Sharks Locker Room: Reimer Talks Appleton Save, Quinn on Leaders ‘Keeping This Thing Together’

The San Jose Sharks snapped a nine-game home losing streak with a 3-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Jets.

This could be a critical blow for the Jets, hanging on to the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, and their playoff hopes. They’ve actually lost twice to the cellar-dwelling Sharks in March, in fact, San Jose’s only two victories this month.

Noah Gregor talked about having something to prove to the San Jose Sharks as a pending RFA, James Reimer offered what was going through his mind on the Mason Appleton save, and David Quinn shared which leaders have really held together this Sharks room in a season from hell.

Noah Gregor, on being an RFA and what he wants to prove to the San Jose Sharks to close the season:

I want to prove to the organization here that I’m a piece that they want to have next year and years to come. I love playing in San Jose. I’m just gonna go out there for the last eight games now and try to prove to them that I should be around.

Gregor, on James Reimer’s save on Mason Appleton:

Unbelievable. I stood up right away. Crazy save. I thought it was a for sure goal for their guy there. He made a bunch of great saves tonight.

James Reimer, on what was going through his mind during the Appleton save:

I just heard the Homer [Simpson] scream in my head was pretty much all that was going on. I reached over there, and lucky enough, I was able to get a paddle on it. One of those plays where you’re committed to the guy with the puck and then he takes a look and finds someone and it’s just obviously desperation and it’s nice when those go your way.

Reimer, on if he was concerned at all about the reception that San Jose Sharks fans would give him after his refusal to wear a Pride jersey:

You know, not too much. Obviously, people are entitled to their opinions. But obviously today, I was focused on just playing hockey and playing hard for the guys and trying to give it my all, like I try and do every night. I think the fans were accepting of me, they were fired up tonight, and I thought the whole night, they were engaged in the game.

David Quinn, on how loud the San Jose Sharks room was after tonight’s win, and how that’s a signal of a room that has stayed together:

I’ve said that all along. You guys have been around us enough to feel it too, you can feel when people are down and out. There’s a crack — and there’s no cracks here. I give our guys a ton of credit. I give, really, in particular Logan and Karl and Hertl and Mario, they’ve done a phenomenal job keeping this thing together. Vlasic’s done a really good job. Reimer has done a really good job. Those older guys.

Listen, they’ve all had a lot of success in their careers, playoff runs. Human nature can kick in and it’d be easy to just kind of go through the motions under these circumstances and they’re not doing it.

We could hear an open, joyous, loud, music blasting #SJSharks room as we were interviewing players post game…a rare, rare sound this season, especially at home

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 29, 2023

Quinn, on Noah Gregor’s recent performance:

Greggy has had a real good stretch here since he’s got back in the line-up. I’m really happy for him. This guy’s got an elite talent, which is his skating. He’s playing with an edge, he’s a really good player in this league.