Sabre Dance

Could be.... And Primeau? Geez, I nearly forgot he was even on the team. His impact on the league was about 1/3 of his brother's. Also, Ruff is as far back as the list goes. If this poll was indeed posted by a young'un, they may not be all that familiar with the 70's teams. That was pre-cell phones - ancient history, don't you know?

Actually, Pegula wasn't effectively articulating very much in his Interview the other day. :blink: So, when the heck is school over with? I've been wating for two weeks to have a morning commute sans school buses and they are still running this morning. For some unknown reason, traffic into (and out of) downtown Buffalo drops off by about a third the day after school's out. Weird.

OK, it's early in the AM and I'm assuming that you mean you are a Sabres' fan first and foremost (as are we all, I hope). But, either Chicago or Boston has to win the Cup, and I sure as hell don't want it to be the Bruins.

Despite despising the Bruins and praying that the Hawks could rebound, I don't see them winning three of the next four games. You know how in chess, you can capitulate by turing your king over on its side? Do you think the NHL would allow the Blackhawks to turn Toews over on his side and surrender to the Bruins? I really don't relish the thought of watching Boston disassemble the Blackhawks for two more games. The only reason I have to watch any more games is to see if someone finally knocks that smirk off of Marchand's face. (Shaw almost got to do it last night, but the ref was standing right on top of him). :wallbash:

I hate it when my fusion gets cold - I just pop it in the microwave for 37 seconds and it is piping hot again! :P

If this turns out to be true, please, please, please let me apply for Shanny's job! I think there might just be a little more consistency in meting out fines/suspensions (and there WOULD be a lot more of them....).

The NHL is full of Pailles - it is the sum of the parts that make the Bruins the juggernaut that they are. Even though they have a great number of individual stars, when you put them all together - bam! I'm certain that if Paille went out injured or got traded away, the Bruins could find someone else to fill his role without batting an eye. (The Sabres have been in dire need of critical mass like this for many a year now.)

Nice, er...pads. :wub:

I know it is "construction season", but right now there is construction on almost every street surrounding Roswell/BGH. Michigan Ave., Ellicott Street, the short stretch of Virginia between Ellicott and Michigan....all torn up or closed. Of course, leaving work at the end of the day is pure joy. The shocking thing is that the alternate route home I've been taking is actually quicker than my normal route (excluding the 12-15 minutes it takes to exit the parking ramp and make my way over to Washington St.) Also, there seem to be an awful lot of confused drivers/pedestrians in the area. On the way into work this AM, I made a right turn onto a side street near work only to find two people walking side by side directly in front of me in the middle of the road (in the rain). Really? Too cool to walk on the sidewalk? My 3 ton plus truck does NOT stop on a dime, and especially not in a heavy downpour. Fortunately, I swerved as I braked and missed them, but they did get a bit of a shower....

Actually, the Bruins DO break the rules; it's just that in the playoffs, the whistles go in the pocket, and (of course) it IS the Bruins. Jeremy Jacobs carries a lot of weight in the NHL and no one wants to stifle his team. (Ditto for Robert Kraft and the Patriots with the NFL). If you created a Sabre team exactly in the image of the current Bruins, they would easily have the highest penalty minute total in the league. They would never get away with what the Bruins do.

I could almost stomach the Bruins winning the Cup this year IF someone would take out Marchand in Game One. Almost.

:thumbsup:

I'm guessing availability of the arenas plus NBC browbeating the NHL to schedule the games when they can expect the highest ratings. I note that in this respect, NBC's wishes take precedence over the CBC and Hockey Night in Canada (which after 60 years telecasting the NHL, deserves better).

I think trying to sell the 2013-2014 Sabres to Buffalo fans via social media would be like selling ice to Inuits by email. No thanks. I'm too much of a "tell it like it is" kind of person. :censored:

Despite an owner with (apparently) deep pockets, it sure looks like the Sabres are being run on a shoestring. Choosing Rolston as a coach before the playoffs were even over, selling off most of the veteran talent for draft picks, raising ticket prices.... This does not look like a team that's trying to position itself to be a contender any time soon (which, in fairness, we knew already). So, if we are speculating where these guys will wind up.... Lindy to the Rangers, Torts to...Philly? Vigneault....Dallas?

....or canine teeth (grrrrr....).

All very true - and not knowing what Roy would be like as an NHL coach, we may not want him here. However, the GM IS responsible for the coaches and the team he puts on the ice. Regier was fortunate enough to bring in Drury and Briere and the team had a couple of good seasons. While they turned out to be better than many of us thought, it still wasn't enough to put the Sabres in the Finals. Otherwise Regier's teams have been...meh. Now, I realize that success begats success and when you start with a Crosby and a Malkin, you'll get lots of top-notch players wanting to join your team. Witness the Penguins, who currently have (besides Geno and the Kid) Letang, Orpik, Kunitz and Cooke and who added Iginla and Morrow (both captains of their previous teams). Any one of those players would have an immediate positive impact on the current Sabres team. The Penguins have ALL of them (plus the aforementioned Geno and Sid). Whew, what a lineup! Now, if it is the Sabres intention to suck real bad, draft their own version of Crosby/Malkin or Toews/Kane, and slowly build a really long-term contender, that's fine. Based on past performance, I do doubt Regier's ability to get that job done. In lieu of a great team on the ice, a big name as coach next season would given the fans a little more to hang their collective hat on than "There will be suffering". Roy may not have been the one, but there are other big names out there (some who have worn a Sabre jersey in their playing days, other than Ruff). Instead, we get a double dose of the Regier/Rolston snoozefest. Yippee.

Well, they were but injuries have made them almost human again. Also, the Leafs took them to OT in 7 games. Yeah, the Leafs folded late, but they still took it to the Bruins. If it does wind up Chicago vs. Boston, I really do want the Hawks to do a serious beatdown on the Bruins. It will be the Blackhawks versus whomever survives in the east. (Watch out for Ottawa - if they get Spezza back, they could edge out the Pens.) Yeah, an Ottawa/Boston Eastern Conference Final would be great, because I hate both teams and would enjoy watching them destroy each other.

I sincerely hope that changes will be made, but I fear they won't. The NHL is the only major sports league that allows fighting (and some might say even condones it). You have hockey "pundits" like Don Cherry and Mike Milbury saying that fighting belongs in the game because fans like it. Others say you need to keep it in the game as a way for the players to "police" the game. The lawsuit would need to be successful and the award substantial before the NHL would even consider banning fights (or even trying to minimize them). We've come a long way since the "Broad Street Bullies" days when both teams would leave the bench to participate in a "rumble" on the ice. The changes took place slowly over a period of years. That's likely what will happen now. Instead of getting a suspension upon getting a third fighting major in one game, perhaps it will be changed to a second. As long as the league makes an effort to reduce fighting (or at least appears to), that may appease. Who knows? Unfortunately, there will probably be another Boogaard. I hope not, but.....

Very true - I would have liked Montreal to have won out, though. They would be an easier mark in the second round than the Sens... BTW, the Habs looked remarkably Sabre-like through most of the game. Oof.

This list should have been handed to Pegula before he signed the ownership papers. Maybe that would have changed his mind about keeping Darcy...but probably not. :yawn:

Of course not. But, I didn't stand up in front of a microphone and announce my goal to the world. If you do, you should be willing to back it up with action. The three-year plan then went to five and now....well, no one can forsee that. Hey, I could be wrong. Maybe the Sabres will win the Cup in 2016. At that point, I will be glad to send a personal letter of apology to Mr. Pegula and post a copy on this forum. If that is the plan you want to follow, why wait two years to implement it? When Terry bought the team, he could have had Darcy blow it up then and we'd be two years further along in the plan. No, I think they're pretty much making this up as they go along.

Mrs. Pegula? Is that you? Yes, everyone makes mistakes. Apparently Mr. Pegula made a big one when he announced in his introductory press conference that he planned on bringing the Stanley Cup (actually, multiple Cups) to Buffalo in just a few short years. Two years later, the team looks to be in disarray and the fan base is angry and is feeling like they are being ignored. By all means, let's cut him some more slack. Next season is pretty much already written off (and this according to the GM of the team!). But, hey! The Sabres have the slickest-looking locker room in the entire NHL! Please...

For me, no. (Obviously, I'm in the minority). He's just another of a long list of former Sabres who went the way of the dodo after splitting town.

You would think at least one. But, you have examples like Glen Sather in NY who have been with their team for 10+ years and also have no Cups. In fact, with all of the high-zoot players he's had over those years, you'd think that Sather would have been fired long before now.