Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin — who added the president of hockey operations title in July — made an appearance on the NHL Now show last Thursday to discuss a variety of topics.
That included playing for Team USA in the World Cup of Hockey, his tenure in Minnesota so far, taking the management route and how he got his start, winning four Stanley Cups (two as a player and two as an assistant general manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins) and more.
Here are a few quotes from Guerin, and you can watch the entire clip here.
What he's most proud of as Wild GM: “I think just really kind of changing things in a positive light. We’ve really worked on the culture. Even though we’ve got some salary cap difficulties, our players don’t care, (and) our coaches don’t care.
"They continue to play hard and not use it as an excuse and make the playoffs. I’m very proud of the team for that. I’m very proud of the organization. I think we’ve kind of elevated everything that we’re doing around the Wild. I’m proud of our team, our organization. We’re really doing that. We have a great culture. ...
(Minnesota) is a great place to play hockey. It is a great place to live. Our players love it there, and they want to stay. I think that’s just fantastic.”
Related Reading: What are Guerin's best moves as Wild GM?
Taking the management route: “It’s the best thing I ever did. … I have the greatest job in professional sports. I’m the happiest guy in the world.”
Winning four Stanley Cups: “It’s tough to put it into words; It really is. It’s the most incredible feeling. It’s just incredible; It really is. There’s no explaining it. I feel very fortunate to have four of them.”
Related Reading: Top prospect pool, culture change headlines Guerin's tenure with the Wild so far