"These guys could all be playing tonight, without a doubt," Renney said at the morning skate.

"But his mind probably wouldn't have been on the game," Sather said at the morning skate.

The morning skate was over for the five players who had been asked to attend.

I saw it in their faces in the morning skate.

I had a good morning skate and got some sleep.

Nor did Richter leave the team hotel earlier that day for the morning skate.

Similar optimism could be sensed in the locker room at the morning skate.

Malhotra's only ice time now comes in practices or, during game days, at the morning skate.

"Some guys in the morning skate looked like they were sleeping still," Low said.

But Messier, who insisted on playing although he had been held out of the morning skate, reached into his past.