Hockey History Quotes

I've seen 48 Stanley Cups in my life. I was about six or seven when I started going to games with my dad.

By 1946, I knew Detroit was the best hockey city in the Original Six.

Hockey historians say the handshake dates to English settlers in Canada, who preached an upper-class version of sportsmanship in the 19th century. Soon, tough kids in urban and prairie rinks began imitating imagined dukes and earls of the old country.

I was impressed all my life. Because of the Montreal Canadiens' past, it means a lot because it was a team I cherished as a kid. It was my dream playing for the Montreal Canadiens - it was my dad's team.

People will come up to me at live events or wherever and have me sign Canadian flags or the old 'Team Canada' shirt and have me talk about those days back in 'Team Canada,' so it's a moment that I'm proud of.

I grew up in a city just outside of Edmonton, St. Albert. So I watched NHL games with my grandpa. I watched a lot of games, back then it was called the Smythe Division, and it was just Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

My favorite personal hockey moment was probably when Mike Bossy scored fifty goals in fifty games. He was the first one to do it since Rocket Richard. I was young when it happened, but I remember it very distinctly.

The Montreal Canadiens have been a big part of my family.

One of the advantages, one of the special things, about playing in Detroit or Montreal is guys like Gordie Howe walk in the room. I didn't know he was here tonight, it was kind of a coincidence to get that assist on a night that he's here.

It's true that in Canada, we pride ourselves on the game, and we like to think we're the dominant hockey nation in the world.

I'm not sure Mario is going to get accolafes he deserves, especially from outside the game. But from within, the players, the people who follow closely, realize exactly what he's broughtto the table, exactly what he has done. People tend to forget... hockey was dying in Pittsburgh before he got there. I played there. It was almost dead. I'm sorry, but the NHL would not have a franchise in Pittsburgh today had Mario not come along. Think about it, no hockey in Pittsburgh.

I always look forward to playing in Toronto because it's such a historic city when it comes to hockey.

Everybody whose anybody in hockey has played in Hershey.

Edmonton has such a great history. It makes coming to the rink special to know those former players wore the jersey and had so much success here.

Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull and Jean Béliveau probably looked at us in the '80s and said, "These guys are soft. We used to take the train."

It's an amazing honor to be the fourth Black hockey player to go into the Hall of Fame. It's a huge thrill.

I'm an avid hockey fan and I've been playing for about 17 years, and somebody recently told me that the first organized hockey teams in Canada were all black. Telling those stories would be cool.