Doug Risebrough

Doug Risebrough
Douglas John Risebroughis a former player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League. In his 31 years in the NHL, he has been involved with the Stanley Cup Playoffs 25 times. He is currently a pro scout for the New York Rangers...
against believed close competing difference games gone happened hard played playing team teams
I wouldn't have believed it. We are on a roll. But if you had told me that our team would be competing against all the teams that we played to date, yes, I would've believed that. Or that we would be playing hard -- yes. Or that they'd be close games -- yes. I think the difference is that all of those things have happened and some of those close games have gone in our favor.
center hard maybe opportunity role somebody trying
One role we've been trying to find is somebody at center who's hard working and kind of pesky. Erik's kind of done that at the U and done that as a pro. Maybe there's an opportunity to see what he can do in NHL.
fill next plan
We have to fill in some blanks. We have the (financial) flexibility to fill in those blanks. Our plan has to be executed, not just over this summer, but over the next two years.
based commitment game history home performance since team wild
The Wild's commitment to Manny and his commitment to the team are based upon his play this season, and his performance with the Wild ever since he started the first home game in team history on Oct. 11, 2000.
five four guy lose might people somebody
There's somebody who's going to say, 'I don't want to lose this guy so I'll put him out in four or five days' because they want to see what people might acquire.
goals relying score skills
Right now, we're not manufacturing enough goals. We're relying on our skills to score goals.
difference four players realizing risk taking teams three
Teams are more comfortable now taking on the risk of development of players than they were three or four years ago. More teams are realizing young players aren't a detriment. To me, there's no difference between a player at 19 and someone who's 21.
blue edge far fast few league line means people transition
I think he's going to be able to be better with these changes. Where he probably has an edge is with his speed. So if transition means you can go to the far blue line very quickly, there's probably very few people in the league that can get there as fast as him.
acquired played player playing
We put a player on waivers who wasn't playing and acquired a player that's played more and is younger. Let's see what he can do.
found guy higher level maybe played
He's a guy that you know has played at a higher level before and maybe just hasn't found the right fit.
deserve maybe playing rookies veterans
If I was going to do it, then I'd probably do something with the veterans more than the rookies because they've been playing well and maybe they deserve a chance.
anybody rival sure year
Because of the split, I'm not sure if we've ever been able to find out what Manny can do. This year's been Manny's year. He's had exceptional years. This year will rival anybody else in the league.
continue help improve next step team
We see this as a step that will continue to improve our team and help take us to the next level.
difficult kevin less moved somewhere trade understand value
It was simple, the value was there in making the deal. It was a difficult trade to make so Kevin had to understand that the value was going to have to be more, even if it would have been less had I moved him somewhere else.