ska-T Chitown

Is this a good place to put my review of the Seattle Kraken's Climate Pledge Arena experience? Out here for work and went to see the BJ's v Kraken game on Tuesday. The arena is spectacular. The in-game experience has a hollywood production value feel to it. TWO 360 degree score boards, full projection scenes on the ice surface, additional drop down screens between scoreboards for MORE video surface. The use a modified Nirvana song as their goal song ... smoke and fire ... 2-minute long 2nd and 3rd period intro videos. Craft ciders, amazing food options. Arena was probably 80% full and the concourses never felt crowded. The first period was atrocious - it looked like two over-70 beer league teams going through the motions. It made me think of all the angst over the Sabres' effort levels, and was all prepared to write a dissertation about effort levels across the league. Then, whatever Disco Dan said to the Kraken between periods had the Kraken absolutely FLYING in the second period. So ... yeah, no idea what Buffalo's problem is, lol.

Can the Sabres please stop doing this? I don't want to over-state his impact, but right Zucker appears to be a huge positive influence on the group. An actual veteran who has played on successful teams before. As long as his good play is not a repeat of Early Season Pomminstein 2.0 - it does make a certain degree of sense to try to retain him at least one more year. Or, at the very least, not write him off, yet.

It is 'psychological size' - and you nailed it. If he does sit in on meetings and offer up his opinions, some will soak those up without even realizing it. Sure, some will be too afraid to contradict the Big Boss, but others will hear him say things and make them their own opinions without even intending to do so. Some will actively take his love for X-player and use it to curry favor, other will take his opinion as gospel and never even think to question it. It can be a HUGE problem for organizations with opinionated leaders who carelessly speak opinions as facts to weak or more naive staff members.

One thing I have noticed is every time a Sabres forward realizes he is gonna be the first forward back, they turn on the jets ... no more leaving the D out to dry!

If I say "yes" for sure - I'd be putting you on. I think i heard somewhere that it was the case ...

i like how lafferty followed that Rags guy all the way to the box telling him to watch his back. Isn't the back official usually on penalty watch?

I could get used to this:

Sorry, was not trying to imply you were being a d-bag ... it just struck me as an odd player to chose since it has been well documented he had a physical ailment. I can see how you were just comparing their mutual odd tail off of on-ice production. Yeah, I meant to imply he has looked better compared to the shite he has looked like in most games prior.

Quinn would have to clear waivers, no? First team up in the queue would take him before the announcement was even complete. Ice or press box for our boy Quinn. I was at dinner last night and did not get to see the whole game, but I actually noticed Quinn doing good things a few times in the first period and I thought he looked decent against Deetroyit early on, too. I'd hate to break up our third line, so it looks like we are sticking with Cozzie-Quinner for now. Ruff must see something?

You mean the guy with the degenerative illness that tried to kill him when he tried real hard?? Rough analogy.

it can't be. I have been told we have no accountability. /s

Some of this is why I don't fully understand some of the anti-Tuch comments I see from time-to-time. Not even McJesus dominates every shift. Tuch does good work behind the opponent's net and seems to come away with the puck more often than not. He is an excellent forechecker with speed, decent hands and vision, and a reasonable finishing shot. And he's not too shabby in his own zone, either. Let's get that W! **also, I really need this game to be entertaining to take my mind off of "other things" going on tonight!

As a fellow Scott (Ska-T, Scottie, Scotty) - I support this message! I may have been a bit critical of some of what I thought was "over the top" anger-shaming, but I am still hopeful things can be turned around.

I will make the bold choice of answering for everyone else 😉 I just hate Boston. Bruins, Sox, Pats, Celts ... bleh, bleh, bleh! I actually get a lot out of the posts because (cringe!) they are a really well run organization that has standards and players that embody that. I do empathize with Ruff, in that after any given period, he could bench half his team. I don't remember who mentioned it, but the idea stuck in my tiny brain that maybe this is the first time some of the younger guys have been asked to play in a real system with real responsibilities and their heads hurt. Ruff can't (we want him to, but I think we all know he really can't) just come out and say "JFC ... I don't think any of these guys have ever played in a real system ... I am gonna need a few more weeks." - but it might be the truth? As much as I hate the little rat - if a player plays with Marchand and he tells you what the expectations for effort and performance are - you do it. And so does he. I know we don't have anyone like that. Sigh.

See, this is the reason why I can still come here. While we are all our own unique snowflakes, many of our feelings of intense disappointment will overlap in some way with someone else's. We are social creatures and we need that. I take some breaks from reading the "burn it all down" threads, but with the way things are going sometimes is is cathartic. I suspect most people, similar to myself, are frustrated because we want to be able to say that following Sabres hockey brings us joy and on most nights in memory, it doesn't. The mood was much more electric even when they had that slight chance two years ago. I get more "Can't you just give me something to cheer for?" energy than I do "fire all those bums" energy most of the time. The recent influx of "you can't feel that way" energy is sorta new and disturbing. Everyone has the right to feel how they feel - like it or not. My feelings of rage, sadness, apathy, and momentary joy are just as valid as anyone else's - so for community members to try to take any of that away from each other, to me - crosses a line. And to @Pimlach's point - it drives away the folks who just want to have a good hockey conversation without personal attacks on their "fan-rating" or "commitment to the team" or whatever else we are using to insult each other these days. Take that crap to Reddit or Twitter. I get a little frustrated with the negativity - but that is my problem, not the people who are being what I deem negative. It can suck when you want to find someone to have a "rally the troops, things gotta get better" conversation and no one is really buying ... but that is not the fault of the other posters. *Disclaimer - NONE of this is meant to be directed at @Porous Five Hole - it was actually a good post and I just wanted to vibe off of it, especially the bold. ❤️