“This Is It” | Buffalo Sabres Goalie Craig Anderson Wins Final Game Of Career Against Ottawa

um you know I think in the end enjoy it in the moment give the team a chance to win I mean I think there's another

game

and I knew the guys were fighting hard and we're going to make it a fight to the finish and just I had to make sure I did my job to give us a chance to go back and tie him up. It doesn't mean you have the guys and you can experience tonight with you in different ways, either Memorize the lineup. card I mean it's huge I mean they've been through so much sacrifice so much for me to be here and chase my dream and for them to be a part of it I think they know they're a big part of where I am and how I got here, so you know they are, you know they should enjoy it as much as I did and you know, I think now is the time for them to take me home and do what I need to do there the respect that the car showed you I mean those players they waited for you does that mean much too?

You just know that it's an honor for me to be a part of his

career

as well and even though you don't think you have an impact on the guys, you know at the end of the day how you treat people. and what you tell them and it goes a long way and I think that's, you know, the kind of respect that they gave tonight and I said I didn't know I had that much influence on those guys but you know to

this

day they're still grateful for for me to be there and be a part of their entry into the league, no, you know, I think you know I left everything there, you know, at the end of the day I did everything I could to make sure it was competitive and gave the team a chance to gain.

I have been lucky enough to take everything I have from

this

game

and have always wanted to give back as much as I can. all along i mean i couldn't write a better story i mean um you know i think when we talk about writing stories i think three years ago when the undercover hit and the season ended abruptly um you know sitting there with my family an agent and mary was just saying that's not how it's going to happen or that he didn't write that story and just persevered through a Squad Etc adversity tactic and was able to find a home here we know the GM and a coach came in and believed me when I was more or except an old loser and you know he revived the

career

a little bit unable to give back and share my experience with the young guys and get on time starts and you know do what I can to speed up these other guys with their careers and give them an experience and like I said I wouldn't be here with no guys who believed in me and that starts, you know, when I went to Ottawa with Brian Murray and you meet Pierre Dorian too. all these guys believe in you and, um, you know that's the way it is, you find someone who falls in love with you, you know you do everything you can to give them the best version of yourself, could you see yourself doing something else? in hockey training or GM or something, yeah, I don't know, we'll see, I mean, I think right now it's, uh, enjoy the ride, it's not over yet, we've got another tomorrow to enjoy with the guys and then us.

I'll see where things go after that, I mean, I think the first and most important thing is to go home and, you know, attend to my duties that I've been ignoring for the last while, not on purpose, but like I said, my family has been great this year. there have been a lot of tears but, you know, i think it's not moments like this, you know you can't write these These are what make it special and my children and my family will remember it for the rest of their lives reflect on your time with them You know, what is the biggest difference between getting here and now? um, I would say believe, you know, the guys are starting to believe in what they can do when I first got here, they were all a little unsure where we were going and what we were doing and I think Donnie and Kevin have put together a sheet of roadmap and players stepped in and understood what that roadmap was and we put ourselves in a situation where we're ready to take leaps and bounds from where we are. re and just the outpouring of the fans I mean you've been here two years and you're chanting your name and you're waving to them I mean what does that mean?

What does that say about the ghost? the fan base here is, um, you know they have a lot to be excited about, I think, um, you know myself, you just know, leave it on the ice My love for the game and fighting for the guys who fight for it fan base just lay it all out there I think that's the most important thing as a player all you can do is give 110 and let the fans uh you know judge you for what you've done and the fans have a lot to do . I look forward and you know, I think it's been a great city, it's been a welcoming city and I'm looking forward to seeing, you know, where this city and this team can go, Craig, when the record dies in case he puts it on. on the boy uh you know it's a perfect story i think it's amazing you know you know you're a little numb to all of it you just know this really just happened this is the way it's supposed to be I mean things they happen for a reason this is the way we're supposed to play um they get a point we get a point we win in overtime i guess you couldn't ask for a better story thanks you