LTS

Yeah.. I actually did look, but read it wrong and that's that! Edited and owned my mistake. I brought it up because it was mentioned someone wanted to see Peca put some time in with Benson. I didn't quote that. Bottom line, kind of failing on that post.. other than what I left intact. 🙂

As I told my son who repeated this to me. What would be the benefit of Ruff and Adams saying "UPL? nah, he's broke. We can't make him better." It sure would eliminate pretty much any possibility of a trade. Better to instead put the onus on the defense in front of UPL and insinuate that UPL could be better if he was in a different system. Also.. it's all media speak, 95%-100% BS.

Tired narratives: The Sabres will ruin his development and he'll amount to nothing. Benson will still be fine. Just like every other prospect that was supposedly ruined but then went on elsewhere to do wonderful things that are also lamented about on here. If he's bad while with the Sabres it's not a Benson issue, it's a Sabres issue. Michael Peca, Michael Peca, Michael Peca - unless I am mistaken, Mr. Peca joined the Rangers for this past season. The one that saw them go from President's Trophy winner to out of they play-offs. Perhaps some scrutiny is deserved on the value of Peca? After all, we put a lot of blame here on the assistant coaches that did NOT change and resulted in the SAME results for defense and power play especially. Let's not get caught in nostalgia. I don't know if Peca has value as a coach. I do know that he was part of a coaching staff that did not improve the Rangers. Zach Benson started this season as the 4th youngest player in the NHL. His second season, 4th youngest, still. Zach Benson will be fine.. and as the analytics demonstrate probably better than fine. His biggest weakness is his age and as a result "size", and I only mean size in the sense of his strength which is already really good. He'll tack on more pounds and will become even more of a PITA to play against. At his age he demonstrates an incredible instinct in game play. I can't wait for what he does when he is experienced.

Winnipeg, the last favorite place to play in the NHL (so said the survey, not me) will win the Cup and everyone will be left with an existential crisis. How did a team with high taxes, no palm trees, and the team that no player wants to be traded to not only win the Cup but become Canada's shining star of redemption?

I think there's something to be said that when you are "in the ****" it's not always easy to step out of it, break it down, and derive a strategy. He could have had the clarity the day after the losing streak ended. As it stands once the team broke the streak they could have all looked at what they finally did to win and have a light bulb go off. It still equates to looking back and figuring out why they didn't realize it sooner, etc. Naturally if he had the clarity after game 5 or 6 or 10 then it would not have been a 13 game losing streak. Zucker didn't back away from anything and that is to be respected. He genuinely came across as a guy who realizes his career is winding down and wants to improve his skills at helping other players develop. It sounds like a coach mindset. The Sabres need it and I think he's making an impact.

Yeah, but unlike the rest of us you can still look in the mirror and rock that incredible flow. 🙂 Is this Eichel 2.0? Ruh roh? It's not a micro-aggression at all. The micro-aggression is insulting other people's children or other people for their views. I, too, want the Sabres to compete for, and hopefully, win the Stanley Cup. We all approach it differently. We'd all be much happier if the Sabres were a playoff team and competing for the Cup. Just because some of us can find value in some aspects of the club doesn't mean we should be attacked for it. We don't all have to join the Sabres Despair Club.

But Tuch already had a foundation (https://www.at9foundation.org/)... which is better? I really don't know. Also, I don't care. It's a team award and frankly both of them mean a lot to Buffalo and the Sabres. Only one of them set a record for stepping in front of pucks.

The 21st century Red Scare.

It's interesting. One might think that a considerable number of alumni would be in the more wealthy segment and potentially Trump supporters. Perhaps they've been critical of their alma matters and support Trump? The best outcome is Harvard continuing to do what it does without the Federal money demonstrating to Trump that his threats are meaningless. The worst thing you can do is capitulate to a bully. Sometimes you have to embrace the suck and demonstrate they have no power over you. Maybe Harvard has to cut a few things here or there or they get some supportive donations, who knows. But caving to Trump only emboldens him more.

More team Papaya or Williams these days, but... I just enjoy the sport overall. For whatever reason the analytics of it, the strategy that decides margins by hundredths to thousandths of a second is really enticing. I'm not a fanatic or anything, I just like to see good racing. I'm not a NASCAR hater, but they can bump and rub with minimal consequence. Open wheel racing, bumping and rubbing usually ends up real bad, so to keep cars from colliding while inches apart at 200mph... that's exhilarating. Also, I still believe the Sabres will make the playoffs.

I was there. It was the almost the entire Sabres season in one game. They scored early. They flopped late. Their PK outscored their PP. They got caved in when the other team really tried. The only difference was they managed to win this game, despite their best efforts to give it away. This is not a team that needs many changes in the lineup. They need changes in the coaching. That said, if the players can't play a stronger defensive game then they need changes in the lineup. If they can improve their PP and their defensive zone coverage I think they will be okay. Hate on it if you want. It's your own choice to continue to live in the misery of failure the Sabres have created. I can only absorb so much negativity and use my energy on it... the world today takes precedence over what the Sabres are doing. So I won't be bothered by their performance. I know the Sabres are a team that have not made the playoffs since Pegula took over. It's sad and pathetic. But it's not anywhere as sad and pathetic as others things going on in life. So I put it into perspective.

Not just kids. Just because people aren't as despondent as you appear to be does not make it wrong. I was there with my two kids, 21 and 17. My son, despite only having known this team as a failure, and caring about this team more than the Bills, still asked about season tickets after. He still wants to go. No, I did not even begin to consider season tickets. He hates the losing, but he likes hockey. It's his choice. First and foremost it's entertainment, for 9 hours yesterday (drive from Rochester, dinner, game, long ass line at the store, then drive home) I was with my kids, hanging out, and talking. I've lived through 4 straight Super Bowl losses, getting screwed over by the NHL with a foot in the crease, a freak combination of items in 2006, and I'm still here. I'm doing okay. It's always interesting, when something serious happens in sports (Malarchuk, Hamlin, etc.) everyone always talks about how it puts sports into perspective. I choose to put it into that perspective all the time. That said, I was rightly quite concerned last night when Reimer grabbed his neck after one play. Thankfully it was just a nick, I did not need another Malarchuk experience in my life and Reimer sure as hell didn't. This is who me and my family are. It's okay to be you too but maybe just lament your viewpoint without crapping on others like some pigeon hanging out under a bridge.

Yeah, although I didn't mention that in my post. He does miss the net often. Picking corners is cool, if you can do it. But I do prefer shots that result in a higher chance of a rebound versus those that result in a higher chance of going out of play or back into the Sabres end. That said, he's scoring, so I'm not going to nitpick where he's choosing to shoot right now.

Their success does not impact my ability to live my life, so hope is a strategy for me. In the end if they miss again, so be it. I'm already converting my "work wall background" from Sabres memorabilia to F1.

I'll always be a Sabres fan. It's just a question of whether I will invest to be able to watch them play either with my money.. or my time.