that, ... When you look at most 30-year-olds, there is a lot of wear and tear on them. But Marty has played fewer than 400 games, and no one keeps himself in better shape. I think Marty will still be an outstanding player and a key contributor. |
I've said it many times in the past and I continue to maintain that Martin St. Louis is the 'heart and soul' of our hockey team. Dating all the way back to the summer of 2004, there was never a moment when we were not firmly committed as an organization to getting Marty signed long-term. |