The Road To Hockey Heaven
Buffalo, NY has been deemed locally as “Hockey Heaven” for its passionate fan base and loyal sports following. I know many cities love their home town teams but there is a connection that exists between the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills and their community that goes deeper than the sport+fans=love relationship. Buffalo is a hard-working blue-collar community with great people and culture. The Western NY area has always seemed to be in an uphill battle to turn the corner back to the once great destination it was. And with that battle comes a sense of pride that I love and helps builds a deeper appreciation of who you are and what you support. And what easier outlet for local pride and passion is there than being loyal to your teams. With a loyal fan base come many things including critics, and that is expected. But when you have a fan base that has been searching for a major championship in any sport for as long as Buffalo, NY it can get ugly. 40+ years and counting when looking at NHL and NFL.
Turn the page, fast forward, do as you must to the point when Terry Pegula enters the picture as the new owner of the Buffalo Sabres. Mr. Pegula enters the picture as a long time fan of hockey, a passionate Buffalo Sabres fan, and maybe most importantly a Billionaire. After his purchase of the Buffalo Sabres in February 2011 he made it known that “Starting today, the Buffalo Sabres’ reason for existence will be to win a Stanley Cup.”. For a city with a failing NFL club and the Sabres getting a new lease on life this was indeed the start of the road to Hockey Heaven.
This is where the article will take its turn from where it was supposed to go. I may catch up on that at a later date. This piece was supposed to be filled with stats and evidence that support how we must be patient with the rebuilding of this team. But I think it has too much passion involved to get into dull stats and additional comments on injuries and so on. The current owner of this club has been behind the wheel for less than 1 year. In that year the organization has made player changes, had a run at only 1 NHL Entry Draft, and made the environment at the arena more welcoming for players and fans. 1 year people! The 2010-11 Buffalo sabres put together an unthinkable post All-Star Break record to squeak into the playoffs and then making a 1st round exit. It was an amazing 1st round performance but in no way shape or form was this a team that deserved to do much more than that. And I think almost everyone can agree with that. The current state of the NHL is such a competitive environment that no one team can for certain acquire the proper tools in less that one year to ensure any certain success. Some success yes, but we need to realize that we are not the only club with deep pockets and a desire for a Stanley Cup. The fact that we have a team looking to make positive changes and looking at new options is a refreshing compared to owners only watching out for their dollar return before wins. And as much fun as it is to play GM or coach you have to think that there is a long-term goal in mind here that looks at dollars, players, CBA, and much more to get us to the ultimate end goal. You just don’t get to that level without it…..
This is a call out to all fans of the Buffalo Sabres. Please, be patient. Building a team with championship potential does not happen over the course of one season or maybe even two for that matter. We need contracts to expire, dollars to be freed up, key players to hit Free Agency. This isn’t Fantasy Hockey and you won’t catch someone giving up something for nothing. Yes some of these moves will and possibly do stink. But give these events time to unfold and grow. The Buffalo Sabres have over $10 million dollars potentially coming off the books this off-season in just UFA alone. We have a trade deadline and an NHL Entry Draft before that even happens. We have been patient for 40 years and have the opportunity of a lifetime with a great owner who seems to have surrounded himself with success, great people, and family. Can we all please give this new era some time and support to grow? The environment we produce in these coming years for a team that needs to define its identity may just help us as fans identify ourselves.
Go Sabres!
Buffalo Sabres looking D-lightful
The Buffalo Sabres for the past few years have been on the outside looking in when it comes to post season success. They have either just missed opportunities or fallen short in the 1st round. New ownership, new outlook, new ideas. Last season the Buffalo Sabres finished tied 5th in 5 on 5 goals scored and have an All Star goaltender in Ryan Miller. Say what you want about Miller and being consistent but he is one of the leagues best goaltenders and last year had little depth in front of him to keep his numbers where they should be. That is in the past.
Some may be looking at the Sabres Defensive depth as a log jam or overkill but I say it is the solution to a problem that has led to their limited success. They can score goals and all they have really lost in this off-season is under achieving Tim Connolly. Sure he’s been injured a ton and has sick hands bit when it comes to post season it is my opinion that he just isn’t who you need to make a difference. They have maintained if not built up their scoring depth and stacked their D from top to bottom with bodies to spare. In one of the most exciting off seasons of my lifetime they have added on the D side Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff. Bing and boom we should call them. Because with those simple moves it give the team the punch and puck moving capabilities they need right there. And it offers the young Tyler Myers, Mike Weber, and Marc -Andrea Gragnani great players to learn from. And hoping that players like Andrej Sekera can go against weaker lines as a depth D-man he should continue to enjoy his offensive output.
I am uncertain if Darcy Regier intends on moving more bodies on the team but as they sit now the Sabres have just cleaned up an area they had their biggest weak point. And while this Deffensive rebuilding has gone down I am sure it has only further motivated Ryan Miller. Miller is a hungry goaltender and very driven. He will be striving to become the best he can be and reach new levels with the Sabres. Have a stable and deep D corps in front of him will only make him better and minimize some risk. I look for the Sabres to keep all their depth and cover for injury. Someone up top has seen exactly what they need to turn the corner and fixed it pronto. They may need one more scoring piece but I think that will come in time and there is no need to rush that. Kudos to the Sabres front office and Darcy Regier. This is only the begin of very exciting times for Sabres fans.
I will steal a line from Tom Petty that sums up this break in the summer till 1st faceoff. Indeed “the waiting is the hardest part”.
Goaltending Log Jam in Anaheim
Jonas Hiller was activated off IR for Anaheim and is/was in net tonight to face a total of 9 shots. Why only 9, because he let in 3 of those. There is bound to be rust just coming back into action so no major worries. Hiller has played in 48 games to date and has gone 28 – 16 – 3 in that time. Not too bad. The issue is what to do on the back-end of all this. Anaheim brought in Dan Ellis and Ray Emery at different times to try to fill the #2 slot. Dan Ellis is, well, Dan Ellis. He shows signs of being the go to guy but something always has periods of let down or injury. Ray Emery has battled back from a hip injury that could have ended most goaltenders careers but is showing he can still win games.
Hiller will be just fine and give you exactly what you expect out of him. But there is a choice to be made at what to do about the #2 slot. Anaheim is currently sitting in the 8th spot of the tight Western Conference. Dallas is just trailing by 1 point and Calgary by only 2. So to say these last few games are huge is an understatement. You want Hiller to get back in form but not at the expense of a loss. Emery has delivered three wins in three starts but that is a small sample to pull from. Dan Ellis in my humble opinion is just not the go to guy….. or is he for a bit? There is a mess to be sorted out and Randy Carlyle needs to do it with zero margin for error. And it looks like they may lose tonight.
It will be interesting to say the least to see what goalies they utilize in the stretch and who can give Anaheim the wins they need to stay in the hunt. My call is roll Emery more often, practice Hiller hard and get him back in after a couple of games off. Mr. Ellis, sorry but once again you’re the odd man out for me. But I’m no coach, no goalie expert, and I need a beer. Good luck to Anaheim fans you have a real noodle scratcher going on.
NHL Headshots: More finger pointing
The NHL, NHLPA, players, coaches, agents, and GMs are all strongly opposed to blatant headshots in the NHL and no one can really disagree with that. When situations like Matt Cooke and his repeated cheap shots are front and center everyone points to the NHL as the sole provider of disciplinary action. And while they are the body that hands down suspensions and fines I think there needs to be more address at the source.
Why is it so easy for everyone to only focus on the disciplinary action taken by Colin Campbell, and how fair it is in their personal opinion. Shouldn’t some of the blame be placed on his peers and coaches/owners? If the players, teammates, coaches, owners are truly fed up with repeat offenders why not have internal discussions and punishments to help regulate what is ruining the game? Are these cheap actions how you’d want your team defined and viewed? Everyone loves the fast pace and hard-hitting of the game. And as a whole hockey has a lot of issues it needs to solve. But play that borderlines on criminal activity should not be glanced over by an individual organization regardless of the NHL’s ruling.
It seems as if in the most recent Cooke hit Dan Bylsma has talked with the player and told him he needs to change his game if he wants to keep playing. And not being even remotely involved in the organization I don’t know what Dan Bylsma ”really” did but I belive he has sent a message. He seems like a class coach and the Pens seem like a solid organization. So on that level I applaud the Pens organization if they really do want to get tough on such an ugly situation. And I do believe that a message can be sent to Cooke to try to change his ways. I hope he does and can still play aggressive without being cheap.
But I don’t think it is fair that everyone place this issue solely on the shoulders of the NHL and Colin Campbell. The players and NHLPA should be protecting their own by sending out strong messages and putting in place actions for violations. And if all else fails owners should think of stepping up and handing down punishment for not representing clubs in a professional manner. I don’t think this is too far off base and can set up a system of checks and balances that send a message that teammates, friends, and coaches do not want the kind of stupidity on the ice that is sometimes displayed.
I would love for people closer to the game to comment on this. I could be way off base or this could be happening and the general public not be aware if the discussions. But I have to think that within organizations more could be done on the level that players respect and rely upon.
Sabres Derek Roy out 4-6 Months
Buffalo Sabres Forward Derek Roy will undergo surgery to repair a torn quad tendon. He will be out 4-6 months recovering from the surgery. Roy was driven into the boards by Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov while carrying the puck into the Panthers’ zone. Roy skated off while favoring his left leg, and went directly to the locker room. The Sabres went on to drop the game by a score of 4-3 after mounting what looked to be a 2nd and 3rd period comeback. In 35 games this season Roy has collected 35 points (10+25).
A loss of this magnitude to a struggling Sabres team will not bode well for their climb back into the playoff picture. Derek Roy was one of the few Sabres adding points to the board during their struggling first half to the season. The Sabres will have to hope that one of their many young talented forwards can step into the mix and inject some much needed energy. At post of this the Sabres currently sit 8 points out of a playoff spot. Yet 11 points would actually get them their division lead. There is a tough road ahead for the mid to late run of the season and now missing their leading point getter Derek Roy.
Michal Neuvirth Wins
No, the title of this post isn’t in reference to his recent stellar performance in a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres 
November 17th. It is quite simply about what he does. He may not have the most text-book moves but he gets in front of pucks and knows how to do it well. The 22 yr old Goaltender for the Washington Capitals is off to an amazing start in the 10-11 NHL season currently holding a 12 win 3 loss record. Sure it helps that Washington puts points on the board but the truth of the matter is this young goaltender is just still getting his experience and should only get better.
Injuries in the past two seasons have thrust Neuvirth into the starting duties for the Capitals now and then but it was his stellar play (NHL/AHL) in 09-10 and taking the Hershey Bears AHL team to a Calder Cup Championship that secured him the starting role in Washington on his own. Neuvirth was named the starting goaltender of the Capitals season opener on Oct. 8th 2010 and has looked solid ever since. With the poise this young goaltender shows and the skills he already been showcasing this is one player you will want to keep an eye on.
The Washington Capitals currently lead the Eastern Conference early in the season but should be expected to hold a top 3 slot since the SouthEast Division can often be a little on the weaker side. With that in mind I am very excited to see what Neuvirth can do in the playoffs with some new pressures upon him. He is young, confident, skilled, and more importantly winning. If you have a chance to see the Capitals in person or on TV try to peel your eyes off their other top talents and pay attention to Michal Neuvirth. You should do it now before he is force-fed to you as a top talent in the NHL by every announcer in town.
NHL Suspensions: Wisniewski and Hjalmarsson (2 games)
This week NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman handed out two separate 2-game suspensions. One to James Wisniewski of the New York Islanders and another to Niklas Hjalmarsson of the Chicago Blackhawks. In Wisniewski’s case he was suspended two games for a regrettable obscene gesture given to NHL agitator Sean Avery. Not the classiest of moves I’ve seen but there are things that get said and done on the ice that are often taking it a bit to far. With Hjalmarsson’s hit it was a blind side hit from behind while Jason Pominville was awaiting, not controlling the puck. Pominville was in no way in control of the puck when the hit occurred and it was a crushing check into the boards.
Gary Bettman talks a good game when it comes to wanting to protect his product, the players, and the game. But in two clear-cut yet different examples of misconduct he misses an opportunity to send the proper message. Somehow giving a player 7 stitches to his face and a concussion is the same as making an obscene gesture and hurting some feelings. This is the time when you needed to show the players on ice that no matter who you are or what your reputation that endangering other players and their ability make a living comes with a heavy sentence. The hit from behind and the obscene gesture where as clear as day to see. Even though Bettman who was at the Rangers v Islanders game didn’t see the gesture.
Pominville will miss at minimum 3 games to clear the minimum concussion symptom free time line and his offender will only miss 2. Wisniewski causes no damage yet missed the same amount of time as Hjalmarsson. Horrible decision in my opinion. If you want to deal with the gesture issue in a proper manner hit the players in the pocket-book and hit them hard. Then ship the money to some charitable organization for children. After all the kids should really be the only ones who need to be compensated for seeing their heroes make gestures like that. It may be a case as to where the 2 game suspension to Hjalmarsson is sufficient but to match the suspension with the smae amount of time as the Wisniewski incident is just wrong.
In this case Mr Bettman you have sent yet another mixed signal and failed to define what is most important. I would be happier watching an NHL where a player hurts another’s feeling rather than crush them from behind. Mr Bettman I urge you to watch the Wisniewski situation again. This time just assume he is making that in your direction.
Buffalo Sabres 2010-11: Breaking point
We are done with another season and the NHL 2010 Draft is upon us. The first of many stops on a roller coaster summer where players will be traded, Free Agents acquired, and winners built. I love the NHL but my heart is beating for Buffalo Sabres hockey always and I am for lack of classier terms “all-in” this year. What do I mean? This is the year I believe the Buffalo Sabres need to align themselves with the talent to be a true contender. I am not going to go as far as saying they need to win a cup but rather they need to put the correct plan together to be relevant.
Let me explain.
The 2009-10 Buffalo Sabres accomplished something many thought they would not when securing a NorthEast division title. Some of the wins we not the prettiest but they all show up in the W column as any other win would. The team they put on the ice love them or hate them had enough talent to get them in a solid position for the playoffs and attempt a run at the Cup. As a homer in the Buffalo area I always believe they have a chance to win on any given night. But year after year I have truly felt a lengthy Playoff run was a stretch of the imagination. The grit, chemistry, and passion just does not flow from this team as I see it from other Cup winning teams. I am really not saying this is not a good bunch of players. Just as a group together they lack something in my opinion.
Here is some food for thought. 2010-11 marks a 40th anniversary that I happen to know big things will be planned to help celebrate. A substantial run in the playoffs and a team people believe in will certainly give people something to celebrate. Rick Jeanneret has 38 yrs as a Sabres announcer and is no spring chicken. As funny as it may sound that an announcer has influence over what I feel a team should do they owe him before he calls it a career. I know, no team owes anyone anything it’s a business. But not this year. I’ll go on. Ryan Miller is in stellar form and has been healthy considering the heavy work load placed on him for a few seasons by coach Lindy Ruff. You need to ride this stud while time and health are on his side. Ruff and Regier are both in the last year of their contracts in 10-11. Lindy Ruff has openly stated it is his strong desire to being a Cup to Buffalo and you can believe every word of that. Darcy…. well… I love him for sure. He has made fools out of a few GM’s with trades he’s made. But they are too far and few between. And his mishandling of Drury and Briere still burns in the mind of Sabres fans. Not mine, but what can you do. So I say if Darcy doesn’t deliver this year, he is out the door.
So here is what you need to do. This team has solid players on paper. But as a unit a large majority are too soft, lack character, and lack leadership. The center depth is at best a collective group of 2nd and 3rd liners. Or could look better if they had strong support on the wing besides Vanek. They need people who will come in here and lose some teeth if need be and gut it out. Veterans that can tell the softies to step up and youth how to mature as a “team” player. Sure this team does have a few character guys (Grier, Kaleta, Montadore, Vanek, Rivet…more). But I would honestly take a team full of Mike Griers’ just to know they give it their all. But when a line of (for examples only) Hecht, Pominville, and Roy step out on the ice who can you count on for a clutch play or to give 100% at all times? The Sabres need to bring in complementary players yes but guys that can shake up some passion again in these guys. I don’t doubt that all the current Sabres can be the players we need. It is just that some of them need to leave to create openings for players that ignite passion and make others take ownership of their roles.
So to touch on my “Breaking Point” in the title I have sat by a few years through Trade Deadlines, Free Agency looking for keys to the puzzle to come to town. And most years unfortunately with not much in terms of return. And I know there are so many aspects to being a GM that I can not grasp. You can’t just go out and make moves for the sake of making moves. And that a “smaller market” team like the Sabres need to pick and choose their openings. Well I am going against my usual stance of holding on and waiting to see what opens up. Darcy Regier needs to form a Team this year in every sense of the word. Too much rides on this year and the factors I mention above. I think Fans are at a breaking point with Regier and aspects of the team. I for one am putting everything I have into hopes for this season because it truly feels like it would be a perfect fit to at least give everyone hope. Sometimes areas like this don’t even need a Championship. Just the idea that it can be possible. So please Mr. Gollisano, Regier, and yes you Lindy give us hope in 2010-11. Give us some grit, give us passion, give us playmakers. One or two is all we need and the room will form itself. If you commit to the same replies of we were willing to make moves but a fit was just not there, or we have a good core, you may lose more than another chance at the post-season. Darcy you are a master at pulling of moves when you need to be. You need to work some magic. Easier said then done yes. But not as hard as moving your career to a new city.
And did I mention that giving us the same old BS will simply break my heart?
Go Sabres! Build hope, build a team, build the passion.
Vancouver gets bounced. Who’s to balme?
So the Vancouver Canucks get bounced for the 2nd year in a row by the Chicago Blackhawks and we all know the finger pointing starts now. So who is to blame? There is enough blame to go around to everyone that is for sure. Roberto Luongo will get a large majority of the “fingers” but I do not think it is really all that fair. Roberto played in varying degrees from Good to Great. Sure to Advance you need great almost night in night out. And when your goaltending isn’t great you need someone to pick up some slack.
Roberto did not get that slack picked up. It was either he was great or the better Chicago team beat them. In fact after the series ending loss Luongo even said about the Hawks “I don’t think they’re a better team than us, but maybe a smarter team,”. Guess what Roberto, they are both.
But I feel the biggest let down was the Canucks’ blueline. They were banged up and over extended and they could not offer the support that Luongo needed on off nights. If you look at game six every goal that Hawks’ scored the goal scoring player comes in either untouched or also all alone. The D had a mountain to climb to hold back a very talented Chicago team and they were just to dinged up for the task. Injuries will kill a Cup run and there is just nothing you can do to prep for that.
So who is to blame? It certainly isn’t the Green Men Sully and Force. They did their part. There is no blame to be passed. The Canucks just got dinged up on D and were matched against a team that I feel would have beaten them anyway. Sure a player or two needed to step up when it really mattered. But I don’t think that would have been enough to get by the Hawks’. So pick your heads up guys. You played and you played hard. You just had a lot on your plate and it Beat you. And your D was banged up and eaten up.
Ovechkin on Campbell. A bit too much
If you haven’t seen it yet you have to. Alex Ovechkin’s passion for strong play and hitting goes a bit too far on a strong push from behind to Brian Campbell (YouTube Vid). I love the passion and skill that Alex Ovechkin brings to the NHL but a man has got to know the limitations. This is a hit from behind that is in a bad section of the ise. As strong as Brian Campbell is on his skates he can’t take the strong and illegal push from behind into the boards. Bad move AO.
The NHL was right to suspend AO on this one. You can see right away Alex does not like the outcome of the hit as he sticks around to see what the deal with Campbell’s condition is. Campbell will be out for the rest of the season and hopefully that will be it. Lucky for Ao and the Washington Capitals that this was against a Western Conf team and they won’t meet back up any time soon. The NHLPA needs to communicate the importance of player protection to the players themselves. Things like this should not be going on regardless of the play. And this push was not a needed action by Ovechkin to determine a play or a game. It was just him applying his full on pressure to a clearing attempt. Sad to see this happen to a top D-Man and sad to see by one of the leagues best players. I would have agreed with even more than a two game suspension if it weren’t for Ovechkin being on my Fantasy Hockey team during such an important time.
