I knew Bucky's numbers for Goose were too low! I'm telling you, I'm a genius!
If you're out and about, give a honk for the Goose by clicking here.
ETA: My comments on Sabres Edge are suddenly being flagged and blocked as spam. Someone must've left you-know-who in charge for the night.
ETA: I'm a little disappointed to discover that one of my favorite sites, NHLSCAP.com, has joined forces with HockeyBuzz. HockeyBuzz is evil, yo. But if you're curious, Eklund's sources are reporting that the Sabres are in talks with Ryan Miller. Hey, Eklund! Would your sources be named "John Vogl" and "TSN" by any chance?
ETA: I'm bored. But my last comment on Sabres Edge went through. Because I know you were dying to know.
Showing posts with label paul gaustad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paul gaustad. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Sabres Win! Okay, Not Really But Kinda Sorta!
It totally, totally sucks to come that close to a victory, only to have it snatched away in a stupid shootout, but I'm in a good mood so I'm willing to call this a moral victory. Why? Well, let's go over the reasons, shall we?
- The best team in the Eastern Conference only scored two goals against us, only one of them coming from the now legendary line (enter eye-roll here) of Heatley, Spezza, and Alfredsson.
- Despite taking way too many penalties - way too many - our penalty kill did a solid job, killing off every last one of them.
- The Sabres got a solid start from Jocelyn Thibault. Yes, he had some luck on his side - I don't think I've ever seen the Senators miss the net so many times - but he also came up with some big saves. Mark and I discussed whether or not the team relies too much on Ryan Miller when he's in net because they really looked like a different team through stretches of tonight's game. Mark said it's the Jim Kelly/Frank Reich effect - the Bills always played a little harder for Frank. I can't comment on the accuracy of that since I wasn't in Buffalo at the time, but I'll take his word for it. At any rate, the point is this: Guys, Ryan needs your help, too!
- We were in the game despite missing a fair number of bodies. Underachieving or no, Derek Roy, Maxim Afinogenov, and Tim Connolly are important parts of the team as it's currently built. And in addition to that, the defense played short-handed for most of the game with Jaroslav Spacek leaving with back spasms. Aside from the poor powerplay - seriously, it was awful - I would even say the Sabres carried the play for much of the game. I know it's annoying to hear, "If we play like that, most nights we're going to win," but tonight it's kind of true.
- Lindy, with a little assist from me, held Thomas Vanek out of the shootout at first despite two of our usual shooters (Afinogenov and Connolly) being out. (For the record, all previous mentions of Lindy reading my blog have been completely in jest, but I'm beginning to get suspicious...) But when Lindy did go to Vanek, with the game on the line, Vanek bucked up and scored. Go, Van, go! (Is there a team optometrist? Has anyone thought of checking Thomas's eyes? Maybe that could explain missing those can't-miss shots during regulation and overtime?)
- And perhaps most importantly, Paul Gaustad made Chris Neil bleed. The phone rang during the first period and we didn't answer it. (We don't answer the phone very much anyway but we definitely don't answer during a game.) During intermission Mark checked the voicemail and heard the following message from his 70-something mother: "GAUSTAD BLOODIED CHRIS NEIL! YEAAAAAH! GO, GAUSTAD!" Did I mention that I love Mark's family?
I will say this... While I do think Roy, Afinogenov, and Connolly are important (I know our PP hasn't scored much lately but somehow it looks even worse without Timmy), the guys who play hard and show some effectiveness should play. Clarke MacArthur should be in the line-up until he does something to deserve not being there. He was arguably our best forward tonight, I thought.
Also, I love Jochen Hecht - he's my first-half MVP and it's not even close in my book - but Lindy, really? Yo-Yo in a shootout? His thing is bouncing pucks off of goalie's backs and stuff like that. He can't carry the puck in on a breakaway and score. Too bad Spacek had to leave the game. I'm sure he would've nailed it!
Loved the round-table discussion about fighting in the NHL. I am truly shocked to learn to Rob Ray considers it important. Shocked, I tell you! And I loved this quote from Mike Robitaille: "Hockey is like a war without the killing." Deep, Robi. Very deep.
- The best team in the Eastern Conference only scored two goals against us, only one of them coming from the now legendary line (enter eye-roll here) of Heatley, Spezza, and Alfredsson.
- Despite taking way too many penalties - way too many - our penalty kill did a solid job, killing off every last one of them.
- The Sabres got a solid start from Jocelyn Thibault. Yes, he had some luck on his side - I don't think I've ever seen the Senators miss the net so many times - but he also came up with some big saves. Mark and I discussed whether or not the team relies too much on Ryan Miller when he's in net because they really looked like a different team through stretches of tonight's game. Mark said it's the Jim Kelly/Frank Reich effect - the Bills always played a little harder for Frank. I can't comment on the accuracy of that since I wasn't in Buffalo at the time, but I'll take his word for it. At any rate, the point is this: Guys, Ryan needs your help, too!
- We were in the game despite missing a fair number of bodies. Underachieving or no, Derek Roy, Maxim Afinogenov, and Tim Connolly are important parts of the team as it's currently built. And in addition to that, the defense played short-handed for most of the game with Jaroslav Spacek leaving with back spasms. Aside from the poor powerplay - seriously, it was awful - I would even say the Sabres carried the play for much of the game. I know it's annoying to hear, "If we play like that, most nights we're going to win," but tonight it's kind of true.
- Lindy, with a little assist from me, held Thomas Vanek out of the shootout at first despite two of our usual shooters (Afinogenov and Connolly) being out. (For the record, all previous mentions of Lindy reading my blog have been completely in jest, but I'm beginning to get suspicious...) But when Lindy did go to Vanek, with the game on the line, Vanek bucked up and scored. Go, Van, go! (Is there a team optometrist? Has anyone thought of checking Thomas's eyes? Maybe that could explain missing those can't-miss shots during regulation and overtime?)
- And perhaps most importantly, Paul Gaustad made Chris Neil bleed. The phone rang during the first period and we didn't answer it. (We don't answer the phone very much anyway but we definitely don't answer during a game.) During intermission Mark checked the voicemail and heard the following message from his 70-something mother: "GAUSTAD BLOODIED CHRIS NEIL! YEAAAAAH! GO, GAUSTAD!" Did I mention that I love Mark's family?
I will say this... While I do think Roy, Afinogenov, and Connolly are important (I know our PP hasn't scored much lately but somehow it looks even worse without Timmy), the guys who play hard and show some effectiveness should play. Clarke MacArthur should be in the line-up until he does something to deserve not being there. He was arguably our best forward tonight, I thought.
Also, I love Jochen Hecht - he's my first-half MVP and it's not even close in my book - but Lindy, really? Yo-Yo in a shootout? His thing is bouncing pucks off of goalie's backs and stuff like that. He can't carry the puck in on a breakaway and score. Too bad Spacek had to leave the game. I'm sure he would've nailed it!
Loved the round-table discussion about fighting in the NHL. I am truly shocked to learn to Rob Ray considers it important. Shocked, I tell you! And I loved this quote from Mike Robitaille: "Hockey is like a war without the killing." Deep, Robi. Very deep.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
I Can't Think of a Good Title
The Sabres are seriously driving me crazy right now. Listen, I'm glad they finally woke up and beat San Jose and I'm glad it was a fairly convincing win. It was nice to see Max and Derek and Al and Vanek on the score sheet. It was nice to see Ryan playing a very solid game (I'm agreeing with Gambler and giving you a moral shutout, Ryan since San Jose's goal was totally ridiculous). But this back and forth thing is giving me a headache. The team works pretty hard for six games and they win them all. They slack off against St. Louis and lose. They put in a better effort against Carolina and they win. Now... I'm seeing a pattern here. You're probably seeing a pattern here. The Sabres? Not so much. They decide the second period of the Anaheim game is optional and that's enough for the Ducks. And then they decide the entire L.A. game is optional and they get embarrassed. And finally they decide hey, maybe we should, you know, try and what happens? They win! Guys, do you need some mood stabilizers? Because this up and down, back and forth isn't healthy for any of us.
I think the Sabres have established that they have enough talent to compete with many - if not all - of the teams in the league on most nights. But they have to be playing hard, forechecking, fighting for the puck, and they're still not doing that on a consistent basis. I thought maybe they'd finally broken through during the six game winning streak but the L.A. game was so bad - and I didn't even watch half of it. Maybe it was just a blip. We'll see, I guess.
- The games under Brian Campbell's captaincy have been from one extreme to the other. An 8-1 victory, a 4-1 loss, an 8-2 loss, and a 7-1 victory. We're either all in or barely there which is very reminiscent (to me and Meg who actually pointed it out to me) of Brian's play. That's... a little disturbing.
- Just give Goose a letter already. Seriously, Lindy. I could understand some reluctance when Goose wasn't getting much ice-time but it seems like he's always out there now. And speaking of Goose...
- ... Tell me again why Andrew Peters is on the team? I'm assuming he was in last night in case the game was physical but even with that he barely touched the ice. Goose did all the fighting and defending that Andrew is allegedly there for and he can actually play hockey. Seriously, this is beyond funny now. The only thing I noticed Andrew doing last night was holding the door open so his teammates could get on and off the ice. We're sitting Danny Paille for that?
- I don't like Harry Neale. He says one thing a night that totally cracks me up but is otherwise totally useless. At this point in the season he should really be able to differentiate between Vanek, Pominville, and Gaustad. They don't look alike, they don't play alike. Harry, let me help you out. If you're looking at a large man throwing his body at other large men, it's probably not Jason Pominville. If you're watching a fairly small man carry the puck up the ice and through two defenders, it's probably not Paul Gaustad. And Harry is even worse on the radio. It doesn't translate at all. I miss Jim Lorentz breaking down plays and showing me how goals developed. I miss Jim chiding the team when they play badly and I miss him occasionally taking a moment to genuinely "oooooh!" over a great play. Jim, what do you want to come back? Because whatever it is, I'll give it to you.
- I'm glad Jaroslav Spacek wasn't seriously hurt and yes, someone probably should have stepped in and helped him out, but Joe Thornton's flip-out was hilarious. Man! I was totally giggling. That was an inappropriate response, wasn't it? Sorry, Jaro! Also funny? The second intermission interview with Tim Connolly that took place right after he stepped off the ice. He was totally gasping by the time he got to the end of each sentence. Hee!
- I can't believe that we got an interview with Mother Goose (also funny!) but we didn't get an interview with the Millers during the Anaheim game. That seems like a no-brainer to me. According to IPB, the Millers were interviewed on the Anaheim broadcast and asked who they'd cheer for in a Drew vs. Ryan shoot-out. Mr. Miller waffled and said he'd be happy and sad with either outcome but Mrs. Miller unhesitatingly said she'd cheer for a goal. No wonder Ryan has struggled with his mental fragility over the years. He grew up with a woman who loves goals!
- I've heard an awful lot of fans saying they don't know if there's room for Dmitri Kalinin once he's healthy. Now I know I like Tri and I have a weird affection for him, but am I really the only person who would much rather see him playing than Nathan Paetsch? Really?
I think the Sabres have established that they have enough talent to compete with many - if not all - of the teams in the league on most nights. But they have to be playing hard, forechecking, fighting for the puck, and they're still not doing that on a consistent basis. I thought maybe they'd finally broken through during the six game winning streak but the L.A. game was so bad - and I didn't even watch half of it. Maybe it was just a blip. We'll see, I guess.
- The games under Brian Campbell's captaincy have been from one extreme to the other. An 8-1 victory, a 4-1 loss, an 8-2 loss, and a 7-1 victory. We're either all in or barely there which is very reminiscent (to me and Meg who actually pointed it out to me) of Brian's play. That's... a little disturbing.
- Just give Goose a letter already. Seriously, Lindy. I could understand some reluctance when Goose wasn't getting much ice-time but it seems like he's always out there now. And speaking of Goose...
- ... Tell me again why Andrew Peters is on the team? I'm assuming he was in last night in case the game was physical but even with that he barely touched the ice. Goose did all the fighting and defending that Andrew is allegedly there for and he can actually play hockey. Seriously, this is beyond funny now. The only thing I noticed Andrew doing last night was holding the door open so his teammates could get on and off the ice. We're sitting Danny Paille for that?
- I don't like Harry Neale. He says one thing a night that totally cracks me up but is otherwise totally useless. At this point in the season he should really be able to differentiate between Vanek, Pominville, and Gaustad. They don't look alike, they don't play alike. Harry, let me help you out. If you're looking at a large man throwing his body at other large men, it's probably not Jason Pominville. If you're watching a fairly small man carry the puck up the ice and through two defenders, it's probably not Paul Gaustad. And Harry is even worse on the radio. It doesn't translate at all. I miss Jim Lorentz breaking down plays and showing me how goals developed. I miss Jim chiding the team when they play badly and I miss him occasionally taking a moment to genuinely "oooooh!" over a great play. Jim, what do you want to come back? Because whatever it is, I'll give it to you.
- I'm glad Jaroslav Spacek wasn't seriously hurt and yes, someone probably should have stepped in and helped him out, but Joe Thornton's flip-out was hilarious. Man! I was totally giggling. That was an inappropriate response, wasn't it? Sorry, Jaro! Also funny? The second intermission interview with Tim Connolly that took place right after he stepped off the ice. He was totally gasping by the time he got to the end of each sentence. Hee!
- I can't believe that we got an interview with Mother Goose (also funny!) but we didn't get an interview with the Millers during the Anaheim game. That seems like a no-brainer to me. According to IPB, the Millers were interviewed on the Anaheim broadcast and asked who they'd cheer for in a Drew vs. Ryan shoot-out. Mr. Miller waffled and said he'd be happy and sad with either outcome but Mrs. Miller unhesitatingly said she'd cheer for a goal. No wonder Ryan has struggled with his mental fragility over the years. He grew up with a woman who loves goals!
- I've heard an awful lot of fans saying they don't know if there's room for Dmitri Kalinin once he's healthy. Now I know I like Tri and I have a weird affection for him, but am I really the only person who would much rather see him playing than Nathan Paetsch? Really?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Whatever Pops Into My Brain (Pretty Boys Ahead!)
I just realized it's been a pretty quiet month here at Top Shelf. Summer malaise is setting in, I think. The last couple weeks of summer school are chaos and trying to balance the two jobs with some terrible allergy attacks has sucked me of all energy. I've been spending most of my time at home sleeping. I'm now on vacation from the day job however for two weeks and will soon have a week off from both jobs while my mom and one of my brothers come up to visit from Alabama. So maybe I'll get a much needed energy boost. For now, here's a hodge-podge of things:
Much of Buffalo is currently talking about the price increases for the upcoming Sabres season. I'm not really sure what the big deal is. First of all, we all knew a price hike was coming. It's not like the team has been hiding that fact. And while there are certainly a number of bronze games that could be value games, silver games that could be bronze etc. I just can't get that up in arms about this. A seat at a Sabres game is still much more affordable than a seat at many - if not most - pro sporting events. Mark and I spent a nice little chunk more on our mini-pack than we did last season, but what we spent on five games would still barely get us into a couple of games in Toronto. I'm the first to forget this sometimes or whine about it when it doesn't suit me, but this is a business. There are people involved who would like to make some profit. If you're going to complain that management isn't throwing enough money at players to keep them around, I don't know if you can complain about them picking up some money in an area that, let's face it, they've probably been underpricing the last few seasons. It's all about supply and demand. The Sabres are hot right now and if you want to see them in person, you're going to have to compete with fans who are willing to pay more money. That's the way it works. Of course Drury and Briere's returns are going to be be gold games - lots of people want to see them. The truth is, management could've raised prices much more than they did. Pony up and go to the games or don't. But take a look at what other fans are paying to see lesser quality teams play before you complain too loudly.
These new jerseys are largely frightening. Columbus's new design is much improved and the Bruins did a great job of making their classic look fit the new streamlined look, but everyone else? Ugh. What is up with all the weird piping and color blocking on these designs? And a lot of them suffer from the same thing the Sabres re-design does - very plain chests with an explosion of color and design under the arms. Why would you put that much of the design in the most useless place on the jersey? I can appreciate the new jerseys being made of better material and providing improved performance, but I don't understand why it's proving so hard for teams to make something decent of them. And if the Bruins can design the jersey they did, why exactly was it impossible for the Sabres to use the vintage logo on their re-design? The shapes of the logo and the striping are almost exactly the same.
My husband Mark (check out his new blog, SabresDance) has spent his summer trying to select a new favorite player so he can purchase a jersey replacement for his now useless Drury jersey (although we did decided that we can tape LYNCH over DRURY, making it somewhat wearable). Right now it seems Drew Stafford is in the lead with Ryan Miller trailing in second.
My buddy Kate recently started up a new blog called The Willful Caboose which everyone should, of course, check out. Kate is also in the process of selecting a new favorite player - darn you, Chris Drury! - but unlike Mark, she is factoring physical appearance into the equation. This led to us turning a comment thread on the otherwise respectable Bfloblog into a debate on whether or not Teppo Numminen is hot (yes, he is). I'm genuinely gob smacked at the idea of someone not finding Teppo attractive, slicked back hair and all, so just so everyone knows where I stand, here's Heather B's list of the three best looking Sabres, in order of preference. Aw, heck... Let's just call this next section:
Why I Love Hockey #21 - Good-Looking Boys
1. Henrik Tallinder - Hair the color of burnished gold, bright blue eyes, sweet smile, and dimples. The long, lean frame seals the deal. Very pointy chin but that can be avoided by not looking at him in profile too much.
2. Paul Gaustad - Really hot especially when he's throwing punches at people.
3. Jochen Hecht - He's got the whole shy boy vibe working for him. I don't know that I'd say he's hot, but he's totally adorable. Especially cute when you can get a little bit of a smile out of him.
Honorable mention to Teppo Numminen. Eternal favorite status to Jay McKee and Marty Biron.
As for the puck bunny favorites...
Ryan Miller is not cute. He's interesting looking - I have a lot of affection for his perpetually cocked eyebrow - and he seems like a cool guy, but he's not good-looking at all. Plus he's so darn scrawny. I am not a small woman. I have a hard time being attracted to a guy who I'm mostly convinced I could break in half with my bare hands.
Jason Pominville is not cute. He looks like a puppy dog (thus the nickname "Pommerdoodle") and I want to pat him on the head and say, "Good boy" when I see him with that frizz of hair.
Derek Roy is very cute so I'll give the puck bunnies that one. He's so tiny though. Not really his fault but I have a hard time getting past it.
All right, I'm done. Maybe I'll be more organized and coherent tomorrow.
Much of Buffalo is currently talking about the price increases for the upcoming Sabres season. I'm not really sure what the big deal is. First of all, we all knew a price hike was coming. It's not like the team has been hiding that fact. And while there are certainly a number of bronze games that could be value games, silver games that could be bronze etc. I just can't get that up in arms about this. A seat at a Sabres game is still much more affordable than a seat at many - if not most - pro sporting events. Mark and I spent a nice little chunk more on our mini-pack than we did last season, but what we spent on five games would still barely get us into a couple of games in Toronto. I'm the first to forget this sometimes or whine about it when it doesn't suit me, but this is a business. There are people involved who would like to make some profit. If you're going to complain that management isn't throwing enough money at players to keep them around, I don't know if you can complain about them picking up some money in an area that, let's face it, they've probably been underpricing the last few seasons. It's all about supply and demand. The Sabres are hot right now and if you want to see them in person, you're going to have to compete with fans who are willing to pay more money. That's the way it works. Of course Drury and Briere's returns are going to be be gold games - lots of people want to see them. The truth is, management could've raised prices much more than they did. Pony up and go to the games or don't. But take a look at what other fans are paying to see lesser quality teams play before you complain too loudly.
These new jerseys are largely frightening. Columbus's new design is much improved and the Bruins did a great job of making their classic look fit the new streamlined look, but everyone else? Ugh. What is up with all the weird piping and color blocking on these designs? And a lot of them suffer from the same thing the Sabres re-design does - very plain chests with an explosion of color and design under the arms. Why would you put that much of the design in the most useless place on the jersey? I can appreciate the new jerseys being made of better material and providing improved performance, but I don't understand why it's proving so hard for teams to make something decent of them. And if the Bruins can design the jersey they did, why exactly was it impossible for the Sabres to use the vintage logo on their re-design? The shapes of the logo and the striping are almost exactly the same.
My husband Mark (check out his new blog, SabresDance) has spent his summer trying to select a new favorite player so he can purchase a jersey replacement for his now useless Drury jersey (although we did decided that we can tape LYNCH over DRURY, making it somewhat wearable). Right now it seems Drew Stafford is in the lead with Ryan Miller trailing in second.
My buddy Kate recently started up a new blog called The Willful Caboose which everyone should, of course, check out. Kate is also in the process of selecting a new favorite player - darn you, Chris Drury! - but unlike Mark, she is factoring physical appearance into the equation. This led to us turning a comment thread on the otherwise respectable Bfloblog into a debate on whether or not Teppo Numminen is hot (yes, he is). I'm genuinely gob smacked at the idea of someone not finding Teppo attractive, slicked back hair and all, so just so everyone knows where I stand, here's Heather B's list of the three best looking Sabres, in order of preference. Aw, heck... Let's just call this next section:
Why I Love Hockey #21 - Good-Looking Boys
1. Henrik Tallinder - Hair the color of burnished gold, bright blue eyes, sweet smile, and dimples. The long, lean frame seals the deal. Very pointy chin but that can be avoided by not looking at him in profile too much.
2. Paul Gaustad - Really hot especially when he's throwing punches at people.
3. Jochen Hecht - He's got the whole shy boy vibe working for him. I don't know that I'd say he's hot, but he's totally adorable. Especially cute when you can get a little bit of a smile out of him.
Honorable mention to Teppo Numminen. Eternal favorite status to Jay McKee and Marty Biron.
As for the puck bunny favorites...
Ryan Miller is not cute. He's interesting looking - I have a lot of affection for his perpetually cocked eyebrow - and he seems like a cool guy, but he's not good-looking at all. Plus he's so darn scrawny. I am not a small woman. I have a hard time being attracted to a guy who I'm mostly convinced I could break in half with my bare hands.
Jason Pominville is not cute. He looks like a puppy dog (thus the nickname "Pommerdoodle") and I want to pat him on the head and say, "Good boy" when I see him with that frizz of hair.
Derek Roy is very cute so I'll give the puck bunnies that one. He's so tiny though. Not really his fault but I have a hard time getting past it.
All right, I'm done. Maybe I'll be more organized and coherent tomorrow.
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