Phil Esposito Quotations

Hockey has to repair the damage that has been done.

Nobody in hockey should be making that much money. There's no TV revenue to speak of, and why people think there is, I have no idea. I have a problem with everybody begrudging a group or individual that has paid $100 to $150 million for something making 2, 3, 4 percent on his money. To begrudge that and say the owners are lying ... well, I've been on both sides, and I can tell you the owners aren't lying.

The biggest problem will be, because he was so good and so smart, when he sees guys making those mental errors. When I coached those few games, that's what got to me,

When you're an athlete, you meet a lot of people.

I don't agree with stopping your business in the middle of the season. You have a $2.2 billion business and somebody comes to you and says you have to shut down for 15 to 16 days. Not only that but we're going to use your product and it may not return in the best of shape. What do you tell them?

Damn flowers. Nice kids, the ones who skated out and gave us them. But the flowers, the stem fell off. I stepped right on it and was on my ass in a flash. Must have looked good, huh? A hundred million guys watching all around the world, brass bands playing, the Russian cats in the stands, and here I am dumped on the ice. So I waved to the folks back home inthe Soo, a wave from the dummy with egg on his face.

He was so dominant. Bobby was the greatest defenseman who ever played the game as far as I'm concerned. I believe in my heart he changed the face of the game.

Play with passion and heart. If you don't carry passion into sport - or into any job for that matter - you won't succeed.

I tried to talk my daughter out of going with a hockey player but, he's a good kid. He asked me if he could marry Carrie before he asked her. I said: You want to what? I thought he was just going to ask for more ice time.

My competitive juices have started to flow again.