Sergei Samsonov Quotations

I got my letter from them on Thursday. They're not telling us we're on the team, but they've told us and they've told the Bruins that we're under consideration.

I got a rebound and I had kind of a bad angle, and I was just trying to put it on net. I actually took a pretty good shot at it and I thought it was going in, but the goalie reached it with his stick and made a pretty good save.

He's definitely a talented guy. Right now, he's been put in a tough situation. He's shown a lot in his first couple of games but there's so much pressure on our team right now. He's had to step in and play well right away and I think he'd done that. He's got a lot of skill, he's a pretty fast guy and he has a lot of hockey sense.

He's a terrific player. He's tricky. He makes a lot of plays. He makes that team a lot better. Him being out of their lineup works to our advantage.

It happens in the league. (Mike) made those calls, he was the GM and that's the business we play in. When a team is struggling, somebody has got to pay and I guess it was his turn.

It happens in the league. He made those calls, he was the GM at the time and that's the business we play in. It seems like if you don't perform, trades happen and sometimes it goes even higher.

We have a lot of big, strong guys who used to make plays when people were hooking, and now, look at Joe (Thornton). He gets the puck in the neutral zone and no one can stop him. We have a lot of offensive guys on our team who thrive on that, and hopefully it's going to play right into our hands.

When a team is struggling, somebody has got to pay and I guess it was his turn. The team went through so many changes this year, a lot of things changed, and it seemed like it was almost natural just to go even higher.

We're at this point right now where we have to get it going. There's nothing really than can discourage us anymore. We're a desperate team, and I think we kind of showed that desperation.

When my stick broke, the puck just ended up being in my feet. I just figured I'd buy some time until somebody gets there. It just ended up being a funky play.

We've definitely had some different lineups and different line combinations and consistently I think there's only been (Patrice Bergeron's) line that's been together. Everyone else has been trying to get it going and help the lines out. I feel the same way.

There's still a little bit of pain, it's still kind of there. But it's good enough to practice and play. Hopefully it will just fade away now over the next couple of weeks.

It was tough. It was easy on the ice, but it was difficult otherwise. I had to learn everything. Guys on the team helped me a lot. The organization was real good and took real good care of me. I brought all my bills to an assistant in the general manager's office. I learned a lot.

seems like it was just one long summer. Everybody's excited to be back.

Once we have a lead we have to try and keep it. It's two frustrating losses.

There's definitely a little bit of pressure coming to a new team, hopefully it's not going to show up too much on the ice.

It seems like the chemistry is not there for a whole game. You'll see sparks here and there, but it seems like we're just not on track now for some reason. Don't forget we have a brand new team. Don't forget that all the lines are playing together for the first time. It might take some time. That's part of it.

It was a scary thing. You get cut in a position like that and you don't know how it's going to react. Initially, I felt a lot of pain, but it's not as bad now.

It makes it easier. We trade thoughts, and obviously he is a big addition to the team.

The back is a lot better, almost non-existent. Kind of what we're looking at right now is making sure it doesn't come back. It's gotten a lot better, and we don't want to push it to the point where we might tax it.

It's being more comfortable with everything. I think it's natural when you're traded to not be sure how things will be and what to expect. But after playing a few games and getting to know the guys a bit, now it's a lot easier.

It's huge, obviously. It's a lot easier to play with a big lead. Once you get a two- or three-goal lead, it's so much easier to play.

It was my first year in North America and we won the cup. It was one of my best years ever. I made a lot of friends during that time and it was a real big learning process for me.

I didn't start on time. I am getting out there, but it's going to be slow. I'm not going to get on the ice and kill myself.

Hopefully it's not that major. I hope I can play (tonight). We'll see how it is, I guess. I'll try it out and see if I'm ready to go. It's just a sprain. It's hard to say how it is. We'll see. It's probably just a day-to-day thing.

Hopefully it's not that long, but there's definitely going to be some adjustment. I've never played in the Western Conference, the travel is a little different, but in the end you're just playing hockey.

I definitely would like to stay here. I like the city, I've played on this team for a long while and I've got a lot of friends here. It would make sense to stay here. . . . We talked a few times about a long-term deal, but it just never got off the ground. We left on pretty good terms. The door is still open.

I appreciate what they did for me. I didn't know anything about systems. Looking back, they just let me play and I'm sure I made some mistakes.

You can thank the two goaltenders for the score being 2-1 tonight,