Stoner Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 I think this is exactly right. Everyone forgets that the players are still people. And if you've ever worked in a dysfunctional company or organization, you know how low morale can get and how that can affect work. It really doesn't matter how much you're being paid if you hate coming to work and aren't buying in to your group's goals/plan. The whole team got a fresh start with an owner who really cares about success on the ice. I'm surprised how much of a difference it made too, but in retrospect the fact that it made a difference should not have been a surprise. But for your theory to hold water, it would have to have been the news on November 30 that turned the tide. The turnaround hasn't been only since Feb. 22. (Complicating things: did the players have a whiff of ownership change even before the season?) Anyway, Sabres were 9-13-3 before the Boston Globe report on Pegula. They're 24-13-5 since. 2-4 in the six games before Nov. 30. 4-1-1 in the six after. Numbers are so obedient doing the hoop thing!
PromoTheRobot Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 But for your theory to hold water, it would have to have been the news on November 30 that turned the tide. The turnaround hasn't been only since Feb. 22. (Complicating things: did the players have a whiff of ownership change even before the season?) Anyway, Sabres were 9-13-3 before the Boston Globe report on Pegula. They're 24-13-5 since. 2-4 in the six games before Nov. 30. 4-1-1 in the six after. Numbers are so obedient doing the hoop thing! Yeah, but you know how it was even here leading up to sale. Half of us kept waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under us. We didn't believe it was for real until Terry started crying over Perrault. PTR
frissonic Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 One and the same. What was your screen name over there? just "chris". never really posted a metric sh**-ton ... but i had my say back in the day. anyone else on here from LGS?
Robviously Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 But for your theory to hold water, it would have to have been the news on November 30 that turned the tide. The turnaround hasn't been only since Feb. 22. (Complicating things: did the players have a whiff of ownership change even before the season?) Mmmm, not really. Where I work we often get "good news" in the form of new plans for improvement. And if morale is low, those plans are often mocked as a pipe dream. People only respond when the change has taken place. Promo's point is valid too. I was one of the people worrying about the deal falling through right up until it was complete.
frissonic Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 I think this is exactly right. Everyone forgets that the players are still people. And if you've ever worked in a dysfunctional company or organization, you know how low morale can get and how that can affect work. It really doesn't matter how much you're being paid if you hate coming to work and aren't buying in to your group's goals/plan. The whole team got a fresh start with an owner who really cares about success on the ice. I'm surprised how much of a difference it made too, but in retrospect the fact that it made a difference should not have been a surprise. probably not a surprise that the new ownership is a shot in the arm for the team, but i'm betting that locker room upgrade is going to be surprising for them. do they even know what's going on with that?
Weave Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 just "chris". never really posted a metric sh**-ton ... but i had my say back in the day. anyone else on here from LGS? Carpandean. There are a couple others but they are infrequent posters. Chimp was here for a bit but hasn't been around in several months.
Weave Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 probably not a surprise that the new ownership is a shot in the arm for the team, but i'm betting that locker room upgrade is going to be surprising for them. do they even know what's going on with that? I would think so. The team has made no effort to keep it a secret. Word went around a couple weeks ago about the new carpet being installed during the roadtrip.
Doohicksie Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 there simply wasn't any heart. we basically have the same core players as we did that season with a few notable exceptions. if there's one core element that i kept coming back to, it was the complete lack of heart that everyone consistently displayed, with the exception of miller. no attack, no forecheck to speak of, no speed, no ... ANYthing. so what was the change? why the sudden shift in mentality? I'll take credit for figuring out the reason for the change almost two months ago: Vanek. When Roy went down, a lot of the Sabres picked up their game. The biggest contributors since then have been Vanek and Stafford, no questions asked. Vanek especially, though, has demonstrated to me that he WILL have the C on his sweater- if not this year, definitely next. The addition of Boyes has helped enormously. Vanek in is first 40-goal season got there because he was one of many weapons. With the emergence of Stafford, with the acquisition of Boyes, with more contributions from the whole team, Vanek is again becoming the best scorer among many on the team. The key, though, is what is doing without the puck, and when someone else on the ice scores. He creates havoc in front of the net. He dishes to the open man, he has become a ferocious back checker. He hasn't been filling those roles the whole time, but now he his. As long as he continues to do so, and gets the support from Stafford (hopefully he'll be back soon), Boyes and the rest of the guys, this team is tough to beat. I hope for a first round win this year, maybe even a better run than that. But next year, when the kids have that extra year of experience, when Roy is back, and maybe if we pick up someone good from free agency, this team could be... will be... the team to beat in the East.
frissonic Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 I would think so. The team has made no effort to keep it a secret. Word went around a couple weeks ago about the new carpet being installed during the roadtrip. this is true. video on the official site, nice pic of some cleaning lady vacumming the new carpet ... i guess the question becomes how much online access the team has, and if lindy or whoever is keeping it under wraps to keep them focused on the next game. but good point--it's not being kept under lock and key at all.
MaineMoxie Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 stafford sucks hecht sucks gaustad sucks lindy sucks darcy sucks so bad that they should all be shipped out for whatever they can get yet somehow theyre one of the hottest teams in the league since mid december just lucky i guess Connolly really does suck.
FogBat Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 Once, Jeanneret asked us all, "Do you believe?" Terry Pegula might have made the team believe. After that win in Philly and the win tonight, this team is making us Believe once again that the impossible is possible... If this team can pull off something similar to the 1980 Miracle on Ice US Men's hockey team at Lake Placid, I think it's safe to say that we're all for it. After all, they weren't even expected to medal, let alone beat the Soviets - and they walked away with a Gold Medal. From what I've seen of Pegula, he may not be comfortable in front of a camera (he appears to fidget a lot). However, he appears to be an excellent leader. I've heard all this claptrap on how leaders are made, not born. Sometimes, you just can't write books on leadership with certain people. They have their own personalities, and Pegula certainly looks affable enough to where he can connect easily with people - which is something I really didn't see from Tom Golisano over the past few years.
LGR4GM Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 It seems that even if our team knew about their new carpet and such they are happy about it and I love the fact that the stanley cup quote from the pegula presser is just inside the door. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=357621
deluca67 Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 I am starting to suspect that a majority of the issue was Tom Golisano. As in, the players knew nothing was going to be done to try to actually win something so the players stopped caring. With a new personality at the healm there is a sense of someone who actually wants to try to win it all. But, as D4rksabre sez, there still needs to be quite a few changes before this team is a real contender. The entertainment and level of play is nice to watch but I still don't have any post season expectations. It is the same team that played so poorly in December + Brad Boyes afterall. What happens when the initial excitement wears off? Do the players go back to not caring?
Ghost of Dwight Drane Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 What happens when the initial excitement wears off? Do the players go back to not caring? That's the $5.3 million question for me. This team has always played much better when they have confidence going, but when times are tough they mail it in for the most part. This is like hooking up with a new, hot girlfriend. You are on your best behavior and F like rabbits for a few weeks, then as the relationship takes hold, your natural personality comes out. Two months later you are lying and saying you have to work late just to avoid her and would rather play Xbox and watch Cathouse on HBO come Friday night than spend another god blessed 5 hours with her.
deluca67 Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 That's the $5.3 million question for me. This team has always played much better when they have confidence going, but when times are tough they mail it in for the most part. This is like hooking up with a new, hot girlfriend. You are on your best behavior and F like rabbits for a few weeks, then as the relationship takes hold, your natural personality comes out. Two months later you are lying and saying you have to work late just to avoid her and would rather play Xbox and watch Cathouse on HBO come Friday night than spend another god blessed 5 hours with her. There is a serious flaw in the makeup of the players on this roster. When I see posters say that they are playing better now because of Pegula, that to me is a far worse indictment of the players than saying they lack the talent.
FogBat Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 There is a serious flaw in the makeup of the players on this roster. When I see posters say that they are playing better now because of Pegula, that to me is a far worse indictment of the players than saying they lack the talent.
Weave Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 There is a serious flaw in the makeup of the players on this roster. When I see posters say that they are playing better now because of Pegula, that to me is a far worse indictment of the players than saying they lack the talent. I agree, but then again, I don't. I can see where playing in a hopeless cause under leadership that doesn't care about success could lead to persistant apathetic play. Granted, I thought all along that the listless play was mostly a result of the personality of the players. The current play is causing me to revisit that evaluation. If the apathy returns again I'll know it was the players at the core of the issue. Right now I am looking at it with an open mind.
will Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 didn't vanek mention the new rug in his blog post before the roadtrip?
LGR4GM Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 So we have actively discussed how the players have changed since the sabres new owner came aboard, but what about the coaching staff and in particular Ruff. He refused an extension then the new owner says he aint goin nowhere, so Does Ruff along with the players have a new enthusiasm to come to work because Ruff has seen the darkside of bankruptcy and then negligence, and now Stanley Cup becomes the soul reason for everything... Just saying if I went through all that as a coach I might have some more jump in my step when the new guy says winning is everything.
Kristian Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 What happens when the initial excitement wears off? Do the players go back to not caring? I would hope the indiviuals who are the most "non-caring-prone", for lack of a better word, will be gone before the initial excitement wears off, which hopefully won't be until the off-season. That said, I still don't think Darcy's the man for the job, and that Ruff should be long gone.
Kristian Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 So we have actively discussed how the players have changed since the sabres new owner came aboard, but what about the coaching staff and in particular Ruff. He refused an extension then the new owner says he aint goin nowhere, so Does Ruff along with the players have a new enthusiasm to come to work because Ruff has seen the darkside of bankruptcy and then negligence, and now Stanley Cup becomes the soul reason for everything... Just saying if I went through all that as a coach I might have some more jump in my step when the new guy says winning is everything. There's no doubt there'd be a huge increase in energy, but the hangover can be devastating if it turns out nothing is done to back up the rhetorics, and I fear this may be the case as long as Regier is around.
deluca67 Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 I would hope the indiviuals who are the most "non-caring-prone", for lack of a better word, will be gone before the initial excitement wears off, which hopefully won't be until the off-season. That said, I still don't think Darcy's the man for the job, and that Ruff should be long gone. You would think the embarrassment of how last season ended would be motivation enough for this roster. Which is why I find it so ridiculous that the idea of a new rug in the locker room is motivational. That a change in ownership has the players invigorated. I want players on this roster that want to win a Stanley Cup and it is their only motivation.
FogBat Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 You would think the embarrassment of how last season ended would be motivation enough for this roster. Which is why I find it so ridiculous that the idea of a new rug in the locker room is motivational. That a change in ownership has the players invigorated. I want players on this roster that want to win a Stanley Cup and it is their only motivation. Did you ever think that sometimes the little things can make a big difference? BTW, I think you're a statueless critic who loves to pick out faults but won't take the leadership helm to fix the problem. So typical of the American feminized male these days.
deluca67 Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 Did you ever think that sometimes the little things can make a big difference? BTW, I think you're a statueless critic who loves to pick out faults but won't take the leadership helm to fix the problem. So typical of the American feminized male these days. A rug makes more difference than getting knocked out of the the playoffs? BTW, I think the same about your opinion of me as I do your opinion of religion and politics, you have scored the hat-trick of clueless.
SwampD Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 Did you ever think that sometimes the little things can make a big difference? BTW, I think you're a statueless critic who loves to pick out faults but won't take the leadership helm to fix the problem. So typical of the American feminized male these days. Did you just call DeLuthor67 gay? I'm guessing that if Jesus judged people as much as you do, his little cult wouldn't have gotten so popular.
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