You appreciate things after you lose them.
All that matters is that you find a way to put the puck in the net. It doesn’t matter how. I learned that from Mario.
You can’t give up in any game, even if you are losing.
There’s probably a lot of people wondering if I can play.
Every time I see you naked, I feel sorry for your wife.
I’m not 21 and trying to prove something with my words.
People judge you by the way you play in the playoffs.
Old people, don’t watch it because you might die just watching it.
I know how well I can play. I don’t mention myself with the other players. I mention myself with the best.
It’s tough in the NHL; you have to produce on a high level. And everybody expects you to do it because you make a lot of money. And I never minded it. I always want to be that guy.
You have to be a good team, but you have to be lucky and stay away from injuries.
If I was on a third or fourth line I would probably be in the NHL, because you don’t have to produce every night.
When I’m not happy, I can’t play. That’s just the way I am.
Most people have friends, but no money. I have the opposite. I don’t have a chance to talk to my real friends, the ones I’ve had since I was 5 years old. Sometimes I wish I could bring Czechoslovakia to America. Then I would be the happiest guy in the world.
Russia has got to be the team to beat, in my opinion. When they are playing together as a team, they are tough to beat.
For me, it is the worst kind of sacrilege if you are given some of special talent and you don’t take advantage of this gift.
I’m trying not to be a kid all the time, but it’s hard.
I don’t try to be anything. I just want to play my game.
Crosby is a great player, but I’d have to say Ovechkin, who is also a great player but doesn’t have the same kind of support, and who does something great on almost every shift.
My goal was to play in the NHL, because that is the best hockey in the world.