Sean Burke Quotations

We knew they would throw everything at us.

We needed a win bad. It's hard to imagine saying that in January. But that was definitely the case. We needed to win bad.

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Obviously, we knew some teams behind us were starting to gain some ground. We know what has to be done. We don't need to look at the standings to realize we aren't where we want to be. We need to be a desperate hockey team. This was something to build on, and we've got to continue to do that.

Right now, it's like we're in the game and we find ways to lose.

If this is a regular-season game, you are unhappy and miserable, but I was only unhappy with two goals that I feel I should have had. But at this point, it was nice just to get into the game-day routine.

I have a few favorites, but I like 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' the best.

I didn't have any trouble. One rebound I gave up was a little tentative, but I can't say that I had any trouble. ... It was a good test. I don't see it being any problem at all.

I can't say that I would do anything differently as a coach, ... You have to go, if you have a guy playing well, you have to play him, that's the way it is.

He's a great guy, a great team guy. Always a great guy to play with. As far as a player, he's as great a competitor as you'd want to play with.

The pace has been really good right from Day 1, ... I came here thinking I was in pretty good shape, but that level of intensity steps up that first day and you think: 'Oops! This is what you didn't get for a year-and-a-half.'

Just the ugly getting uglier, ... I challenged myself to concentrate hard for a full 60-minute game and I was pleased with that.

It all unraveled in the second. They got their third goal, and then the fourth one and now it's just kind of beside ourselves. We just have to learn from this and not make any more of it than what it was and that was a one game defeat, all be it in an important game at a critical time of the year. But all it is one game.

I was embarrassed. You don't want to be standing out there on the ice as a player knowing that fans are just totally disgusted and you're not even giving them their money's worth. I think we're embarrassed for ourselves, but we were embarrassed for them, too, to have to sit there and watch it.

I thought they took some funny-angle shots in the beginning, trying to catch me. But the rebounds just bounced out from those angles and you're going to give up some rebounds, but our defense was right there to clear them away.

I thought tonight was going to be that night. We're 0-0 after the first period on the road and playing well. But then it all falls apart.

I think we could of played better. You could always find a couple things to break it down but the bottom line is we didn't find a way to win. It's unfortunate because we need these points right now.

Our minds weren't in it. When that happens, I don't care who you are playing, you're going to get smoked.

It felt good to play, but it felt better to play and get a win. I was more nervous the last couple of days than I usually am, and I thought about the game more than I usually do. But once I got out on the ice, I felt good.

I still talk to Benny a little bit,

We know we are desperate. We know it's crunch time. We don't need to be told.

Under the circumstances, I'd have to say it was. There's been a lot of scrutiny on us lately. But by no means are we out of the woods here. It's one win, but it's a huge win. ... Every night, you have a new opportunity and tonight was nice just to put some of that other stuff behind us.

We fought hard there and went into the third, and all of a sudden, there are some penalties. And it was over. I don't know how to describe it.

We didn't strike, we were locked out. I've often thought the owners set this all up to burn a season and create lots of free agents. That's not what I call negotiating fairly. I hope the PA (executive) fights for it, but I'm not optimistic they'll win.

We didn't find a way to win. It's unfortunate because we need these points right now.

Fans are loud in here. It's a good feeling in here. Some buildings it seems dull or whatever. The boards are funny in some other buildings, you never know how the puck is going to bounce. Here, though, they're pretty true. ... I've always liked playing in Tampa. Very comfortable playing here.

We all know what's at stake. If we lose, the season's over. You have to try and play loose every game. I don't think anything has changed in all the years I've played. If you're not loose and having fun, it's hard to play. We were tight at times in the series, and it showed.

We all knew they would come after us hard.

There is nothing guaranteed here, I knew that, ... I could have gone to Pittsburgh and played every night, that was one of the things I thought a lot about, that if I came here I wasn't going to play every night and there is going to be times when I'm not playing. How was that going to sit with me and how was I going to handle it. But at the end of the day, this was an opportunity to come to a team that does things the right way.

Two goals I wasn't happy about, but I saw a lot of pucks and that's what you need at this time of year.

We want to feel that the goaltending is the kind of goaltending that a team like ours needs to be successful. I think that's the goal: to make the goaltending never be an issue. The only way to do that is for both of us to be consistent and to provide the team with the type of play that gives us a chance to win every night.

We knew how big of a game it was. I don't think it's too early (to be concerned), but on the other hand ... our focus was playing one game and making a little bit of a statement.

Especially in the U.S., people liken it to a starting pitcher or a starting quarterback, and hockey's different. You're the starter the night you're playing. The night you're not, you're the backup. I don't think a lot about it. You could be the starter to start the season and then two games into the season you find yourself on the bench and vice versa.

There's room for one guy in the net at a time, and you want to be the guy. I want to be the guy, but if I'm not playing, I know I have another kind of role that I have to perform to contribute to the team.

There's nothing you can do when you panic, you just try to keep working harder. We know we are in a desperate situation, and we know now that it's crunch time. We can say that we are fighting it and getting our chances. We just have to find a way to get it done out on the ice.

I've been lucky to be caught by the right coaches at the right time when I was young who were able to instill in me the value of a professional work ethic. And that was something that I needed. I don't think anybody can push themselves without some help and there were some good lessons along the way. So for me, it was always been a lifestyle because of the coaching and examples that I've had over the years.

The way I look at it, I'm thankful for all the opportunities I've had to play in all the places I've played. I've enjoyed every place. And at this stage of the game, I'm happy to still have the opportunity to play somewhere else.

Right now, we've got to find a way to win home or away. We've got to find that formula again and start putting some points on the board.

Pretty cool, huh? The artist did a nice job with it.

The bottom line is we lost another hockey game. We've got to find a way to stop that slide. I think it's frustrating anytime you lose. Right now maybe it's not even as important how we're losing or how we win. It's finding a way to win.

You're not going to shut them down. The only way to keep them from scoring is by having the puck. We have to control the puck, that's our only hope. If they have the puck, they're going to score because they're very good.

You never want to settle and be happy with losing. But there are times when you come out of a game and consider yourself a little bit lucky you got anything. Being down 2-1 and the way he was playing with as little time as we had, that is a huge point for us.

This felt good for a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason is because we needed a win bad. It's hard to imagine having to say that in January. We knew there were some teams behind us that were starting to gain some ground due to the fact that we haven't won a lot lately. But we know what has to be done. I don't think we have to look at the standings to realize we're not where we want to be.

They've been in the same school for five years now. I need to get settled first and then maybe they'll come halfway through the year at the (Christmas) break. But, I don't know. It's hard. I will miss them and want them here, but I know how hard it will be on them to move.

There was definitely a focus on what we needed to do for the obvious reasons. I think if we lose this game, we all realize that we put ourselves in a bad spot for the rest of the way.

There was definitely a focus on what we had to do for the obvious reasons. If we lose that game, we all realize we put ourselves in a heck of a bad spot here for the rest of the way. Whereas a win, it doesn't give us everything we need, but it puts us in a position to at least continue to control our own destiny.

They probably deserved to score a goal there. They battled and made it really tough on us. But we found a way to win. That's the bottom line.

It's a finely tuned machine around here, the way they run camp,

It's three games to one. We've got to win some hockey games. To blame anybody right now, it's too late.

It's the toughest stretch I've been involved with in all the years I've played. It's just a disaster right now.

It's always a good feeling. You want to contribute, you want to be a guy your team has confidence in. When you can go out there and do the job, that's why you play.

It's good because after two days or so, you start to feel comfortable again. So it shouldn't be a problem when the games start.

It's been a total team effort, ... In the three games I've had to make some saves at key times, but overall we've played very solid. It's actually fun to sit back there and watch our team. We've played with a lot of enthusiasm and speed, and we've played pretty sound all over the ice. It hasn't been a case of us hanging on, we've played pretty strong.

Then we just went right into scrimmaging with the practice. It was really intense, very organized.

It's not going to end up happening with Pittsburgh,

Every night you have a new opportunity and tonight was nice just to put some of that other stuff behind us.

Everybody wants to play. It's fun when you are playing, and when you're not, you have to find a role and find some way to contribute. As far as competition goes, you compete every day with yourself probably harder than anybody, so the other stuff is just part of it.

It was nice the way we did it getting some goals in the first period. Even though we let them in a little bit in the second, we buckled down in the third. So, overall, it was a great, sound game.

No more this year than they have the last four, ... It's the same every year. I don't really put a lot of stock in it right now. Whatever is going to happen is a day-to-day thing in an organization like ours. We're a young team and if we are winning, things will be good. But if we're not, changes will probably be made. It's all part of the business.

It's very, very frustrating but on the other hand we have to find a way to win those one-goal games instead of losing them.

They came out strong. They didn't seem to sit back and wait and see what was going to happen.

That might mean you play a number of games in a row or that you sit out a number of games in a row. I don't think this is going be a situation of him trying to stroke any egos. It's a Stanley Cup defending team, and whoever can get the job done is going to play. That's all you can ask for as an athlete, is the opportunity, and if you deserve to play you play.

I like being settled, ... I'm not a guy that wants to get moved around, but it is the reality of the game right now.

I hope to go on the ice a few times with my son. I'll do some conditioning, but if you're away from seeing pucks for a week or so, you'll start to have some rust.

I haven't been in a shootout in a long time, so my plan was just to focus on the puck. On Mats' play, I didn't give him a lot. On the next one, if he was going to score, he was going to have to make the perfect shot.

Individually we're all struggling confidence-wise. It's hard for your team to be confident when you don't have a lot of individuals who are confident. We're fighting it in a lot of areas of our game. It's up to each guy to find his game, starting with the goaltenders out. And that'll be as contagious in a good way as this is contagious right now in a bad way.

I have the utmost respect for everything he did on the ice and everything he went through. And he's probably a guy responsible for saving a franchise in Pittsburgh. Just an incredible career.

I haven't seen anything like this in my 16 years in this league, ... What am I going to say? You've got to think about what's best for the team and you don't worry about individuals. Everybody's playing hard to keep this thing going right now, and I'm not going to start anything.

It helps to be a veteran when things go like that. Obviously it's not the first time in my career that I've had to deal with some of that stuff. I think you realize it makes you stronger and you try to stay with it. Every day is a new opportunity.

I don't know how good a coach he'll be. But I'm sure if he wants to be a good one, he will. He'll be as competitive as he always was as a player.

If I can make that save it's still 1-0. Right now we're not making the big plays.

I've got to play better and contribute more”. You've got to find another gear and come up with big games.

It's too easy when you're not winning to look for excuses and point at others for reasons. You ca say 'Oh well, it's this guys fault or they don't do this well', or you can say 'I've got to play better and contribute more'. You've got to find another gear and come up with big games.