Trevor Linden Quotations

I feel like I'm skating as well as I ever have right now, ... From a physical standpoint, I feel as strong with my skating and shooting as I ever have. I'm just really enjoying playing the game right now.

For whatever reason early in the year we felt we could get away with not playing a complete game and there were nights we got out competed and we made a lot of mistakes.

Jason King has no gimmicks in his game. He's a real heady player and he's a good thinker. Jason is a mature guy, and he thinks the game well. He's got very good talent, really good hands and a knack to score. I was joking that I don't get called into the power-play meeting anymore, which is a good thing. I'm not complaining, I'm happy about us having depth like that. That's a good thing.

Regardless of whether you're a fan, a hockey player, a coach, a manager, a media writer, it feels good to be talking hockey again,

It feels good to be talking about who's going to finish first in the Northwest and not about all the other stuff.

We'd rather have him on the ice for 22 minutes and not sitting in the box for 17.

We have to keep things in perspective a little bit. They're (alleging that there has been) betting on football, not an uncommon thing. I don't think we should get too carried away with throwing people under the bus. It's an unfortunate situation and something that will be taken pretty seriously. Wayne Gretzky is a pretty well-respected guy and he deserves that.

While I had hoped every member of the executive board would have submitted a vote, I have spoken with a few teams during this process that said they were going to wait to find out what happens with certain claims filed before the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor. We are confident that these claims are without merit and will be withdrawn or dismissed in the near future.

Today, when we should be celebrating the start of the 2004-05 NHL season, we are instead left waiting for the league to step forward with a meaningful, non-salary cap proposal, or join us in negotiations on the four-point framework we presented September 9.

To get right back at it and start firing proposals, I'm not sure that's the right way to do it. To reflect, to decide which way to go, I think is important. At the appropriate time, there'll be discussion and we'll get back to it.

We certainly hope that with this matter behind us, all NHLPA members can come together in order to move forward as an association.

Bettman and the owners hold the key to getting the season under way.

Ted has worked closely with Bob every step of the way and has done an excellent job for the players in our recently concluded CBA negotiations, ... We have every confidence that he will be able to lead our association well in the years to come.

It was difficult but I always said a lot of the difficult times are what shape you. You grow from it and work through it.

It's always easy after the fact. I think that we really felt our position was a good one and made sense from a league standpoint.

It's basically uncharted territory. Where do we go from here? I don't know if anyone is sure.

It's ridiculous. Players make mistakes on the ice. And by no means I'm saying it shouldn't be punished, there's no question. But everything that's being said is way over the top.

It's unfortunate. It's a costly mistake by me and I just cannot put myself in that position.

It's important for both sides to take a little time to reassess. Obviously the process at this point hasn't worked and we'll step back and have a look back at how we can move this thing forward. To get right back at it and start firing proposals, I'm not sure is the right way to do it. To reflect, to decide which way to go, I think is important. At the appropriate time, you know, there'll be discussion and we'll get back to it.

It's important for both sides to take a little time to reassess,

It was his decision. We want to make sure everyone is comfortable with what happened. We want to make sure we don't have anybody that is unhappy or questioning the process.

In February, we grinded for days, days on end,

If you take away Oates you take away everyone on the ice, ... But it's hard because he's so aware.

I don't know if the reaction played a large role in the outcome. We knew it was going to be like this. It was no secret.

I definitely let up and gave him the heads up I was coming,

Everybody wants to play in the playoffs. You don't know how good the good times were until you hit the bad times. But sometimes success is just around the corner.

I had to pinch myself seeing the grassy knoll and the book suppository building.

If somebody asked me to come up with a mental image of my hockey career, there is absolutely no doubt I would be wearing the uniform of the Vancouver Canucks in it.

The skilled players can be skilled players and they're not impeded,