The one thing what makes St. Louis what it is are the fans and the people. Not only do you hear it from hockey players, but you hear it from baseball players - it's a great place to play sports. With very sincere fans ... all they ask for is an honest effort. To give them what you've got. And you can be visible in St. Louis and people are very appreciative. All they do is wish you the best.

The only thing I can guarantee to our fans is that we are going to give an effort and try to play aggressive hockey for 60 minutes. I know our team is in better shape than it has been in the past because our testing shows that. One of my primary concerns after the season was that we have to be in better shape. We want to practice and do everything at a higher tempo. We're trying to change the whole culture here as what it takes to be successful.

The only thing I'll promise to do is everything I can to fulfill my obligation to bring a winning team back to Buffalo. There's a great winning tradition here, we know the fans are very passionate and it's something we're very passionate about.

The players really like the idea of having a permanent home where the team can feel comfortable, get more support from the fans and where our opponents will feel uncomfortable,

The players, the committee and everyone was pleasantly surprised at how well it was received. The fans came out in droves, showed that Winnipeg is still a hotbed of curling and we're looking forward to maybe even bigger crowds this year. That would be awesome.