Ranking the Most Quotable Players in NHL History

Hockey players still have the reputation as the nicest guys for the media to interview. Very often, though, nice means boring. The prevailing attitude in hockey is "Team, not individual," so players are careful not to say things that will draw too much attention to themselves.

There are, however, exceptions. And to those holding the notepads and the microphones, these players are gold. They seem to be getting even fewer and farther between in the modern age, though. Today's player coming through the ranks goes through extensive media training, with classes on how to handle questions, the do's and don'ts of social media and so on. 

Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are great fun to watch on the ice, but off the ice? Well, let's just say their reputations as "good quotes" are next to nil within the ranks of the Dickie Dunns of the league. 

This slideshow pays homage to some of the greatest talkers in NHL history, past and (at least one) present, along with one or two of their most colorful quotes.

On behalf of hockey media everywhere, thanks for filling our notebooks with more than just the usual cliches.

10. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

When you talk to P.K. Subban, he actually looks at you. That may sound ridiculous, but many players, when giving an answer to a reporter's question, stare ahead blankly with all the enthusiasm of a patient being told "you're next" in the dentist's office.

Subban seems to enjoy the give-and-take with the press. He seems to understand that a colorful quote now and then is good in the promotion of the sport. That might have rubbed some traditionalists the wrong way during his stay in Montreal, which is weird because if there should be one organization that knows the value of the press to the game, it should be Montreal. 

The team probably still has the largest contingent of credentialed media following it around, partially because there are numerous French outlets along with English ones. 

There are several memorable Subban quotes, but this is one of the best. It happened before the Canadiens were to play Boston in Game 7 of a playoff series in 2014, in Boston.

"It's going to be great," he said. "I can't wait for the crowd, the noise, the energy in the building. I can't wait to take that all away from them."

The Habs beat Boston 3-1 in that seventh game.

9. Dave "Tiger" Williams

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Tiger Williams, right

Dave "Tiger" Williams ran his mouth a lot in his long NHL playing career. It's partially why he remains the league's all-time penalty-minutes leader, with 3,966. Many Williams chirps to opponents led to fisticuffs, and Williams was always a willing dance partner.

Williams wasn't shy around reporters either. He always had a funny line for the press, but perhaps his most famous quote surrounded a 1977 playoff series between Williams' Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Leafs won the first game of a best-of-three series, and someone asked Williams what he thought of Pittsburgh's chances. 

"Them Penguins are done like dinner" Williams said.

It remains a staple quote of hockey players and reporters today, whenever a series looks over (well, players don't actually say it publicly, but...). 

Turns out the Penguins' goose was, indeed, cooked. The Leafs won the series in three games.

8. Claude Lemieux

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Claude Lemieux always had time for a reporter, whether they were from the New York Times or the Palooka Daily Gazette.

But some of Lemieux's most famous "quotes" weren't to the media, but to opponents on the ice. A couple of his all-time classics include "Which one were you, Dumb or Dumber" to Boston's Cam Neely, a dig at Neely's role in the Jim Carrey comedy classic of the same name.

Another Lemieux classic made for unintentional hilarity. Trying to get under the skin of Flyers captain Eric Desjardins, Lemieux, then with the Devils, asked whether the "C" on Desjardins' uniform stood for "selfish" (per the New York Times).

Some of the best Lemieux quotes can't be printed here, because this is a family site. So I'll go with this as one of Lemieux's typically candid responses, to a reporter's question in 1995 about whether his New Jersey club's neutral zone trap was putting viewers to sleep.

"Well, too bad. Go watch a show somewhere else," he said, as recounted by the New York Times.

7. Wayne Gretzky

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

He may seem an unlikely choice, given his icon status, which usually means such a player needs to watch what he says so as to not make any of their endorsement sponsors nervous. But The Great One has always been a good, honest quote, and he's got some classics that live on.

Here are a couple:

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been."

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take."

"I promised Mess I wouldn't do this," after tearing up following his trade from Edmonton to Los Angeles in 1988, talking about teammate Mark Messier.

6. Bobby Hull

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

He was never one to mince words, and sometimes it got him in trouble. 

But that only made the men and women with notebooks and tape recorders seek him out more. Hull's superstar status made his words stand out more than the average Joe, and here are a couple of his finest and funniest:

"My former wife made me a millionaire. I used to have three million dollars."

"(Bobby) Orr is the best young player to come along since I've been here."

But not to be outdone in the Hull family...

5. Brett Hull

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Compared to his son, Bobby Hull was a church mouse with the media. 

Brett Hull almost always had a funny one-liner in any interview. If he wasn't trying to be funny, Hull could be caustic, sarcastic and bombastic. Hull had one of the game's great one-liners, along with one of the best one-timers.

A sampling:

"Do I catch flak because I'm so much smarter than everyone else? I don't know."

 "I'm not dumb enough to be a goalie." 

"I don't like hockey. I'm just good at it."

4. Patrick Roy

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

One of Patrick Roy's most famous quotes came on the bench of the Montreal Canadiens, on Dec. 2, 1995. After being kept in the game for nine goals in an eventual 11-1 loss to Detroit, Roy walked over to team president Ronald Corey and said, "I've played my last game in Montreal." And that ended up being the case.

Roy had several other memorable quotes, including one in 1996 before Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals with Colorado against Chicago.

The Avs won Game 4 of the series to tie it 2-2, and Roy dismissed a non-call against teammate Sandis Ozolinsh on what was a blatant hooking penalty against Jeremy Roenick on a breakaway in overtime. Roy said he would have "stopped it anyway," to which Roenick replied that Roy's "jock" was still hanging in the rafters of the United Center from a previous breakaway goal in the series.

Roy responded to that one with: "I can't hear what Jeremy says, because I got my two Stanley Cup rings plugged in my ears." 

Roy would soon have a third Cup ring to drown out any noise.

As a coach with Colorado in the 2014 playoffs against Minnesota, Roy said it was time for his Avs to "Put our b---s on the table." 

Come back soon, Patrick.

3. Sean Avery

Diane Bondareff/Associated Press

Not all of Sean Avery's quotes are safe for family viewing, so we'll go with some of his lesser-controversial quotes. One thing is for sure: Avery made for interesting copy everywhere he went.

A sampling:

About the NHL not doing a good enough job promoting itself, Avery told ESPN this : "Nobody cares about Jarome Iginla and guys like that. They're just not exciting."

"Typical of most French guys in our league with a visor on, running around playing tough and not backing anything up."

After the Devils' Martin Brodeur refused to shake his hand after a playoff series with his Rangers, Avery said: "Everyone talks about how classless I am, but I guess Fatso there just forgot to shake my hand.” 

2. Gump Worsley

Associated Press

The Gumper had some classics in his day. One of the last goalies to play without a mask, Gump Worsley often made light of that subject and many other topics. He was kind of the Yogi Berra of his day in hockey. 

Some of the best Gumper quotes include:

"Being a goaltender is not a job that would interest any normal, straight-thinking human."

"Anyone wearing a mask is scared."

"The only job worse is a javelin catcher at a track-and-field meet."

On a losing team with the New York Rangers early in his career, Worsley was asked which team in the NHL gave him the most trouble. "The New York Rangers," he said.

1. Jeremy Roenick

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He has been known to make many brash statements as a television analyst with NBC, but that's nothing compared to when Jeremy Roenick was a player. 

J.R. was a reporter's dream, always telling it exactly how he saw it. Roenick always had a biting, sarcastic wit, and he could be downright hilarious at times.

My all-time favorite quote of J.R. came in the 2000 NHL playoffs, when Roenick's Phoenix Coyotes were playing the Colorado Avalanche. After a loss to the Avs at the Pepsi Center, Roenick bitterly complained about the officiating, in particular how referees were too protective of veteran defenseman Ray Bourque.

"Can't touch him," Roenick complained. "He's the Messiah."

Other Roenick gems:

"They just love to complain about me because I'm an American who gets more press than their Canadian players."

"The only difference between the Coyotes and Days of Our Lives is that nobody has been shot on our team yet."

"Everybody out there who calls us spoiled because we play a game, they can kiss my ass." (Prior to 2004 NHL lockout)