Stephen Walkom Quotes (9 Quotes)

It's not just the players' culture and coaches' culture that needs to change. It's the officiating culture as well because accepted practices in the past will no longer be accepted.

I've got a lot of confidence in these guys, they understand their responsibilities in these games, and if they see a foul in these games, I fully expect they'll react to it. I believe we've given them the proper instructions to stay the course, and they're committed to stay the course.

In the old culture, the old way of thinking, a rule broken in certain situations was not called. The difference is our guys see it and they call it, regardless of the situation. Do that, you have consistency if you don't, you fall back the other way and it's clutch and grab again.

If we can free up the puck carrier, I think we can create the excitement that the fans have desired for some time.

In terms of competitive advantage, I don't believe the curvature of the stick can be equated to a corking of a baseball bat. If you watch (players) and see them preparing to get ready for any game, they know what the rule is and you see them with the saws and files, trying to make their sticks perfect or as close as they can. The good players are right on the edge of every rule and stick measurement is no different.

I hope that the league is giving fans what they want. I was at a game last night, there was hitting, there was scoring - it was entertaining.

We have to have awareness for the soap opera. It's a vicious circle, the way it works.

I think the guys have done a real good job of maintaining our NHL standard from the season start to the end and now into the playoffs.

We hope it accelerates the learning curve. That, coupled with the exhibition season each team plays, should alleviate some of the fears of the players come opening night.