I just gave him a nod ... just acknowledged him. It's very nice.

I've always acknowledged my debt to Hammer. I've always said I'm very grateful to them. They gave me this great opportunity, made me a well known face all over the world for which I am profoundly grateful.

It's tough when you try to pull the rabbit out of the hat at the last minute. It was not the start that we would have liked, but the fact that we hung in there and gave a valiant effort says a lot about our team.

Nothing replicates being in a game. Everything happened so fast. If you don't get that long, off-wing shot or one of those types of plays that gives you a chance to kind of feel the puck and get into the flow of the game . . . That's just something that I have to learn to continue working on.

It's crushing. You want to be an eraser and make things right.

It's kind of reassuring because win or lose they'll always be there for you. It's certainly an honor and a privilege, knowing what the minor league hockey arenas and the streets have meant to me here.