French Collection

I agree there were deeper fields at Tiger’s Majors as far as overall talent but the only guys who could win more than a couple of Majors in his time were Mickelson(6), Els(4) and Singh(3). Jack had to go battle with Player(9) Watson(8), Palmer(7) and Trevino(6). Jack’s fields were deeper in Major winners.

The debate around the G.O.A.T. in sports will always be challenging due to the comparison of eras. Tiger will probably win out in this argument as us Nicklaus guys go away. I will say this, Tiger’s ‘97-‘10 run is the greatest period of golf dominance by a player, especially in the Majors. In 54 Majors played, he won 14 of them, was runner up 6 times, was third 3 times and was top 10 in 35 of these tournaments. He missed the cut 4 times. In a smaller sample of the ‘99 PGA to the ‘01 Masters he won 5 of the 6 Majors. From ‘99 to ‘02 he won 7 of 16 Majors. I compare him to Bobby Orr in that a great career was cut short by injuries. 3-5 more years of great play and there would be no argument against Tiger. Jack’s argument is consistent great play over a longer period of time. 18 Majors vs Tiger’s 15 is all some people say and that can be enough to convince many. Jack’s competitive time in the Majors spans from 1960 until 1987. During this period he played in 107 Majors, winning 18, finishing runner up in 19 of them and being in the top ten 71 times. He missed the cut 6 times. Tightening up the parameters to a smaller sample size, I will use the years ‘70-‘82 for Jack. He played in 52 Majors, winning 10, finishing second 10 times and third 5 times. He was top 3 in almost half of those tournaments. He was top ten in 43 of those 52 Majors. I am taking Jack because of more Major wins and being in the hunt at more of them, over a longer period of time than Tiger. Tiger’s injuries and personal struggles probably cost him hitting 20 Majors and then there would be no argument.

Harkens back to a Viking raid, endless lust for violence. Not your typical Swede, more Pronger than Power, but that’s a bar a snake could jump.

He made Jonathan Toews look like Captain Kangaroo. He must’ve been hard to play with, no talking or basic interaction. He didn’t acknowledge the fans much, even though they were 50 yards deep all the way around. I lost respect for him as a human but I am glad to have witnessed some incredible golf. I like him more now, he actually sucks but he’s trying to regain some of the magic. He signs autographs and spends more time answering questions.

That hints of a rebuild and the desire to move some older players.

It’s true people don’t appreciate the show he’s putting on. I’m pulling for Florida but it will not get me upset if this goes the other way. I watched him play in the OHL at 15 and he was dominant then. I’m not a McJesus disciple but it is amazing to watch him perform. I hated Tiger Woods in his prime because he was winning everything and he was threatening Nicklaus’ major records. I now appreciate the level he was at and glad I watched it all because those kinds of athletes are really generational, not like every 1st rounder of every draft.

I just passed my class A driver’s license, so I can drive large trucks for 5 more years. This is probably my last renewal. I hardly use it, 30-40 days a year when I go on power restoration efforts after storms. Keeps me somewhat active and the extra money is a bonus. My buddy who goes on these storms with me wants to sign up with a company out of Fort Erie. We currently work for a company across the border from Watertown NY. He’s in southwestern Ontario so Fort Erie’s a much shorter drive for him and about the same for me. The bonus is I could check out a few Sabres games after the storms.

Those all sound like good candidates, I’ve seen or heard their names in the 30-40 range. I’ve seen Badinka go as early as the first round on some mock drafts. Miettinen I don’t know much about, but I like the size and many Finnish guys have grit ingrained into them.

I just read a story on Sportsnet about how Tocchet got the Canucks players to get ready in the summer for a challenging training camp. This is another thing where Lindy will change things up. Camp should be tougher and get the team culture changed to where they will be ready to come out of gate ready to win some games. The country club atmosphere is over.

Exactly, they messed up so why should the Sabres or anyone else pay for it. Cut their losses is about best case for them, maybe get 1 or 2 mid round picks and a mid level prospect.

I doubt anyone on Washington had good numbers. I still can’t believe they made the playoffs.

Done deal. Kevin Bahl and a top 10 protected 2025 1st round pick.

I don’t think he is a cancer. As others have said, he is popular with teammates. What he is though, is not the solution to the Sabres problems. He is the highest paid forward but not the best player. He is a veteran player but has never worn a letter. He cheats defensively, which sends the wrong message to the young guys. He is difficult to coach because of the unpredictability of his game and the unwillingness to play a complete game. I don’t care if he is bought out this year or next, I think a shake up is needed. If it happens now, how KA uses that cap space will show everyone wha his plan is to move this team forward and to keep his job. If he pulls the trigger and then makes a trade with Tampa to get Cirelli for picks/prospects/Krebs and get a couple of Goodrow types for the bottom 6 that is a net positive. The cap space would allow him a lot of flexibility for this coming year and he needs to do better than Eric Robinson.

I am guessing here but I would think the team handles the hats and shirts. Perhaps the league has a say on what is printed on the swag. I remember a story from some team’s training staff (Habs?) about stocking beer on ice in the dressing room during the third period only to have to remove and hide it when the game went to OT.

Florida support staff is going to be burned out carrying the champagne, beer, Cup Champions paraphernalia back and forth across the continent. I was thinking about them hiding that stuff in an opponents rink. It’s got to be tough logistically to avoid giving the home team bulletin board material.

Buyout Skinner and offer sheet Mitts.

Yeah, I wish he was making half of his $3.6M, that would be much better. He is still the type of player the Sabres need. Wore an A with NYR. Good on the PK too.

Overpaid for his current production. Good faceoff guy. Gritty and will drop the gloves. Two Cups with Tampa. Southern Ontario guy. I would gamble on him, bring him to camp and if he is done waive him. only 4 goals in the regular season but 6 in 16 playoff games.

I agree that more toughness is needed. Watch what you wish for though, Leaf’s got a real tough guy in Reaves, but he can’t play hockey. Plus they are stuck with a three year contract. Jeannot can play 4th line, just depends on the cost to get him.

Even if Levi leads the Sabres to a Cup in a few years, they will regard that as ancient history, especially their fans. Same idea as Thompson ending up with better career numbers than ROR, they got their Cup.

I’ve been on Kawagama Lake, just north of there but never Blackcat.

What’s the name of the lake?

Badinka sounds like a good option at 43. I would take Helenius over Nygaard at 11. Nygaard sounds like a low ceiling high floor prospect. Helenius also play C and had a really good year in Liiga for a U18. I’ve read O’Reilly has skating issues but that can be worked on. There is no questioning his work ethic and he has good size. Being coached by Dale Hunter for a couple more years should get him ready for the pro game.

Gabriel Eliasson was ranked by Daily Faceoff as the most physical player in this draft. He is a LHD from Sweden who should be available in the middle rounds of this draft. 6’7” Dman hates to see an opponent have the puck and will use everything at his disposal to separate them from it. Commited to Michigan, where he should have plenty of time to develop. I want to add grit, toughness and defensive ability to the Sabres and this kid has all of that, plus these skills comes in a huge frame. I haven’t studied him closely so I don’t know his deficiencies but with a mid round pick he would be interesting. He may not lead prospects in any fancy stats but it sounds like re-possession is a strength of his.

I was intrigued by big forward Dean Letourneau, who played prep school this year and is listed from late 1st rounder to mid second rounder. He was measured to be 6’6.5 214 at the combine. The competition he faced is what concerns a lot of scouts in evaluating him. I watched his interview with Flo Hockey. He tries to model his game after TNT due to his size and offensive skill. With Will Smith turning pro with San Jose there was an opening on Boston College for him this coming season. He was committed there but was going to the USHL to develop. He says he interviewed with 25 teams but the Sabres were not one of them.