He Said It

A Ron Wilson compendium on life with the Mighty Ducks.

“At least I don’t have to change my wardrobe.”

--On being named coach after interviewing for the job in a Donald Duck tie, June 30, 1993.

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“She told me, ‘Dad, you don’t want to be a Mighty Duck. You’ll be a loser.’ She was concerned about the length of an expansion coach’s career.”

--Quoting his teen-age daughter, Lauren, on whether he should become the Ducks’ first coach, June 30, 1993.

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“He’s going to look around and say, ‘Is this heaven?’ And I’m going to go, ‘No, Dad, it’s the Pond.’ ”

--On imagining his late father, Larry, could witness his NHL coaching debut against the Detroit Red Wings, a team once coached by his father and uncle, October, 1993.

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“Break up the Mighty Ducks!”

--After his fledgling team beat Winnipeg to finish a 4-0 trip across western Canada, doubling the season victory total, Nov. 24, 1993.

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“I’d be willing to bet John Vanbiesbrouck’s pads are 14 inches wide. . . . I guess it’s like baseball. The home runs go up one year, you should start checking bats.”

--Accusing the Florida goalie of playing with pads wider than the regulation 12 inches after a 4-2 loss, Jan. 1, 1994.

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“Wayne must have made the call himself. He said his gum was bleeding. Give me a break.”

--Disputing a major penalty against the Ducks after Wayne Gretzky claimed he was cut by defenseman Don McSween’s high stick. The Kings scored twice on the five-minute power play during a 5-1 victory, Jan. 2, 1994.

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“Pat Burns yells at them and it’s, ‘Yes sir, Mr. Burns.’ I yell and it’s ‘Shut up, you punk.’ It’ll catch up some day, I guess.”

--On perceived lack of respect from referees after a 3-2 loss to Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens, April 19, 1995.

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“Our philosophy as a team is to be pins, not pincushions.”

--Expressing frustration over disrespect and criticism of team’s style of play, April, 1995.

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“You have a parachute, but jeez, you want to make sure it opens.”

--On his anxiety as he waited for his contract extension to be finalized despite the team’s 2-8 start, Oct. 29, 1995.

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“Tonight’s game was my first experience playing in the East Coast Hockey League. They sent Dennis Vial to get Paul Kariya and our goaltender. Vial is what, 6-3, 290 fat pounds, trying to get a guy 5-9? That’s really embarrassing. You don’t do that in this league.”

--Criticizing Ottawa Coach Dave Allison for what Wilson considered goon tactics, Dec. 15, 1995. (Vial is 6-1, 225.)

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“You’ve almost got to think people around here think we’re not [expletive] trying, and we’re trying our [butts] off. . . . To get booed by our crowd, a lot of people don’t know what we are up against.”

--On crowd disapproval after injury-ridden Ducks give up four goals in 3:55 and a hat trick to Alexander Mogilny in a mere 2:55 at the end of a 6-2 loss to Vancouver, Dec. 22, 1995.

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“He should be in a wheelchair. With a rope around his neck. I’ll probably get fired for saying that.”

--On the cartoon of accident-prone mascot Wild Wing that emblazoned the team’s short-lived alternate jerseys, January, 1996.

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“I have a feeling that I just became about 20% smarter in the NHL as a head coach.”

--On the acquisition of Teemu Selanne, Feb. 7, 1996. Wilson later revised his estimate upward.

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“I watched that game, and it was so damned depressing. But the worst part was, after the game, I challenged Matt McConnell, our radio broadcaster and resident geek, to air hockey--and I lost, 7-2. After that, I decided to go to bed early.”

--On watching Winnipeg come from behind to win as Ducks chased them for the final playoff spot, April 7, 1996.

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“I’ll be like a diver suffering from the bends. I’ll need to be in a decompression chamber to make the adjustment.”

--On returning to the Mighty Ducks after coaching a team of All-Stars in the World Cup, Sept. 3, 1996.

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“Nothing in the United States compares to the way Canadians feel about hockey, not even baseball. Hockey’s their culture. The whole country’s depressed today, and I’m happy they are.”

--Reveling in his Team USA victory over Canada the day after the World Cup finals, Sept. 15, 1996.

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“I learned something about marketing. Nobody knew who I was. Now I’ve got this stupid haircut and everybody knows who I am. I guess I’ll have to keep it.”

--On his flat-top, which has been almost as much discussed as the World Cup victory, September, 1996.