Here is just a sample of the words and wisdom Mathieu Schneider bestows upon the media.
About not being nominated for the Norris Trophy
"I wasn’t expecting it. It would have been a nice honor, but there’s only one trophy that matters to me. It’s been a tremendous season all the way around and I couldn’t be happier."
"If it would have come it would have been great. Having been talked about is plenty of reward"
About all of the new attention he has been getting with Detroit
"I don't feel like I'm doing anything that I haven't done the last few seasons. But when you play on a winning team in a great hockey city, you get a little more recognition. It's been great to get the notoriety I've gotten this year."
About that Norris Trophy talk
"It's really nice to hear, obviously, but it's the furthest thing from my mind. Our goal is to get to the playoffs and get the home ice advantage for as much of the playoffs as we can."
About his two game suspension for high-sticking
"It was so unintentional. I was focused on the puck. It was a penalty-kill. I wasn’t going to put our team down five-on-three in a game that close. It’s just very disappointing and frustrating."
"Glen is a friend of mine. We let them know that. I work out with Glen every day in the summer back in L.A. I'm not going to try to injure him. I'm not out there trying to injure anyone. I'm not trying to hit someone in the head with my stick."
"I'm not out there maliciously trying to hurt someone. I play aggressively and sometimes that stuff's going to happen. It's happened to me. I've had teeth knocked out, my nose broken, (incidents) that have gone unpunished. If you're going to punish one guy, you have to punish everyone when it happens."
"Without a doubt, if you look at the tape, it's a penalty. It was probably a missed call on the play. But... I don't think it warranted a suspension. I think it's uncalled for."
"Obviously my stick got up high. Call a penalty. Fine. But when you look at some of the stuff that's happened and the discipline that's been handed down, it doesn't add up."
"You see intentional slashes and shots that don’t get the same consideration.”
"Regardless of what it looks like, it’s very disappointing that’s the decision they (the NHL) came to."
"Guys get singled out and there's nothing you can do about it. I was disappointed in the decision. It seemed a little personal to me."
About the trade from LA to Detroit
"I'd heard the rumors the previous couple of days, and I kind of thought that it blew over. When I came to bed last night, I really felt that I was going to be hopping on the plane this morning going to Tampa. But when my phone rang at 7 this morning, I knew that was it. I was really hoping that it was going to be Detroit."
"My feeling was, I wanted to stay. But I'm definitely excited about having a chance to play in the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. You can't ask for much more than that."
About the challenge of going to a new team and new system
"I think it's going to be an easy transition."
"I'd like to be able to bring the same things I've done in L.A.. I try to play a solid two-way game, offense and defense."
"Hopefully, this is my last stop on the Original Six."
About playing with Chris Chelios
"He's a special player to have lasted as long as he has. I'm very excited."
"Playing with Chris will make me feel young again, that's for sure."
About wanting to stay in LA despite rumors indicating otherwise
"If I was open to a trade, I would have been in asking for a trade."
"It's part of the game, and I realize I'm one of the guys that potentially could be moved — I've been moved before; it wouldn't be the end of the world -- but this is where I want to be, this is where I want to play.
"No, I don't want to be traded. That's all."
"As far as me wanting to go someplace, no way. This is where I want to be. That is the bottom line. There are no other issues. Are there other great cities in the NHL? Sure. Do I want to be there? No. I want to win here."
"What I'd like to see is the team re-sign the free agents, get everyone healthy and take another kick at the can next season. We started the season well, but we've never had the chance to see what could have happened this year"
About what makes a hockey player "smart"
"The smartest players are the guys who make their teammates better. There are 10 or 12 guys like that."
About two players he considers among the smartest
"(Joe Sakic is) consistently one of the best players in every game and he makes his linemates look better than they are a lot of nights."
"If Brett Hull isn't the smartest player in the NHL, he's one of the top three. He's really turned into an incredible playmaker, to go along with his great goal-scoring ability. He's also killing penalties and playing very well defensively. Before he was a one-dimensional guy; now he's doing everything."
About Kings' head coach Andy Murray's system
"He encourages all our defensemen to get involved if the opportunity is there. We want to try and create offense. That not only helps your defensemen, but it helps the forwards. We have a comfort level that if we jump into the play we are going to be supported. We can jump down the wall, create picks or traffic to the net and it's all part of a system."
About the best defense
"I know it's a cliche, but the best defense is a good offense. They can't score on you if the puck is in their end."
About the importance of team unity in hockey
"Hockey is not like any other sport. It's not like baseball where the left-fielder doesn't have to like the catcher. Getting along is critical. You rely on each other so much."
About, well, um, I have no idea...
"So many times this year we've milked the cow and kicked over the bucket"
About losing focus in a game
"We know where we went wrong out there; it's not rocket science. As soon as we scored the fourth goal we kind of backed off into a shell."
About a lousy call
"It wasn't a penalty. I have felt cross checking and that was not it."
About his re-energized career
"Last year (2000-01 season) was probably the most fun I've had in four or five years"
About LA Kings' coach Andy Murray
"He's not a yeller or screamer. That's something that I appreciate in a coach."
About not being selected for Team USA's 2002 Olympic team
"I wouldn't be human if I said I wasn't disappointed and felt that I'd be a great addition to the team. But it's something that's totally out of my hands. I can only worry about what I can control."
"I know they were trying to keep it guarded and secret, but leaks get out and when I started reading things in the paper that were more negative than positive about me not playing or them not being able to see me play, I had a pretty good idea that I wasn't going to be named."
"If they were really interested in having me play, they would have called me to find out how I was doing--if I'd be back in time, if I felt I'd be coming back 100%. And I never got any calls, my agent never got any calls."
About the tragedy of September 11, 2001
"The world got a little smaller yesterday and we're all at risk. Everyone's going to be thinking in that frame of mind for awhile. It's sad we have to live that way."
"The whole country's been hit hard and seems to be rallying, but I don't believe that we can get back to the way we were for a long time - the safety we felt and the comfort we felt about being Americans and living here."
"I have to question whether that [sense of safety]will ever be the same. The images we've seen for the last week will always been in our minds."
About opening training camp following the deaths of two Kings' scouts aboard American Airlines Flight 175, the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center
"It was kind of divided. Some of the players felt we should sit out, some of the players felt we should go on. Dave and Andy [Murray, the Kings' coach] knew [Bailey and Bavis] best, and their feeling was, they would have wanted us to go on."
"That's kind of a hockey mentality anyway, and [practicing] takes your mind off things, that's for sure, even if it's only for a couple of hours. The thing about hockey players is, once you get here and put the gear on, you're focused on the game."
About deciding on a one-timer rather than setting up for a shot
"I said what the heck, I'll just let it go."
About his ability to shoot the puck
"I'm not a sniper by any means."
About LA Kings' fans
"The fans have been tremendous at all our home games"
About the hard working LA Kings team, surprising everyone with their playoff success
"There's no quit in us. A lot of people counted us out in February and March, and we battled our way into the playoffs. A lot of people didn't give us a chance to win the Detroit series, and we did [in six games]. A lot of people didn't give us a chance to win one game in this series (vs. Colorado), but we did."
About why he likes living in Los Angeles
"We wanted to be somewhere we thought we would live after hockey. It was really between the West Coast and East Coast. We love big cities and we love the ocean and being near the water. The weather is tremendous here. It is my first time playing in a warm climate, so I'm looking forward to a mild winter. I like the lifestyle out here -- it's a lot more laid back. We have a baby on the way in February. We came right in and bought a house right away because we plan on making this our home."
About New York Rangers' GM Glen Sather's decision to not re-sign him
"I really have no idea what Glen was thinking because he never spoke to me or my agents even once. I don't know the man at all, I've never had a conversation with him, but he certainly has the right to do what he wants. I always wanted to play for the Rangers and wanted to stay here so I'm obviously disappointed, but I'm also optimistic that this will work out for the best for me."
About his impending unrestricted free agency, July 1, 2000
"I'm sure the organization knows my first preference is to stay. I've never made a secret of the fact that this is where I want to be."
About playing after being down a few goals
"As soon as they get four, we've got a mountain to climb."
About the state of the Rangers at the season's midway point
"There were a lot of games earlier in the season we might have won... It would be nice to have those extra points, right now."
About the inconsistency in the Rangers' game
"We seemed to have a brain cramp right in the middle of the game."
About Brian Leetch's broken foot
"Brian's not the type of player to stay down and baby himself. He's played through plenty of injuries since I've been here, and you know he's really hurt when he can't go back out there."
About the Rangers keeping it together after a bad play
"In the past, when something like that happened, it was: 'Oh no!' But tonight, for whatever reason, it wasn't. Why? Who knows? But it's a start."
About playing with injuries
"At one time or another, we all play with injuries. Guys appreciate when guys do it. It trickles through the team. You're playing for each other and playing for the team. You gain respect and the team comes closer together."
On the bad start to the Rangers' 1999-2000 season
"We're not working smart. We have so many talented players, but I think everyone feels that just by stepping out on the ice, things will happen. We're not going to beat guys with fancy plays and tic-tac-toes. I think that's become pretty obvious in the last couple games."
About bad Rangers power play
"I don't understand it. We have to get dirty goals, rebound goals... And, right now, we're not getting them."
About playing the game, after settling his personal life
"I feel like a kid again. My wife's been tremendous throughout everything, and I just love coming to the rink now. It's been a tough time for (the team), and that makes it difficult, but on a personal level, the game has really been fun for me again. I feel like I'm 23, 24 again, enjoying it."
On Ranger Teammate Brian Leetch
"He's a workhorse. I can't imagine him not being back. I can't imagine Brian not in a Ranger uniform. The city loves him, the management and the coaches, and he loves being here, He's a class act with everything he has done and is a great leader."
About his increased physical play
"I've always had a mean streak."
About the state of the Rangers after a long team meeting in December, 1998
"I think we talked about relaxing, being more confident. If we can get alead, we'll be OK. The first goal was off the power play and that was huge. Five-on-five, we can play with anyone. If our special teams will come along, we'll be OK."
About the Rangers bad start
"We're not out of it by any means, and we're starting to play better."
About playing with his new teammates on the power play
"I haven't had that much fun on the power play in a long time. It's like playing keepaway sometimes, but we got two huge goals, we moved the puck around really well and easily. (Leetch) and Sunny (Sundstrom) and Gretz and Alex (Kovalev), they create so much space and time out there, I'm just trying to get open for them and be a threat to shoot. It's just easy to play with those guys."
About his feelings of his trade to the Rangers
"I'm pretty excited. This is like coming home. I couldn't have hand-picked a team that I would rather have gone to."
About his feelings of the way the Maple Leafs treated the trade
"The Leafs forced me into a trade. If I knew that's what they wanted all along, I would have asked to be traded a lot sooner. But, that's okay. I don't take it personally. I'm very happy now."
About his contract "dispute"
"It was never about money."
About the Leafs management and communication
"It does no good for me to get into a war of words with the Leafs. But there was a definite lack of communication on that club."
"I've been here (New York) for one day and already I've had a longer conversation with Neil Smith than I did in a whole year with Mike Smith or Ken Dryden."
About the Bob Gainey situation (when he was offered as compensation to sign Gainey as GM last year)
"That was completely ridiculous. Everybody around the league had a good chuckle about it."
About whether or not he was the "cancer" causing tension within the Montreal Canadiens locker room
"No, I'm a Gemini."
About playing the Islanders
"Any time you go up against one of your old teams, it's special."
About being suspended after giving Paul Kariya a concussion
"The league is kind of inconsistent with these things. It's a little ridiculous when I'm suspended and so many blatant calls are disregarded. If it was 18 other guys on their team, nothing would have been said."
About receiving a concussion of his own
"I'm kind of tired. I had a headache the first day, but that's kind of gone. A couple of days' rest and I'll see the doctor again. I'm just fortunate (the high stick) wasn't closer to the eye. I haven't seen it (on video), but I've been told it was careless use of the stick. It's something the league has been trying to crack down on."
About playing with Team USA
"That was definitely the fastest and the best hockey I have ever been involved in. You can only elevate your game when you play at a higher level."
"The U.S. talent pool has been growing steadily over the past four or five years. A lot of key players in the league are U.S. players. We still do not have the depth Canada has, but at the top level we can compete. We just proved that."
"Playing on the U.S. (World Cup) team and being around guys like Brett Hull, Mike Richter and John LeClair made it a truly special experience. And, of course, winning made it that much better."
About Mike Richter (incidentally, I got this quote from an interview during the World Cup of Hockey, long before he was a Ranger)
"As far as I'm concerned he is the best goalie I think I've ever played with."
About the story he hopped a cab to the hospital during a playoff game in 1996
"Actually, the ambulance took me over, I didn't get a cab. I was watching the game in the hospital while I was waiting for the eye doctor there. They'd stitched me up at the Gardens and then I went over to the hospital. I missed the whole second period and came back. No I didn't take a cab back; the ambulance brought me back. It was kind of funny walking through the hospital with my equipment on."
About playing hockey as a career
"I thank God all the time that I'm able to do this (play hockey) for a career. I'm still thinking what am I going to do when I'm done playing. And I still have no idea - hopefully, it's still another seven or eight years away."
Odds and ends during the Maple Leafs 1997-98 season
"It's a big piano off our back." (after finally winning a game)
"That's just my luck, I haven't been able to put one in yet."
"That was a boring game, there was a lot of clutching and grabbing. I'm sure it was boring to watch. It was boring to play."
"We are sick and tired of losing. It has been very, very frustrating. I am embarrassed."
"Aside from us not scoring a lot of goals, we're doing a lot of things right."
"Two wins is big. When you get that, there's more jump, even at practice. You see the guys are snapping the puck. ... It was an ugly road game, though. But we'll take the win."
``We will not be the Pittsburgh Penguins or the New York Rangers. We will have to battle every night."
"Good defense was our biggest asset and now it's hurting us. Our opponents will score one and then another or two very quickly and we just can't recover."
About being a team leader
"That is the position I want to be in . . . I want to have a big role, have a lot of ice time and be a leader on this team."
About being involved in a playoff race
"(Motivation) is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical these days. And you can talk yourself out of fatigue."
About putting his son's name on his stick
"It was just something I wanted to do."
About how he got involved in hockey
"Since I have a lot of French-Canadian relatives, my father had me play ice hockey, so I'd able to keep up with my cousins. I always wanted to win the Stanley Cup."
About being a rare Jewish hockey player
"I've been fortunate, in that I've played in cities that have large Jewish populations. Therefore, it's given me an opportunity to be a role model and have and impact on young people. This is especially true playing for Canadian teams, because hockey is everything in Canada, and everything you do is noticed."
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