I liken it to watching your kid play youth sports. You follow their every movement and see what you want to see because you want the best for them. Then they go up against โrealโ competition and you find out how good they really are. And itโs deflating.
One reason I prefer a national broadcast- you get a more honest perspective than the apologist ball-washers of the Sabres broadcast.
Especially when it's guys that have played the game at the highest level and know what good hockey looks like.