Archives for December 24, 2002

'In her letter to lawmakers Naples said, "The devil is always in the details, and as the county's fiscal watchdog, I must know the details and I must make sure the taxpayers know the details."' … [Read more...] about County comptroller wants input on Sabres, arena talks

' In fact, several reports have appeared speculating that rather than move the franchise, Bettman would prefer that it fold. Under that scenario, the thinking goes, Bettman would have a better bargaining position as he tries to work out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NHL Players Association. After all, what better way to demonstrate just how hard times are … [Read more...] about Bettman hints of Buffalo extinction

'It is becoming painfully obvious to fans that Hasek was a superior goalie who continually pulled hockey games out of the fire for the Sabres during his nine season stay in Buffalo.' … [Read more...] about Hasek's replacements not living up to hype

'If Hamister’s bid goes through, the bankruptcy filing may just be a technicality. But if Hamister doesn’t get public money for the Arena and withdraws the bid, it opens the door for an out-of-town investor to sneak in, buy the team and move it. How likely is that? No one knows ... and that’s the problem.' … [Read more...] about Sabres&#8217 ownership up in air

'"This is extremely tough," Gratton said. "We played well for 50 minutes, but when they came back to tie it up, we need to regroup. It's huge when you go from up, 2-1, to down, 3-2, especially on the road. It gets life back in the building. It was something we shouldn't have let happen."' … [Read more...] about Lemieux caps off Penguins scoring blast

'Buffalo center Tim Connolly has one goal in his past 28 games. He has two assists in his past 17 games.' … [Read more...] about Orpik now living the dream

'Buffalo's non-existent offense and sloppy defense kept the Penguins in the game, but Pittsburgh did little to take advantage until Kehoe bumped Kovalev up to the top line. The Penguins wasted golden scoring chances, made mind-numbing turnovers, took silly penalties and lost countless crucial faceoffs in the early going.' … [Read more...] about Penguins rediscover perfect match

'Once the puck hit the ice, Lemieux took a wild swipe at the puck, rifling it past Gratton, past two Sabres defensemen and past a motionless Mika Noronen in goal. It was the first time in his illustrious career that Lemieux scored off the draw.' … [Read more...] about Scoring at the drop of puck: a Lemieux first

'The Penguins had been on a 0-10-1-2 streak in home games they trailed after two periods.' … [Read more...] about Penguins win second straight game since ending streak

'The game drew 16,569 fans, even though Buffalo is not an especially attractive opponent and the Steelers were playing at Tampa Bay. The Penguins even added a promotion to help ticket sales, which is why Patrick said he was gratified but not worried about Monday's attendance. "Not with Marty Straka Bobblehead Night," Patrick said with a smile.' … [Read more...] about Beech is at home for the holidays

'From 11:09, when he set up Alexei Kovalev for the tying goal, until 17:11, when he fed Martin Straka for a final bit of insurance, Lemieux molded the outcome the way no single player should be able to.' … [Read more...] about Mario records one goal, three assists in 6:02 span of third period to lead comeback

'Linesman Derek Amell dropped the puck, and Lemieux whacked it forward just as it hit the ice. It zipped between Gratton's legs, nicked off the skate of defenseman Alexei Zhitnik and bounced between the legs of goaltender Mika Noronen.' … [Read more...] about Lemieux a bet to convert some magic

'"We don't have Dominik anymore, so that's probably the biggest reason," Satan said. "Other than that, most of the team is the same. For some reason, it's not the same, though. I don't know why. For all of us, this situation is hard. It's a lesson for us. That's how I'm taking it. I'm just trying to keep my head up and … [Read more...] about Penguins Report

'The Sabres have not won in Pittsburgh since Dec. 2, 2000.' … [Read more...] about Penguins rally to beat Sabres, win second in a row

'Despite the Steelers' appearance on Monday Night Football, attendance at last night’s game was 16,569. It was the team's third-largest crowd of the season, thanks at least in part to Martin Straka Bobble-head Doll night. It was also the largest crowd since 16,385 watched the Philadelphia Flyers play the night before Thanksgiving.' … [Read more...] about Keep everything the same