“I kind of have to pinch myself. A lot of my dreams are coming true.”

"Growing up, I was always the only black kid on my team and (sometimes) I'd get questions from my friends when I'd say, `I want to be in the NHL' and they'd say, `Well, there are no black people or not very many in the NHL' and as a kid, you'd wonder why. But overall, I didn't really face any racial difficulties. Nothing too bad or too lasting.”

“I would say my goal was just to try to become a better player, more consistent.”

“I think it’d be great to be a role model to kids. If a young black player can look at me and say, ‘He did it, so I can, too.’ I think that’s fantastic. But I hope any young player can do the same.”

“I want to be the top player in the league, and I want to bring my game to another level. I want to play against the opposition’s best players—and I want to beat them.”

“When I came up, it seemed like things on the ice were happening so fast. I used to rush my shot. Now I’m realizing that there’s a split second more to do things. I’m getting clear of the defenseman and not getting my shot blocked, or getting in closer to the net and getting off a quality shot.