“Forecheck, backcheck, paycheck” (three most important elements of pro hockey)

In December 1982, Buffalo Sabres center Gil Perreault named the three most important aspects of pro hockey:
 
“Forecheck, backcheck, paycheck.”
 
Perreault’s remark became a classical hockey saying.
 
     
Wikipedia: Gilbert Perreault 
Gilbert Perreault (born November 13, 1950) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for seventeen seasons with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters, he was regarded as one of the most gifted and skillful playmaking centres ever to play the game. He is the original Buffalo Sabre because he was drafted first by the team in their inaugural season in the NHL. He is well known as the centre man for the prolific trio of Sabres forwards known as The French Connection.
 
Sports Illustrated
December 06, 1982
They Said It
Edited by Robert W. Creamer  
Gil Perreault, Buffalo Sabres center, naming the three most important aspects of pro hockey: “Forecheck, backcheck, paycheck.”
 
Sports Illustrated
February 16, 1983
They Said It
Gil Perreault, Buffalo Sabres center, naming the three most important aspects of pro hockey: “Forecheck, backcheck, paycheck.”
 
22 December 1984, Syracuse (NY) Herald-Journal, pg. 12, col. 7:
Three Most Important Elements of Hockey*
Forecheck.
Backcheck.
Paycheck.
*According to Gilbert Perreault.
 
Google Books
NHL Hockey:
The official book of the game
By Dan Diamond
New York, NY: Mallard Press
1990
Pg. ?:
An old hockey saying goes “Forecheck, backcheck, pay check.”
 
Google Books
ESPN: The Mighty Book of Sports Knowledge
By Steve Wulf
New York, NY: Ballantine Books
2009
Pg. 142:
“The three important elements of hockey are: forecheck, backcheck, and paycheck.” —former Buffalo Sabres center Gil Perreault