Quotations

«I think when you're the highest-paid player, pressure is a part of the game. It's part of the business and I don't think that's anything new to him. I think it was maybe easier in Pittsburgh to deflect some of it because of previous accomplishments like the scoring titles and the Stanley Cup rings. Here he hasn't done that yet.»

«It's proven that if you can play team defense and keep your goals against down you'll be in every game and have a chance to win the Cup. It may not be the prettiest style of play, but it lends itself to winning so you have to follow it.»

«He's a real mobile, very poised with the puck and defends well. For a 20-year-old, he's got a man's body and he skates so well and moves laterally. It's just a matter of getting used to the pace of the game. We hope over time that he develops a bit more of an offensive edge to his game, but right now we don't put a lot of pressure on him to do that. He's going to play, it's just a question of how good he'll be. Is he going to be an All-Star or not?»

«I think both teams are capable, certainly, of starting on the road and winning the series. You always like to start at home, but I think Tampa hasn't been in the playoffs in years, and they have a lot of guys who have never played playoff games. So maybe us starting on the road puts more pressure on them starting at home if it doesn't go well.»

«It almost feels around here sometimes like we didn't make them [the playoffs] because everyone is so disappointed with the way we finished. I still say it's an accomplishment to make the playoffs in the NHL, but we're not sitting here saying we are satisfied. But there are 14 other teams that battled down to the wire and didn't make it who probably wish they were in our position. We have something to build on. We have the same group of forwards, the goaltending is the same, three or four D, the same coaching staff, so hopefully we can build on that.»