Gerry Fleming Quotations

We're getting too cute, too fancy (with passes). That's what happens when you got new guys coming into the lineup that are skilled players playing with guys who are skilled players. Everybody wants to show off and show how great they are and how fancy they can make things happen. As a result, we turned the puck over and we all looked like we had no idea what we were doing.

Second place is on the line here, boys!

I don't expect it to be good news. He took a big hit.

Fresno played well, we laid an egg, and it was an unacceptable performance. We have to play better.

He has to develop strength in that arm.

Guys need to start playing with more confidence. We're taking steps to do that in practice today. All you can do is coach and teach and try to get guys through this. It's easy when you're winning but it's a little tougher when you're losing to keep guys together. But we got a pretty good group of guys. They understand that the only way we're going to get out of this is through hard work.

I thought we had some chances. Both teams had chances. It was a good hockey game. Any time you lose 1-0 in overtime you know you fought hard, you played well. You just ended up on the short end of the stick.

I said we've got to be better, we have to be better. We had to come out with the energy and intensity that we did come out with and continue to do that.

Reggie has done a lot of things away from the play as far as his defensive play and his play without the puck. He's been in areas and made some big plays without the puck as well.

That's the main reason for where we are in the standings.

To think we're going to go up there and it's going to be a walk in the park is wrong. They haven't beaten us all year. They're hungry. They're in our same division. We're banged up right now and we know it's going to be tough up there.

We just kept things out of the middle. We kept our feet moving instead of looking to make a play. When we got it inside the offensive zone, we really simplified things. Let's get the puck to the net. They're a good defensive team. In order to beat them, you're going to have to get people and pucks to the net.

You have to go back to that (blowout) loss to Charlotte in early December for the last game where we played like that.

Our defensive zone coverage can get better. Turning the puck over has killed us. We need to eliminate those type of mistakes.

A fine is fine with me. Nobody got hurt on the play.

Defensive breakdowns, turnovers, no intensity, not playing physical, not shooting the puck, not driving to the net, not skating, not working hard.

That team played us as tough as anyone has in a long time, and it's like a playoff atmosphere in that arena. It's just amazing, but we were able to get out of here with the wins.

They're big, they're strong, they skate well, they're well coached. There's a lot of positives to their team. I think it's going to be a battle. If you look at the games we've played, they've all been tight. There's not much separation.

It will be a good boost. Reggie is a big part of this organization. He has been for a long time. We missed him. If he is able to play this weekend, we'll welcome him back with open arms. I'm sure he'll have an impact on the game.

It's not his ankle. It's a different injury.

I know what the scouting reports tell me, and they say that Stockton is one of the hardest-working teams in the league. That's enough for me. I expect them to be tough.

I'm just glad we won the series. There were a lot of things said in the newspaper here. They gave it to us in the paper a little bit. But we shut our mouths, did our playing on the ice and got the series done.

Yeah, there were (defensive) breakdowns but there were also variables into having those breakdowns. I think a lot of the mistakes that we made are definitely preventable, but they're a lapse of mental awareness and that happens with fatigue. I'm not trying to make excuses. This is just the reality of the situation.

He said (Greenville) showed what type of character they have and we'll see what type of character (Florida) has. I think we answered their question. I don't think you can question our character.

I don't think they're must-win games. But I want to win.

You can't win hockey games that way. Chances are you're using the same personnel to kill penalties that you have on the power play so it cuts your bench short. It takes away any kind of momentum that you have.

(The Gwinnett series) is going to be just like the Greenville series. It's going to be tough. It's not going to get easier. It's going to get tougher. We know that. Gwinnett is a good team.

The level of play is a little bit quicker, the guys are a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger. Playing against that caliber of talent forces you to elevate your game.