Victory!

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! This one barely counts as a post but hey, it's my blog...

I just got home from the game and I'm crazy tired so I don't have the energy to write much about it. (Short story: It was a pretty lousy game from both teams but a win is a win is a win.) Read yesterday's entry if you haven't already and enjoy this adorable photo of Henrik Tallinder and Clarke MacArthur celebrating Clarke's game-winning goal. We'll talk in more detail tomorrow.

On Being a Fan

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! Today, Bucky Gleason strikes again (I know, I know...)

Once upon a time, I, Heather B, wanted to grow up to be a sports journalist. It's true. I loved to write and I loved sports, particularly baseball. Seemed like a perfect mix, no? I wrote for my high school paper and went off to college, jumping into journalism with both feet. But a funny thing happened on the way to the press box. I started meeting sports writers and they were the most miserable people on the face of the earth. I can understand the desire to let wide-eyed aspiring journalists in on the realities of their desired careers - the pay is usually not good, the traveling is tiring, athletes are often not what their reputations suggest - but people in sports were hands down the most negative journalists I came in contact with and they were often almost gleeful in that negativity. They didn't seem to enjoy what they were doing at all.

Which brings me to Bucky Gleason. Listen, fellow bloggers, I'm trying really hard to avoid Bucky but you all keep writing really entertaining and insightful entries about his columns, almost forcing me to read his stuff. I'm going to ignore a lot of the content that has already been addressed - check out Bfloblog, The Goose's Roost, and Getting Caught from Behind for some good responses - but I do want to say something about being a fan. Because I really think Bucky, like many sports journalists, has gotten so focused on being a professional (i.e. NOT a fan) that he's forgotten why he became a sports writer in the first place. That is assuming that at some point young Bucky actually liked sports. So here goes:

Should we be grateful that we have pro sports franchises? Yes, damn straight we should. There are roughly 18,000 cities, towns, and villages in the United States. There are 122 franchises in the 4 major sports. Two of those franchises are in Buffalo. I've mentioned before that I grew up in a state - Alabama - with no pro sports presence. Trust me, for a sports fan, that stinks. Living in Buffalo is like a different world. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to live in a city like Buffalo all your lives (Bucky), may not realize this but you have a gift. It's a gift to be able to drive 10-20 minutes down the road to watch an NHL and NFL level team play week after week. It's a gift to have teams that represent your city. Not the city on the other side of the state, not the next state over, your city, the one you work in and live in and love. It's awesome that 8 weeks out of the year, football fans can hang out together in the parking lot of a football stadium tucked in a little local suburb like Orchard Park, crack open the beverages of their choice, and forget about the real world for a few hours. It's awesome that hockey fans can take over restaurants and bars downtown and do the same thing. And the fact that some of us still choose to do that even when the teams are struggling doesn't make us losers, it makes us fans. Because that's what fans do, they find things to cheer for. If you're only going to cheer for the Bills or the Sabres when they're winning, hey, whatever, more room in the parking lot for the rest of us. But to say there's something wrong with those of us who show up to watch losing teams is ignorant.

I personally think there's something sweet and charming about this year's Bills team and I'm not even really that into football. They've been given every reason to give up - they watched a still and silent teammate get carted off the field in week one, their defense has been decimated by injuries, they lost a couple of last second heart-breakers, they've gone back and forth (and back and forth) between two quarterbacks, they're playing .500 ball. But even in the middle of all that, there's plenty for a fan to root for: This is a team full of heart and scrap, a team that seems to genuinely like each other. It's a team that's at .500 even though it lost three of its first four games. It's a team with good young talent on both sides of the ball, particularly in Marshawn Lynch and Paul Posluszny. You can argue that management hasn't provided all the pieces needed to really be competitive and maybe that's true. But the guys on the field don't have any control over that stuff and it doesn't make them any less worthy of my applause and support. It may sound dumb, but I was so proud to be a Buffalonian during the Bills Monday Night Football game. Watching a beat-down, average team fight tooth and nail against a team that was supposed to blow them out and seeing and hearing that crazed, full-capacity crowd urge them on, no matter how much they'd lost up to that point? That's the good stuff right there. Is it as much fun as watching the Patriots march toward an undefeated season? No, probably not. Would I rather watch the Bills win a Super Bowl than just barely lose a regular season game? Of course. But that loss was beautiful in its own way.

Bucky treats fans who talk about "thick and thin" a little snidely in his column, but being there through thick and thin makes a fan a fan. Being there for the bad is what makes the good so good. Watching Ryan Miller drag his team through the playoffs last year was more special for those of us who remember the kid who cried during a post-game interview a few years ago. Watching Brian Campbell tear up the NHL in the first half of last season (and for the haters, Brian did have a great first half) was even more enjoyable for those of us who remember him struggling to stick at the NHL level. And if the Bills or Sabres ever do win a championship, it's going to be that much sweeter for those of us who can say we were watching the Bills during that emotional topsy-turvy season back when Marshawn and Poz were rookies or pulling for that young Sabres team that was struggling to find a new identity after losing Briere and Drury.

I'm a fan and I hope I'm always a fan. I want a Stanley Cup or a Super Bowl as much as the next person, but I also know those things are tough to accomplish and that sometimes, the joy is in the journey. A sports fan who lives and dies only for a championship is probably going to be a pretty unhappy sports fan. I don't ever want to lose that little piece of my heart that's whispering, "Who says the Bills can't beat the Patriots? Stranger things have happened" or "When all is said and done, the Sabres are going to be just fine." Because I think it's that little piece of your heart that always believes that makes sports beautiful.

Did I Say I Love Hockey...?

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! I told you they wouldn't all be as long as the last one...

The Good News: The Sabres played one of the best games they've played all year.

The Bad News: They still lost.

So which sucks worse, playing like garbage and losing or playing pretty well and still losing? Will the team be able to put aside the disappointment of losing and take the good from the game?

Gotta be honest, I'm not really loving hockey so much right now.

A Tale of Love and Hate

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! No, they won't all be this long, I promise.

I adore Derek Roy. Derek Roy drives me crazy. Sometimes his play makes me want to stand up on my coffee table and cheer. Sometimes his play makes me want to throw things at my TV. I want to hug him and tell him how awesome he is. I also want to punch him in the head. My relationship with Derek is very confusing.

The diving doesn't bother me as much as it does some people, partly because I think he's gotten a little better about it, perhaps realizing last season that he had to get pretty much mauled on the ice to draw a penalty because of his wretched reputation. Some of his other dramatics bother me very little. In one of the first games of the season, Derek tried desperately to get something - anything - to bleed after taking a stick to the face. Some fans came down on him pretty hard for that but hey, if you can turn two minutes into four, why wouldn't you? In fact, I fully endorse hockey players pulling a pro wrestling move and stashing razor blades somewhere in their equipment and then quickly and secretly whipping them out after getting hit. But the whining, good lord, the whining! Sometimes it seems like his mouth never stops moving. He's a big fat crybaby. Is he right about some calls? Sure. But no ref has ever changed his mind due to a convincing argument from a player. State your case and then move on. And for crying out loud, if play is still going on, keep playing! You're no help to your team over there by the ref while they're, you know, PLAYING HOCKEY.

Derek diving: BAD DEREK

Derek diving to make a play: GOOD DEREK

But! BUT! I love watching Derek Roy play hockey. He's fiery and emotional. He doesn't hesitate to mix it up with guys much larger than him. Last season he took a run at Zdeno Chara and even though Chara put him on the ice with one shove to the head (for a brief second it was like a cartoon - Chara, one hand on Derek's forehead, Derek swinging and yelling, "Let me at 'im, let me at 'im!") I have no doubt Derek would do exactly the same thing if given the chance again. He's chippy and mouthy and I adore watching three guys on the opposing team chase him around the ice. When he's playing well, he has the ability to take over a game. He can handle a puck and he can finish off a goal. He can play in a variety of situations - he's an awesome penalty killer - and he can play responsibly in the defensive end though that seems to come and go. (The "go" times would be when I want to punch him in the head and there have been way too many of those times lately.) There are games when he's so bad he's like another player. He turns the puck over like crazy, he tries to do everything himself, he gets visibly frustrated and that's usually when he starts falling over the ice and complaining about everything. Everyone not named "Ryan Miller" was bad in the playoffs but Derek was brutal - bench-able bad, I thought. But... When he's on, he's on. I have no doubt he's capable of centering a top line and I don't think he got nearly enough credit for the success of the RAV line last season.

Getting under the ref's skin: BAD DEREK

Getting under the opponent's skin: GOOD DEREK

Here's the thing that really surprises me about Derek Roy though: No matter how badly he's playing, I'm really, really defensive about him. Want to call Thomas Vanek lazy? Hey, knock yourself out. Want to complain about Max Afinogenov refusing to pass the puck? I'm right there with you. Want to insult Derek Roy? I will argue and if that doesn't work, I will cut you. When I went to see the Sabres with Kate, Pookie, and Schnookie, Derek was terrible and I was sitting in my seat thinking, "Geez, Derek is terrible!" But as soon as Pookie said it out loud, it got my back up and I started insisting that no, he's a really good hockey player. He totally is! Really! When people complained about him during the playoffs it bothered me even though I knew he was playing like garbage and was telling Mark he needed to be benched. When people complained about Derek's contract it bothered me and I argued with everyone who brought it up, insisting that he'd be a bargain before his contract was over. (I still feel that way in case you're wondering.) I can say all the nasty things I want about Derek Roy but everybody else should just shut their yaps. I understand how someone could not like Derek Roy. But I don't understand how someone could not like Derek Roy. See? Confusing!

I think the reason Derek frustrates me so much is because he is a good hockey player, too good to be such a drama queen. He also has as much leadership capability - if not more - than any of the core Rochester group. I was super impressed with him during the preseason. He seemed focused and prepared. He wasn't too low after a poor game and he wasn't too high after a good game. He was, dare I say it, more mature. I'm still hoping that some of that maturity will start carrying over to the his on-ice play.

There was a five minute or so period in the first game Mark and I attended this year that perfectly encapsulated my feelings for Derek Roy. The Sabres had the puck in the offensive zone and somehow the Thrashers got possession and headed to the opposite end of the ice. Derek, obviously looking for a call, was lagging behind the play instead of helping out on defense, looking at the ref with his arms raised. I sat in my seat screaming, "Derek, shut up and skate!" and saying to Mark, "He's killing me. He's absolutely killing me." A few minutes later we were standing in line for ice-cream watching replays of the beautiful goal Derek scored in the waning seconds of the period and I'm saying, "Look at that! He was actually being pulled to the ice and he still managed to get the puck into the net. I love him so much."

So Derek, if you're reading this, I say it mostly with great love and affection: Grow up. I know there's a great hockey player in there, too great to get bogged down in all that other garbage. I will defend you to the death but that doesn't mean I enjoy doing it.

Derek Roy: I love that little bastard.

Struggling With the Sabres But Still Loving Hockey

I had a post about last night's game against Florida half-written but I've decided to scrap it. This is partly because I didn't see the game - I turned on the radio while on my break just in time to hear Harry Neale say to Rob Ray, "So which practice do you want to cover tomorrow, the morning practice or the afternoon practice?" - and partly because really how many times can one blogger say the same things? So let's sum up: Lindy, break up the RAV line, sit some guys in the press box, bring up a couple bodies from Rochester (not Kaleta!), start James Patrick and Rob Ray and heck, yourself, and tell the boys it's time to stop talking and start playing.

Instead of rambling on and on about yet another horrifying loss, I'm going to hit you with a couple of quick reasons I love hockey. Because I'm pretty sure I still do.

Why I Love Hockey #30 - 82 Game Seasons
Okay, technically, I hate the long season. As much as I love hockey, there's a stretch at the end of the season where I just start to tune out. I'm too anxious for the playoffs to start and I'm tired of watching what feels like the same opponents over and over. I could lose ten games from the regular season with no problem at all. (Although maybe it won't feel so pointless if the Sabres are scrapping for a playoff spot during those last ten games.) But I do love that the 82 game season gives a team time to get its feet under them. It gives a coach time to find the right line combos and the best way to motivate his team. I love that injuries can slow a team down without completely wrecking the season (usually). I love that the long season gives players time to figure out their roles and how they work together. They can stumble and stop and start and still be fine when all is said and done. I love that while occasionally we get a team that just dominates from day one of the season to the last day of the Cup Finals, a lot of times the final victor is a team that fought to get there.

(I figure I can love this about hockey until Christmas time. After that a nonchalant "Hey, it's a long season!" morphs into a sad and desperate, "Oh, Lord, it's a loooong season.")

Why I Love Hockey #31 - Sabre Dance
For those not familiar with Sabre Dance, you can listen to a clip of it here. There's something so sweet and dorky about a team's theme song being a piece of classical music. It's like the heyday of pro sports when everything was played on an organ instead of being blasted through a fancy schmancy PA system. Sabre Dance is so bouncy and peppy that it never fails to make me happy. Even last night when the Sabres were playing so badly that Rob Ray was telling us Lindy Ruff had entered the stony silence phase which is never good as soon as the broadcast cut to commercial break with Sabre Dance I started tapping my fingers on the steering wheel while bobbing my head. (And when I first heard Sabre Dance referred to by name I did not say, "Someone wrote a song just for the Sabres? Cool!" Nope, didn't happen.)

I was planning on posting something here every day as part of NaBloPoMo, but alas, three days into the month, I've already missed one.

Shipping Up to Boston

I hate games like the one tonight. The Sabres didn't really play that terribly - some things were much improved actually - but they just couldn't pull it together. A few notes, some about the game, some about other things:

- Ryan Miller was not good tonight. I think Buffalo fans are sometimes too hard on him, but Boston's second goal was terrible and a shot that has to be stopped if we're going to win. It's just as well that we lost in overtime because I wasn't feeling very confident that Ryan was going to shut down anyone in a shoot-out tonight. Hopefully he looks better tomorrow night. Last season I always felt great about his chances on breakaways and in shoot-outs and I'm kind of missing that feeling, Ryan. It'd be nice to see him and the defense play well at the same time.

- Three cheers for Toni Lydman taking a puck off the face and then coming back in the game. That was the best save by anyone in a Buffalo jersey tonight and Toni had a great game overall. I thought he was an oddball choice as November's captain since he got off to such a slow start but it's that kind of play that Lindy probably had in mind when he chose Toni. Perhaps a subtle message that talking don't mean nothing if your play ain't backing it up? I'll take a bunch of quiet guys who play tough like that over a bunch of talkers any day of the week and I imagine Lindy would too.

- Speaking of Toni (Tony Tone), there's a great interview with him up on Sabres TV right now but once again the local media missed an obvious question: Toni, are you going to abuse your position and commandeer the dressing room CD player for the month? Or maybe force the teammates who aren't playing well to listen to your favorite thrash metal albums at full volume all night? Paul Hamilton, these are the things I want to know!

- Toni had this to say in the Buffalo News today: Me and Jochen are kind of the same when it comes to being vocal in the room,” Lydman said. “We’re quiet. It’s more Hank and Millsie doing the talking, and Spacho the yelling. First of all, it's nice to get confirmation that Hank is indeed one of the more vocal leaders on the team. Paul Hamilton seemed really surprised when he found out that Hank was one of the players who spoke in the closed meeting the team had last week and quite frankly, I was too. I'm shocked to learn that the media and fans might not know everything about the inner workings of the team. Shocked, I tell you! Second of all, another obvious follow-up question missed: Just how hilarious is a screaming Spacek? Amy brought this up over at Shots Off the Crossbar and it's so true. I can barely understand Spacek when he's carefully speaking during plain ol' interviews. Does anyone on the team really get what he's saying when he starts yelling because I'm imagining a lot of loud, fast, booming gibberish. Seriously, Toni, do you all just sit around and giggle while Spacho goes off? And what do I need to do to get him to yell at me?

- For the record, I really thought Tim Connolly should have gotten a letter this month. He showed up almost every night, he's playing at a point per game pace, his line has been the most consistent and the hardest working, and his power play unit is looking very strong even when it's not scoring. But one little note to Timmy: You can shoot the puck, you know. It's okay!

- Jason Pominville also put together a very good first month, in my opinion. I was really hard on him during the playoffs last year, but he's busted his butt almost every night so far and he's one of the few forwards who's played well at both ends of the ice. He gummed up a defensive play a bit tonight and I found myself completely startled. Evidently Mark shared my feelings because he said, "Wow, you don't see that from Jason very often" and while I'd never thought about it, you really don't. Some games he, Timmy, and Jochen were the only signs of life out there. Also, I think we can officially put the "Pominville is nothing without Briere" argument to rest, people. Does he need a strong center? I don't know, maybe. (And seriously, a winger needs a good center? Whoa, hit me with some more earth shattering knowledge!) Was Briere the only good center on the team? Evidently not.

- This schedule is a travesty. We play what feels like five games in three days and then have a week off. We play nine straight division games with three or four different teams. I usually enjoy the Montreal and Ottawa games but having six of them in one month is overkill. I understand that scheduling thirty teams is probably a complicated process but I'm pretty confident I could do a better job. Are everybody's schedules this screwy?

- I'm not a big fan of Independent Health calling their workers "Red Shirts." First of all, it's stupid. I wear a red shirt to the grocery store. I'd really like to think the person answering my health related questions is a little more educated than the average grocery store cashier. Second of all, doesn't anyone at the company watch Star Trek? I don't really like my health insurance conjuring up thoughts of pointless death.

- After contributing nothing for far too long, I recently posted something at HLog regarding my one hockey related superstition. Want to know what it is? Ha! You'll have to read it there.

Bucky Gleason? Still Pretty Stupid.

I've been living a happy, Bucky Gleason-free life but Gambler went and blew that out of the water by commenting on his weekend column over at Desperation Hockey. There were many, many things to be annoyed about: Is Jochen Hecht someone who commands respect in the dressing room? I don't know, why don't we ask the teammates who voted him captain? The defense sucks but Brian Campbell should be re-signed right away? The Rangers' slow start isn't indicative of trouble but our slow start means disaster? Dmitri Kalinin has been mediocre? Bucky, do you even watch hockey?

Here's the part that really got me though:

The Oilers gave Ryan Smyth a video tribute when he returned last week with Colorado in his first game back since Edmonton traded him. They did the same for Jason Smith when he returned with Philadelphia. It was a classy move in both cases. Just wondering if the Sabres have anything similar planned for Drury and Briere.

Now I already mentioned in my last post that I thought what the Oilers did was stupid. If you want to give Smyth a tribute when he retires, fine, great, have at it. But while he's still an active player and he's on the other team, treat him like every other opposing player. If the fans want to give him a standing ovation or acknowledge him in some way, let them do it. Otherwise let it be.

But atleast Smyth and Smith played in Edmonton for a long time, eleven and seven years respectively, I believe. Chris Drury and Daniel Briere played in Buffalo for seven years combined and both chose to play somewhere else. Why should they get a video tribute that other players didn't receive? Jay McKee played here for almost a decade and was as valuable - I'd argue he was even more valuable - as Briere or Drury. No video tribute for him? Everybody loves Marty Biron and he also played here for close to ten years. Not worthy? Heck, Stu Barnes played here longer than Briere and Drury, wore the C, and played in a Stanley Cup Final. Dominik Hasek was the team for many, many years and while he was a prick at times he was also arguably the best hockey player to ever put on a Sabres uniform. How was he welcomed back to Buffalo? We booed his ass. Which is exactly how it should be. Let the fans welcome back returning players in the way they see fit. The organization needs to stay out of it. How are Tim Connolly and Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville supposed to feel, sitting on the bench before a game, watching a tribute to a player who left Buffalo of his own free will and is about to step out on the ice in a different colored jersey, especially after an entire off-season of hearing, "Geez, this team is really going to suck without that guy!" No, I don't think so. Let it go. Move on. I enjoyed watching Drury and Briere and I wish there had been some way to keep them and everyone else around. But if there's a video tribute welcoming them back, I'm throwing stuff at the jumbotron. Let it go, Bucky. Good lord.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

I would like to give out an official Top Shelf thumbs up to Steve, hands down the best CSM at the grocery store where I work, for piping the radio in the manager's office through the speaker of the phone at my register last night so I could listen to the game. It was probably technically not allowed, but Steve is cool like that. Steve, this is why you're my favorite. (Note to other CSMs: Yes, it really is as simple as letting me listen to the Sabres at work.)

I would also like to give a Top Shelf thumbs down to Brett, the cashier who came back from his break, and without asking me or even informing me, switched the radio to the phone at his register because god forbid someone else listen to the game, especially a girl. Okay, he didn't say anything about me being a girl but he did try to be all cute and funny about it. So for the record, Brett, not cute. Not cute at all. What really annoyed me though is this: I went out to my car to listen to the end of the game while on my break and got there just in time to hear Daniel Paille score his shortie. I'm all excited because I'm thinking we finally tied the game up and then I learn the score is 4-2! So not only did Brett commandeer the game broadcast, he failed to let me know that we tied the game and then took the lead even though, hello! I WAS LISTENING TO THE GAME. Most people would take that as a sign that I might be interested in what's happening. Boys are so dumb sometimes.

Anyway... I heard the second intermission and a couple of minutes at the beginning and end of the third period. I don't really know how the game was so we'll just say that it was great. We won. That's good, right?

The last couple of years Mark and I have taken his mom to a Sabres game for her birthday and we realized today that we accidentally bought tickets to a game that I already had tickets to with my buddies from work. (I don't want to point any fingers but it was totally not my fault.) Mark is currently on the phone with his mom trying to decide who they should give my ticket to and he just said, "Yeah, she's going to go with her friends because she likes them more than us." Husbands.

I would definitely miss not being able to see games on TV if I were in that situation, but I love listening to the game on the radio during my breaks. I lean the driver's seat way back, close my eyes, and block out everything but Rick Jeanneret. The word "soothing" doesn't really seem to fit RJ's boisterous, excitable style, but that's what it is.

You Gotta Have Heart

I'm not going to comment too much on last night's game because I missed it due to work. Because I didn't see it, it's hard to separate the reality of the game from the standard Buffalo crazy. I did also promise myself I was going to give the team 20 games before I made too much criticism of how they were playing because I do think it's going to take them time to get settled into new roles on and off the ice.

But I will say this: The lack of effort at important times the last couple of weeks is disheartening. At the very least I expected this team to play hard. They should have a chip on their shoulders about the way people seem so eager to credit all the success of the last couple of years to Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. They should be chomping at the bit to show people they're not devastated or rebuilding. They went from pressing a little too hard in the first couple of games to looking pretty disinterested in the last couple. I'd much rather watch a marginally talented team that plays hard than an extremely talented team that coasts so hopefully this gets straightened out quickly. Right now this isn't about Darcy Regier, Lindy Ruff, Chris Drury, or Danie Briere. The Sabres are not losing because they're getting out-muscled or out-skilled. It is about the players on the ice deciding they really want to win more than the other team. It's lovely that they're saying all the right things but at some point you have to stop talking about working harder and start to do it.

A few random thoughts:

- I can't believe how dismissive some people are being about Dmitri Kalinin's injury. He's been our best d-man so far this season (which is damning with faint praise, I know) and outside of the Ottawa series, I'd say he was probably our most consistent d-man last season too. If Tallinder and Lydman don't pull it together quickly, our defense could be extremely ugly without Tri in the line-up.

- I also think it's time for the Teppo haters to admit that our defensive group - if not the whole team - misses him and his steadying, veteran leadership. And while we're being honest, let's also admit that Nathan Paetsch was not ready to step seamlessly into Teppo's minutes. I'm not going to come down on him too hard right now since it's early and everyone is playing like crap, but he's looked very overwhelmed in his own end.

- I understand that Ryan Smyth was in Edmonton for a very long time and that the fans there loved him, but I do not get the concept of a pre-game video tribute to an active player on the opposing team. In fact, it's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Oilers fans, Smyth could've taken $100,000 less and stayed in Edmonton. He also could've come back to Edmonton as a free agent. Also did I mention that he's there to play on the other team? As in, against your team? I can't wait for the Jay McKee video tribute next month!

- “The Sabres have asked the NHL “to wear white jerseys at home for the month of November so that fans could differentiate divisional games from non-divisional opponents,” Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn said.” Thank you, Larry. How would we know the difference otherwise, especially since we play the same three teams 27 times in November?

I'm going to miss tomorrow's game too but I'm going to hope the 20 minute closed door team meeting involved someone flipping benches and throwing chairs and that we'll see a different team in Florida. I do not want to go sit in my freezing car during my break and turn on the radio just in time to hear the opponent score its fifth goal and our enforcer take yet another stupid, poorly timed penalty. So here's hoping!

Sidney Crosby... REVEALED!

One of the first entries I ever wrote here at Top Shelf was an ode to Sidney Crosby. I love the kid. I think he's handled the pressure and spotlight amazingly well, particularly for his age, and he's a ton of fun to watch. So it was with much anticipation that I sat down to watch Versus' Sidney Crosby Revealed. Here's what I learned:

- One of the most important things about learning to play ice hockey is learning to skate.
- Sidney Crosby learned to skate at a young age.
- Sidney Crosby has always been really good at hockey.
- Other people in the NHL think Sidney Crosby is really good at hockey.
- Sidney Crosby loves hockey.
- Sidney Crosby would like to win a Stanley Cup.

I don't know about you guys, but I feel my life is now complete. Thanks, Versus!

Lindy, If You're Reading This Blink Twice

Saturday morning I said right here that Maxim Afinogenov and Derek Roy needed to be broken up. Saturday night they played on different lines. Coincidence? I'm not so sure. (Hi, Lindy!)

Seriously, I was glad to see that move made and I think Max and Drew Stafford both looked better on their respective lines tonight. Max and Tim Connolly have played successfully together before and Tim and Ales Kotalik have established chemistry as well. I have mixed feelings about Pominville being buried on the third line with lesser skilled players but he does play well with Jochen Hecht and Jochen can set him up pretty well. I'd definitely like to see these lines stick for a few games to see how they gel.

Let me preface this next statement by saying that I'm in no way suggesting this caused the Sabres to lose because they were totally flat in the first period which is pretty sorry considering how poorly they played the previous night but... the officiating tonight was horrid. It was chintzy and worse, it was inconsistent. (At this point the only consistent thing about the officiating is that it's inconsistent.) Nathan Paetsch got called for interference for body checking a guy coming in for a shot - which some of us have been dying for a d-man to do for about a year now - and just a few minutes later a Montreal player played Max exactly the same way and there was no call. In fact, Max ended up getting called for roughing. And how was the puck that bounced in off of Toni and Ryan not negated by the Montreal player tripping Toni in the first place? I'd be curious to know how much time in this game was spent 5-on-5. And while I'm not fully into the "The NHL Hates Buffalo" conspiracy, I don't think the Sabres made it through an entire powerplay without getting called for something that evened things up.

It was really one of those games that you hate to lose because I'm not sure they really deserved to. Like I said, they were pretty flat in the first period, but they picked it up as the game went on and I wouldn't say the Canadiens outplayed them. Montreal got all the bounces tonight - those are some crazy boards they have behind the nets - which happens sometimes. It stinks but there it is. Hopefully the team looks sharp from the beginning against Carolina on Wednesday though. I'll admit, I'm a little nervous about that one.

The one thing that does really continue to bother me is the way no one seems too concerned with opposing players running and whacking at Ryan. I don't care if you have to take a penalty, the next guy who touches Ryan should get a beatdown, no questions asked. (And no, bringing up Patrick Kaleta is not the answer.)

On a totally different subject, I guess there really is some debate about whether the Sabres involved were in on the joke in the Sportsnet video I linked to a few posts back. I mentioned that in my original commentary although I was mostly joking. If you watch though it is debatable. Something about the way Tim Connolly fake laughed and looked around made me think he was wondering whether the interviewer was being serious or not. The storm-offs are obviously fake but maybe the guy interviewed them and then explained what was going on and filmed the endings. I don't know, I guess I can kind of understand why the players were annoyed. (If they were. I haven't heard any of them comment on it.) If you have to sit down and do a billion interviews, you probably don't want to be wondering if you're being jerked around. And the subject matter probably didn't help because I'm sure every one of those guys was tired of being asked about Drury and Briere before preseason even started. That said, I don't know how you watch the finished product and not think it's both complimentary to the guys left behind and really, really funny. Honestly, considering how poorly most of these guys act in commericals and stuff, it's probably funnier with them not knowing what was going on.

Girls Just Wann Have Fun Unlike the Buffalo Sabres

So that game really blew. I was there and here's what I remember about the action on the ice:

- Dmitri Kalinin taking a roughing penalty. It was definitely a penalty but I was kind of tickled since Tri doesn't usually get fired up like that.

- Henrik Tallinder blowing a gasket about a penalty and slamming his stick on the ice. Very uncharacteristic and I'm a little surprised he didn't end up getting an unsportsmanlike conduct call on top of the initial penalty. On the one replay they showed at the arena it looked like it was a penalty so I'm not sure what Hank's beef was. I'm assuming he thought the Blue Jacket player was holding his stick.

- Derek Roy sucking it up big time. Derek, you do not make it easy sometimes. (More about him at another time.)

Annnd... that's about it. This game was pretty unmemorable and kind of boring and almost every Sabre was completely invisible. The only semi-analysis I'll make is that the Sabres are really going to have to find a way to play against teams that bottle up the neutral zone and/or collapse around the goalie because they're going to see a lot of that this season. Opponents are going to do whatever they can to avoid a run and gun track meet.

Oh, actually I'll also say this: This game was a perfect example of why I think the RAV line should be broken up. When Vanek, Roy, and Afinogenov are playing well, they're great but when they're struggling at all, they completely drag each other down. Max starts playing the "I'm going to score this goal all by myself!" game and Derek immediately follows his lead. Vanek doesn't seem to do that quite so much but with his two linemates playing all by themselves, he's left on his own. That line was absolutely brutal tonight on both ends of the ice. When Derek plays with someone who's more defensively responsible - or just responsible period - it seems to trigger something in his brain and he plays more responsibly too. He and Max together? Bad combo.


Hank and Toni (BFF!) at skate-around, pretty much the highlight of the game.

Fortunately, even though the game was a bust, the company was great. After hearing all week about the fun everyone else was having, I finally managed to meet up with Kate (of The Willful Caboose) and Pookie and Schnookie (of Interchangeable Parts) and we had a total blast. We started the evening with dinner at local institution Chef's. Mark and I had been there once before and while I wasn't a huge fan, I hated to sound negative since I'm really not a huge fan of Italian food to begin with. I will admit to being a little relieved that none of the girls seemed particularly taken with Chef's either. I'm convinced that my meatball sub was a piece of bread, a layer of meatballs, and then an entire block of cheese melted over the top. They are not stingy with the cheese at Chef's. But hey, I suppose it's one more thing we can check off on the "Things to Do In Buffalo" list. That said, Daniel Paille, it might be time to try some new restaurants in Buffalo because there has to be something better out there.

After dinner we headed off to the game which, as we've already established, was not very enjoyable. It didn't take long for us to zone out and start talking about totally random things like who's funnier looking, Drew Stafford or Ryan Miller, Ryan Miller's playlist, how handsome Paul Gaustad is in real-life, and how bad Derek Roy sucks. For the record: I think Stafford is way funnier looking but I think I was in the minority. We all agreed that Ryan spent hours poring over his CD collection trying to find exactly the right songs and most likely had lengthy, in-depth reasons behind each selection. And the Derek conversations all went something like this:

Pookie and Schnookie: God, Derek Roy sucks.
Me: Stop it, he can totally be good, I swear! Just not you know, tonight!

We were right behind Ryan's net for two periods so we spent a lot of time watching him. He's pretty fascinating. At one point he was clearly upset with his teammates - I think it was Schnookie who said it appeared that he was telling them to check somebody but there was definitely general disgust, atleast momentarily. My favorite part of the night was when he skated over to the ice guy during a TV timeout and carefully explained what needed to be done to the ice in the crease. After the guy cleaned it up, Ryan skated back over and inspected the guy's handiwork so closely that his nose was practically against the ice, decided something was lacking and used his water bottle to fix up a spot by the post, which he then seemed to obsess about for a while. Goalies are great, Ryan Miller is even greater.

Other than that, the highlight of the game was the guy behind us who was clearly drunk by the halfway point of the first period and completely fixated on Pookie and I knowing where Sabretooth was at all times. (Pookie: I don't mean to alarm you, but there's a large tiger behind you. Do not make any sudden movements.) Oh, there was also the small boy in front of us who decided to rally the Sabres by stripping off his shirt and twirling it over his head. And there was the laughing and giggling over the signs I made for the occasion:


The wording and the lettering did, unfortunately, bring to mind small-town strip joints. Sorry, Hank!


Both of these signs were inspired by comment threads at IPB. "Tally Ho" is the affectionate - I think - nickname given to me by Kate and Pommerdoodle is the nickname given to Jason Pominville. In case the sign doesn't make it clear why, it's because he totally looks like a labradoodle puppy.

I also made this one but unfortunately, didn't get much use out of it tonight:



It turns out that I really enjoy making signs more than I enjoy holding them. I felt kind of stupid. I think to really pull off a sign you need to be either under the age of 10 or a committed puck bunny, two things that I am not. Kate slumping in her seat to hide behind the signs in embarrassment didn't help either. Also, it's a plus if your team isn't sucking it up on the ice. So mostly the signs just got trampled on during the game but it was worth the work for how amused we were by them.

We ended the night with dessert at Butterwood, a dessert restaurant in Williamsville. We sat in traffic for what seemed like an eternity, frightened that Butterwood would close before we got there and we would go home dessert-less, but the way did finally clear and holy cow, everything was very tasty. The IPB girls have photos of our plates up if you'd like to see them. We all ordered something different and shared. I had the molten lava cake with a smattering of fresh fruit and a little scoop of vanilla ice-cream. The way the waitress explained all the elements of each dish made me feel like I was on Top Chef but it was pretty cool. I even got an explanation of the powdered sugar which cracked us all right up.

So despite the wretched hockey game, it was a delightful evening. After we dropped Pookie and Schnookie off at their hotel, Kate and I were talking about how their blog is very representative of who they are. If you've read Interchangeable Parts, you've met Pookie and Schookie. I would also say the same for Kate and The Willful Caboose. I have no idea if that's the case for me, but I think that's probably a large part of why both of those blogs are so much fun to read - Kate, Pookie, and Schnookie are writing from their own perspsectives with their own voices and personalities rather than trying to be something they're not. Anyone who ever has the opportunity to hang out with any of them should definitely seize the day.



Ryan Miller's Playlist.
I don't remember hearing The Verve but bravo, Ryan. I like that one.