Saku Koivu Quotations

There are a lot of good things going on here. We're not getting away from our game plan, and we're getting the bounces and the breaks.

Obviously, that off-the-ice battle I went through, plus injuries I came back from, I always felt the fans are really knowledgeable there and respected and appreciated guys that gave whatever they had and guys that fought through things.

Right now, it seems that we're doing good things, the puck is bouncing for us and we're getting breaks like I did at the end of the game.

I felt like an outsider. The only time you get to really know guys is on the ice, and I couldn't be there.

I always knew where I was going eventually, so it helped me to stay at home for three years, ... It helped me to develop my game. But it also helped me off the ice. Life here is way different, and I was able to get older.

Whatever the reason is, I hope we can finish talking about the Olympics. It's gone, it's behind us. The schedule wasn't proper for players who went there and there is some fatigue in a lot guys' play right now.

We've got to win them all and get help from other teams, but we are going to push until the end.

He's been tremendous for us. We never even thought that he could be near as good as he's been. He's a big part of the reason we're in the playoffs right now. For us to be as successful, we need him.

He's a strong man, tough to maintain down low.

I was lucky that it hit my shaft, and then my helmet, and I was lucky enough to get that breakaway.

I think the positive is that everything is in our hands. I know we've played well for the last 15 or 20 games, but we need to win that last game and secure a spot.

I think the positive is that everything is in our hands.

I thought Perezhogin played really strong, he scored his second goal, he's been a real surprise. We knew he had offensive talent but the way he worked for the puck in the corners was impressive.

It goes way, way back when we were under Sweden's rule. We always think they are better than us. We played against them so often for so many years. Every country has one opponent they want to beat and for us, it's Sweden.

I think there's a lot of reasons. A lot of times in the regular season, you play back-to-back nights or you're on the road for a long time. In the playoffs, everyone is focused and . . . sometimes there's no explanation for things.

I think for Finns, it's probably, maybe, the biggest game ever. Not just that we're playing in the gold-medal game in the Olympics, but we all know the importance of playing against Sweden.

We just didn't show up in the first period,

We can't afford to go lose two, three in a row. We've got to keep climbing and getting wins.

You know it's going to be a great atmosphere, the fans are going to be really crazy, there's no doubt about that. Hopefully we can get that energy there that we need, but sometimes there's a chance that you want to do too much so I think we've got to still realize there's a long way to go and what we're doing right now well, to keep doing those things and then just go and fight for a win.

When you have a core group of young players as we do, the future looks bright.

What we are hoping is that we've had to battle till the end and really maintain our focus here. I think the momentum is going for us right now, and hopefully we can bring it to the playoffs.

We didn't know what to expect from him or what would happen. Huey surprised a lot of people and his teammates as well. He's been tremendous for us.

The thing that has surprised me is his consistency. As a rookie, it's tough to maintain your level of play throughout the year and he's played well from day one. Since the Olympic break, he's gotten more ice time and he's really taken advantage of that. I think the work he did early in the season is paying off.

They're all really important games right now. We need points to secure a playoff spot, and that's what we're looking for right now.

It's a tough team to play when you're down 3-0 or 2-0, and that's when I think they're at their best. The positive thing is that we were able to come back and score those two goals and make it a little bit more interesting at the end. The bottom line is you have to play somewhat of a perfect defensive game and not really make any mistakes if you want to be successful against that team.

It's a good feeling when you get that. I think halfway through the season not too many people expected him to get 20 goals and the way he's playing right now and getting the goals, it's really fun to watch, and it's really fun to play with him.

Each of their units got the goals, so they're effective.

They want to show they belong in this league, and it drives us older guys to work harder to keep our spots.

I haven't been back in Montreal, at all, since the playoffs ended two years ago. It's been a while.

Hopefully from here, we can build some confidence.

If I don't go there, I'm probably a lot more nervous right now,

It's been tough for me being away from the game.

I'm confident and really optimistic.

You always need younger guys if you're going to be successful in the long term.

We found out tonight how important and how crucial momentum swings can be. I thought we were playing very well. We were doing a lot of positive things but then we lost the puck two times in our zone and things swung their way. You can't afford to give teams momentum.

My relationship and the bond with the people in Montreal was kind of special and doesnt happen very often.

I didn't have any hair anywhere for almost seven months. So now finally I've got some hair, I'm gonna keep it.

The excitement of the fans in Montreal, especially in the playoffs, I don't think you can get that anywhere else. For a hockey player, I kind of wish everyone could go through that and experience what it is to play there. It's very unique.

Dans mon coeur, je vais toujours être un Canadiens./Ill always be a Hab at heart.

The most important thing is to stay positive.