“I’m trying to play as good as I can,†he said, apparently unscarred, smiling as always, friendly as ever. “I know there’s some points I have to develop and some things I have to be better at. That’s why we’re here.
“Sometimes it’s good when other people tell you certain things. Maybe you don’t see it at the start but then other people see it and try to help you. It’s great to have him around and the coaching staff that we have.â€
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“It’s tough,†he replied, “to explain. I mean, I’ve had coaches during my career, people during my career, that were saying certain things to me and at the start I didn’t know how to take it. That’s why I love challenges. And that’s another challenge. People want something from you, right now, and that’s a big challenge for me.
“It should be that way. You always want to be challenged to play your best game.
“I think there’s a lot of ways to take, let’s say, criticism. But I take it as a good criticism. He’s been around the league. He understands the game. He knows everything you need to know.
“So having criticism from him is a good criticism because he wants to make me better.â€
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“I’m such a young guy,†said Baertschi 48 hours later, “and it was a dream to come up to the NHL. When I was playing two years at home I was a superstar over there. Always playing first line and everything was great. And then I came over here and it started to get a little tougher in Portland and I had to fight for a spot. Then a few years later, I’m in the NHL. It’s a dream coming true. Also with that dream there’s a lot of things I have to do and a lot of things I’ve got to be better at than other people.
“I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep going,
“One thing is for sure: I’m really looking forward to playing (Thursday).â
