Mario Lemieux Quotes

"Everything that he's doing now is quite amazing at his age."

"I think he's a lot more mature than I was at his age. He speaks very well, always says the right things and because of that I think the adjustment is going to be a lot quicker for him."

"He is, ... more mature than I was at his age."

"The new owners will be bound by the same agreement we have with Isle of Capri. Certainly, our preference would be to keep the team in Pittsburgh forever."

"They're trying to put the best team together, so experience is going to be a factor over there -- I think that had to do with the way they picked the team."

"Maybe he just turned 18, but look how he played in our last [exhibition] game. He was one of the best players on the ice, making plays, with his skating and his strength, handling the puck. Give this kid a couple of years, he's going to do some damage."

"It's up to the community now to decide if they want to keep this team."

"Since the beginning, I always loved the game. When you grow up in Montreal, one day you want to be a professional hockey player. When I was six or seven, I knew that was what I wanted."

"It should be a no-brainer for the community and the politicians, ... If an owner is willing to pay for his own arena, what else more would you want than that?"

"That's good for his confidence, ... Not only the game, but the shootout."

"Everybody understands that he's the future of the franchise. He's done even better this season than we thought he'd do. The way he's played, at that age, is quite amazing."

"I think we've done pretty much everything we can do, as far as setting up the franchise for the future."

"It's a lot more fun to play the game this year than it has been the last four years."

"Obviously he was a great player, but also a great person and very intelligent and knowledgeable about the game of hockey and I could see him as a president as a general manager of president somewhere down the road."

"Actually, it's kind of nice. We're promoting our young guys in the NHL and players who are the future of the league, not the guys who are 40 or 42 years old."

"Maybe he just turned 18, but look how he played in our last (preseason) game, ... He was one of the best players on the ice, making plays, with his skating and his strength, handling the puck. Give this kid a couple of years, he's going to do some damage."

"It's going to be tough. For us to get in the playoffs, we have to win 10 or 12 games in a row and get back in it. That's the only way we can do it."

"The chances are there, it's going to come, ... One of these games, we are going to explode for a few goals and get our confidence back. I think the guys are a little uptight right now."

"But a year off probably hurt some of these guys who didn't stay in shape. It's always tough to come back after a year off."

"I hope all parties continue talking and come to a solution for the betterment of the game."