Crawford quotes

Here’s what Marc Crawford had to say today. I’ll say that coaches certainly are not obligated to call reporters after they get fired, so I definitely appreciate Marc returning the call. Here’s what he had to say about yesterday’s firing…

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(on his emotions yesterday…) “I was surprised yesterday. I thought (Lombardi and I) had some good exchanges at the end of the season and I thought we were heading in the same direction. Dean and I talked and I do respect his decision to make the change. In the end, he has to be comfortable and I respect that. I’m disappointed but I’m respectful. I have nothing but good things to say about the L.A. Kings. I’m just sorry I won’t be able to see this great young team continue to develop.”

(on his level of surprise…) “I thought we obviously had made a strong decision, over the last year and a half, to downsize the roster and go young. When you trade all your veterans and your captain and you downsize your people to build for the future, that’s what we were doing. i really take pride in that side of the development process. The development of some of those players speaks for itself. Anze will continue to be a great player. Guys like Patrick O’Sullivan and Brown, I was thrilled to work with those players. I loved the limited time we got with Boyle and I think he’s going to be a strong young player. I loved working with Jack Johnson. I was really comfortable with that. I think it’s the right way to go. But again, at this point i understand that he needed to make a change.”

(on Lombardi’s comment that the firing was a “gut decision”…) “He has to feel comfortable. Dean has been around a long time and he knows what he wants. I’m not a part of what he wants. I thought we were aligned and I thought we were working together really strongly, but obviously we weren’t. That’s fine. It’s a tough business and I do respect his ability to make those decisions.”

(on the criticism of not being able to coach young players…) “The job of a coach doesn’t change. The job of a coach is to get the most out of his team that he absolutely can. From that standpoint, I didn’t do enough to stay here. I’m proud of the relationships I’ve had, and will continue to have, with the players. I heard from a lot of them yesterday. I had a great conversation with Rob Blake. I’ve been coaching in this league for a long time. Players know what I’m like and I will continue to have a great rapport with them.”

(on how he felt the young players developed under his watch…) “Those guys are the nucleus of the team. We have had great conversations within the group. We had some great young cornerstones. In all our meetings we talked about that. I had meetings with four individuals and we talked about that quite a bit. That helped to foster accountability. They have flourished and they will continue to flourished.”

(on whether he thought he had a good relationship with Lombardi…) “Yeah, but obviously not close enough. I thought, based on the meetings we had at the end of the season, that we were working toward the improvement we want to see. But I always have to be about improving myself and making myself a little better. That’s what I tell the players they need to do, and I can’t say it if I’m not practicing it myself.”

(on his future…) “I have talked a little bit with my wife and my family. The good thing is, I have two years left (on my contract) with the Kings. That gives me time to think. Having two years to do that is pretty good. You don’t have to rush in if the situation isn’t right. Quite truthfully, I want to be passionate about the next opportunity. I want to use my passion and give the team everything I have. A big reason that people are attracted to me is that I am passionate and I want to win. I want to make the right decision. If the right opportunity comes quickly, great, or if it takes a while, that’s OK too.”

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