Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: In Which Heather B. Says "Bucky is Right!"

(If you haven't read Saturday's post regarding my feelings about shaking up the team by firing Lindy Ruff yet, you might want to read that first. But then come back here.)

I was delighted to pull up TBN's website today and see the headline Rather than replacing Ruff, kick players to the curb. "Oh, goody!" I thought to myself. "Someone agrees with me. It's... Bucky."

I sighed and shook my head for a few minutes but you know what? I'm just gonna say it. I agree with everything Bucky says. And I don't even feel conflicted about it. This might be one of the signs of the apocalypse.

There have been a lot of comments lately complaining about the system and how Lindy should just let the players go and play their offense-first style of hockey. I certainly understand the inclination because clearly these guys are, for whatever reason, not buying into the system even though it has worked for them more often that it hasn't when they actually do it. But Bucky is right when he says that Lindy isn't letting them play that style because it doesn't work in today's league. It doesn't. It doesn't work. It's not 2005-2006 anymore, guys. You can't make passes from one end of the ice to the other, you can't speed past five bodies in the neutral zone, you can't stick handle your way to the goalie's doorstep. We missed our chance to win a Cup playing that kind of hockey when the defensive corp blew up in the 2006 playoffs. The Sabres are victims of their own success. The run-and-gun teams were blowing opponents off the ice so teams that didn't have the personnel to play that kind of hockey compensated by playing a completely different style, one that has now overtaken the league. Lindy understands that and he's trying desperately to make his players, who seem to be stuck in 2005-2006 mode, understand that. If they can't wrap their brains around that, they're not going to win, at least not enough for it to matter.

I could say more on this subject - and probably will - but it's late and I have a loooong week ahead of me at work so I need to get to bed. But please discuss. I'm curious to see what everyone thinks. I'll chip in more later.

Thinking WIth My Heart

A number of Buffalo blogs have recently started writing about the one potential solution to the problem of the Sabres that everyone has, up to this point, mostly avoided: firing Lindy Ruff. I'm not going to lie, it has crossed my mind as well. I think at this point, we're all looking for something - anything - to shake the team out of its ongoing rut of inconsistency and listlessness. I had an entry half-written about the subject. But as I was rereading it I realized, I couldn't finish it and I couldn't publish it because I do not want Lindy Ruff to be fired. I can't even think about Lindy Ruff being fired. I go into convulsions.

First of all, I think it's a pointless debate because the Sabres are not firing Lindy. Everyone knows how loyal Lindy and Darcy Regier are to each other but I think Larry Quinn admires and respects Lindy almost as much. I think both men want to have a winning team in Buffalo but I also honestly believe they'll watch the team struggle and the fans burn HSBC to the ground before they even think about firing Lindy. It is not an option. If Lindy asks to be released from his contract I think they'll grant that - after trying desperately to talk him out of it - but that's the only way he's leaving Buffalo before his contract is up.

Second of all, and most importantly, I'm just far too attached to Lindy to put that out as a serious suggestion. I've written a couple of times now about how I feel about Lindy and those feelings still stand. I get the logical side of the argument: The team desperately needs a shake-up, firing the coach is the easiest and most straight-forward way of making a major change, the players are tuning Lindy out, Lindy's system doesn't work with this team, part of a coach's job is being able to motivate his players, we're committed to these players so they're not going anywhere etc. etc. And you know, a little part of me would like to see how the Sabres players would respond to someone like John Tortorella bursting onto the scene and getting in their faces and turning everything they're used to on its head. I know all of the points above are very valid reasons for looking at a coaching change and I would love to offer a logical response to all of them. I really try to make an effort on this here blog to occasionally put aside my fan hat and try to be a little more analytical.

But it's not happening here. The logical side of my brain will never ever override the emotional side when it comes to Lindy. He's my coach. He's been coaching the Buffalo Sabres as long as I've known anything about them. I think he's smart and I think he's funny and I appreciate that even in the rough times, he always has that dry, mischievous sense of humor. When hockey fans hear Buffalo they think of Lindy Ruff and when they hear Lindy Ruff they think of Buffalo. Lindy and Buffalo are inextricably linked. He hasn't just passed through the city, giving us a few years out of his career. He's been here forever. He's settled here. He's raised his family here. He's one of us. That means a lot to me. It means enough to me that you'll never ever get me to say, "I think we need to fire Lindy." You could talk me into trading or releasing every player on the roster (some more easily than others) but I just can't come around to the same in regards to Lindy. If you tell me, "We can fire the entire team or we can fire Lindy," then I'm asking when the new players report. They're the ones who actually go on the ice and you know what, if they can't find it in themselves to show a little heart, then screw them.

So the rest of the Buffalo blogosphere can be all thoughtful and rational if they must. I'll be over here in the corner trying to think of a way to trade 25 or so players and insisting that Lindy Ruff be the coach of the Sabres until I die. That's just the way I roll.

Lindy 4 Life

I'd Like to Apologize to the City of Buffalo

About halfway through the first period Mark and I had the following exchange:

ME: This is all my fault, isn't it?
MARK: Yeeee-ep.

Look, I'm sorry I complained about how hard it was to blog about a winning team, okay? Clearly the Hockey Gods were listening and decided to remind me, for a couple of periods, of what exactly it was like to watch last year's team. Porous defense, haphazard power plays, players who flatly refuse to shoot when there's someone in terrible position they could be passing to instead and last but not least, Thomas Vanek sucking it up in a shootout. Then again, that last thing does prove that Vanek is still human. I was beginning to wonder.

Two things saved this game from being a total retread: A still perfect penalty kill (sexy!) and an outstanding performance from the back-up goalie. Patrick Lalime came pretty close to earning that point all by himself. Yeah, Vanek and Jason Pominville scored the goals but he was the reason it only took two goals to get the Sabres back in the game. It very easily could've been out of reach long before the third period.

Hopefully this was just your classic let-down game and the rested, disciplined Sabres will be back on Tuesday against BostoZzzzZzzzzz. I promise I will never write anything that even hints at being upset about a winning team again in my blogging life. The lesson, it is learned.

Somewhere - I forget where - I read a story about Lindy Ruff's 400th NHL win that mentioned his famous dust-up with Billy Smith. I've looked for footage of this for years because I once saw it on a game broadcast and thought it was AWESOME but hadn't been able to find it. When I was griping about it not being on YouTube a few days ago a friend pointed out that it was recently added and sent me a link. If you've never seen this, please enjoy. You can't see the interaction very well in real-time so please hang around for the replay toward the end of the video. Trust me, it's totally worth it. And belated congratulations, Lindy!

Next Up... Real Hockey!

I wish I could say I was attentively watching the Sabres and taking meticulous notes but I really wasn't. I was partly distracted by the Bills-induced moaning and crying coming from the other room and partly just... distracted. It was nice to actually see a preseason game but in the end it's still a preseason game, you know? I'm a firm believer that you can't place too much importance on what happens in a preaseason game. For example, no way Ryan Miller gives up that crap ass goal in a real game. Right, Ryan?

The important thing is this: Henrik Tallinder was in the top six where he belongs. Looking at the pairs I think it's probably likely that he and Teppo Numminen are currently the third pairing but I'm fine with that. Lindy, you were pushing it but I'm happy to say that I'm not going to use the firelindyruff.com domain that I bought after all. It's there though, Ruff so stay on your toes.

So let's talk about some other sports:

- Wow, I'm guessing everyone who ran around looking for an antenna so they could watch the Bills game is real happy they did so. When I first met Mark I thought the "Buffalo is cursed" thing was kind of ridiculous but I don't know. It's one thing to lose your starting QB. Hey, it happens. But to start the season 4-0, getting everyone's hopes up, and THEN lose your starting QB? That's harsh, dude. In J.P. Losman's defense however it's hardly his fault the defense wouldn't have been able to stop me from scoring today. Hopefully this is not a Tim Connolly fall off the face of the earth level concussion.

- I'm way behind but I've been thinking about this for a while. People are being awfully harsh on Vince Young. I guess I understand why but I don't know, isn't it possible that he's realized that he just doesn't really want to play football? And is it that bad if that's how he feels? Don't people go out into the workforce after college and realize they kind of hate their chosen field all the time? I'm totally speculating here, I know, but if that's what's happening, how hard do you think it is for a still young kid who has probably gotten a whole lot of what he has in life because he was a great football player to realize he might hate playing pro ball? I guess if I was a Titans fan I might be frustrated but some of the criticism of Young has been a little much, I think.

- I've watched more of the first round of the baseball playoffs this year than I have in the last few years but I don't know why because it's been a pretty boring round so far. I was really pulling for the Angels to beat the Red Sox - as I'm writing this we're in the 11th inning of Game 3 so I don't know if the series is over yet or not - but I am pretty happy that Jason Bay has had such a good series. I'm sorry it's not in a Pirates jersey but when he was traded I heard a lot of grumbling that it was one thing to be good in Pittsburgh where he got very little attention and another thing to be good under the bright lights of playoff baseball in Boston. So far he's doing all right for himself.

- I haven't made a final decision yet but I think I might be pulling for the Rays and their itty bitty payroll to win the whole shebang.

PreseasZzzzzzz

Just in case you're looking for some deep thoughts on the preseason games I should let you know that I really don't care. I care in the sense that preseason means the real season is right around the corner but that's about it. I like to pretend I'm all knowledgeable about the prospects and I am casually interested in how they're playing in the AHL - before that they're not even on my radar outside of the few days they're in camp - but really they don't mean anything to me until they're in Sabres jerseys. I can't get attached before then.

I also have a really hard time commenting on games I can't see. I love Rick Jeanneret and it was HEAVENLY to hear his voice again last night but when you're just listening to a game I think you're definitely influenced by how the announcer is presenting it and let's be honest, ol' RJ can make anything sound good. On the flip side, I'm never quite sure how seriously to take people's criticism because well, people see things different ways, you know? In two places TBN's John Vogl mentioned Henrik Tallinder making the first bad decision of the season but I didn't actually see it with my own eyes so I think it's really best to pretend it didn't happen. You see what I'm saying?

Still, I am trying to get back into the blogging routine so here are a few random thoughts from the last few days:

- I'm totally bummed that Lindy Ruff hasn't openly and publicly cast off the rotating captaincy. I hated the co-captaincy. I hate the rotating captaincy. I want one captain like everyone else in the world! Why can't I have that? I don't care if the players like it! Tell them to suck it up! It's a hard world out there, Sabres, and teams only have one captain! And for the record, I do not enjoy the sight of Tim Connolly with the C.

- How do you do a story about Henrik Tallinder and not run a photo with it? Not even on the website! I'm outraged. Isn't the web all about graphics and stuff? Work with me here, TBN.

- On the flip side (and slightly off-topic) kudos to Mark Mulville of TBN for this awesome photo taken right before the game-winning field goal of Sunday's Bills game.

- Back to hockey, I tend to get a lot of sympathy every time Hank and Toni Lydman are broken up and while it does bum me out some - I like having one consistent pairing/line on the team - I am kind of intrigued to see how the whole thing shakes out. With Teppo back, Craig Rivet in and Andrej Sekera up, that is a lot of new faces. May as well try some things out. But what the heck is with telling the whole world they're going to be split up and then playing them together during the Montreal game last night? You can't play around with their hearts like that, Lindy! I know it's early and I know they have practices too but you'd think maybe new pairings would actually play together during the preseason. Anyway, we'll see if this sticks. It never has before.


I wrote that last paragraph while at work. Unlike some of you slackers I don't really have computer access during the day most of the time so I feel so daring!

Hockey Is Coming! HOCKEY IS COMING!

Sabres Edge is suddenly being updated more regularly, there are real hockey stories in the newspaper, Sabres.com has new videos and interviews popping up all the time ... Hockey season is finally, FINALLY almost upon us! This time next week I'll have seen real Sabres in real uniforms practicing on real ice! Glory hallelujah!

- According to the linked story above, part of Lindy Ruff's plan for the season is to not suck so badly in the first couple of games. Great idea! Those of you who were around last season will remember that I whipped myself into a total frenzy defending the Sabres during the summer, insisting they were still a talented team, sending emails to every talking head in the business who dared to suggest otherwise. I can still feel the slow, sinking depression I felt watching Mike Comrie - I HATE THAT GUY - skating around the Sabres like pylons like it happened yesterday. I am fully behind the plan of winning the first two games. Or at least not playing like garbage. That'd be good. Then maybe I could say I was right, just a year ahead of schedule.

- One of the questions that keeps popping up is which defensemen are going to start with the big team. I think it pretty much has to be Henrik Tallinder, Toni Lydman, Craig Rivet, Jaroslav Spacek, Andrej Sekera and Teppo Numminen in the top six with Nathan Paetsch sliding in at number seven. I think Sekera earned his shot at the top six with his stellar play at the end of last season and will play there, for better or for worse, unless he really, really, really struggles. I think he's clearly a defensemen of the future whereas Paetsch spot is, for now, a little more up in the air. Sekera is not going to sit in the press box. Neither is Mike Weber who should start in Portland for the same reason. Both of those guys need to be playing every night wherever they are. I'd love to see Weber make the jump with Sekera but I can't really see any of the other guys getting bumped and it can't hurt for Weber to be the top dog in Portland for a while. Besides, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before someone gets hurt and Weber gets his shot. If he plays well in that situation then we have a debate on our hands.

- As of this writing, I'm going to 14 Sabres games this season. Fourteen! Pretty impressive for someone who was barely paying attention to hockey a handful of years ago. For all my squawking about how we should put ourselves on the season ticket list, I'm really not sure I could go to too many more games. I love being in the arena but I also love sitting on my couch at home and watching on TV. Easier to pace and hide in the other room during high moments of stress.

Now that I've got this whole home game thing under pretty good wraps, what I'd really like to do is start going to some away games. I've only seen the Sabres in one other place - Atlanta - but that was before I really liked hockey. I remember being impressed by the number of Sabres fans - that was right after the '99 Cup run - but I definitely didn't appreciate it the way I would now. The guy in the face paint who screamed "LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO! YEEEEEAAAAAAAH!" seemed a little scary at the time. Now I would have no choice but to return his call.

So here's the new plan. Starting this season, Top Shelf is going to start venturing out to other NHL venues. This season I think I'll tackle Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Boston. Now I just need someone to buy the tickets, provide car/air travel, and pay me for any time off from work. But otherwise, I think it's a great plan! (Okay, I drifted into sarcasm there but I really would love to do it. If by some crazy chance an opportunity presents itself, I'm so there.)

- Note to the Sabres: This whole Puck Drop thing sounds like it could be fun. So... maybe you get let us in on a few more details? Like... I don't know, who's going to be signing autographs, where, and for how long? Or maybe something really basic like what time practice starts? That would be helpful for planning my Saturday.

- My new commute to work takes me on the Skyway. As I was coming home today, just as HSBC Arena was coming into view on my right, this song - no lie! - started playing on my iPod. Hockey is coming! HOCKEY IS COMING!

Seriously, When Does the Season Start? I'm Really Bored.

A few days ago Pookie sent me a link to USA Hockey Magazine's list of the best blogs on the internet. Yesterday Mirtle posted a link to the list and the accompanying article and since I'm bored and there's nothing else going on, I'm going to give you my take. Here's a link to just the blog list if you're not interested in the article. (Click on the image to enlarge it enough to read it.) I have a few immediate reactions:

1. Hockeybuzz? Really? I can't think of another blog out there that would make me take a list less seriously than Hockeybuzz. Hockeybuzz has, in my opinion, probably done more damage to hockey bloggers than just about any other site. Are there some talented people writing over there? I don't know, maybe. All I can tell you for sure is that Garth, the Sabres blogger, can't punctuate, can't write a complete sentence, and clearly doesn't know how to use spell-check and Eklund is a douchebag who lets real journalists do all the work and then pretends he got the information from an inside source. At least when I steal an idea or tidbit from someone, I give them credit and a link. I know tons of people read Hockeybuzz but popular does not equal quality.

2. I'm really disappointed at how many of the blogs on the list are written by professionals. I have nothing against professionals writing blogs - I read a few pretty regularly including, of course, Sabres Edge (Bucky seems to be in charge right now though so if you follow the link, don't say I didn't warn you) - but I don't know, when I think of sports blogs I think of passionate and yes, subjective fans. After reading the accompanying article I'm even more perplexed by the lack of fan written blogs because the article really focuses on how blogs have become the voice of the fan and are often written by amateurs. Although it does talk about how the popularity of blogs has forced traditional media to change its way of working so maybe I'm in the minority on still thinking of blogs as the home of the obsessed fan.

3. Ted's Take is not a great blog. I think it's wonderful that Ted Leonsis is so enthusiastic about the Capitals and I think it's wonderful that he goes out of his way to interact with fans but his blog is basically links to articles with comments like, "I really like this one!" or "I'm not sure I agree with this one!" I certainly wouldn't call it "a rare and honest view from inside the front office." It's nice. It's fine. It's not great. If it were written by anyone else, no one would read it.

4. I suppose you could come up with a more underwhelming list of blogs to recommend to blog newbies but I don't know. But don't mind me. I'm mostly just annoyed that I don't actually read most of the blogs on this list and don't enjoy some of the ones I have read. I'm sure it's all a matter of opinion. I'm a blogger, that's what we do.

A better list? Terry Frei's ranking of NHL coaches that puts Lindy Ruff in the elite category as one of the four best coaches in the league. That's what I'm talking about.

Let's Have a Presser!

Thoughts on the press conference and interview Larry Quinn, Darcy Regier, and Lindy Ruff did today:

- I do appreciate management admitting they made some mistakes and mishandled some situations. Now can we move on and give them a chance to act differently in the future? Mistakes were made, mistakes were admitted, no amount of complaining is going to change the things that already happened. Moving along, moving along.

- I liked Darcy Regier's comments that teams have to be careful with long-term contracts. He's absolutely right that you can't give everyone six and seven years especially when you're handing them out when players are so young. I think Thomas Vanek has been consistent enough that he'll probably be a valuable player for six more years but if he doesn't pan out he wouldn't be the first player to get off to a promising start and then peter out. When you've got a bunch of guys tied up for years and some of them don't work out the way you were hoping, you're stuck. Long-term contracts should be saved for special players. I think there will probably always be disagreements about who those guys are - I'm glad they traded Brian Campbell instead of giving him one of those deals, others are insistent that he should have been earmarked for one - but I really don't see how you can disagree with a more cautious approach at least on this issue. I may be in the minority but I'd rather have a GM who occasionally lets the wrong guy go but leaves some flexibility to recover from the mistake than a GM who throws huge money and terms at everyone and ties the organization up for years because those guys were busts and can't be moved.

- Larry Quinn went a little hard on the reminders that Tom Golisano saved the Sabres. Yes, he bought the team when it was close to ending up elsewhere. Yes, he spent a lot of money on losing seasons before the lockout. We get it. Overall though I do think Quinn was a touch less assy than he usually is.

- I do think management was pretty agreeable to some of the criticisms of the current team especially a lack of leadership and overuse of Ryan Miller. I think those are things pretty much everyone can agree on so I was glad to hear them just admit it rather than trying to wiggle out of it or spin it.

- Lindy Ruff's criticism of Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman hurt my heart but he's right. They were very inconsistent this year. There were a lot of stretches where either both of them were playing poorly or one of them was playing poorly enough that it was bringing down the other. In a season where a lot of the players were looking at different roles and big changes, the Sabres really needed Tallinder and Lydman, who were in the same role as last year, to be steady especially at the beginning of the season. Instead they were as shaky as everyone else. There was a point in February where Hank was, by some standards (pretty good ones, I think), the best defensive d-man in the league. By the end of the year he'd tumbled to 20th. I don't think it's coincidence that when Tallinder and Lydman were playing their best hockey, the team was succeeding and when they were struggling, the team was losing. (I would also put Ryan Miller in with Five and Dime. He was as shaky as they were - even before the stretch run when he was obviously running on fumes - and slightly better defense or slightly better goaltending during the ten game losing streak means the Sabres are probably still playing.) (Also, I still love you, Hank. Get in terrific shape this summer, okay?)

- I don't really understand the criticism of the Sabres offering Campbell a three year deal. If they didn't want to give him a lot of money long-term but they were interested in him coming back, what does it hurt to see if he'll take more money for shorter years? What if it had come out later that Campbell would've taken a shorter contract but the Sabres didn't offer it? The front office would've been lambasted. And Darcy is right about San Jose. I was talking to a Sharks fan about that not long ago. The Sharks have not made it a habit to hand out long-term contracts even to their stars. I suppose they could start this season but it is a little much to accuse the Sabres of insulting Campbell with a three year deal for a lot of money when they're hardly the only franchise that's being careful. (Please note that I'm not saying the reporter who asked about Campbell's contract offer was implying that - although maybe he was, I don't know. That was more a response to complaints I've heard from others.)

- Maybe you could argue that the Sabres haven't done a good job of setting the market for their own players (although Derek Roy at four million a year is a good start) but how in the world can you suggest that they're partly to blame for escalating salaries across the league? Because they have one outrageous contract on the books? As long as the Sabres are under the current management and the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Kevin Lowe are in the league, I think that's a pretty dumb suggestion. (That had to be Bucky.)

- I can't always tell everyone's voices apart but I think I really like John Vogl at press conferences. He always asks questions I want to know the answers to but he manages to do it without sounding accusatory or biased. He's always very even-keeled. that might just be John's personality and I know sometimes reporters have to be more aggressive to get a real answer out of someone like Larry Quinn but I appreciate that his initial approach is more professional than um... other's.

- I'll accept youth as an excuse this year. The team is young, they went through a lot of change, and they had their first year of regular season struggle. Next year I don't know if I'll buy that excuse from these guys though. This was your year to be stubborn and stupid, boys. Let's fix all that next season.

- On Schopp and the Bulldog, Darcy talked some about the scouting department which I thought was pretty interesting if you didn't hear it. Since we've been given the impression that the scouting department has been reduced to a nine-year-old watching grainy black-and-white video on one of those televisions people have on the counters in their kitchens, it was nice to get more detail. I'm shocked that things might have been exaggerated a little bit.

- Also shocking? Darcy Regier evidently isn't interested in telling us what the Sabres are planning on offering Ryan Miller.

Press conference
Schopp and the Bulldog Part 1
Schopp and the Bulldog Part 2

10 Things I Think I Think

I'm not a huge football fan but I do occasionally read Peter King's "Ten Things I Think I Think" column. I have a few things bouncing around in my head that don't really seem worthy of entire posts but I wanted to throw them out there anyway. Just so you're forewarned, one of my favorite things about King's columns is that every thing he thinks ends up with at least 18 subpoints so instead of 10 things, you actually end up with 180. In case you haven't noticed, I can be long-winded so I wouldn't expect that to be any different here.

1. I THINK THE IDEA THAT ALEXANDER OVECHKIN'S DEAL WILL EVER BE A BARGAIN IS RIDICULOUS.

Yeah, I don't understand this at all. Just because there is a maximum salary in the league doesn't mean there's anyone in the league who should be making it. Ovechkin will be eating up a huge amount of his team's salary cap by himself. How do you build a team around that, especially when a lot of his current teammates are young and going to be in line for raises of their own eventually?

And that's just the money. Thirteen years is crazy. Maybe I'm cautious because I've been raised by Darcy Regier but I can't imagine signing anyone for ten years or more. There's so much that can go wrong. How many players start out great and peter out after a few years? And what about injuries? If Eric Lindros were in his first few years now he'd get a similar contract and yeah, that would've worked out really well for the Flyers. Ovechkin is an amazing talent for sure and he hasn't had injury problems yet but he plays a very tough, physical style. On top of the regular wear and tear of hockey, that can add up to be trouble. Look at Peter Forsberg. He was considered a force of nature right up until the moment he started falling apart and he's never been healthy since. If Ovechkin gets hurt in the latter part of his contract, after the insurance coverage runs out, the Caps are on the hook for his salary and they're screwed big time. Somewhere along the way one of these contracts is going to go bad and it's going to completely cripple a franchise for a very long time.

Also, on a side note, I think Alexander Ovechkin is probably not the only guy in the NHL who loves playing hockey. He's happy and exuberant, I get it. I hope Caps fans are happy that Ovechkin is getting so much attention right now because I'm officially as tired of him as I was of Sidney Crosby two years ago. Shut up and let me watch the kid play. I have two eyes that, with a little help, see perfectly well. I can see that he's really, really good. I can see that he's really, really happy. I can see that he really, really likes playing hockey. Now leave me alone.

2. I THINK IT'S STUPID TO THINK THE SALARY CAP IS GOING TO GO UP FOREVER.

Okay, maybe it's not stupid. But I really don't understand it. I know there were things built into the CBA to insure that the cap goes up the first few years, but is it really going to keep climbing? And if it does, what's that going to mean for the league? There are a handful of teams, including Buffalo, that are already spending more money on player salaries under the cap system than they were pre-lockout. It's my understanding that at least a few teams are increasing their gates, not by attracting more fans but by raising ticket prices. If that continues and teams have to keep raising ticket prices to keep up their revenues, aren't they eventually going to price themselves out of the local market? Aren't we already seeing that in places like Detroit? They have one of the best teams in the league - if not THE best team - and they're not drawing, largely because tickets are too expensive for the local economy. And if fans stop going to games are they really going to drive out to the arena to pay marked up prices for a t-shirt they can buy at the mall instead? And if revenues start dropping, what's that going to do to the financial health of the league?

I will admit that all of this stuff is totally over my head so if anyone out there can explain this to me, please do. For now however I don't believe the salary cap will ever go up enough that Ovechkin is a deal and if it does, I think the league is going to have big problems.

3. I THINK MOST GENERAL MANAGERS ARE STUPID.

Seriously. Players are getting life-time contracts. Young guys are being paid for what they might be some day instead of what they are right now. RFAs are making as much money as UFAs used to make which makes free agency fairly pointless and gives teams very little time to develop their young talent before having to decide whether they're worth a decade long commitment. When guys do get to UFA they're getting ridiculous contracts. I love Danny Briere but seven million dollars? Come on. And instead of responding by saying, "Man, that guy is an idiot," most GMs rush out and make equally stupid offers. Or even worse, they make it a mission to top the previous guy and make an even stupider offer. So then the stupid GMs stand around and pat each other on the back about how they've shown their fanbase that they're serious about winning even though all they did was throw money at the first big name they saw and the smart GMs (Darcy and Lou Lamoriello) sit around wondering what the heck is going on.

Yeah, I'm real glad we did that whole lockout thing, guys. Dion Phaneuf should totally be within a million dollars of Nicklas Lidstrom and Thomas Vanek should absolutely be making ten million in his third year in the league.

(I'd completely forgotten this until I saw I already had a "GMs are stupid" tag but I've written about this a little before.)

4. I THINK WADE REDDEN IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT TO REFUSE TO WAIVE HIS NO TRADE CLAUSE.

Well, gee, if you didn't want him to use the no trade clause, maybe you shouldn't have given it to him. The guy actually wants to stay in one place and he's willing to take less money to do it and we're gonna crucify him for it? I get that he's been a disappointment and Wade, if you suck in the playoffs everyone in Ottawa will hate you forever, but I give him a lot of credit for knowing what he wants and sticking to it. I'm curious to see if a) more players start refusing to waive the no trade and if b) GMs respond to that by refusing to hand them out. Do any Sabres have no trade clauses? I don't know but I'd be surprised if any of them did.

5. I THINK THESE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY INTERESTING.

Daniel Briere: 21 G, 33 A, 54 points, -20... 6.5 million cap hit
Jason Pominville: 16 G, 35 A, 51 points, +11... 1 million cap hit

Chris Drury: 18 G, 22 A, 40 points, -11... 7 million cap hit
Derek Roy: 21 G, 25 A, 46 points, +9... 4 million cap hit

Briere and Pommers aren't really comparable since one's a wing and one's a center. I just matched them up because of all the talk about how Pommers was going to be lost without Briere. Maybe Briere is lost without Jason and Yo-Yo? If nothing else, I think it's pretty fair to say that Jochen was doing the defensive work on that line. Ouch.

Roy-Z should probably be compared to Briere since he's moved into his place as top line center but that comparison turns out pretty well too. I'm certainly not going to pretend that we don't miss Danny and Chris in some regards but right now at least, their salaries are ridiculous.

6. I THINK GOOGLE ANALYTICS IS THE MOST ENTERTAINING THING EVER.

Google Analytics is a tool that allows a blogger to see what kind of traffic he (or she) is getting and how that traffic is being directed to his (or her) blog. My favorite thing is looking at the various internet searches that have brought people to Top Shelf. Usually there's some fluctuation - recently "Brian Campbell negotiations" has been number one but that wouldn't have been the case six months ago - but there's one search that is always, always in my top five: "Rod Brind'Amour's girlfriend." And I get two or three variations on spelling. This is... perplexing. I can only recall talking about Rod a few times and I don't think his significant other was involved in any of those discussions. But for the record, internet searchers of the world, I have no idea if Rod Brind'Amour has a girlfriend or not. There seems to be a lot of you wondering however so you might want to make your move quickly.

7. I THINK LINDY RUFF HAS DONE THE BEST COACHING OF HIS CAREER THIS SEASON.

I admit it, as much as I love Lindy there were times this season when I questioned how he was handling the team. I wanted so badly for bad-ass Lindy to rear his head and knock some sense into a struggling, seemingly uncaring team. But you know what? He was right. As fragile and shaky as they were even a month ago, he was right to gather his players up under his wing and protect them from the negative media and the increasingly desperate fans. He was right to assure them, "You're still good, you're still good, don't listen to them." And now that they're playing better and looking more confident, he has been a little more critical like when he called them out for playing stupid a few games ago. He knew when to protect, when to criticize, he knew who to call out and when to do it. Basically, Lindy Ruff rocks. He should get a lifetime contract.

8. I THINK JOHN BUCCIGROSS IS AN IDIOT.

I have a love/hate relationship with Buccigross - I think his annual "Here's how I think your team is going to do and here's a cool, hip song to go with it!" column is one of the dumbest, most pretentious things ever - and this week's column pushed me more toward hate.

Which means a highly competitive team probably would go to eight years, $50 million. This is the reality the Sabres have to deal with. This is why this should have been dealt with a year or two ago. If they aren't prepared to pay that or can't stomach that kind of contract, they will need to trade Campbell before the Feb. 26 deadline, then get out of the NHL business.

Here is what I have to say to John Buccigross:

a) Read point 3 above, John. Just because some idiot out there is willing to give Brian Campbell between six and seven million dollars doesn't make it a good deal.

b) The reality the Sabres have to deal with is re-signing a number of upcoming UFAs and RFAs while staying under the salary cap. The reality is having to prioritize players and deciding who's replaceable and who isn't. You can't give everyone six million dollars especially with Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy already making a lot of money. I think if the Sabres do refuse to re-sign Campbell it's not because they're cheap or stupid, it's because a fella named Ryan Miller is coming up for renewal next and HE'S the must-sign player. He's the heart of the team on and off the ice.

c) The Sabres couldn't deal with Campbell "a year or two ago" because the current CBA doesn't allow teams to negotiate with players until the summer before the last year of a player's contract. (Gee, shouldn't the leading hockey mind at ESPN know that?) All sides have acknowledged that negotiations have been going on all season. So... what exactly were the Sabres supposed to do differently here? I suppose talks have been mishandled because the Sabres didn't just give Campbell what he wanted, right?

d) In a league that consists of the Kings, the Oilers, the Leafs, and the Rangers, the Sabres are the ones who need to get out of the league? Really? Because that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Has Sabres management made some mistakes over the past couple of years? Sure. Are they the worst run team in the league? Are you serious?

e) Hey, have you noticed which Eastern Conference team is playing the most consistent hockey at exactly the right time of the season?

f) Put your man crush on Chris Drury away and get over yourself. By the way, did you get a look at point number 5? Sure hope the Rangers are enjoying their seven million dollars worth of intangibles.

9. I THINK PATRICK KALETA HAS TO STAY IN THE STARTING LINE-UP EVEN WHEN EVERYONE IS HEALTHY.

Does that even need an explanation? Really?

10. I THINK I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT SO I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH SOME RANDOM FACTS

Movies I've recently watched: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (seen it before but I really like it), The Great Escape (my second all-time favorite movie), Meet John Doe (pretty good), The Apartment (good), Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries (good enough that I'm moving onto the series next)

Books I've recently read: Boy: Tales of Childhood and The Witches (read them both before but you can't go wrong re-reading Roald Dahl, How Doctors Think (a little disconcerting to read while undergoing medical care but very interesting), Born Standing Up: A Comics Life (Steven Martin's autobiography and a great read) and T is for Trespass (the latest Sue Grafton - I love this series unashamedly)

The last 15 songs that played in my iTunes: Life Ain't Always Beautiful (Gary Allan), Poor Little Fool (Ricky Nelson), Listen to the Band (The Monkees), Step by Step (New Kids on the Block), Just What I Needed (The Cars), Under Pressure (Queen), Somebody to Love (Queen), Thirteen (Big Star), Right on the Money (Alan Jackson), I Will Follow (U2), Lullaby (The Dixie Chicks), So Happy Together (The Turtles), Papa Gene's Blues (The Monkees), Don't Worry Baby (The Beach Boys), Bring it on Home to Me (Sam Cooke)

Holy smokes, this is long. Sorry.

Lindy Ruff 4-Eva

I think most fans have atleast one blind spot. One issue or person that they will never ever see in any way but their way. A lot of fans are like this about their favorite player. If they like a guy enough, he could be playing like garbage but they'll never, ever admit it. I don't think I'm like that about Henrik Tallinder. I do kind of ignore it when he's not playing well - rarely will I actually say here, "Boy, Hank looks terrible!" - but I am seeing it and when other people point it out I don't get irrationally defensive. I'll admit, "Yeah, he and Toni need to be better," and then just kind of shrug and add, "They'll get it together."

I'm beginning to realize that I am pretty irrational about one person however and that person is Lindy Ruff. I've written about my affection for Lindy before and I don't think I'm alone here. In most cities, if the team was struggling as badly as the Sabres are struggling right now, the coach would be on the hot seat. Fans would be running him out of town. Granted, I am shielding myself from the more uh, zealous fans on sports radio and message boards, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of "FIRE LINDY!" uprising forming, atleast not yet. I hope it stays that way.

Here's the thing: I understand if people are critical of Lindy. I've been more perplexed by him this year than any other year in the past. I've spent most of my days on IR hanging out over at Interchangeable Parts and Pookie has suggested more than once that it's time for Lindy to move on, if for no other reason than just to shake things up. And my brain gets it. My brain understands that yeah, maybe a new face coming in and saying, "I don't know you and I don't care about whatever garbage is going on here, this is how it's gonna be" would wake the team up. (Though my brain also gets that the Interchangeable Parts girls are Devils fans and therefore barely have coaches long enough to remember their names much less fall in love with them :P)

But at the mere mention of Lindy going somewhere else - especially if it comes about because of a firing! - my heart freaks out and my fingers start typing every defense I can think of, some that make sense, some that don't. Lindy can't make the goal scorers score goals. He can't make the defense more consistent and he can't make the goalies steal games. He can't take players who aren't physical by nature and turn them into grinders. He can't make spoiled professional athletes work hard and play like they want to win. Any lack of effort is on the players. I don't care if teams usually fire coaches because it's easier than firing the players. In fact, I've now stated in more than one place that if it's between firing Lindy and firing the team, I'd gladly say a fond farewell to every guy on the roster. And while that's the kind of hyperbolic statement someone would usually make just to get a point across, I think I might actually mean it. Take that albatross of a contract somewhere else, Thomas. Go get your 6 million in another city, Brian. Let someone else worry about your groins, Timmy and Max. Goose and Mairsy, I hope you find somewhere soft to land. Jochen, it's been a blast. Hank... Hank, I think I'll miss you most of all. But seriously, I don't care if Rob Ray and James Patrick have to come out of retirement so that we can field a full team - heck, let Lindy play - just do whatever needs to be done to keep Lindy Ruff in Buffalo until I die.

So I just wanted to give you all fair warning that if it comes to a point where people really do start talking about firing Lindy I'm going to squeeze my eyes shut and wish the whole conversation away. I won't defend him because my arguments will be irrational and desperate but I won't take part either and I'll never, ever, ever agree as long as there's still breath left in my body.


Okay, now to go totally off-topic...

I had a week or so of zen, but I really need to get this cast off and I need to do it ASAP. If I had a saw, I'd just do it myself. I'm enjoying the sitting around and reading and watching DVDs etc, I would just like to be able to carry a plate of food from the kitchen to another room. Is that asking so much?

Books I've read since being disabled: Rayzor's Edge: Rob Ray's Tough Life on the Ice (pretty good), Searching for Bobby Orr (excellent), Breaking the Ice: My Journey to Olympic Hockey, the Ivy League, and Beyond (okay), The Parting (good), and On Chesil Beach (overrated :::clap, clap, clapclapclap)
Currently reading: Home to Holly Springs and Brodeur: Beyond the Crease

DVDs I've watched since being disabled: Once (awesome - the best movie I've seen from last year and one of the best movies I've seen in the past few years), Knocked Up (pretty good but not great), Superbad (totally overrated but not really my thing), Stardust (liked it more than I expected to), Veronica Mars: Season One (very good), 3:10 to Yuma (very, very good), and Waitress (sweet and funny and geez, why hasn't Hollywood made a star out of Nathan Fillion - weak-chinned or not - yet?)
Currently watching: 30 Rock: Season One with Battlestar Galactica on deck

Heather B's favorite Oscar nominee: Falling Slowly for Best Original Song

Dear God, When Will It End?

Okay, I've calmed down a little bit so I think it's safe to talk about the game for real. And while Ryan was terrible on both Clarkson's goal and in the shootout - what has happened to him in the shootout? - I know he's extremely tough on himself and I doubt he went to bed very happy after that game. That said, Ryan has to be great when his team needs him to be great. It was a big deal that the struggling offense managed to put two by Martin Brodeur. He needed to lock it down and he didn't.

In his postgame conference Lindy said, "We have not had ham and egg. We've had a lot of ham, had a lot of egg but we haven't mixed it up very well." While his choice of metaphors is... interesting, I get what he's saying and I actually said the same thing not that long ago. For whatever reason, the Sabres just cannot get every part of the game clicking at the same time. If the defense plays well, the offense struggles. If the offense looks good, the defense or goaltending struggles. It's so frustrating to watch because we've seen that both units can play well but the ineffective unit just completely kills what the other unit is doing.

Okay, I can't talk about this game anymore. Let's move on. Some random thoughts:

I was glad to see that Lindy Ruff finally kind of called out some players by praising the guys who have been killing themselves the last few games - Daniel Paille, Clarke MacArthur, Adam Mair, Mike Ryan - and saying that the guys who are not currently in the line-up - Derek Roy, Tim Connolly, Maxim Afinogenov - need to play better than they have been. I thought it was curious though that Brian Wheeler said on his blog on Sabres.com that Lindy was not saying "some guys need to play better or they're benched" but was saying "players need to play better for us to be successful." Now I'm willing to admit that Brian Wheeler probably has a better feel for Lindy since I'm assuming he actually talks to the man and I, unfortunately, do not, but that seems like an interesting interpretation of his words. Of course maybe I'm blinded by the fact that I hope that Lindy did mean "some guys need to play better or they're benched." Is Clarke MacArthur a better player than Roy, Connolly, or Afinogenov? No, probably not. Is a hard-working, enthusiastic MacArthur more valuable on the ice than a lazy Roy or an overly dipsy-doodling Connolly? Yeah, I think so. If they're playing hard and just not connecting - Jason Pominville and yes, Thomas Vanek - fine. If they're making the same mistakes over and over and over because they refuse to do something different, show them the pressbox for a game or two and see what happens.

I love them. I do. I'm really tired of all of them. I'm so tired of them that I changed my desktop wallpaper to a non-Sabre which is unprecedented during hockey season. At this point I would be fine with Lindy, Mike Robitaille, Rob Ray, and James Patrick starting the next game.

What was up with Brian Campbell getting the C for the game instead of one of the guys wearing the A? Although I will say - and it pains me a little to do so - he did have a couple of really nice defensive plays tonight.

Speaking of which, while Campbell probably deserves to be the All-Star rep for the Sabres - I'd say Jochen Hecht has been our best player but I know he doesn't stick out enough compared to the rest of the league - I think that a) he wouldn't have made the squad if there didn't have to be a rep from every team and b) he wouldn't have made the squad if there was more appreciation for what defensemen are primarily supposed to do which is, of course, play defense. How else do you explain Anton Volchenkov sitting at home? And yes, I am partly complaining about this because I know fans and some media are going to use the All-Star selection as ammo in the on-going "WE MUST SIGN CAMPBELL NOW!" arguments and that's ridiculous. Yes, it's very nice that he was selected by the players, I'm glad everyone knows who he is but that said, All-Star games mean nothing and don't belong in a discussion about how valuable a player is or isn't.

Why is Paul Hamilton the only guy who ever asks questions during postgame interviews with players? There are tons of people standing there with microphones, but Paul's the only one who ever talks. Is he pushy? Are other guys happy letting him handle that? What's the dealio?

And how badly did Paul Hamilton want Teppo Numminen to say he was angry with the Sabres and/or the Sabres' doctors in the most recent interview up on Sabres.com? Every question ended with, "Are you angry with the Sabres?" (Okay, it was two questions but still!)

And speaking of Teppo, while I know everyone is up in arms about the possibility of the Sabres mistreating yet another player, I think when you're talking about a guy's sternum healing, it's best to err on the side of caution. That's, you know... kind of serious. Geez.

In closing, I would just like to announce that I hate that frakkin' Reebook Edge pop-up ad on NHL.com. While trying to get the Sabres blog link for this post I inadvertently rolled over it atleast six times. I'm not buying your stupid jersey, Reebok. Leave me alone.


(For the curious, my new wallpaper.)

Open Letter to Lindy Ruff

Dear Lindy,

Listen, I know you (or someone on your staff) are reading this, so let me get something off my chest. This has been bothering me for a while but last night it kind of came to a head. I'm going to try being calm and reasonable so let me take a deep breath...

STOP USING THOMAS VANEK IN THE SHOOTOUT! HE SUCKS AT THEM! GAWD, ARE YOU STUPID OR WHAT?!

Wait, let me try those deep breaths again... Okay, seriously, Lindy, have you been paying attention to Thomas in the shootout? He looks like he doesn't want to be there. Sometimes he almost desperately looks like he doesn't want to be there. It's not pretty. That lame shovel shot last night against Marty Brodeur (yeah, that's gonna work against one of the best goalies in the world) would be easier to overlook if Thomas hadn't looked like that in every other shootout this season and let's be honest, many of them last season too. He had that one great around-the-world move against Dominik Hasek (which led to him using that move over and over and over, long past its effectiveness) and that one gorgeous, confident slapshot against Montreal last year. But the bad definitely outweighs the good, Lindy. On top of being 4-19 in his career, Thomas just looks extra terrible lately.

Lindy, I think I see what you're doing here. Thomas has put himself in a bit of a crunch signing such a huge contract at such a young age. He is the most natural goal scorer on the team and it seems natural to put him in the shootout. He's struggling with his confidence right now and maybe you're being gentle and trying to not squash him too hard. But dude, we need to win some friggin' hockey games! Let Thomas mope on the bench if he wants and put somebody else in there. I applaud you for shaking things up and lettin Clarke MacArthur shoot but I really think you replaced the wrong guy. Leave Timmy in, sit Vanek down. Let Drew Stafford go. Throw a defenseman in there. Give Brian Campbell the chance to earn some more money on his contract with a shootout goal. Give Captain Spacek - 1 for 1 in his career just FYI - a shot. Maybe he cranks it clear out of the building, but hey, maybe he scores. Shootouts are stupid, Lindy, and sometimes the guy you least expect to be good at it is good at it. Let 'em rip. But please, please just don't use Thomas, just once. Please, I am begging you. The poor kid is suffering enough. Let somebody else stand out there with the game on the line next time.

I feel better now, thanks.

Sincerely,
Heather B.

P.S. Good job letting Nolan Pratt play. I was sure you'd forgotten he existed.

Why I Love Hockey: All in the Family

Since I've spent the past few days closing my eyes and reminding myself, "I do love hockey! I do love hockey!" I figured it was time for the next Why I Love Hockey. But before I get to that, a few random thoughts.

First of all, a quick non-hockey note. Cry me a river, Roger Clemens. I'm not going to say you're a steroid user though I wasn't particularly impressed by your Mike Wallace interview, but have you been paying attention for the last few years? Fans have been throwing needles at Barry Bonds and people have been talking about putting asterisks on every record he owns. During that time, any mention of you in conjunction with steroids was shot down pretty quickly. That? Was you getting the benefit of the doubt.

Second of all, if you haven't read the comment thread on the previous post, you really should do so (if I do say so myself). I think there's some interesting stuff there, some varying opinions, and hey, everything managed to stay all polite and civil! Don't you guys know that's not what the internet is for? Thanks to everyone who participated. In addition to making for some interesting reading, it killed off an entire day for me.

One of the topics that came up on the outskirts of the conversation was Lindy Ruff and I've been thinking about Lindy a lot over the past couple of weeks. I kind of hate the idea of changing a coach just to make a change when the only people that can be blamed for piss-poor effort are the ones on the ice, but I do get that not every coach is a good fit for every team and it's much easier to fire a coach than a bunch of players. I will also state for the record that I'm in no way endorsing firing Lindy - I adore him and quite frankly I might prefer firing all the players - but I am a little bit surprised that he isn't getting more out of the team since in the past he's always seemed to be very good with young players and shown the ability to get hard work out of players. I'd be curious to know how he's handling the team behind closed doors. Calm and encouraging? Screaming and flipping furniture? A little of both?

As much as I love Lindy, my mind does wander back to the beginning of the season and his first comments on this year's team which were not very positive. I really think that was a mistake. Even if that was how he felt, the players who were still here didn't need to hear that, especially since he'd been silent on all the off-season stuff until then. Even if he didn't believe it yet, they needed to hear, "Screw those guys and screw you for considering the season lost before it's even started. We still have plenty of talent here and we'll be fine." He seemed to come around within a few weeks and again, I'd like to think professional athletes would be capable of playing for themselves no matter what anyone else says, but I do find myself wondering if maybe Lindy's losing or lost the room. I hope not. Just something I've been thinking about.

Okay, moving on!

Why I Love Hockey #34 - Ringing Family

When I fell in love with Mark, I was pretty lucky to fall in love with his family too. There are a lot of them (he's the baby of seven) and they are a friendly, funny, slightly crazy, loving bunch. One of my favorite things about them is the tradition of ringing each other during Sabres games.

We were sitting in Mark's apartment back in Birmingham the first time I experienced it. The phone rang once and then stopped. Mark jumped up off the couch and ran to the computer.

"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I think the Sabres scored!" He pulled up the game recap on NHL.com or whatever site updated scores back then and pumped a fist. "Yes!"
"How'd you know that?"
"Because my mom just rang me. That's what we do."

And it is what they do. When the Sabres score, everybody calls everybody else, lets the phone ring once, and then hangs up. It's like a long-distance high five and to me, it's totally adorable. As Mark remembers it, one of his brothers spontaneously decided to ring one of the other boys every time the Sabres scored just to mess with him and it spiraled from there. It doesn't happen during Bills games even though we all watch them too. It's strictly a hockey thing. I turned the TV off on Sunday after the score of the Atlanta game was 3-1 and despite that, I knew when the Sabres scored their second goal because Mark rang me from his mom's house. (I did not know however that the Thrashers had scored a fourth goal so that took the wind right out of my sails and the TV went right back off.) The one ring is ingrained now and any time it happens - on TV, in a movie, at home but not during a game - one of us will say, "Sabres scored."

There have been a few people that have made me consider taking the tradition outside of the family. I've thought about ringing them to see if they figure out what's going on. But I don't know, I never have. I'll be honest, it's partly because of caller I.D. I don't know want any of my friends thinking I'm stalking or pranking them. But it's also because I enjoy the B. family having this kinda dumb but entertaining tradition. Hopefully in 50 years our kids and grandkids will be ringing me and Mark when the Sabres scores.

Danny Paille

This is really just an add-on to the previous post, but I've edited it 18 times already and I figure people will stop reading it at some point.

Lindy Ruff said he sat Danny Paille last night because he didn't want to mess with the line-up that won on Saturday night. Right. Because it totally doesn't make sense to take an already winning line-up, subtract the useless hockey player who only had 1:50 of ice-time, and add a player who busts his hump every night. Okey dokey!

Lindy, I love you, but no, I don't think so.

First Quarter Comments

In honor of NaBloPoMO, I'll be attempting to post something every day in November. If you're not checking in every day, make sure you're catching all the posts! Tonight we talk about actual hockey! I know!

A week or so into the season, I had a conversation with Earl Sleek. The overall gist of the conversation was, "Good Lord, our teams can't really be this bad, can they?" and we assured ourselves that no, they weren't. Teams sometimes have slow starts, no big deal. Earl, being the stat-head that he is however, couldn't just let optimism rule the day. No, he had to drag numbers and you know, reality into the conversation. Earl pointed out that the last few Stanley Cup winners have done really well in their first sixteen games. A good record in the regular season doesn't necessarily guarantee playoff success - after all, the 15-1-1 Sabres flamed out in the playoffs last year while the 6-10-1 Senators ripped through the playoffs and played for the Cup - but it does seem to be a good sample size. So here are some observations at the almost quarter mark of the season, some about the Sabres, some about the league in general:

- As Thomas Vanek goes, so go the Sabres. Other players can take the load here and there - Pominville, Hecht, Connolly - but for the Sabres to win, Vanek needs to be playing good hockey. I know, shocker, right? The good news is, despite some bumps in the road thus far, I think we'll be okay here. Vanek has definitely struggled and he needs to learn to channel his emotions better - he and Derek Roy both seem quick to let frustration take over too quickly - but he's pushed through the struggles and played hard even when it wasn't paying off. I believe Thomas is completely sincere in wanting to live up to his contract (good luck, buddy!) and he's too talented to not score more goals than he is right now. I think it's a little soon to decide that we should have kept Daniel Briere over him.

- Tim Connolly is important, especially on the powerplay. Last season I thought people got a little crazy with the "Timmy will make our PP better!" pronouncements, but there's no denying that the special teams have been better this season with him (even without Briere and Drury!) and have suffered some - especially the PP - during his injury. Fans can complain all they want about the wisdom of putting so much responsibility on a player who seems to live on IR, but you can't deny Timmy's talent. I also think Tim is potentially one of the most important players in the room. Some of the younger guys - Vanek, Pominville, Roy, Stafford - have been fortunate enough to succeed quickly on good teams and now they're having to work through things not coming so easily. Tim isn't that much older than them but he's been in the league forever and he's certainly had his share of ups and downs. I think his more even-keeled on-ice personality will balance out Vanek and Roy until they learn to use their emotions in a more productive way.

ETA: It turns out I'm not totally making things up here! Mirtle has some powerplay stats that reveal that yep, Timmy is indeed the straw that stirs the drink. See, I do occasionally know what I'm talking about.

- Derek Roy needs to be better. He's made some progress in the last couple of games but he needs to be so much better. More hustling, more getting under opponents' skin, more shooting. Less stick-handling, less whining, and less blaming things like bad bounces and chippy ice.

- For all the complaints about our defense, they've been anywhere from serviceable to solid which is especially impressive with the loss of Teppo and Kalinin. Losing Teppo's experience and leadership was a big blow and I think Tri was one of the few guys who played well from the drop of the puck this season. Considering that we had two very inexperienced d-men in the line-up for a stretch, things have been okay back there. Most nights they're holding the score down enough that the team has a chance to win and that's what you hope for. This group certainly isn't going to blow anyone away and there have been goals that were definitely the result of some kind of break-down. But the defense hasn't been the biggest problem most nights which is a very good thing.

- It might be time for Maxim Afinogenov to move on. He's very frustrating to watch. I know that, in his own way, he's trying to make things happen but after he finally seemed to figure things out last season, it's tough to watch him take such a big step backward. If we have to part with someone to pick up a missing piece - a big, physical forward for example - he's probably the player I'd be the most willing to see leave.

- No one's really mentioned it, but I think this first part of season has probably been an adjustment for Lindy Ruff as well. He had a young team last year too but he also had Drury and Numminen and Briere to take on some of the leadership. I'm sure you coach a team with that kind of player presence differently than you coach a team that's lacking that. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like it would require a little more hands-on work, more building up, and calming down. It's possible that he's been adjusting to a new role as well.

- How good does that Jochen Hecht re-signing look right now? Pretty good. Jochen's been busting his butt every night at both ends of the ice and he's done a bang-up job at center while Timmy's been out. I'm all for keeping him between Pominville and MacArthur and letting Timmy center Max and Ales Kotalik. Jochen is exactly the kind of player that every team needs and while he's under the radar most of the time, I think we would've really noticed his absence if he'd ended up elsewhere next season.

- The schedule this year blows. It feels like almost every week the Sabres have played two games in three nights or three games in four nights and then not played for four or five days. And this all-divisional games month is killing me. We still have two games against the Canadiens and I'm already tired of looking at them. One more "Ole, ole, ole!" just might drive me over the edge of insanity. Is it really that hard to spread these games out over the course of the season? You have 82 games to work with! A home and home weekend against Montreal should be exciting because the two teams usually do put on good games, but we've played them what feels like 18 times in the last two weeks. This is not building rivalries, it's killing them.

- I'm glad the league seems to be taking suspensions a little more seriously but I won't be completely sold until Chris Pronger gets more than one game for a transgression.

- Definitely a disappointing start but there are signs of life and I think the team will be mostly okay. In the end, struggling now might be a good thing. Let the kids learn now that it's a new game this year. If they want to win, they're going to have to work hard every single night. That's definitely better than them getting some flukey wins, deciding they can coast, and then discovering (again) that it's not that easy in the playoffs. While it's nice to finish at the top of the division or conference, I'm a firm believer that in hockey you really just have to make the playoffs. Once the playoffs start, it's a new season and crazy things happen. Guys who have been scoring all season suddenly stop while guys who have scored a handful a goals all season are finding the back of the net. Goalies get hot and carry teams or freeze up and doom them.

- You never know.

Lindy Ruff, True Sabre

Why I Love Hockey #14 - Lindy Ruff
Here's the deal: I adore Lindy Ruff. It's as simple as that. I know he rubs some opposing coaches and fanbases the wrong way and I've learned to accept it. I'm not going to tell anyone, "You'd feel differently if he was on your team" because I hate when people say that to me (that goes double for you Ottawa fans who honestly think I could ever love Chris Neil). I will however admit that I will think a little less of you if you tell me you don't like Lindy Ruff.

Despite a few hiccups here and there - really, Lindy what was that power play about? - Ruff is a very good coach. He's tough. Who else would bench a rookie with 25 goals for most of the playoffs because he thought his effort was lacking? The only comforting thing about 23-year-old Thomas Vanek making 10 million dollars in the third season of his career is the knowledge that Ruff will be guiding him along and guiding him well. He'll be supportive and encouraging but he won't coddle him and he won't let him coast. While Ruff is tough on his players, he's also fair and loyal. Any player who busts his butt has a shot at getting in the line-up and sometimes he stays there even when the fans are second-guessing it. Adam Mair and Andrew Peters are partly still in Buffalo because Ruff likes them and likes how hard they work and play. I don't know what exactly it is about Ruff, but his players clearly love playing for him. To use a sports cliche, they would go through a wall for him. Even when I'm not entirely sure what he's doing or why he's doing it, I do feel confident that Ruff has thought about the moves he's making and is making them for a reason. Very few coaches manage the talent on his team as well as Ruff does. He seems to know what each guy will respond to. I'm sure he's disappointed - maybe even a little concerned - about losing Briere and Drury. But I know he'll show up for camp in September and love those boys to death, doing whatever he can to make them the best hockey players they can be.

Off the ice, Ruff is just as great. He's honest, sometimes painfully so. If the team is playing like crap, he'll freely admit that they're playing like crap. If the team is playing well, he doesn't hesitate to shower them with credit. He doesn't believe in beating around the bush. In addition to that, he's funny as hell. He's very quick, throwing things back at any reporter who thinks he's being smart or funny - usually in a somewhat affectionate way. (But he won't take crap. I kind of wish Bucky Gleason would show up at his press conferences and act like a snot. Lindy could chew him up and spit him out and do it without breaking a sweat.) He has a smart, sarcastic sense of humor, laced with just enough dryness that sometimes you're not quite sure if he's being straight or kidding around. I love it when someone who doesn't listen to Ruff all the time latches onto a sarcastic aside from one of his press conferences and gets all riled up about it while those of us who know and love Lindy are rolling our eyes and saying, "Oh, honestly. He was clearly kidding." I love that occasionally Kevin Sylvester, the moderator of the Sabres post-game show, feels like he has to say after we've cut back from the press conference, "When Lindy said X about Y? Yeah, he was kidding so don't email us!" Does Ruff sometimes go a little over the edge? Yeah, maybe. But he's a character and there are not enough characters in pro sports anymore. He has more personality in the tip of his pinky fingernail than most coaches today have combined.

But above all else, I love Ruff's longevity. He had just taken over the head coaching position in Buffalo when I started dating my husband and here he is, all these years later, still standing behind the bench. I love that when you hear the name Lindy Ruff you think Buffalo Sabres and I love that when you hear the Buffalo Sabres you think of Lindy Ruff. Players have come and gone but he's always stayed even this year when he probably could've gotten more money elsewhere. When the day comes for him to leave, I'm a little afrad that I'll discover that all this time I've been a fan of his more than I've been a fan of the team. Lindy is, when all is said and done, one of us, a real Buffalonian and a True Sabre.

I'm sure Lindy's thinking some really sarcastic things here:

Someone pointed out in the comments of my last post that I've kind of forgotten about the "Something About Me" portions of these posts. Sorry I've been neglectful. To make up for this oversight, I'll share with you all my best guilty pleasures:
-I'm totally psyched about Hanson's upcoming new album. I buy very few CDs but I will buy it and I will buy it without sampling it first.
-I Tivo Hannah Montana all week and then binge on a marathon over the weekend. I also know all the songs from High School Musical.
-I've read all the Gossip Girl books even though I hate pretty much every character in the series. And oh yes, I will sample the TV show in the fall.
-The one movie that I stop and watch in entirety when I come across it on TV is the Lindsay Lohan version of The Parent Trap. I own the darn thing and I'll still insist on flipping back and forth between it and whatever else I was watching.
-A-Rod has kind of grown on me. I hope he has a great season and then tells the Yankees to kiss his ass when they try to re-sign him.

Breaking News: Sabres Might be Okay!

Step away from the ledge, Buffalo! NHL.com thinks the Sabres are going to be pretty okay next season. (Normally, I make fun of NHL.com because I think it's funny that they're always the last website to update NHL-related stories and happenings. But right now I'm just happy to read something from someone who doesn't think the Sabres are going to be in Hamilton this time next year.)

Also! I heard a clip of Lindy Ruff on WGR this afternoon and he did say, regarding Drury and Briere, "Those are big holes to fill." But! He went on to say, "We still have Timmy Connolly who wasn't healthy all of last season. We still have Drew Stafford who's excited and eager to take on more responsibility. We have a pipeline of young talent that we think is pretty good." And there was more of that Ruff, I don't really give a rip if you agree with me or not attitude in his voice. So either the Buffalo News caught him in a particularly bad moment or they didn't tell the whole story. (Perish the thought.)

Annnnd, the local news just led the sports segment with a story about Daniel Briere buying a house in Philadelphia. Why, local news? Why? I cannot miss them if they do not go way.

Ruff + Regier 4-Ever/Why I Love Hockey Pt. 3

Finally some official news came down from the Sabres today with the announcement that general manager Darcy Regier and head coach Lindy Ruff have both come to agreements with the team, Regier for two more years, Ruff for three more years with an option for a fourth year. Both men received raises and while no specific salaries were mentioned, according to Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn, Regier and Ruff both accepted less money than they likely would've gotten on the open market. Not much to add to the announcement except a big "Yahoo!" I really feel like Regier and Ruff are the best GM/head coach combo in the NHL and they've survived some crazy stuff in Buffalo including a bankruptcy that left the location and survival of the franchise in doubt for a while. Both guys have done a lot to build and grow an exciting, competitive, still young team and I'm glad they want to stick around for a few more years and see things through.

The press conference was also the first real word from the powers that be about the season (good!), the postseason (bad!), and plans moving forward. Ninety-three percent of the questions asked were about negotiatons with Chris Drury and Danny Briere and four of the remaining seven percent were about something else on the surface but really about negotiations with Chris Drury and Danny Briere. ("Can you talk to us about the team's policy about negotiating during the season? Because it really bit you in the ass with Drury and Briere, don't you think?") I was fine with most of the answers - we struggled defensively in the postseason, we're in talks with the captains, we haven't eliminated the idea of a special teams coach, we'll see what Paetsch does at training camp. Lindy did say he thinks most of our defensive problems can be addressed from within which has some people up in arms but I'm not really convinced that means management has decided not to look at bringing in outside help if they can find someone that fits. I mean, what's Lindy going to say? "Our defense really crapped out! We're definitely looking to replace a couple of these suckers :::coughkalinincough::: so Ryan doesn't have to carry our asses next season." I don't think so.

The only thing that did worry me a little bit was this response from Regier to a question about whether the team had talked to Vanek or his agent at all yet: No, I'm not a believer in operating out of fear. I've seen it take place in this business, where you have to absolutely have somebody and you pay for it. You pay for it because of some rumor. The reality is (that) there's a market value. He's a very good player. He's a very important player. There's a market value and you have to stay the course. You have to be looking at things on a longer term - not just on a short-term reaction. The other part is that I think we'll be fine with Thomas at the end of the day, I believe.

I don't know, fellas. Granted I've only been following the off-season stuff for a few years, but I've never heard so many rumors about a player potentially getting offer sheets from other teams. I'm glad we're confident that Thomas wants to be here, but why risk letting another team set his price when you have the chance to do it yourself? We all agree that he's an amazing young talent and should be a cornerstone of the team for the next few years... So sign him now! Why put yourself in a situation where you have to match a four million dollar offer when you might be able to get him to agree to less than that? I hope they're confident in the idea that the offer sheets are just rumors because if we end up dumping Vanek for a bunch of draft picks, I'm marching down to the HSBC offices and knocking some heads together. I want to be watching this kid in blue and gold for a few more years atleast. I'm not REALLY worried because I do see us matching any offer that does come down but still... In this case, I don't really like the wait and see attitude.

Why I Love Hockey #3 - The Postseason/The Stanley Cup
Ah, the NHL playoffs. No other sport's playoffs come close to touching the NHL's. We get four rounds of skilled, physical, intense competition. I love the way the playoffs are like a whole new season, the slate wiped clean. I love the 8th seed that had to scrap its way into the playoffs upsetting the 1st seed that coasted through the regular season. I love the way guys like Chris Drury get that extra shine in their eyes and that extra grit in their teeth. I love the extra effort guys seem to put out - the pounding hits, the hustling after loose pucks, the diving in front of shots. The last team standing at the end of the NHL playoffs absolutely deserves the title of champions. Even the Hurricanes. And the Stars. Okay, maybe just the Hurricanes. (I kid! Kind of!)

And then the winner is presented with the Stanley Cup, the greatest trophy in sports. I love that it's given directly to the captain and not the owner or the GM. They're important but in the end, it's all about the guys on the ice and I love that the NHL gets that. I love that every member of the team gets his moment with the Cup on the ice and during the off-season. And I love that the trophy is so rich with history and tradition that every player in the NHL has dreamt about what he's going to do with the Cup when he gets it whether it's drinking beer out of it with his childhood buddies or eating cereal or popcorn out of it with his wife and kids. Even when it's not my team doing the celebrating (hopefully that day will come very, very soon) I can't help but get a little teary-eyed and sentimental watching all those grown men skating around willy nilly looking for someone to hug, laughing and screaming and dog-piling in the middle of the ice. For a moment, they're all little boys again. Totally awesome and the best ending in sports.

Something About Me #3
If I had to watch one movie on an endless loop for the rest of my life it would probably be The Great Escape. But if I had to watch one scene from one movie on an endless loop for the rest of my life it would probably be the "Moses Supposes" number from Singin' in the Rain.

Did I Say I Liked Ottawa?

FIVE REASONS WHY I, HEATHER BERMINGHAM OF BUFFALO, NY, WILL NEVER CHEER FOR THE OTTAWA SENATORS IN THE STANLEY CUP FINALS

1. I cannot stand Bryan Murray. I can't look at him. I can't listen to him. I have no logical explanation, I just don't like the guy. I get a knot in my stomach thinking about him having a Stanley Cup before Lindy Ruff.

2. I cannot stand Ray Emery. I can't look at him. I can't listen to him. I cannot read or listen to one more report about what a good goalie he is now. Because he isn't. He isn't a good goalie. He's a totally average goalie who would look ridiculous some nights if he played on a team with a defense that isn't as strong as Ottawa's.

3. I hate it when teams win a series on the visitor's ice. I was torn between wanting to hang around and salute my team after the handshakes and wanting to run so I wouldn't have to watch the carpet and tables being rolled out. Ottawa, the least you could've done was win in your own barn. You bastards!

4. Buffalo fans need company in the world of Repeatedly Watching Your Team Get Near a Championship and Then Having it Slip Through Its Fingers. Why should Ottawa win a championship before us? It's not fair!

5. I cannot stand Ray Emery. I can't look at him. I can't listen to him. Ryan Miller should be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, dammit!

We'll have to wait until the Finals actually begin to see which post I meant more - the pro-Ottawa or the anti-Ottawa.

Bah!

(More coherent, less vitriol thoughts later.)