Quotes by Adrian Aucoin

“I liked what he had to say about where the team is going and what is going on in Chicago. And Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities.”

“They made it pretty clear where their priorities were.”

“Just knowing you have Khabibulan, that confidence in the great goaltending, you seem to just play better.”

“Columbus, bringing in Adam Foote was a huge pickup for them,”

“A few games after Peter Laviolette became the coach, I began to get more ice time, ... Pretty soon, I was skating 25-30 minutes a night. I was more than happy to keep doing that. It sure makes a difference when you have the coachs confidence.”

“I had no problems with the old rules, but I think taking the red line away will hopefully add to scoring and make the game faster, ... As a defenseman, I look at scoring negatively, but it works both ways. I wonder about the expectations though. I played in Sweden, without a red line, and I dont think the game was faster. On the other hand, I wasnt playing with the best players in the world, as in the NHL. Well adjust to the new icing rules and in a few years we wont remember what it was like before. Theres always calls for new rules, but I just hope the game doesnt change too drastically.”

“Some of our defencemen here in the first couple of games have been just outstanding,”

“I was in the same boat as everyone else. Just waiting and hoping that it was going to get done sooner than later,”

“It was really tough, not having the routine like were so used to. Basically living a different life than were used to.”

“I think theres a handful of guys that ended up being lucky in that way, ... Some guys who were free agents actually had to take a little bit of a hit but it just all depends on whos available and at what time. There was only a handful of defencemen in my situation so it made things a little easier for me, I guess.”

“Its tough when you work hard and the results arent there. You start to second-guess yourself.”

“There are a few aspects of the game where weve really got to grow up and it showed tonight, like the sticking penalties. We have to understand were not going to win unless we all play together, unless we all take shorter shifts, unless we put the puck on the net and unless we play as a five-man unit.”

“Were real fragile now. Were working hard. Weve just got to get our confidence up.”

“The first one he (Heyer) said he lost sight of the puck, so he blew it. Our guys work hard and finally get some offense going and something like that happens. Its really frustrating.”

“[Heyer] said he lost sight of the puck, so he blew it. That was very frustrating, because wed finally gotten some offense going.”

“If there is any doubt, normally you go upstairs. Hes not giving us any leeway. Thats accountability on his part. You gotta be a man about it. Clearly, everybody thought it crossed the line.”

“It was no secret that I loved living there, and I liked just about everything about the Islanders. But obviously I talked to enough teams to know there were lots out there willing to go out of their way to get me. And it seemed the Islanders werent half as interested as the others, which was frustrating. Thats what pushed me to leave.”

“It seems to be my best option. Even if I came back [to play] after rehab, [doctors] wanted me to have surgery after the season, and they didnt like the odds too much.”

“Marty will be great. Hes been a leader the whole time. Its not that big of an issue.”

“It was just one thing after another, not only for me but for the team. It has been a rough year on the organization as a whole.”