Doohicksie

I learned how to drive on the sedan version. 30" is a lot.

We ended up sharing a take-out sushi dinner.

I need a one-way plane ticket to L.A. and $7k. 1972 Chrysler Newport coupe - $7,000 (Torrance)

Today's my 38th wedding anniversary. We're not doing anything much for it; my wife is still feeling too much pain from the knee replacement.

I'm guessing they are looking at that one of two ways: Draft for point production, understanding that some players who fail to produce at higher levels can be salvaged as defensive role players. I'm always surprised to hear that people of the John Scott/Brad May/Rob Ray mold were often top scorers at lower levels. There is a second set of metrics that they have for defensive players and don't talk about it much/people don't ask about it much/it's just not as sexy. If it exists this set of metrics is probably applied to later round picks (no higher than 3rd round). Back to goalies: I wonder if they have goalie metrics that set Leinonen uniquely apart from the rest of the goalies in this year's class and simply didn't want to settle for second best. Given where Kevyn's record on goaltending right now, he may have decided to spend high-ish picks over the next draft or two toward making sure there are great goalies in the pipeline for either future Sabres use or to get a blue chip skater at the deadline during a playoff run (like the Panthers did with Reino). Get a bunch solid goalie prospects, harvest the best for use by the team, use the rest (which may still be very good) as trade bait.

I don't think so. I think he was the goalie they wanted and determined that he likely wouldn't be there when their next pick came around.

Former Red Wing 1st round pick, almost a decade the NHL, played for the Sabres in 2020-21, 50% career faceoff guy. Most likely a depth player or 4th line center. Not great but plays the game right and has decent size. Good size at 6'-2", 216 lb. Local boy from St. Catharines, ON.

Assuming you mean that in a positive way, if @pi2000 and I agree on something, all of Sabrespace should take note.

That's what I said, brother. Now pray with me. 😉

28 miles woulda been fine.

That was also the worst production of his career. I did the math: In 4 NHL seasons, VO has had PPG numbers of 0.67, 0.78, 0.57, 0.68, for an overall average of 0.68. Face it, he peaked under Ralph Krueger and is a bust now. 😉 Seriously though: A 7th rounder at well over 0.50 PPG EVERY year? I'll take a few more of those, please.

Although he *does* backcheck.

I've said it before: When he was first injured (which was before TNT really kicked in if you recall), I lamented the loss because it was my feeling he was our best forward at that point. Or.... what he said.

You never know what Kevyn might trade for (or who he might trade with).

Road my bicycle 30 miles Saturday morning. It was great until the last two or so, when my body decided it was overheating. I got home but was verging on heat exhaustion.

That would be a great problem to have.

My choice is based more on Hopium than reality: He'll be the best goalie the Sabres have had since Hasek.

One thought I had after posting was Lindy Ruff (and other coaches viewed as dinosaurs) and how his discernment seems to have decreased over the years. I wonder if putting him in a position of learning (like in the video, when experienced doctors are retrained on complex diagnoses) would restore his discernment and intuition and make him a better coach again? Or has the game quite literally passed him by?

Are Don Granato and Kevyn Adams experts? Is anyone in hockey? I watched this video and started thinking about hockey. In the act of hockey itself, there are a lot of situations that meet the definition of expertise. A player can practice to increase their probability of clearing the puck, scoring the goal, blocking the shot. Well organized practices, at the edge of a player's ability, are essential in developing expertise. But for coaching, for team building, becoming an expert is more difficult: Environments are not consistent; feedback can be delayed by years after a decision is made. I think this is where fancy stats come in.... sure you can use the so-called "expertise" of your scouts, but as in the video below, you're more likely to succeed with a simplified formula. Thoughts?

I have no expectations. The only prediction I make is that by the end of this season he will either be on the Sabres roster or on his way out of the organEYEzation.

aka Correctile Dysfunction.

Vin Scully's final signoff 😨😥😭 So lyrical.

Yep. Played all 7 games in the NLCS, and 1 game in the WS that year.

Kirk Gibson actually has an interesting story. He was an All-American wide receiver for the Michigan State Spartans football team. His football coach suggested he try baseball. After one season of college ball he was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Tigers. He won a World Series with them in 1984. Then in 1988 he won a World Series with Los Angeles. The video was from Game One. He'd been playing injured for some time; he finally couldn't play because he'd pulled his left hamstring and had cartilage damage in his right knee. He could barely walk and spent most of the game in the club house while trainers treated him in hopes he could play. He finally said he could play and Manager Tommy Lasorda played hunch and put him in with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning and ..... you saw what happened. One of my favorite sports moments.