LTS

Lots of good ones.. let's see.. in person though. Jan 23, 1994 - My GF and I bought tickets to the Bills/KC game sitting very high up. The crowd singing at the end of the game for what seemed like an eternity. Sadly the Bills followed up that great moment with a dazzling defeat in the SB. That said, my GF then is my wife now, so it offsets the Bills SB loss. March 29, 1996 - Attending the Sabres game with a mixed group of Flyers and Sabres fans sitting off the right of Garth Snow's crease when Barnaby goes down. Going nuts during the ensuing madness on the ice and watching Snow tap Barnaby with his stick and having Barnaby go absolutely medieval on Snow. I don't like Barnaby, but I loved that moment. My group was yelling back and forth at each other, then we all high-fived. April 24, 2006 - Suite tickets to the Sabres vs. Flyers Round 1 game. Having the Sabres destroy the Flyers 8-2 in the game. Sitting next to the suite that had relatives of the Flyers players (wives included) and just watching their absolute deflation at the Flyers that day. I don't think I had a voice for a very long time afterward. Mar 5, 2020 - My son's 16th birthday and we are going to the Sabres vs. Penguins. One week before the NHL suspended play due to COVID. We brought along 3 of his friends to the game. On the way in they get approached by Sabres personnel to be the first intermission entertainment in bubble hockey. Having them wear the bubble "suits" and laying each other out on ice during the intermission was incredible. It provided a lasting memory for what was about to become a very rough time for everyone, especially teenagers. Lots of other memories too... so many non-professional with my kids and their sports or even my own days.

My two biggest issues... The sound system is terrible and makes my ears hurt (not because it's loud, but because the sound quality is absolutely horrible) The ceiling is so low that the air circulation systems are inevitably felt and it dries out my contacts something fierce. This happens at Sabres games but to a far lesser extent.

The stache is a November thing right? It's all gone in a few days. Go get a W. that's all.

Why might a player in Kane's situation sign a 1 year deal over something longer? He's not tied to a team should he have misread how close to success they are. He has the ability to get paid more next season, should he be successful this season. Kane already has money. He can afford to take the gamble that he plays well this season and then signs for even more money next season.

Or.. I gave 3 goalies a chance to demonstrate who gets to stay and who gets to go. Comrie was out injured and Levi would have been on the roster anyway during that time and in the time that he's had to evaluate the goalies it makes sense, at this point in time, to move Levi to Rochester. No decision is known when it is made. People use the information they have (or believe they have) and make a decision. It's not like any possible decision on goaltending would have assured success. Did anyone project that Johansson would be successful in Tampa while Vasi was out? Nope. But yet he did. Brisebois made a decision and it worked out. So, do we go back and hang all the people who said he was an idiot? No, but if it hadn't worked out people would be tearing him apart. Same here. Adams had a plan. This is how it shook out and eventually the time was right to adjust to the current situation.

Thompson will be out longer, I have no doubt. Not that we know for certain what happened, but I think we can all safely say it was wrist or hand. In those situation the two biggest impacts are the ability to put all the force on the stick for shots and being able to tolerate the vibration in the stick on slapshots and stick-checking. I'd love it to be sooner, but Dec 2 would be pretty amazing.

I wouldn't decide anything on Benson yet. He looks good now. Cozens looked great last year. Until a player can string together a few seasons of excellence it's far too early to make any decree. Yes, it's great how Benson looks at the moment. That much is certain. 🙂

I think if he used a little tenderizer on his glove it might improve even more. No analytics but it seems a lot of pucks go in and out of that glove before he gets it closed. I think he's been playing well so I'm not trying to refute anything.

So the presumption is that because it hasn't improved the team that it's not helpful? But, what if without the team was even worse?

Yeah.. minus Lucic. I forgot about the Benn's. It was a topic.. somewhere in here. Not for long.. not much need to talk about that guy.

I was in the 300's.. 302 in fact. I just recall the audio be much clearer and louder last year. There were times when certain audio was loud, but overall it seemed off. Perhaps its the acoustics in that area? Whatever.. moving on. Cannot wait for the upgrades next season. The "jumbo" tron is certainly anything but. Could be.. but unsold minimum ticket prices earn $0 revenue. Not arguing with you, of course. I have this unbridled fascination with the concept of pricing versus capacity. Everyone has to wear a visor except a few who still manage to have grandfathered status from before the mandate.

The deluded Energizer Bunny. I think half your total forum posts must be in this thread. Clearly engaging someone with your unique analytical skills is not possible. So I won't bother. You win. in your head.

This is where an extra vet leader or two come into play. Erik Johnson was a good addition for that reason. They just need one more. KO knows he's hanging on, he's not naive. But, glad he got them going last night.

I am a huge fan of MAF. The NHL forbade him from wearing this and he did it anyway. The NHL is doing a great job of making itself a laughing stock with it's "Old White Guy" policies. Jesus. Just let players express themselves. They won't fine him. They can't. He called their bluff, just like Travis Dermott called them on the pride tape ban. Great job MAF, keep being a beaut.

Thank you for the enhanced explanation. Perhaps my fault for not taking each of the players he listed and not pointing out just how out of touch he was with them. Which I was hoping I could group into a shorter post. Since you replied there have been others that have pointed out the reality of the names that were posted. That's my problem with the post. Pegula, objectively, has failed to put this team in the playoffs and that's not a good sign. But when you trot out Ristolainen as state's evidence.. c'mon.. Bruh? Wow. Ooookay. So I guess I need to break it down Barney style for you. ROR, who forced his way out of Colorado.. who then lost his love of the game in Buffalo because the thought the fans didn't love him. Yes, that guy who had lightning strike in the mid-season coaching change of Mike Yeo (never gonna do anything good) with Craig Berube (hasn't done anything since) and Jordan "Off his F'ing Rocker" Binnington (also has not done anything since)... that ROR? The one who was just traded last year from the Blues to the Leafs because he's so invaluable.. and then does not sign with Toronto in the off-season because.. oh damn... he feels too much pressure... and was losing his love of the game.. Again? That ROR? Yeah.. he's a real asset. Eichel - asked to be traded. He was on his way out. It happens when you eat ROR's sour grapes. By all account Jackie Boy was super psyched to be in Buffalo in the beginning. He was dating the daughter of one of the owners of Basil Auto dealers. Who knows where it all went wrong but he quickly became a Jack ass. He was a locker room menace. (Straight words from a player in the locker room at the time). So.. no Eichel was on his way out. Risto - please. He's a joke. Ullmark - debated on this board numerous times. It's a bit of a toss up but you take either of those goaltenders out of Boston right now and they aren't putting up the numbers they are today. Montour - performing better than his entire career before being dealt. I still wouldn't mind him, but he ain't changing this team. Reinhart - perhaps the best example. I was a Reinhart fan, but if he did not want to be here then he would never perform at the level he is today. Though, it took a few more years to get there. And... I'm out. No more to be said. Pegula has not been a great owner, but the team positioned now for better success than it's ever been before. It took a few too many tries to get something meaningful. That sucks, but you aren't perfect and neither is he. Moving on.

Thank you. It was so refreshing to go from what we had been seeing to what we saw in the third. It pisses me off that the team has the potential to do what they do but so often don't execute. I was saying this at the time. If there was ever a time to go full bonkers on the bench that would have been it. The head shot was clear as day on the scoreboard. If they upheld the penalty and Granato began throwing sticks and everything else on the ice I would have contributed to the fine. The Karlsson "check to the head" certainly appeared to be a load of BS (on the incredibly too small scoreboard). So, I was all in favor of losing his absolute mind on the bench. I am glad they used common sense. It was noticeable tonight. It's what all players need to bring at the maximum level. VO's still ain't going to overwhelm us, but he's not completely useless. I have no voice, can't speak. Ask tomorrow. 🙂 Good. Because they deserved it and while I am normally more reserved, I was pissed off as a fan. It should not take the fans booing your sorry ***** to play hard and want to win. Tuch should know this best, along with Adams. This is a fan base that will respect you busting your ass and doing everything to get the W. Taking nights off and complaining? Not for us. Suck it up, play hard. I think they do care. I believe that. But you have to play the game knowing that and not just saying it. See above. They aren't. As a person who spends time analyzing pricing for products I so desperately want to know why they continue to price tickets so high when the barn isn't filling up. They need to create demand by lowering prices. Fill the barn, then, when people really want tickets, you can raise the prices. Do they not get a cut of concession sales? I'll never understand the pricing theory that goes into it. Don't encourage me to eat elsewhere before the game. Encourage me to eat at the game. Make me want to be there and spend money. Not just roll through the doors, watch a game, leave and then spend money elsewhere. The Pens fans were pretty quiet in the third. I will say this. Having the Pens in town on Thanksgiving weekend is a brilliant move to put butts in seats. There are so many youth hockey teams in town for tournaments with many teams coming up from Pittsburgh that you are absolutely guaranteed to sell some seats. ---- Overall the atmosphere of the game was worse than usual. Game play notwithstanding, the audio in the arena seemed to be turned way down. The between whistle and intermission host, whoever she is, was barely audible. The referees were barely audible. The music between whistles was turned down. Was it a reduced sensory night or something? It was like the producer of the MSG broadcast had nothing better to do so they destroyed the game broadcast. Who knows. Oh well. It was a W. Send down Levi.. ride UPL and Comrie for now. Get some forwards up. Ryan Johnson is doing just fine so feel free to sit Power a game or two. On to the next game!

This is one of the most boring games I've ever attended. This is uninspired hockey. At least act like you care. The only positive I have is that they are better than the band they have here. "Uncovered". The band is awful and makes me want to watch the Sabres instead. Back to the game. Lord help me.

I'll admit I tried harder than I should have to understand your response, but I still don't. I could infer a lot, but it's not worth it.

Quite an agenda there. I had typed up a long response but I really don't want to engage in a prolonged conversation. But pointing to ROR, Hall, and Risto as supporting evidence... whew. In fact I'd only look at Ullmark, Reinhart, and Montour as possibly supporting your points but even those are pretty cloudy. But, given that the owner hasn't shown he's selling the team... it sounds like you are going to be severely disappointed.

Well, it costs me too much money to get TNT so I decided to just buy tickets to this game. Not really. It represented an opportunity to take the whole family to the game. Curious though, how are the Sabres not wearing Black on Black Friday? Sigh. Benson is in. Go Sabres. It's all I can say. I'd like a win tonight while I am there. Hope they don't poop the bed.

Well, the decision has been made. So now I hope the kid can perform at a level needed to make the Sabres win. Not "help".. he has to make them win. Still interesting that they are keeping the assets in Rochester instead of bringing them up. Clearly they are happier with Benson's defensive play than Kulich's. That's all I can think of right now. I think the playoffs are a stretch unless they shake up the roster a bit and bring in at least 1 stabilizing veteran forward who can perform at a moderate level.

Giving up? Giving up on what exactly? The Sabres have played 19 games to date. Tage and Quinn are out until at least January, so let's say Jan 6. The Sabres will have played 40 total games at that point. Nearly half the season. Tage wasn't willing the team to victory before his injury. Quinn will take time to get back up to speed. Giving up is doing nothing while waiting for two players to get back 20 games from now and hoping they make enough of a difference to offset the hole the team is in at that point.

If the Sabres have no other plans to do anything to this roster this year there is no point in having Benson burn a year of his contract, from a pure business decision standpoint. Personally, I would still send him down. He's not the answer to turn this team around this year. I wish he was. I really wish he was. I think he's going to make a massive impact to this roster within the next few years, but not this year. I'm not sold on more youth is the answer right now.

I wonder why you keep putting energy into this team given all of its transgressions. If I felt as negative as it appears you do in your posts I would just tune the team out for awhile and save my sanity. The team has regressed this year. It very probably has to do with the fact that they are a young team and they are not handling the expectations placed upon them. They are playing too tight. It could be that they just suck. The question is, are the players capable of playing better and the coaching staff is keeping them from achieving or is it that the players are not executing what the coaching staff expects? I'm not sure we know the answer to that. There's a ton of speculation here. It was the same coach that had them playing better last year. So why have they regressed? Perhaps he did. But it's hard to say that an alternate path would have been better. That's the luxury everyone here has. First, hindsight is 20/20. Second, we can all make prognostications as to what changes are correct but we all make those without any direct insight into the organization or the league itself. It's pure speculation and certainly when it plays out negatively as predicted the justification is there. He could have made the changes people thought and it could have still not worked out to be any better. When the Pegula family took over they tried all manner of quick fix solutions and they all failed. They've settled on a plan to build a team and by all accounts that was working. For that I am at least thankful. The quick fixes only burned out all talent from this organization. The fans will always have a shorter timeline than the organization because they continue to carry baggage of past management structures with them. That said, it's clear there are some changes that need to be made and the inflection point is upon us. They have to decide on Benson. That alone requires them to take action. They have to decide on how to ice 6 defense and 12 forwards. This 11+7 crap is no way to ice a team. They need to move some bodies. Whether that's moving some of the prospects for players who can definitively help the team now or moving some of the vets blocking the prospects so the prospects can help the team now. Something has to change. The risk with bringing MORE youth in is that it's already a very young team. The Sabres will be forced to make one of the less common December trades that helps the team turn things around. They aren't a team that will be able to wait for the deadline.

Do we blame them for SabreSpace drama and over reaction too? 🙂 In all seriousness, those who were on here posting "preliminary reports" should not do so unless they want to link to the specific source that was saying it. Situations like this can be serious and we've unfortunately all been witness to it. It's right to consider the possibilities of something like this but equally important to consider the probabilities and demonstrate constraint. If you don't cite a source then it might as well just be you posting it. There's no evidence it was actually said by anyone other than you or that you are not just playing the part of conspiracy theorist and fearmonger.