Iron Crotch

Yeah, I've never understood the assumption that Parise would go to the Pens. Not saying he won't, but they led the league in scoring and have huge holes defensively. Going after Suter, Carle, etc. makes a whole lot more sense to me than adding more scoring to a team that is already stacked.

Suter has said throughout that there are only a couple of places he'd like to play other than Nashville. Colorado was one of those places (Minnesota was one and I can't remember what the other was).

He signed with a German team, no? Mannheim (his home town)?

Que?

I agree re: Boyes. In my current profession, it is all criticism all the time... I don't think I've ever heard a positive word. If you can't handle it, get out. If you don't perform, no one cares what your excuses are. For $4 million per year, I don't think anyone should expect to be coddled. Even if the coach is a total jerk, you still have to produce. Period.

Several reliable folks on twitter are saying that Parise's agent will ask for a $12 million signing bonus, which will drive away many teams. It'll be another heavily front-loaded contract plus the usual cap games. Someone up-thread mentioned P.A. Parenteau. I don't know much about his game, but he did have more points than any of the available "big name" RW free agents.

I'm flying to Colorado today and will spend the 4th doing the cruiser (bike) ride through the streets of Denver: http://www.denvercruisers.com/ On another note, the 4th of July celebration in Nashville is the biggest collection of rednecks I've ever seen in my life... best to leave town for the 4th...

Good for him. I think he is a pretty good fit in Nashville... gotta get me a Gaustad Predators jersey. Edit: Look for the Preds to match any offer Suter gets. Just a hunch, but they have a ton of money to spend in order to hit the cap floor plus they raised all ticket prices for every game by $2 per ticket. I don't think Suter will sign anywhere without first giving the Preds a chance to match.

...how in the world does Scott Nichol manage to stay in the NHL year-after-year?

Good points. I never was a fan of Pommer as captain (sorry LastPommerFan!). A local sportswriter told me Pommer was selected because Lindy knew he'd be a "weak" captain that he could control easily. This after having frequent run-ins with Drury. So I'm not sure that anyone would take the "C" away from Pommer if Lindy has his way. As for how Parise would fit in with Buffalo, that is hard to say, of course. I like his consistency though. Minus the injury year, he has always been over 30 goals, which few NHL players regularly hit these days. In that sense he is the anti-Leino, who only had one good year then got a big contract thrown at him. But would Parise still score 30+ or regress in Lindy's system? To me, it becomes a question of whether our front-office has a promotion focus (moving toward a desired outcome - Parise pans out and plays well) or prevention focus (moving away from an undesirable outcome - Parise doesn't play well or mesh with Lindy). I'm of the opinion that you have to move toward a desired outcome (bid on Parise because he might be able to help move the team toward a Cup run) rather than being afraid of a negative outcome (don't bid of Parise because he might not pan out). High risk, high reward. Is TP a gambler? :D That said, so many teams will go after Parise that I doubt he'd come to Buffalo anyway. But, I'd like to see us put in a bid at least!

I strongly agree with this. Parise is a team captain, scores 30+ every year, and brings a compete-level that the Sabres (and most teams for that matter) need right now. He is only 27. I think the Sabres have to take a shot at him and see what happens. The connection with Drew, and TP's deep pockets give us a realistic shot IMHO. I have no problem with Parise having a bigger cap hit than Vanek if necessary (provided we can move Roy to open up some more space). On another note, I get annoyed with the media's assumption that every free agent, every year will end up in places like Detroit, New York, Toronto, Pittsburgh, etc. Buffalo is hockey heaven now!!! :D

This. I'd like to complain about global warming! 106 degrees today in Nashville. 108 tomorrow. 109 on Saturday. Ridiculous! ...especially since it is only June!

:thumbsup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYAAbbuEpnw&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL461403EE410E6EE7

I'm not advocating it, but how annoying would a line of Tootoo, Kaleta and Ott be to play against?! ;)

Tootoo has an unbelievable story that makes me want to root for him. The first and only Inuit to play in the NHL. Comes from a tiny fishing village (Rankin Inlet) above the article circle. His brother, who he was close to, committed suicide. And, of course, many in his village have trouble with substance abuse. He plays hard every shift and is a fan favorite in Nashville... plays a lot like Kaleta IMHO. Down the stretch he wasn't finding much ice time in Nashville since Trots wanted a more offensive lineup. I could see a few teams going after him on July 1st.

The Predators are trying to get bigger and stronger (sounds strangely familiar), so rumor has it that they are close to re-signing Goose, along with monster d-man Hal Gill. They're going to let Francis Boullion walk (he isn't a bad defenseman IMHO) since he is small and getting up there in years. They're also letting Jordin Tootoo go (too much off-ice drama with his troubles with alcoholism?). Both will be decent low-priced pickups for someone. http://www.tennessea...&nclick_check=1

Ek is the guy who spews garbage on the main site. He is not worth reading. Garth is the Sabres-only blogger on there. I don't mind Garth's updates.

I agree 100% when it comes to Ek, who in my recollection has never been right ever on a single Sabres rumor. But, Garth is worthy of reading IMHO.

A nice update from Garth on HockeyBuzz: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=45163#.T-YOIxm5r10.twitter Interesting thought that he brings up: "Roy was Peter DeBoer's captain for the Kitchener Rangers when the two were at OHL Kitchener together." So Roy to the Devils might be a realistic option...

Convicted of 45 counts.

Philly clearing cap space for ???

We can't use Clutterbuck. He hits too much. :P

I got a Buffalo Sabres carry-on roller bag for my birthday this year! F'n fantastic!

In Tennessee, most drivers absolutely refuse to use turn signals, which drives me crazy. They just stop in an intersection and you have to guess why that is the case. They also can't parallel park, habitually drive 10-15 MPH below the speed limit, and generally suck. It turns out this state doesn't have driver ed! So there is a reason why drivers suck here...

I seriously dislike air travel these days. Pre-911 it was fine. But now, with the poor state of the airline industry (long lines, baggage fees, packed flights, flight cancellations, no food served on most flights, etc.) and with the heightened security (basically have to undress and then redress at the security checkpoint) it just isn't much fun. (I write this as I sit in Dulles waiting on a flight that was supposed to have left hours ago...)