Say What - 'So Much Emotion'

Mikael Backlund on the Johnny Hockey chant late in the third period:

"I got some goosebumps, that was great. A great moment. It was a very special, emotional night, and to finish off with the fans cheering his Johnny chant, that was great. Gave me some goosebumps, and made me feel how important, how much Johnny meant to the city."

On the emotional toll of the evening:

"After the wake and the funeral, you were just gassed for a few days, had nothing. After the candlelight night, I didn’t get out of bed until 3:00 the next day. Really, so many emotions. We were so excited to see the family, and them being here, but also so sad, such a tragedy. So many different, mixed emotions, something (my) first time dealing with. But we’ll get through it. But it’s always good to have some teammates that were close to Johnny, too, you can share stories and connect with each other."

On his team's performance in the 3-0 win:

"I thought our team played really well. Pretty much the whole game, I thought we played really solid. It was a big, must-win pretty much for us, after a tough road trip, coming home. Been playing really well at home, we got back to the way we know we can play. We’ve got to keep that going now."

On the ceremonial face-off with Sean Monahan:

"That meant a lot. Been thinking lots about him. For him, too, moving to Columbus to be reunited with Johnny, they were so excited to get to play with each other; when I saw them at Mang’s wedding this summer, you could tell how excited they were, they could play together again. For Mony to have to go through that every day, it’s heart-breaking, been thinking a lot about him. It was great to share that moment with him, and to share the love and support for the family."

Dan Vladar on an emotional night:

"The start’s not ideal, right. Lots of emotions, and you kind of don’t really want to play hockey. But then you remember Johnny, how he always wanted to play hockey with a smile on. This one’s for him. He was watching us for sure."

On winning the game for the Gaudreaus:

"For them, and for us as well. As I said, super-emotional game. I’m happy with the group, how we battled."

Rasmus Andersson on the Johnny Hockey chants from the C of Red:

"I was honestly just looking around, kind of enjoying the moment, when the family’s here and they get to hear it. How loved he is, how loved he was in this city. There’s not a lot of players throughout history (who have) gotten that, I got goosebumps. It was a great night overall, to see them all here. But at the same time, it sucked, right? But it was great to see them all here, to see how loved he was and still is in this city."

On pointing to the Gaudreau family after scoring:

"There’s so much emotion going through your body. They know I love them. Me and my family will always be here for them. It was just very emotional, scoring."

On processing the emotions of the night:

"It’s gonna take some time. But, as we talked about, I’m really happy we did it. We managed to get a (win). Even after the game, when Guy steps on the ice, it’s stuff like that I’ll remember for the rest of my life."

Ryan Huska on an emotional win over the Blue Jackets:

"I’m proud of them. That’s a hard one. What I love about it, I mean, Mikael Backlund was a big factor in the game, Andy was a big factor in the game, Coles was a big factor in the game, Vladdy was a big factor in the game, and so was Lombo. Guys that played with him here. I love it. I’m super-proud of them."

On the preparedness shown by his group:

"We talked a little bit yesterday about the ceremony, and tried to do our best to make sure they were as prepared as they can be for what they were going to see, ‘cause it’s hard. It was a very well-done tribute. But I found it hard, and I’ve watched it like five times now. Even after that, before the game, the meetings that we do have tonight, they just had a sense of readiness, I think. Whether it was the older players in Mikael and Blake, and our leaders that we talk about a lot. I think they did an excellent job in finding a way to make sure everybody was ready to play, in a situation where it could have been ok for them not to have a great night. People would have understood that. That’s maybe one of the bigger reasons I’m proud of them tonight."