Peter Laviolette Quotes

"It's an accomplishment and our guys should be proud of that. They've worked hard to get to this point, but trust me. It's not the ultimate goal."

"We were embarrassed. To win in this building, against this team, is good for confidence."

"I would hope we come out the way we did tonight, with a sense of urgency and put the foot on the gas and be the best team in the league."

"It doesn't revolve around one person. Not everyone can remain hot for all 82 games. It's a combination of having that balanced attack as far as offense goes, along with two goaltenders [Gerber and rookie Cam Ward] we trust and have played well."

"He's going to have somewhere between six and 10 games to get ready for the playoffs. We've tried to do that by having depth all year long, and when Joe does come back, he doesn't have to carry this team. He just has to come in and be Joe."

"It's an opportunity to get him in and see what he can do. We have three NHL starting goaltenders. They all start for their teams, and they are pretty capable."

"He's trying to yell it as loud as he can. He's standing on top of the mountain, screaming. I don't know if anybody will hear, but you've got to love the way he took charge of the game."

"I think it's just trying to put in the nuts and bolts,"

"They work very hard and they have nothing to lose, and that makes them dangerous. It seemed to me like we were on our heels a little bit in the first period. We need to be on our toes."

"Anyone over here, from my experience with international competition, can win on any given night."

"The thing about international competition is, no matter who you play, there are no easy games. There won't be one easy game."

"We have a lot of confidence in all our goaltenders. There is no question about it."

"The year in the American Hockey League really helped his confidence and skating."

"Under the circumstances, being down 2-0, I think the guys really stepped up and played."

"We seemed to be in control at 2-0. I honestly don't think they had five solid chances. That goal seemed to give them life and they ran with it."

"He provides a physical presence, hard work, energy. Everything you want your team to exemplify, Nic brings to the table."

"They all seem to be big games now. It doesn't matter who the opponent is. Four points [the possible turnaround against any Eastern Conference opponent] are a bundle, and we've got to seize these points."

"You hear me say 'Offense, offense, offense,' but we didn't score many goals [in 2003-04] and we've got to fix the problem, ... But we want to be a good defensive team, too. It's important to have a good mix."

"It's tough when you leave one place and you're in limbo and not sure what the future holds. But I wouldn't paint the rock-bottom picture."

"To be honest, it's really hard to sum up in words how excited and proud I am to be asked to coach this team. We'll have one goal when the Olympics roll around in February and that's to win the gold medal. We have a legitimate chance."