The goal was to shore up our D and see if we could improve in net. On the back end, we're going to get some bodies back but the timing is uncertain. We felt we needed some character and strength on the back end.

I'm not going to talk about individual people. I want to make sure that when we hire somebody, that it's someone that we're comfortable with as a person.

It's not about Marc being a bad coach. If I'm in another market today and I'm looking for a head coach, his phone is already ringing. That's what I think of him, but it doesn't mean we didn't need to make a change. We did.

I want to make it clear this does not absolve the players for their part in this season. In no way does this mean there will be no further changes. No way. The fact is there is a lot of blame to be spread around and a lot of it falls on the shoulders of people that were in that locker room.

It wasn't because the message wasn't correct. It was in some cases that certain players weren't listening to that message.

It's definitely not true. The decision was mine, it was unpopular, but I had to do it. I don't have to ask for permission, not that I wouldn't consult them so that the owners know what's going on.

The best long term decision for Eddie and our hockey club was to have the surgery immediately.

That is another issue that I think we need to get off the table right now. Ownership has been very supportive of what we need to do . . .There is no selling to do, there is no people we have to clear things with. There's nothing. At the end of the day the responsibility of how well we do or poorly we do lies right here.

It's easy to point the finger at one guy and I don't think that's fair. At the end of the day, we've got a pretty good hockey team and it's up to the players to perform. They're the ones who go on the ice, not Marc.

This isn't a one-or-the-other situation. We are going to make decisions that make our team better.