Hi, HLoG! Long time, no see. It's been forever since I posted over here but you'll have to excuse me. It's been bad enough some days having to write about the Sabres at my own blog. Writing here too? Too much. But so you all know where our heads are at in Buffalo currently, here's a post I wrote this weekend for my personal blog.
A couple of notes for those unfamiliar with the Sabres/me: Lindy Ruff is the head coach, Darcy Regier is the GM, Larry Quinn... Well, I always forget what his official title is but he's the main money man. Bucky Gleason is the obnoxious local columnist. Mark is my husband and the entire reason I ended up in Buffalo since he was born and raised here.
Okay, here we go:
I hate the Sabres.
I hate all of them but here are the specifics:
I hate Thomas Vanek for signing a ridiculous contract that he was clearly mentally and emotionally not ready to handle.
I hate Derek Roy for busting ass one night and looking totally disinterested the next.
I hate Ryan Miller for not being great when his team really needs him to be.
I hate Brian Campbell for spinoramo-ing right in front of his net, convincing Buffalo that he's insanely valuable, drifting toward the shooter instead of cutting off the pass, backing into his goalie, and making every thought about his contract negotiations public.
I hate Tim Connolly for dipsy-doodling until he's out of room to shoot or pass, insisting that yes, he can stickhandle through an entire team, refusing to wear a visor, actually saying aloud that sometimes visors make injuries worse, and spending as much time in bars as he does on IR. Which is a lot in case you're not paying attention.
I hate Andrew Peters for taking up room on the roster, repeatedly taking stupid penalties, and circling round and round instead of just throwing a friggin' punch already.
I hate Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder for being so inconsistent that people actually started talking about Soupy and Spacek being the number one defensive pairing. (I don't really hate either of these guys.)
I also don't hate Jochen Hecht, Paul Gaustad, Adam Mair, Nolan Pratt, or Daniel Paille.
I do hate Jaroslav Spacek but only for getting hurt. Otherwise we're cool.
I do kind of sort of hate Jason Pominiville for whiffing on every single one-timer in the last year. (That seems harsh. Maybe strongly dislike?)
I hate Ales Kotalik for being so inconsistent that it makes my head spin and for continuing to shoot slapshot after slapshot after slapshot even though the defender has caught on and is standing RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM.
I hate Darcy Regier for calling stupid press conferences that don't do anything but stir crap up. Good grief, don't pander to the crazies, Darcy. You really should know better. I'm gonna go ahead and hate Darcy in advance for not trading Soupy before the deadline.
I hate Larry Quinn for being a jackass. I also hate him for seeming to enjoy being a jackass. Geez, what a jackass!
I hate Lindy Ruff for starting the season off in a negative manner, benching Daniel Paille that one time, repeatedly scratching Nolan Pratt, continuing to foist Andrew Peters on the good people of Buffalo, and going all soft and cuddly on a team that clearly needs a boot shoved up its collective ass. They're not babies, Lindy.
I hate the Sabres for consistently playing hard for 20 minutes or less even though you and I have both noticed that IT DOESN'T WORK! I also hate them for pointing out after EVERY SINGLE GAME that they only skated for the last half of the game, saying all the right things about changing that, and then... NOT CHANGING THAT!
I hate the Sabres for all of the following statements: The effort was there, We didn't get the bounces, and Most nights if we play like that, we have a chance to win. Shut up! You sucked! We just watched the game and you sucked! JUST SAY YOU SUCKED!
I hate the Sabres for completely wasting the talent they have. You didn't score 10 goals by accident, guys. You are perfectly capable of playing hockey.
I hate the Sabres for proving all the naysayers right. Everyone said you'd be nothing without Chris and Danny and I can't believe you're proving them right. That is so disappointing. Maybe the most disappointing.
I hate the Sabres for the fact that I'm going to have to spend all summer listening to Bucky Gleason crow about being right. That is not a world I want to live in. The chance of that happening should be enough by itself to make you play hard. Geez louise.
I don't hate Mark at all, but I am kind of wishing he'd grown up in Detroit or Ottawa.
In closing, I hate the Sabres.
(For the record, I am feeling a little better having written this. But I still ain't happy!)
x-posted to Top Shelf
Monday, January 21, 2008
Update from B-Lo
Friday, January 04, 2008
I Know it's a Little Late...
So yea, I'm a little late posting this, but after the game I went to sleep and pretty much didn't wake up until now. But hey, it was well worth it.
Read More......
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
They pre-empted Seal on Ice for that?!?!
Thank goodness there is no Triple Crown racing in January, eh? OT and a shootout? I was shocked...SHOCKED, I say, that NBC stuck with the Winter Classic. I mean, it ran 30 minutes past its scheduled time and they didn't pull the plug. I wonder why. Oh yeah, cuz Sid was playing.
In what have must have been Gary Bettman and the NHL's dream come true, Sidney Crosby scored the game winning shoot out goal in today's Winter Classic. It couldn't have been scripted better if they tried. As much as I can't stand Crybaby, the Kid comes through when it matters. Ya gotta respect that.
I loved that it was snowing for the game. I did not love that they had to stop every 5 minutes to patch up or otherwise service the ice.
In other NHL news (wait, there were other games today? I thought all the NHL players had to be in Buffalo to watch the game...), the 28th place Capitals continue to OWN the 2nd place Sens. Now that you really gotta love!
Happy New Year everyone!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
What I'm Thankful For
There's been a lot of discussion lately about blogging and how it compares and doesn't compare to mainstream media. I don't really know that I have anything to add that hasn't already been said by other people, but I do know this: I love blogging and I love my little corner of the blogosphere. I'm not kidding or exaggerating when I say, writing here and checking in with everyone else's blogs is one of the best parts of my day. So in honor of Thanksgiving, here are some reasons why I'm thankful for blogging.
I'm thankful for all the Buffalo blogs that offer alternative viewpoints to The Buffalo News.
Buffalo is a one newspaper town and in case I haven't made it clear before, I really dislike the majority of that paper's sports coverage, particularly where the Sabres are concerned. At best it's negative and one-sided. At worst it's unfair to the team and condescending to fans. It's refreshing to head off to one of my favorite Buffalo blogs and find criticism that's fair and and well-reasoned and also mixed with a dose of optimism and hope. (See Bfloblog, Sabre Rattling, Shots off the Crossbar, Desperation Hockey, The Goose's Roost, and Getting Caught from Behind to name a few.)
I'm thankful that blogging gives a voice to female hockey fans.
Certainly there are some females working in sports in the mainstream media... but not enough and many who do don't get enough respect. It's probably because I entered the blogging world via HLog, but most of the hockey blogs I read regularly are written by women. And many of the best I read are written by women. (See Hockey's Ladies of Greatness and all its related blogs.)
I'm thankful for the interactivity of blogging.
I think this is the aspect of blogging that's the most overlooked in the blogging vs. mainstream media debate. I can email a journalist about his column or article but I'm rarely going to get a response. I've gotten a handful of very short answers from John Buccigross, most of which I'm not entirely convinced were written by him, and one response from Bucky Gleason, detailing the burdern he bears as the voice of reason and reality in Buffalo sports (I wish I were exaggerating). And even if I were to get a response, that's pretty much the end of things. Not so on a blog. A blogger can write something that triggers a comment from a reader and that comment can spiral into an entire conversation. I've had conversations move from blog to blog and from blogs to emails. It's pretty remarkable but there are bloggers I feel like I know as well as real-life friends because I've spent so much time talking and debating and complaining with them. I love that about blogging. I love that when Toni Lydman takes a puck off the face, I think of Kate cringing. I love that when Jay Pandolfo scores a goal (!) I think of Schnookie and Pookie celebrating. I love that when Mattias Ohlund lost his mind for a second and slashed an opponent across the leg, I immediately felt bad for Alix. And I love that people do the same for me when it comes to Henrik Tallinder and other things. I've met four people I met through blogs in real-life and had a total blast. I've tried to make plans with a couple of others. Really, what are the chances Bucky Gleason or Jerry Sullivan would email me and say, "We have to go to Ryan Miller's Catwalk for Charity in February!" (Admittedly, it's probably best that they don't.) (See Interchangeable Parts.)
I'm thankful that blogging has opened me up to teams beyond the Sabres.
I don't have digital cable or Center Ice or anything fancy like that. I don't even manage to watch all of the Sabres games so you can bet I hardly ever get around to watching other teams. But I read about them. While the Buffalo blogs are at the top of my reading list, I also read blogs about the Senators, the Devils, the Penguins, the Stars, the Canucks, the Kings, and the California teams just to name a few. I don't even see the Western Conference teams most years but I read about them because they have bloggers who are smart and passionate and engaging. (See Scarlett Ice, The Humming Giraffe, Penalty Killing, and Purple Crushed Velvet.)
I'm thankful that bloggers aren't afraid to have fun with sports.
I mentioned recently that it seems like many sports writers don't like sports. I know hockey is a business and there's a lot of money involved in the day-to-day workings of a franchise and I understand that that stuff needs to be reported. But hockey is also a bunch of grown men skating around trying desperately to get a little black slab of rubber into a net. It's ridiculous. It's entertaining. It's fun. Not everything written about hockey needs to be serious. I'm thankful that many bloggers have great senses of humor and are willing to let that shine through in their writing. (See The Willful Caboose, The Battle of California, SportSquee, and The Pensblog.)
Other things I'm thankful for:
... that the Sabres are still in Buffalo. We should never stop being thankful for this.
... the chance to watch Ryan Miller blossom into a very good goalie and a strong leader.
... Henrik Tallinder's graceful, easy skating.
... Brian Campbell's ear-to-ear grin.
... Tim Connolly's fluid, never-break-a-sweat stick-handling and his sometimes infuriating but often rewarded patience.
... Thomas Vanek's ability to take over a game. Despite his struggles, we may be watching something special in Vanek.
... Derek Roy on the penalty kill. I love watching him buzz around out there. When he's on, he hustles like crazy.
... Toni Lydman and Jochen Hecht's solid, no nonsense dependability.
... Nolan Pratt for being willing to knock people off his goalie.
... Lindy Ruff's unfailing, dry sense of humor.
... All the people reading this right now. Thanks for coming around.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! What are you thankful for?
x-posted to Top Shelf
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Superstitious Writing on the Wall
I don't really think of myself as overly superstitious. I think because Buffalo is so deeply entrenched in the "Woe is me! Toronto, Gary Bettman, and God Himself hate us" mindset, I try really hard to just let things be. If the team wins, it's usually because they're playing well. If the team loses, it's usually because they're not. I try not to read too much into anything else.
That said, there is one thing I enjoy playing around with and that's my computer wallpaper. Let me say this up front: One of my favorite things about owning my own computer, is the ability to make the wallpaper whatever I want. Seriously. When I get tired of looking at the current wallpaper, I put a lot of time and thought into the next selection. But during hockey season it's all Sabres all the time.
I think the superstition started last year during the Sabres' winning streak to begin the season. The player of choice - Tim Connolly - became a good luck charm and didn't come down until the streak was ended. From that moment on, the wallpapers were watched carefully for streaks both good and bad.
Timmy Connolly, the one who started it all.
Usually a player stays up until the team has lost three times, but slow starts call for desperate measures. During the first ten games of this season, a player was gone the second the final horn blew on a loss. I'm all for taking time to sort things out, especially when dealing with a team that's still pretty young, but there comes a point where you've dug a hole too deep to get out of. So far the biggest loser is Drew Stafford who couldn't even muster up one victory while the winner is Dmitri Kalinin's three game winning streak. (A little odd since that reflects their real-life play. Stafford has looked pretty overwhelmed at times and Tri - despite what some maroons in Buffalo will tell you - was our most solid d-man until his injury.) Technically every players gets his chance - even Andrew Peters - but I do reserve the right to recycle players who I really like or players who were really good luck during their previous cycle. You can't go to one guy too many times though. That throws everything off. When it's time to switch I'll usually go with a guy who's playing really well (you're up next, Pommers!) but real-life performance and wallpaper performance don't always correlate... though it's fun when they do.
Beginning the season with Stafford was too much pressure for the youngster.
Bucky Gleason's a doofus and Kalinin is aces.
Jochen Hecht is currently working on a two game winning streak. Can he match - maybe even surpass - Kalinin? We'll see on Thursday! Not that this has anything to do with the final outcome at all...
Let's do this thing, Yo-Yo!
(Please ignore my awkward hands. It was much harder than I thought it would be to take a picture of the screen with my thumb in it.)
Friday, October 05, 2007
Chris and Danny Who?
x-posted to Top Shelf
Most hockey fans are familiar with the work of ESPN's John Buccigross. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Bucci. On one hand, I love how enthusiastic he is about hockey and it's good to know that there are atleast two people at ESPN who think it counts as a sport. His casual, goofy style can be endearing. On the other hand, his casual, goofy style can easily veer into over-indulgent. I don't care what bands he's listening to. I don't care what he would name people's babies. (Seriously, people, do you not have favorite hockey players of your own who you can name your child after?). I really don't care about his book (coming soon to bookstores near you!). All of that stuff would be bearable if it didn't often completely overwhelm the actual hockey content which is why I'm reading him in the first place. But Bucci's weekly column is a regular part of my routine and he is often right about various things so it was with great interest that I read his season preview of the Buffalo Sabres. My immediate reaction was something along the lines of "What the hell?"
If you want to read the whole thing you can find it at ESPN.com (I'd post a link but I can't pull up the article at the moment for some reason). Bucci slams management for not re-signing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere and says the team may still have a sturdy undercarriage but won't be able to survive without its spine. But this was the section that really bugged me and quite frankly, kind of shocked me:
The Bruins and Blackhawks appear to be reconstructing from the rubble of ineptitude with new people throughout the organization. The Sabres are (for now) stuck with GM Darcy Regier and owner Tom Golisano and their vision of mediocrity. The Sabres are still a good team with a very good goalie, but the magic is gone.
Now I will admit that I'm a bit of a Darcy apologist and probably defend him even when he might not really deserve defending but this is so far over-the-top that it almost reaches Bucky Gleason levels. That, my friends, is not a good place to be. I was so bothered by this that I had to email Bucci. A couple people I've mentioned this to have said they'd like to read what I sent so I'm sharing it here. It's a pretty good final summary of how I'm feeling about the team and what I'm hoping to see this season. Plus it's already written so I don't have to think of anything new to say. Oh, something else I should clarify so there's no confusion. With his preview of each team, Bucci includes lyrics from a song. For us he chose Pete Yorn's The Man which is why I reference it in my letter.
Dear John,
"The Bruins and Blackhawks appear to be reconstructing from the rubble of ineptitude with new people throughout the organization. The Sabres are (for now) stuck with GM Darcy Regier and owner Tom Golisano and their vision of mediocrity. The Sabres are still a good team with a very good goalie, but the magic is gone."
All I can say is, what the heck?
Did Regier and Golisano make some mistakes with Briere and Drury? Probably. But they did attempt to sign Briere last summer - he took them to arbitration and he was rewarded a then ridiculous 5 million dollars. And they were allegedly willing to match Drury's offer from the Rangers and he, for whatever reason, wasn't interested. It's easy to say that the Sabres should've re-signed both guys but it's not as easy as handing them contracts and asking them to sign on the dotted line. In your Philly preview you say that Briere isn't worth the money he was paid and say his production will probably drop over the next few years but the Sabres should've held on to him? For all the (well deserved) praise heaped on both players, Buffalo didn't win a Cup while they were here. Chris and Danny crapped out in the playoffs this past year as much as any of the other players not named Ryan Miller did (I know you love Chris but he got smoked in the face-off circle during the Ottawa series among other things).
Darcy Regier has been in Buffalo for ten years. His reign of mediocrity includes more conference finals appearances than every other team but one in that period. It includes the revival of a bankrupt franchise and a pretty downtrodden fan base. It includes the development of a farm system that was so rich that a serious string of injuries last season barely affected the team's regular season performance. Before the salary cap, Regier had to deal with a small market budget and GMs who were constantly blowing up the market with their bloated contracts and somehow, some way, he usually managed to put a competitive team on the ice. Have they won a Stanley Cup during his tenure? No, obviously not. But you know, only one team wins it every year. It's not that easy to do. Regier has regularly iced teams that have had a chance, and as a fan that's all you can really ask for. I know a lot of fan bases - including Chicago and Boston - who would happily take the mediocrity we've been saddled with during the Regier years.
Listen, I'm not going to argue that losing Briere and Drury isn't going to have an affect on the team this season. It certainly is and as a fan I'll miss watching them and I wish them well in their new locations. But the Sabres are still a very good team. We have two lines who can score like crazy cakes (Vanek-Roy-Afinogenov and
Kotalik-Connolly-Pominville) and a third line that will chip in its share (Gaustad-Hecht-Stafford). We have a great top defensive pairing in Tallinder and Lydman and a number of mobile, puck-moving defensemen. And we have a rapidly maturing Ryan Miller who was the one bright spot of the postseason last year. He kept the team in every single game, including a few they had no right to be in. Maybe most importantly, most of the above players are Buffalo draftees (Regier again) who have grown up and developed together as players and people. From all appearances, they like and care for each other and I think it's a mistake to underestimate the importance of that. I don't think it's incompetence or arrogance to let two guys who are being vastly overpaid walk out of town and show some faith in the undercarriage, especially when the undercarriage is skilled and still maturing. The Sabres most effective line last season is still here. Their best defensive pairing is still here. A vastly gifted playmaker who was on the shelf all last year is still here. Their very good young goalie is still here. The fact that these players haven't had to carry the show, doesn't mean they can't and won't. I'm thinking a little less "The Man" and a lot more "The Kids are Alright."
So yeah... I'm calling it now: The Sabres will finish second in the division (behind Ottawa), fourth in the conference, and will be hitting their groove in March around the time the Rangers implode.
Despite the above, I am glad to see you and hockey back. (But you're still wrong.)
Thanks,
Heather Bermingham
www.topshelfcookies.blogspot.com
www.hlog.blogspot.com
I did get a response. "Thanks for reading Heather! Enjoy the season! John." Clearly he knew my argument was air-tight and beyond debate. I'm disappointed. Bucky would've written back to tell me why exactly I was wrong.
So yeah... I'm optimistic. I know it's not going to be the same team it was last year but I'm really not convinced it's going to be a bad team. In fact, it could be a pretty darn good team. If nothing else, I fully expect to see the kids play their hearts out. They all seem tired of talking about Drury and Briere and they should have a huge chip on their shoulders about the way their contributions over the last couple of seasons are being disregarded. Derek, Max, and Van should be furious that people are acting like their line was unimportant last year. Hank and Toni should be annoyed that Drury evidently killed off all the penalties and shut down the opposition's best players. Pommers should be upset that Briere supposedly made him the hockey player he was. Ryan should be really pissed that Chris and Danny are being considered the difference makers. The entire team should be worked up about the way people are acting like Chris and Danny are the only ones who experienced the ups and downs of the last two seasons, like no one else remembers how great it felt to win and how heart-breaking it was to lose. I'm ready to see what the kids are going to do and I'm really glad I only have to wait... 17 and a half more hours!
(Now only FOUR HOURS!)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Tuppo suspended for being physically unfit.
Wait. WHAT? The poor guy gets heart surgery and the team screws him over. Pisani breaks like spaghetti and he gets to stay.
Um. I'm sure when I wake up, the problem will be over but wow - what assholes.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Say It Ain't So!
They're BOTH gone.
It's true, Danny Briere and Chris Drury have left us Buffalonians in an endless depression. I knew that one of them was going to leave, probably Briere, but never in a million years did I think that we could be stupid enough to let them both go. I'm just dumbfounded. I really don't know what to say, plus I'm nearly in tears, so this post will remain quite blunt.
As for now, I'm just praying for someone descent to replace them, but I beleive that to be quite impossible to do. Not even Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby could fill the void. Well, actually, they probably could, but that's beside the point.
Hmph, today sucks...
Saturday, June 23, 2007
I Hate Everything
I hate the off-season.
I hate Hockeybuzz.com and all of its stupid, conflicting rumors (e4).
I hate that even though I hate Hockeybuzz.com, I can't stop reading it (e5). (Seriously, Garth buy a $#@!%^$ grammar guidebook and use the damn spellcheck!)
I hate Chris Drury and Danny Briere for not being as emotionally attached to us as we are to them.
I hate Darcy Regier for being so unsentimental about the players on his team. (Today. Some days I love him for that.)
I hate not know what's going to happen, I hate thinking something is going to happen when nothing happens at all.
I hate the doom and gloom in Buffalo, I hate all the fans pissing and moaning about things that haven't even happened yet.
I hate the off-season.
Monday, June 11, 2007
In The End, It's ALL About Drury vs. Briere Even Though I'm Really Tired of the Whole Thing
All right, let's cut to the chase. We all know THE question in Buffalo this off-season comes down to this: Should we or should we not keep Teppo Numminen? Most say no. He's old and rapidly getting older. He definitely lost a step this season. In the Ottawa series it was particularly noticeable as he was regularly getting beat to the puck. I agree with all of that. But I have a soft spot for Old Man Numminen. He's steady and dependable. He still plays pretty sound defensive hockey. I don't think it's any coincedence that a couple of our younger defense have really matured and steadied while playing alongside him. That said, Teppo makes a lot of money - over 2 million - and he really needs to play fewer minutes because the wear on his body is becoming noticeable. There's also only so long Nathan Paetsch can be stuck as the 7th defensemen. But if he'll take a pay cut - and that's a big if since I don't know how badly Teppo wants to come back much less back to Buffalo - and he's willing to play less time, even taking the occasional night off, I'd love to see him in blue and gold again next season. And if Teppo decides to retire, I'd love to see him behind the bench. He's clearly had a positive influence on the youngsters and I'm curious to see if that translates to a talent for coaching.
What's that? Chris Drury and Daniel Briere? Oh, are they free agents too? Well, here's the deal. I'm really tired of talking about both guys. I'm tired of all the rumors - the Drurys want to live on the west coast! Chris's wife hates Buffalo! Danny's family is staying here no matter what happens! Chris and Danny got into a fistfight over contract issues! I'm tired of examining every word either guy says or doesn't say for hidden meaning. What does Danny mean when he says he wants a "fair" deal? Why is Chris being so quiet? (Seriously, why is Chris Drury being so quiet? Is this a trick question, people?) I'm barely exaggerating when I say that every single thread on every single Sabres message board for the last year (at least) has found a way to devolve into Chris vs. Danny. Wake me up when they're actually signed and until then, leave me alone.
Okay, fine. If we only keep one guy, I hope it's Chris. Danny is a superstar for sure, but I think his offensive game is more easily replaced - "easily" being a relative term here - from within the organization than Chris's very solid 2-way play. We have a plethora of fast, skilled offensive forwards and not so many defensive forwards. And that isn't even going into Chris's no bullshit, no excuses leadership. I think he's absolutely one of the best captains in the NHL. Intangibles can be touchy when it comes to contracts - they don't always translate to wins after all - but I really feel like Chris is the heart of the team and has been since he set foot in Buffalo. I like Danny very much and I won't be disappointed if he stays. But I really don't want to lose Chris.
If we keep Chris AND Danny and have to dump salary elsewhere, I'm okay with that as long as we're not risking the futures of Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek in Buffalo. They're the untouchables as far as I'm concerned with Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman being the most valuable players on the backend.
Speaking of Vanek, while he's an RFA, he could be one of the more interesting situations of the off-season since there are rumors that a few teams are going to give him an offer sheet. I'm not overly concerned since I really see management matching anything any offer he's likely to get. He's a baby who just completed his second year in the NHL. There was so much improvement between last season and this season that Vanek's potential is very exciting to think about. I'm hoping Darcy Regier and Co. find a way to lock him up before July 1 instead of letting other teams set the price for him.
Buffalo's only other RFA of note is Derek Roy but there doesn't seem to be as much hubbub about him. That's fine and dandy with me. Despite his craptacular postseason - and that's probably an understatement - Derek had a very solid regular season and has the making to be a very strong 2-way forward and penalty killer. His game is different enough for our other young forwards that he has a little extra value to the team, in my opinion atleast. A little maturity would be nice - tripping yourself isn't a penalty, D - but I think he's a keeper.
Buffalo's other UFAs:
Ty Conklin: Sure, whatever. I wouldn't mind Ty staying, I wouldn't mind Ty going. If Ryan goes down we're probably screwed no matter who's behind him.
Adam Mair: Mair is one of the few big, physical guys on the current roster and while it can be frustrating watching him shank shot after shot, he always plays hard and he's always willing to throw his body around. Considering that he'll come pretty cheap even with a raise, I'm all for bringing him back. Plus he loves Buffalo and has said he wants to come back and will be easy to get back no matter what his agent says. We Buffalonians aren't used to people saying nice things about us so we're pretty easy in that regard.
Dainius Zubrus: I loved what we got from Zubrus before he got hurt in the playoffs. Loved it. He really brought something different to the team - a big body who was strong along the boards and tough with the puck. But I think every fan has had that experience where they fall in love with a player while he's playing for a contract and then find out he's not really that player all the time. Do you ignore years of "Zubrus doesn't play hard every night" because of what you saw for 30 or so games from a guy who was trying to earn some hefty dough? Tough call. If we can get him for a decent price, I think we should consider it because the Sabres definitely need a little more size and a little more grit. Someone needs to be around to knock the hell out of Jagr, you know?
All in all, it should be an interesting off-season in Sabresland. There are so many different ways management could take the team and I'm really interested to see where they go.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Dear Ryan Miller...
(x-posted to my blog)
Dear Ryan,
Back when Marty Biron was traded, most people agreed that it needed to happen - he was getting paid an awful lot to cheerlead from the bench - but there were some rumblings from certain quarters. Rumblings that maybe you needed to know Marty was behind you to take over if your play slipped. Rumblings that you were too soft, too prone to getting tired halfway through the season to be relied on so heavily. Rumblings that the fragile kid who cried after losing in his hometown a few years ago was still too much a a part of you, that you hadn't quite grown up enough. Rumblings that you could be maddeningly inconsistent - great one game, soft the next. Heck, sometimes great one SHOT, soft the next. When the powers that be traded Marty everyone understood that they were saying, "Ryan Miller is the man we want in goal. We believe in him." We all waited to see if you would answer the bell.
Well, you answered the freakin' bell all right. You answered your bell and the bell of every single one of your teammates for most of the playoffs. Listen, us Buffalo fans, we're in a weird emotional state right now. I have about a million feelings jumping around. I'm frustrated that the coaching staff watched the powerplay struggle all season and seemed to feel it would be just fine in the playoffs - one powerplay goal in two of the Ottawa games potentially changes the outcome. I'm angry that the team who swore it was playing all season for the playoffs looked so damn uninterested for most of them, finally waking up when it was too late to do much but fight the good fight. I'm happy that they were able to wake up a put up a fight. I'm optimistic about the future of the team. All that "the Sabres must win now before Drury and/or Briere" stuff the media has been trying to feed us all year is bollocks. There's plenty of young talent on the team and it's possible that they just weren't ready this year. But mostly I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed that such a wonderful season came to such an unenthusiastic thud of an ending.
But you, Ryan... You were the bright spot. You were the joy for every Buffalo fan. You're the guy I feel disappointed for because you absolutely deserve to still be playing. I would almost loan you to Ottawa for the next round because you should be in the Cup Finals. (And anyone in Ottawa who wouldn't take that deal is an idiot. They got the win, but I think we can now definitively say that yes, you ARE that much better than Emery.) You deserved so much better than what you got from your team, even if you would never admit that in public. The Senators defense repeatedly bailed out Emery, making sure they were there when he needed them. Too often you were an island.
Thank you for showing up every night. Thank you for fighting even when no one else in blue and gold seemed very interested in doing so. Thank you for keeping the team in every game of every series. Thank you for standing in front of your locker after all of those games and answering question after question while some of your teammates - even one with a letter on his chest - refused to do so. Thank you for taking responsibilty for losses even though you would've been perfectly within your rights to point the finger of blame at the guys around you. Thank you for stepping up when it mattered, on the ice and off. Thank you for giving us your best, for giving us everything in you. Believe me, we know it and we appreciate it.
Have a great off-season. Try not to think about hockey too much. Training camp will be here before you know it. I, for one, am glad to know you'll be back between the pipes and I hope you're there for a long time to come.
Hey, how do you feel about quarterbacking the powerplay next season? Just something to think about...
Love,
Heather B.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Let's Get Ready to Rumble
One of the deejays on our local sports talk radio kept saying this yesterday - he said it so many times I wanted to rip his tongue out, really, but there's no doubt it's true: Doesn't it feel like the entire season has been building toward Buffalo and Ottawa duking it out for the right to go to the Stanley Cup Finals? Heck, you could argue that it started last season. It started with Buffalo surprising Ottawa by taking a 3-0 lead in the second round of last year's playoffs and sending them home on Jason Pominville's short-handed goal in game five. From there it went to Ottawa more or less dominating Buffalo in the regular season. And of course, there was Chris Neil's hit on Chris Drury and all that led to - players throwing punches, goalies throwing down, coaches ranting and raving, fans going nuts.
Hockey fans, I feel like it's my duty to encourage you - nay, implore you! - to do whatever you need to do to make sure you're at home and in front of a TV for the Eastern Conference finals. I really think Buffalo-Ottawa is going to be the best series of the playoffs and that includes any potential Finals match-up. The teams play similar styles - wide open, baby! - and are, in many ways, mirror images of each other. Both have multiple lines of fast, skilled forwards, both have good skating, mobile defenses, both have solid young goalies, both have smart, experienced coaches. And both want to beat the other very, very badly. The Senators want to end the team that ended them last season, finally tossing aside the choker label. The Sabres want to go one more round than they did last spring and show that the regular season wasn't a fluke.
For the record... While there are some concerns on both sides - Ottawa needs to start getting a little more secondary scoring, Buffalo needs to be more consistent on special teams - if everyone plays the way they can, I think the defenses and offenses are pretty close to a wash. That leaves us with goaltending. And while there's no doubt Ray Emery is a better goalie than he was this time last year (just wait till the devil comes to collect that soul, Ray), I'm more than comfortable giving Ryan Miller an edge. He's been the one Sabre locked in from the beginning of the playoffs, he's let in the same number of goals as Emery while facing 40 more shots behind a team that looked asleep for parts of the first two rounds. He's looked calm and confident from the first puck drop. I'm - surprise! - picking the Sabres in 7 long, tough games with Miller being the difference maker.
But seriously, watch. It's going to be awesome.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Joe Sakic Makes Small Children Cry
What a jerk!
15 hours later I'm still running off of adrenaline from last night's Buffalo/NY game. That was some hockey, sports fans. And I think I would say that even if my team hadn't won.
Poor Jagr. During his post-game interviews he looked like he was going to walk out of the lockerroom and stand in front of the Metro Rail in downtown Buffalo. And when I say "Poor Jagr" I actually mean this:
My favorite photo of the postseason so far:
You gotta love the pure joy in that picture. Unless you're a Rangers fan, I guess.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Paging the Buffalo Sabres...
I just posted this over at my blog but I feel like spreading my venting...
That goal review was bull. Complete and utter bull. I don't see how there was any question about whether or not the puck went over the line. The game should've been tied and we should've seen some overtime hockey.
That said, I'm getting a little tired of saying, "We didn't even play that well and the Rangers still barely beat us" because you know what? All that really matters is that they beat us. Why are we only playing ten minutes a night? Why?! The Rangers are playing about as well as they can and barely beating us, yes. We are capable of playing much better, yes. But we have to actually do it! I didn't see most of the game tonight so I am basing this on what little I saw and what I've read from other people, but I really expected to see a totally different team tonight. I would love to say that the boys are going to come out firing Friday night, jacked up and pissed off about their lackluster performance in NYC, but looking at them tonight, they don't seem to care. They look totally indifferent. Where oh where is my team of young, passionate players, burned by getting so close last year and bound and determined to win it all this year? Because I'm really missing them.
I know the Shanahan goal was the result of some miscommunication between defensemen behind the net, but I think the defense has been very solid this series, especially Tallinder and Lydman. They've done a very good job of containing a dangerous offensive team with some huge help from Miller, of course. It's time for the offense to step the hell up. Throw some bodies around, fight for the puck, pay attention to what jersey the guy you're passing to is wearing, shoot the puck and for crying out loud DO IT FOR SIXTY MINUTES. Geez. I'm dying here.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Girls, We're Famous!
Okay, so as usual, I was reading the sports section this Saturday morning to see some interesting news about the Sabres beating the Islanders and winning the first round (!!!) when I noticed that EVERY section of the paper had the Sabres on the front. Even in weekend life there was a whole article on female fans in hockey... so this got me interested. I read, and read some more until I noticed some blurbs on the side of the second page. On top it was titled 'Signs of the Hockey Times: Check out these examples of women making their hockey presence known:' then I freaked out after reading the very first blurb:
- An online hockey blog, "Hockey's Ladies of Greatness" (http://hlog.blogspot.com/), devotes itself to puck chatter among women fans of professional hockey teams (including Heather and Paige, who write about the Buffalo Sabres.)
After I finished freaking out, I continued reading the rest as it told about the Cap's "Hockey 'n' Heels", pink jerseys, nearly half of females attending games and how women much enjoy spending money on hockey stuff (duh).
So yeah, I'm (We're) FAMOUS! Kinda... still pretty wicked.
Don't beleive me? Check it out!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
I'm Feeling Daring
So yeah, this year for the playoff pool, I had some funny ideas for my choices, but here they are anyways:
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Islanders - Sabres - Obviously, I'm not superstitious. I just love my boys, and no one can convince me they are not going all the way. (Deal with it!)
New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightening - Devils - Tampa Bay has a pretty good offense, but they don't have a chance against the Devils' lethal defense. This time, pretty good just isn't gonna cut it.
Atlanta Thrashers vs. New York Rangers - Rangers - No real reason for this one, I'm just hopeful, and I'm pretty sure the Sabres can beat the Rangers when they meet them in Round 2.
Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins - A fellow female fan told me this, "So it looks like it's experience vs. a young, fast, inexperienced team; I'm betting on the Sens." This got me thinking, wasn't there a certain inexperienced, young, fast team that played Ottawa last year in the playoffs? And what was the outcome of that?
Detroit Red Wings vs. Calgary Flames - Flames - Okay, this one is just a hopeful wish.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild - Ducks - I know the Wild has some sound defense, but so does Anaheim, and I just think that the Ducks play a more solid game that will flourish now, in the post season.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars - Stars - I just like them better, and I think they can win if they take shots often, and really work to get the puck behind Luongo.
Nashville Predators vs. San Jose Sharks - Predators - I know that they're on a bit of a skid right now, and the Sharks are doing well, but I hope that the Preds can step up to the plate.
Right now, I'm thinking the Ducks will be battling it out (and losing) to my boys. But if I'm right, and the Preds step up, then they have a real good chance too.
Okay, I just thought this was really funny-
Apparently, Sidney Crosby is now a Superhero, well, at least an action figure.Also, this might be why they always play those Penguin's games on Versus-
How Sidney Crosby saved Versus
Saturday, April 07, 2007
There is a God!
Not only did Timmy Connolly FINALLY play today (scoring a goal and looking pretty darn comfortable for a guy who hasn't played in 11 months), it appears that he came to his senses and shaved that ridiculous fu manchu he was sporting earlier in the season. Talk about your Easter miracles! I'm just so darn happy right now it hurts.
(x-posted to my blog)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Let the Real Season Begin!
This is me with my shiny new playoff tickets (not my best angle): 
In case you can't tell, I'm really excited. We're now officially the Eastern Conference regular season champs, we played 60 minutes of really solid hockey tonight while beating the Pittsburgh Crosbys, (seriously, Versus, give it a rest - we GET IT!) and we're finally, finally starting to get everyone back from their various injuries including - dare I say it? - my dear sweet Timmy.
As far as the playoffs go, I'm not SUPER concerned with anyone in the Eastern conference though I think Tampa Bay would give us the least amount of trouble. They can score but if you can contain Vinny and St. Louis, they can struggle to get offense elsewhere. And I don't think they have the defense or goaltending to negate Buffalo's offense. I would probably be the most nervous about Montreal, especially if Huet gets back and gets hot, but I'm not as worried about them as I was at the beginning of the season for some reason. Ottawa could definitely be a tough match-up as well, but if they meet Pittsburgh in the first round, I'm not sure they're advancing. Just a gut feeling. If we play as well as we can, we should win the Conference. "Should" and "will" are two totally different things but I'm optimistic. For tonight atleast.
Because I'm still missing Marty: Marty welcomes Takeo Spikes to Philly. (Spikes is a former Buffalo Bill who was recently traded to the Eagles.)
Also, a fan written parody song about Derek Roy, The Derek Roy Rhapsody. I love Derek and I think he's really cut back on the diving this season a ton, but he can be a bit of a whiner. As much as I enjoy watching him play, I will admit the song totally cracked me up.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
We're ALL Winners!
I figured I'd respond to the slight dig at Buffalo in the post below this one by making sure everyone's seen the results of ESPN's annual rankings of the franchises in the Big Four sports. In other words, WE'RE NUMBER ONE, BABY! 
Okay, seriously, I read this article every year so I was pretty excited to see my guys ranked at the top. I know I've said this before, but it was a mere three years ago that our owner was being carted off in handcuffs. The team declared bankruptcy and fell under the ownership of the league. Players were getting checks from different banks every month - and not getting checks at all a few times - and everyone was wondering where the team was going to be the next season because it sure didn't look like it was going to be in Buffalo. To go from there to here in that short amount of time is amazing and as a Sabres fan I can attest that the new ownership has shown an amazing understanding of and appreciation for its fans.
I will put aside my personal pride for a moment and point out that three other NHL franchises finished in the top ten - Anaheim, Nashville, and Carolina. Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Dallas all finished in the top twenty. The criteria used were bang for the buck (revenues directly from fans divided by wins in the past three years), affordability (including ticket prices, parking and concessions), coaching, fan relations (access to players, coaches and management), ownership (honesty and loyalty to the city and players), players (effort and likability), stadium experience (friendliness of environment, quality of game-day promotions), and title track (prospects for winning a championship). If you want to check out the complete rankings, go here. If you want to see how your franchise ranks in the NHL, check it out here. (Sorry Bruins and Blackhawks fans - if you're out there. Better luck next year!)
All in all, a very solid showing by the NHL which is really no surprise to those of us who are fans of the game and its players. We'll discuss the irony of a sport ESPN barely covers doing so well in one of its major annual polls another day...
Saturday, February 24, 2007
I LOVE MY TEAM!
I love my team. I love them. I love that even with 8 starters out - including one of our best offensive players and the captain who does everything - we made Ottawa earn their win. I love that a roster consisting of 5 kids fresh from Rochester and a rookie battled hard and took a team that had much more talent and experience on the ice to the edge. I love that we didn't give up when down 4-1. I love that no matter who is on the ice, I know he's going to play his heart out, he's going to battle, he's never going to say die. I love it, I love the Buffalo Sabres, I love hockey.
(Also... I love that the postgame interview was the beautiful Henrik Tallinder. And I really love getting through a game with NO INJURIES! Yaaaay!)
