pastajoe

Rome is north and Utica is east of Clinton. Either way you’d have to get a car since the arena is not near the downtown areas or businesses. It’s south of Thruway exit 32.

The Buffalo Sabres have been chosen to meet the Columbus Blue Jackets in the annual Kraft Hockeyville exhibition game. The contest will be held Sept. 25 at Clinton Arena in Clinton, New York, which is located 16 miles from Utica. http://buffalonews.com/2018/05/18/sabres-to-meet-blue-jackets-in-hockeyville-exhibition-game-in-clinton/ I’ve coached at this rink, where the old Clinton Comets of the EHL played. The corners are almost like right angles, and there’s little room behind the goal lines. The lockers are literally like large closets, with benches along the walls and a toilet and sink at the end. I don’t know how they’re going to be able to expand given the small building size.

Actually when Paul Hamilton did the play-by-play for some Sabres prospect tournament games he was really good, and would be a better replacement then Dunleavy.

I’d take Crosby over McDavid at same age. Sidney has proven to be a leader and comes up with the clutch plays when needed. McDavid has yet to prove he can motivate his teammates to succeed.

Dahlin will holdout unless the resign fellow countryman Lehner.

Just don’t let Brandon Beane pick for them, he’ll take Rasmus Allen.

Svechnikov is an all around player, but if the team wants a pure goal scorer like Laine to put on Eichel’s wing, Zadina is that player. Or there’s a couple of other quality Ds. So getting 2nd could give the option to Botts of trading down and getting 2 quality players, a pick and a traded player.

I don’t assume Botts would pick the playmaker Svechnikov at 2nd. He might trade down and take a goal scorer or defenseman, and also get a roster player in return.

There should be a rule that if you get the 1st pick, you are out of the lottery the next year and have to draft in your normal pick position. If you’re one of the worst 3, you go to 4th.

Well we can still root for Cliff Pu and the Kingston Frontenacs. They’re in the 3rd round of the OHL playoffs, but are down 3-1 in the series to Hamilton. Pu has 4 goals and 13 assists in 14 playoff games.

It would have been reasonable if the Sabres were in the playoff hunt, but since they were out and Botts says he wants to establish winning in Rochester, Ullmark should have stayed. They were still competing for home ice advantage.

You can find actual GLOW episodes on YouTube. It’s interesting comparing the real characters to the Netflix versions.

The players they got back were AHLers who should have been kept in Rochester. It's not like they got a bunch of NHLers. Syracuse was pretty much left alone to gel in the 2nd half.

Finished GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling) on Netflix, a comedy on how the real show started. It was entertaining and a fun look back at the ‘80s. With Mark Maron as the head guy. Started Lost in Space. It is an interesting take on the old series so far. More like Battlestar Galactica than the old campy show. Of course there is an obligatory PC aspect that you’ll notice right away.

When the parent club is good, they can let the young players incubate in the minors for years until they’re ready.

Cincinnati lost to Fort Wayne 4-2, which ends the series 4-1. Game was tied until last 4 minutes. Only 1200 showed up for the last game in Cincy. So now only the Amerks remain alive among Sabres affiliates.

I wonder if Amerks might play Wilcox in next game. Cincinnati lost to Fort Wayne 2-1, down in series 3-1. Johansson made 36 saves. Play Sunday 3pm.

ECHL affiliate Cincinnati stayed alive in best of 5 playoff by beating Fort Wayne 7-6 in OT. Johansson stopped 45 shots; 148 in the series for an average of 49 saves per game. He’s projected to be the Amerks starter next season. FW leads series 2-1.

I still say that none of the traded players will ever be better than ROR or Kane, and that was the objective; to acquire top 6 players to compliment Eichel. Fasching was a power forward in college who projected as a Vanek-type scorer. Myers will never live up to his potential, he still plays soft. In the last game vs the Wild he just stood in front of the crease and didn’t clear the screen, resulting in a goal. I would have made those trades again. Unfortunately contracts like Okposo and Moulson, and upcoming Reinhart, made it difficult to resign Kane.

None of the players traded away have been significant contributors to their teams, compared to ROR and Kane with the Sabres. McNabb had trouble breaking into the Sabres lineup before the trade, which was for Fasching and Deslaurier, and an exchange of draft picks. Ruewedal signed with the Pens on a two-way contract as a free agent and started in the AHL before being called up due to injuries.

Reinhart and Bennett were the consensus top forwards in the draft. So Murray didn’t deviate from the norm by picking Reinhart, it’s what most GMs in that spot would have done. Most fans liked the ROR and Kane trades. Myers, Stafford, and Gregorinko were failing in Buffalo. The tank to get McDavid or Eichel was a success. And there are some drafted players that will be contributing in the next couple of years. The trades of Lehner, Psyek, and ignoring Rochester were things I didn’t like. But I loved GMTMs interviews, it was refreshing to have a GM who said what he thought after years of Darcy. “Slap him on the pee pee”. So overall I give GMTM a C. Some of the players he acquired haven’t played to their potential, but that could be said about those he traded away.

Cincinnati was outshot 72-29 in double OT loss to Fort Wayne in first ECHL playoff game. Johansson made 68 saves.

Doug Allen and Sabretooth are two of the most entertaining aspects of a Sabres game. I’d like to have less recorded music and more live organ music.