Murray is a POS

[Kristian]

Murray is an idiot.

 

These are friggin' schoolyard rules - the message is :

 

You go after our guys, we go after yours even worse.

 

Nice to see The Sens unable to handle pressure, still.

[DWarner]

A little unusual -- true -- but Emery is one of the best fighters on the team :lol:

 

Ottawa will probably dress him as a defenseman next game to head their goon line.

 

 

You won't feel bad for Peters going after Emery after watching that. Dude can hold his own against anyone.

[Guest Sloth]

I'm actually starting to like Peters on the ice! He scored the other night, and his rumored training w/ Rob Ray is helping in the fighting department. Have Peters out there to kick ass!

[LoveAndWarrener]

It's a code thing. You hit one of our stars high, one of your stars is fair game. I wouldn't say they didn't prove anything. They won the game, despite long odds and a very short bench.

 

I didn't have a problem with Mair whacking Spezza. I was alot more pissed at Peters for all but guaranteeing a suspension for Saturday, one of the few games we could actually use him in.

I have no issue with Peters going at it with Emery. He probably didn't see what was going on, then turned and saw Emery on top of Marty, and lost his cool. Fact is Emery was smiling about the whole thing and wanted to drop the gloves. I don't think he minded one bit. He was the only guy on the ice for the Sens willing to duke it out.

[MartyHavlatismyGOD]

Barry Melrose commented about the fact that Murray put his top line out after a situation like what just transpired. Melrose basically said it was stupid and questioned why anyone whould do that. I would describe that situation as driving your brand new Mustang(GT 5.0) to work in an ice & snow, after knowing there was a hazardous weather forcast. He was asking for it and totally ignorant.

 

You would put your top line out after something like that because it was a big hit, and likely gave your team momentum. So why not come back and score a goal afterwords

[Alaska Darin]

You would put your top line out after something like that because it was a big hit, and likely gave your team momentum. So why not come back and score a goal afterwords

Because that's not "The Code" and EVERYONE in hockey KNOWS that, FrigginEuroismyDeity.

[BRH]

You would put your top line out after something like that because it was a big hit, and likely gave your team momentum. So why not come back and score a goal afterwords

Man... just be quiet. You're embarrassing yourself.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

Reguardless of what happened, elbow or not, it was pre-meditated and dirty. I was watching it on large screen TV's at a local Buffalo Wild Wings and once I got home, over and over on ESPN.com's highlight section, and I thought Neil was on a freight train course with Drury. I watched carefully, and didn't see Drury turn his head to the left, and instead was looking to the puck and thats when he was blind sided.

 

The angles I seen, it looked to me that Neil came from behind/side, leaving Drury defenseless. I would agree that it was a legit hit IF he(Drury) was cutting up the middle with his head DOWN, like Timmy or RJ was, but Drury was not striding in any direction with speed, but was coasting on the ice after shooting the puck. To me it is a cheap shot.

 

The reason I say its a cheap shot, is the fact that Neil had to come out of his way(while making a a few strides to get there) to hit Drury, noticing that he wasn't going to chase the puck into the corner. Not seeing the chance on the spur of the moment and QUICKLY changing coarse to make the hit.

 

And I can see where Lindy was getting at by saying it was an elbow, seeing that Neil did raise up a bit and that little flailing of the elbow at the end. I think it was more of a shoulder then anything, but none the less a cheap shot.

 

Now, I have another bone to pick, and its with Murray and his tactics. First I find it amusing that he resorts to using childrens story's to describe what an adult said. And the excuses(helmet not on properly) he was sounding like he was showing up to a gun fight throwing pots, pans, silverware and any other useless junk out there to(try to) sound smart.

 

Barry Melrose commented about the fact that Murray put his top line out after a situation like what just transpired. Melrose basically said it was stupid and questioned why anyone whould do that. I would describe that situation as driving your brand new Mustang(GT 5.0) to work in an ice & snow, after knowing there was a hazardous weather forcast. He was asking for it and totally ignorant.

 

*** Sorry that I ranted on, but had to let it out the held up fustration. I know its my first post, I just could not hold out listening to all the BS flying around. I hope I post about more positive things in the future. Thanks for having me on the board!

 

Good first post Midwest. Your right about the hit, and right about Murray. I was debating posting on all of this drama from the game, but was hesitant due to the 15 year-old girl squabble people have been posting. You summed it up nicely so I'll leave it at that.

[Claude Balls]

Any coach with even half a brain knew the Sabres would be out for blood after that hit. Murray is more of an idiot than I originally thought. "Okay guysh, letsch go schore a goal now." "I don't think the Shabres notished that Chrish Drury jusht left the iche with blood pouring out of hish shkull becaushe of a dirty hit". Man you are :blink: ........nevermind.

[scottnc]

Any coach with even half a brain knew the Sabres would be out for blood after that hit. Murray is more of an idiot than I originally thought. "Okay guysh, letsch go schore a goal now." "I don't think the Shabres notished that Chrish Drury jusht left the iche with blood pouring out of hish shkull becaushe of a dirty hit". Man you are :blink: ........nevermind.

 

You're really showing your maturity here. Yes, we thought the hit was late on Drury, but why is it necessary to make fun of a guys speech problems... Our boards are starting to turn into exactly what we complain about on other teams boards.

[Claude Balls]

You're really showing your maturity here. Yes, we thought the hit was late on Drury, but why is it necessary to make fun of a guys speech problems... Our boards are starting to turn into exactly what we complain about on other teams boards.

Don't read then if you don't like it. Just move on to the next one. Read some other threads, mine is just the latest installment of Murray's speech problems. There are at least 3 or 4 others on here.

 

I'll make fun of that a-hole all I want. He is underminding the Sabres organization with his "it was a clean hit" and "his helmet was not on properly" crap. Not one player on his team had their helmet strap tight that I could see.

 

Go cry to someone who cares.

[shrader]

Here's why I think the hit was dirty. Drury is standing completely upright. His head is not in a vulnerable position like the Umberger and Connolly hits. Neil's only 2 inches taller than Drury, so he's not going to connect with Drury's head like that unless he's trying to. It's a classic case of headhunting.

[Claude Balls]

Here's why I think the hit was dirty. Drury is standing completely upright. His head is not in a vulnerable position like the Umberger and Connolly hits. Neil's only 2 inches taller than Drury, so he's not going to connect with Drury's head like that unless he's trying to. It's a classic case of headhunting.

Plus, the puck was long gone and Neil came at him from basically behind without letting up.

[Dagwood]

It's a code thing. You hit one of our stars high, one of your stars is fair game. I wouldn't say they didn't prove anything. They won the game, despite long odds and a very short bench.

 

I didn't have a problem with Mair whacking Spezza. I was alot more pissed at Peters for all but guaranteeing a suspension for Saturday, one of the few games we could actually use him in.

 

Long time folks!!! I havn't been here since last season but here we go...the Sabres and Sens seem to dislike each other a little more now.

 

Alaska---- So you advocate the scenario of McGrattan going toe to toe with Briere? I wouldn't suggest it but then again...That seems to be the message coming out of Buffalo now and I'm certain alot of teams are paying attention and will be happy to accomodate that desire that Ruff speaks of.

 

Neils hit was borderline..... end of story. Not legal/Not illegal. I am 100% positive that a player is allowed to initiate contact for up to 2 seconds after a player moves the puck. Neiler clearly angled himself so as not to hit Drury from behind and thus is legal by definition. The resulting injury was because Drury's head hit the ice...not because Neil caught him admiring his play so let's move on.

 

The code being referred to on this board was clearly followed when Neil and Stafford settled things immediately after the hit of Drury. That should have been the end of it in terms of the Code. Neil answered the bell when Stafford came calling. Ruff's actions to send out the goons was bush league all the way and any suspension coming down the pipe is well deserved IMO.

 

Peters Jumping Emery (Helmet still on) after Ray had already squared things up with Marty is also worthy of a multi-game suspension. He is a disgrace and also deserves whatever comes his way. Especially after running around from player to player "On purpose and pre-meditated"

 

The fact Buffalo won the game in a SO only matters to those that feel #1 in the division is actually worth something. Other than that, it's just another regular season game with some spice.

 

Saturday will be a clean game so don't get your hopes up for anymore fireworks.

 

I hope Drury is ok because that did look like a nasty injury.

 

Hope you guys can ice a team on Saturday :nana:

 

Cheers

[shrader]

Alaska---- So you advocate the scenario of McGrattan going toe to toe with Briere? I wouldn't suggest it but then again...That seems to be the message coming out of Buffalo now and I'm certain alot of teams are paying attention and will be happy to accomodate that desire that Ruff speaks of.

 

If they take care of things the very first shift after the hit like Buffalo did last night, there's no problem. It didn't matter who was on the ice, it was going to happen. By completely ignoring the obvious, Murray deserves some of the blame here.

 

The code being referred to on this board was clearly followed when Neil and Stafford settled things immediately after the hit of Drury. That should have been the end of it in terms of the Code. Neil answered the bell when Stafford came calling. Ruff's actions to send out the goons was bush league all the way and any suspension coming down the pipe is well deserved IMO.

 

Peters Jumping Emery (Helmet still on) after Ray had already squared things up with Marty is also worthy of a multi-game suspension. He is a disgrace and also deserves whatever comes his way. Especially after running around from player to player "On purpose and pre-meditated"

 

I'm not going to call it a disgrace since Emery was more than willing to take part in that fight. I wish there was a better camera angle, but its not like Peters jumped him. Emery saw him coming and reached out and grabbed him. As for pre-meditation, Emery was the one who crossed center ice almost immediately. If you're going to talk suspension, you might have to mention his name, especially since he's just returning from one.

 

The fact Buffalo won the game in a SO only matters to those that feel #1 in the division is actually worth something. Other than that, it's just another regular season game with some spice.

 

I like what you've added to this board, but this comment here reeks of sour grapes. A team labeled as soft sticks up for themselves and also comes from behind to take a victory, but it means nothing? These are the kind of games that go a long way towards chemistry. Drew Stafford, a rookie who has spent more time in Rochester than Buffalo sticking up for what he believed to be a cheap shot? You better believe that the rest of the team is going to rally behind that. I really have to wonder about Ottawa though since no one came to Emery's aid.

[Claude Balls]

Long time folks!!! I havn't been here since last season but here we go...the Sabres and Sens seem to dislike each other a little more now.

This is the only thing that makes sense in your post. You have thrown your 2 cents in, now leave and don't come back until next year.

[Kristian]

I hope Drury is ok because that did look like a nasty injury.

 

Hope you guys can ice a team on Saturday :nana:

 

Cheers

 

Troll alert.

 

Time for me to find a Senators board to troll equally, that would only seem fair.

[Taro T]

Long time folks!!! I havn't been here since last season but here we go...the Sabres and Sens seem to dislike each other a little more now.

 

Alaska---- So you advocate the scenario of McGrattan going toe to toe with Briere? I wouldn't suggest it but then again...That seems to be the message coming out of Buffalo now and I'm certain alot of teams are paying attention and will be happy to accomodate that desire that Ruff speaks of.

 

Neils hit was borderline..... end of story. Not legal/Not illegal. I am 100% positive that a player is allowed to initiate contact for up to 2 seconds after a player moves the puck. Neiler clearly angled himself so as not to hit Drury from behind and thus is legal by definition. The resulting injury was because Drury's head hit the ice...not because Neil caught him admiring his play so let's move on.

 

The code being referred to on this board was clearly followed when Neil and Stafford settled things immediately after the hit of Drury. That should have been the end of it in terms of the Code. Neil answered the bell when Stafford came calling. Ruff's actions to send out the goons was bush league all the way and any suspension coming down the pipe is well deserved IMO.

 

Peters Jumping Emery (Helmet still on) after Ray had already squared things up with Marty is also worthy of a multi-game suspension. He is a disgrace and also deserves whatever comes his way. Especially after running around from player to player "On purpose and pre-meditated"

 

The fact Buffalo won the game in a SO only matters to those that feel #1 in the division is actually worth something. Other than that, it's just another regular season game with some spice.

 

Saturday will be a clean game so don't get your hopes up for anymore fireworks.

 

I hope Drury is ok because that did look like a nasty injury.

 

Hope you guys can ice a team on Saturday :nana:

 

Cheers

Dag,

 

1st off, welcome back.

 

I would never think to speak for AD, he stands up for himself, but here is my take on your Q and other issues you raise.

 

IF Adam Mair had just slew footed Dany Heatley and Heatley was down and appeared to potentially be out for several games; then if I were an Otter fan, I would probably like to see Briere take some punishment. I wouldn't want to see my guy intentionally injure him, but I'd want him to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of the game.

 

If there has been no such action by the Sabres, then I would be disgusted if my goon went after the other guy's stud.

 

Buffalo had/has a reputation for being soft. That reputation has taken a hit thanks to your team's coach not being aware of what was going on. Lindy's actions weren't "bush", they were what the team needed at the time. Whether any Sabres get suspended or not, the Sabres needed what happened to happen.

 

Peters didn't "jump" Emery, but I'd be very surprised if the league allows him to dress on Saturday.

 

Speaking of the Peters - Emery fight, that is the only time I can recall post Billy Smith where I saw a bunch of skaters allow their goalie to fight against a skater from the other team. (Even Hextall would have teammates step into his fun and games.) I realize that Emery likes to fight, so maybe he has told the team NOT to step in if he's mixes it up; but I would have been very upset with the Sabres had they allowed an Otter to fight with Marty or Ryan.

 

Ottawa has a reputation (deserved or not) for not being a TEAM. Standing around and watching Peters go toe to toe with Emery does nothing to diminish the reputation.

[That Aud Smell]

Dag,

 

1st off, welcome back.

 

I would never think to speak for AD, he stands up for himself, but here is my take on your Q and other issues you raise.

 

IF Adam Mair had just slew footed Dany Heatley and Heatley was down and appeared to potentially be out for several games; then if I were an Otter fan, I would probably like to see Briere take some punishment. I wouldn't want to see my guy intentionally injure him, but I'd want him to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of the game.

 

If there has been no such action by the Sabres, then I would be disgusted if my goon went after the other guy's stud.

 

Buffalo had/has a reputation for being soft. That reputation has taken a hit thanks to your team's coach not being aware of what was going on. Lindy's actions weren't "bush", they were what the team needed at the time. Whether any Sabres get suspended or not, the Sabres needed what happened to happen.

 

Peters didn't "jump" Emery, but I'd be very surprised if the league allows him to dress on Saturday.

 

Speaking of the Peters - Emery fight, that is the only time I can recall post Billy Smith where I saw a bunch of skaters allow their goalie to fight against a skater from the other team. (Even Hextall would have teammates step into his fun and games.) I realize that Emery likes to fight, so maybe he has told the team NOT to step in if he's mixes it up; but I would have been very upset with the Sabres had they allowed an Otter to fight with Marty or Ryan.

 

Ottawa has a reputation (deserved or not) for not being a TEAM. Standing around and watching Peters go toe to toe with Emery does nothing to diminish the reputation.

 

spot the f*** on, dave!

 

... geez, it's past noon and i still find myself needing to ventilate my (surprisingly persistent) anger from this incident.

[Dagwood]

Dag,

 

1st off, welcome back.

 

Thanks D. Appreciate that.

 

 

IF Adam Mair had just slew footed Dany Heatley and Heatley was down and appeared to potentially be out for several games; then if I were an Otter fan, I would probably like to see Briere take some punishment. I wouldn't want to see my guy intentionally injure him, but I'd want him to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of the game.

If there has been no such action by the Sabres, then I would be disgusted if my goon went after the other guy's stud.

 

Naturally. Any fan would want retribution. I don't question the Why...but the Cause in this case was a hit that Ruff didn't like. It's part of the game whether we like it or not. The reaction was poor. Why not put Peters, Mair and the rest out when Neil and Fisher or someone else on the Sens could defend themselves instead of 'specifically' going after Heatley, Spezza et al...who don't fight, and frankly wouldn't stand a chance anyway? That is the problem with Ruff...He did the ultimate faux pas as the Coach and thus will be penalized for it. When the Buffalo went to Heatley after the game to apologize, that is a person feeling guilty about what the coach made him do and thus cleared the air.

 

Buffalo had/has a reputation for being soft. That reputation has taken a hit thanks to your team's coach not being aware of what was going on. Lindy's actions weren't "bush", they were what the team needed at the time. Whether any Sabres get suspended or not, the Sabres needed what happened to happen.

 

Dave... trust me. this is the "EXACT" same scenario that occured between the Sens/Flyers a few years back. the difference was the players "all of them" faced off mano a mano. Not Fighters targetting non fighters on purpose.

 

Peters didn't "jump" Emery, but I'd be very surprised if the league allows him to dress on Saturday.

Emery and Biron were staring at each other. Emery let Biron off easy and rightfully so...but then Peters came over as "3rd" man in if you will. Since when does a player take on a goaltender who is already at a disadvantage because of his gear being restrictive. That takes balls I guess.

 

Speaking of the Peters - Emery fight, that is the only time I can recall post Billy Smith where I saw a bunch of skaters allow their goalie to fight against a skater from the other team. (Even Hextall would have teammates step into his fun and games.) I realize that Emery likes to fight, so maybe he has told the team NOT to step in if he's mixes it up; but I would have been very upset with the Sabres had they allowed an Otter to fight with Marty or Ryan.

I can't dispute that, but who cares? If your calling the Sens soft..thats your opinion. I don't think the Sens need to prove anything to anybody around this league except to themselves. Again, this sort of stuff means more to us fans than it does the players.

 

Ottawa has a reputation (deserved or not) for not being a TEAM. Standing around and watching Peters go toe to toe with Emery does nothing to diminish the reputation.

Emery handled Peters just fine. I don't think I'd want any of Spezza, Heatley, McAmmond, Phillips or Volchenkov squaring off against Peters. Point is, Ruff if he had any class at all would have waited for Neil to return to the ice and let Peters take care of things then. Ruff chose to resort to PeeWee tactics so I'm not so sure as a fan of the Sabres I would be proud of that. I am proud however that the Sens managed to light a fire under the Sabres and thus take them off their game when and if we should meet up in the playoffs. Last night proved nothing except the Sabres won't just stand around and take it. Good for them.

 

And I was sincere about Drury being ok.... If you think otherwise, then that's your problem... I know who the class posters are around here. :thumbsup:

[MidwestSabresFan]

Here's why I think the hit was dirty. Drury is standing completely upright. His head is not in a vulnerable position like the Umberger and Connolly hits. Neil's only 2 inches taller than Drury, so he's not going to connect with Drury's head like that unless he's trying to. It's a classic case of headhunting.

 

That was another thing I noticed too. I could see if it was Chara vs Drury.... then yeah it would be border line. Even after showing my family the replay, they said it was pre-meditated the way he(Neil) just kept skating towards Drury, eyes on him the whole time, not looking for the puck, player movement or anything else but to hit Drury.

 

Look at the replays, you will see this over and over. Neil wasn't back-checking and just came upon someone taking a pass with his head down, he followed him and ran him down, and if you view the replays, its evident. I don't think the debate any more is about an elbow, its about how he went out of his way to cause injury to a player that was pretty much away from the play.

[Wraith]

Point is, Ruff if he had any class at all would have waited for Neil to return to the ice and let Peters take care of things then. Ruff chose to resort to PeeWee tactics so I'm not so sure as a fan of the Sabres I would be proud of that. I am proud however that the Sens managed to light a fire under the Sabres and thus take them off their game when and if we should meet up in the playoffs. Last night proved nothing except the Sabres won't just stand around and take it. Good for them.

 

Just like every other Ottawa fan I've heard from today, you just don't get it. What point is there sending Peters and Mair after Neil? What message does that send to the other team?

 

"Gee, better watch out, if we run their captains, they might throw a punch at our enforcer? Good lord, we can't have that!"

 

Being physical with Neil sends absolutely no message. It's all bluster and show. Running Briere and Drury it not about bluster, it is about trying to hurt someone. The Senators should consider themselves lucky that Mair and Peters gave your softies some warning before getting a little rough with them, it's far more than Drury and Briere have gotten this year.

 

We'll make you a deal. If Senators promise to only take runs at our enforcers, we'll only start fights with theirs. Until then, your "skill players" are as fair game as ours.

[jad1]

What's getting lost in this whole thing is that the Sabres had just scored 2 quick goals on the Sens and turned the momentum big time. No doubt that Murray sent Neil out there to lay some hits and swing the momentum back.

 

Murray didn't wait to send Neil out there against Peters or Mair, he was sent out to lay the body against the Sabres skill players.

 

But after Neil goes head-hunting and lays out Drury, the Sens fans say the Sabres should have waited until Neil returned to go after him? Yeah, right. When there was no penalty called, there was no doubt that there was going to be a fight on the next shift. Murray was too stupid to see that and played right into Ruffs hands by sending out his tin men.

 

Oh, and Ray Emery, this is Andrew Peters. You probably already know this about him, but he's the Sabres goon who takes his enforcers role so seriously that he sometimes borders on lunacy. You might not want to leave your crease when he's on the ice. And Heatley and Spezza, if you see your goalie standing around at center ice while Peters is out there, you might want to at least tie him up, even if you have to drop your purse to do so.

[Dagwood]

What's getting lost in this whole thing is that the Sabres had just scored 2 quick goals on the Sens and turned the momentum big time. No doubt that Murray sent Neil out there to lay some hits and swing the momentum back.

 

Murray didn't wait to send Neil out there against Peters or Mair, he was sent out to lay the body against the Sabres skill players.

 

But after Neil goes head-hunting and lays out Drury, the Sens fans say the Sabres should have waited until Neil returned to go after him? Yeah, right. When there was no penalty called, there was no doubt that there was going to be a fight on the next shift. Murray was too stupid to see that and played right into Ruffs hands by sending out his tin men.

 

Oh, and Ray Emery, this is Andrew Peters. You probably already know this about him, but he's the Sabres goon who takes his enforcers role so seriously that he sometimes borders on lunacy. You might not want to leave your crease when he's on the ice. And Heatley and Spezza, if you see your goalie standing around at center ice while Peters is out there, you might want to at least tie him up, even if you have to drop your purse to do so.

 

It's funny... Teams aside. How everyone sees things differently. I wouldn't be any different if we were on my Home board discussing the same thing if events were turned around.

 

My opinion doesn't match what most of you folks saw last night. That's ok.

[Taro T]

Thanks D. Appreciate that.

Naturally. Any fan would want retribution. I don't question the Why...but the Cause in this case was a hit that Ruff didn't like. It's part of the game whether we like it or not. The reaction was poor. Why not put Peters, Mair and the rest out when Neil and Fisher or someone else on the Sens could defend themselves instead of 'specifically' going after Heatley, Spezza et al...who don't fight, and frankly wouldn't stand a chance anyway? That is the problem with Ruff...He did the ultimate faux pas as the Coach and thus will be penalized for it. When the Buffalo went to Heatley after the game to apologize, that is a person feeling guilty about what the coach made him do and thus cleared the air.

Dave... trust me. this is the "EXACT" same scenario that occured between the Sens/Flyers a few years back. the difference was the players "all of them" faced off mano a mano. Not Fighters targetting non fighters on purpose.

 

Emery and Biron were staring at each other. Emery let Biron off easy and rightfully so...but then Peters came over as "3rd" man in if you will. Since when does a player take on a goaltender who is already at a disadvantage because of his gear being restrictive. That takes balls I guess.

 

I can't dispute that, but who cares? If your calling the Sens soft..thats your opinion. I don't think the Sens need to prove anything to anybody around this league except to themselves. Again, this sort of stuff means more to us fans than it does the players.

 

Emery handled Peters just fine. I don't think I'd want any of Spezza, Heatley, McAmmond, Phillips or Volchenkov squaring off against Peters. Point is, Ruff if he had any class at all would have waited for Neil to return to the ice and let Peters take care of things then. Ruff chose to resort to PeeWee tactics so I'm not so sure as a fan of the Sabres I would be proud of that. I am proud however that the Sens managed to light a fire under the Sabres and thus take them off their game when and if we should meet up in the playoffs. Last night proved nothing except the Sabres won't just stand around and take it. Good for them.

 

And I was sincere about Drury being ok.... If you think otherwise, then that's your problem... I know who the class posters are around here. :thumbsup:

If the shoe were on the other foot, I would have been ticked at Murray for "gooning up" Buffalo's top line, but I also would have been livid at Ruff for putting them in that spot. The guys on the bench only saw the hit 1 time, in real speed (the Sabres don't show replays of big hits on the Jumbotron anymore, ever since they were accused of showing the Umberger hit repeatedly while he was lying on the ice; they didn't, but that is fodder for a different, well worn discussion); I don't see how there is any way that the hit didn't look like Neil ran Drury in the back with an elbow to the head from where they were standing. (Even the Sens play by play man said he thought Neil got the elbow up initially. And he has the advantage of being up high where you can see plays develop.)

 

Knowing that Buffalo had lost a player in IIRC 6 straight games, and knowing that the crowd was going nuts about the Drury hit, and if he looked over at the other bench knowing that Lindy was going nuts about the Drury hit and lack of a call; Murray HAS to expect the Sabres to be going with their "energy" line. That it never occurred to Murray that was a possibility is inexcusable.

 

Had the situation been reversed, I would have had 2 guys I was ticked at - your team's coach and my team's coach.

 

As I stated before, at that particular moment in the game and in the season (Lindy's trying to manage both), the Sabres needed to "put their foot down". Backing down from that moment because Captain Constipated was being extremely foolish in sending his top line out would have left the pundits, fans, and more importantly future opponents coming away thinking - there go the same old soft Sabres; they could have made a statement but decided not to.

 

Lindy HAD to do what he did. Even if he were to get suspended and/or fined, it still was the right thing to do at the time. The Sabres needed to have teams fearing more than just a power play goal being scored against them for putting a "dirty" hit on a Sabre. (I put dirty in quotes, because however you view the hit, at the time it happened EVERYONE on the Sabres side saw it as dirty.) I honestly don't know that the Sabres would have been able to send the message that it is unacceptable to do that had Kelly and 4th liners been the ones the Sabres took retribution on; so Murray not having full cognizance of the situation will IMHO work out for the Sabres in the long run.

 

Emery absolutely could have killed Marty if he wanted to. The guy is bigger than Marty and knows how to box. Marty only knows how to chatterbox. ;)

 

It was extremely stupid for Peters to fight Emery, and I expect him to be suspended for doing it. I think we are pretty much in agreement on that, I just didn't consider skating over and basically saying "you want to go" to be "jumping" him.

 

Your final point about "(l)ast night proved nothing except the Sabres won't just stand around and take it" is what the whole thing WAS about. Teams did not believe that prior to last night. Whether their opinion has truly changed remains to be seen, but at least there is now doubt in the minds of others. That doubt will make the Sabres road an easier one.