K-9

I just checked it out. Rush basically says Williams killed himself because leftists are always angry at something. I stopped listening to that wind bag 21 years ago and I'm not surprised by his utter lack of insight and compassion. He's sub-human and I don't mean that as a dis to lower primates. Loved Black's retort.

Same here. I can't wait until he's named captain. It's only a matter of time. And he'll have a TON of locker room cred because he'll be one of the new core that makes the team his own. And he won't be afraid to do it, either. Unlike Vanek, Roy, etc. who could hide behind the veteran leadership of Drury/Briere and then crumble when it was their turn to take the reigns. And something tells Girgs won't put up with less than 100% effort at all times. GO SABRES!!!

Back in the 70s when I worked summers building stages for stadium rock concerts, we had T-shirts printed up that read "Wild Buffalo Erection Company." They were a hot item on those tours.

It's much more effective when you put the FOX News spin on it: "Some people are wondering if Thomas Vanek was on the take when he sat out the series against the Bruins. Could he have faked an injury? Some people may think so."

Not for nothing, but we also won the AFL Championship in '65. So we haven't quite suffered as long as Cleveland. GO SABRES!!!

Muscle is always in one of three states: building, breaking down, or atrophying. Which state is a superior player in when he plays inferior competition night after night? It's not about impatience, it's about what's best for certain players. Some just aren't best served when forced to play against inferior competition. It's nice that elite prospects can sell tickets in the inferior league, though. GO SABRES!!!

Of course you are 100% spot on here. Dollar trumps what's best for the prospect, unfortunately. GO SABRES!!!

So it's more about the league and less about the developmental best interest of that handful of players that are legitimately TOO good for that level of play. It does nothing to serve them in terms of development. The vast majority of kids that need to return to juniors could still do so. But there are a few that need to go where their games can flourish. I could even argue that the competitive level of the CHL actually goes down by having players far superior for that level of play. Teams should get at least 1 or 2 exceptions to designate for AHL assignment. GO SABRES!!!

Agreed. I'm on record as thinking this agreement between the NHL and CHL is a bad rule and actually hurts some of the players it purports to protect. GO SABRES!!!

If only there were a league where a player that's too good for juniors but not quite ready for the NHL, could learn and develop his game. GO SABRES!!!

I think it was chz that first postulated Nolan was gonna be the coach to develop the young players and be a place holder until our version of Bylsma is hired. GO BILLS!!!

Is the inference here that Darcy didn't want to tie up his young star defenseman when he did, to a cap friendly deal, vs. TP making the decision? Again, I think it's a case, as is USUAL, that the hockey department needs to make sure the business side is on board with the commitment of resources. At the time, the Myers deal was hailed as good foresight by an organization looking to secure their young stars. This is a good thing. The 20/20 hindsight applied in view of Myers' struggles since then is not relevant. Just throwing that out there because it's all after the fact. GO SABRES!!!

Do you see the hockey side as a totally separate entity from the business side? One with complete autonomy from the rest of the corporation? If the hockey department needs resources to accomplish goals, do they just get them from itself? I'm honestly trying to understand your broader point here. If your expectation is that the hockey department exists in a vacuum that should just be left alone, I don't see how that's sustainable in the business model. And I'll ask one more time: what hockey decision to you feel wasn't made by the hockey department? GO SABRES!!!

What "hockey" decisions do you think have been made by non-hockey people? It's a bit of a stretch to suggest that because an owner sits in on meetings with his GM, scouts, etc. that he is making hockey decisions when all he's doing is keeping abreast of what's happening and perhaps inquiring as to what may be needed financially or organizationally to achieve hockey related goals. The exception to the rule is an owner that DOESN'T sit in on meetings with his various staffs, regardless of sport. It's unheard of. GO BILLS!!!

But could it have been done any other way? Whether ownership meddles to an unacceptable point is irrelevant in the face of realizing a core had reached it's ceiling and was well past diminishing returns. Pegula inherited a team that had been built into a Presidential Cup winner by DR and LR and it's perfectly reasonable to want to give them the chance to do it again given that past success. It didn't work. There are no shortcuts. In order for transformation and growth to occur, the team had to be dismantled. I doubt it was easy for Terry to accept this at first, given his fanboy passion for the club. But the rebuild is well underway now, so if there's any meddling going on, it's being channeled in the right direction. I don't think meddling is going on relative to the hockey decisions we've seen TM make recently. But if those decisions WERE born out of meddling by the owners, then we've got some genius hockey people disguised as owners. The Pegulas know when to insert themselves into a business process and when to let their delegates take the reigns. If that was through trial and error as meddlesome owners, then I give them credit for learning the lesson. But I doubt it was. GO SABRES!!!

I agree with this, with the exception of society being a schithole. Back in the day, relationships were built and maintained the old fashioned way as you suggest. But just because the media delivery process has changed, the idea of building relationships hasn't. If you were viewed as hostile back in the day, you were shunned in the hotel bar, just as Bucky is shunned now. GO BILLS!!!

I think that's because the Sabres have deliberately blackballed Bucky and, by association, the rest of the BN. He's on their schit list and it's must irk him to no end. GO SABRES!!!

Good insight here. I don't know whether to be comforted or frightened by the fact that sports fans everywhere are essentially the same kind of people when it comes to their teams. GO SABRES!!!

It's a BRO!

I just felt it move. GO SABRES!!!

I know Robben isn't the most popular player given his theatrics, but in all the games I've watched, I haven't seen anyone pressure the defensive zone consistently like he does. Seems to constantly be in attack mode and always seems to make the defender expend a lot of energy. Now I know jack about "futbol", but to my untrained eye, he's been the best player in the tourney. And I agree entirely with the idea of sudden death vs. penalty kicks. Let the game decide the outcome, not a skills competition. BTW, saw a 'Sports Science' feature about goalies and penalty kicks. Seems that is actually harder than hitting major league pitching and is the new hardest thing to do in sports. And get rid of the offside rule.

Gee, what a shame. GO SABRES!!!

Opportunity value trumps opportunity cost. Every time. GO SABRES!!!

nfreeman is an outstanding choice, Scott. Pretty even-keeled and level-headed. Thanks to the outgoing mods for their contributions over the years. This can be a difficult place to referee at times. Well done, gents. GO SABRES!!!

Complete culture change. Exactly what the doctor ordered. GO SABRES!!!