Honest Question: Why Does Everybody Continue to Discount the Little Guys?

[DumbPuck]

I'm somewhat of a new hockey fan. Let me clarify: I've always loved hockey, watched the Sabres, gone to some games. However, this season is the first time I've become obsessed with the Sabres (Strangely since the beginning of the season .. not just since the Pegula era). So with that outta the way there's one major question that I would like some of the more experienced fans/analysts to answer for me:

 

Why do all the media sports analysts continue to leave the small guys out? As I said, this is the first season I've not missed watching or attending a single game. The reason I stuck to them was because I watched the first (and only) round of Sabres playoffs last year against Boston and my interest in the team was literally reborn when I saw Ennis skating circles around the Boston net when the rest of the Sabres seemed ready to give up. You could literally see Ennis saying "WTF guys looks what I can do! Let's do it." Gerbe and Ennis (in the playoffs, mind you) looked like stars ... in fact they made some stars... look like fools .... IN THE PLAYOFFS.

 

Fast forward to this season again. Ennis has looked deadly all season and Gerbe has finally gotten some confidence and always seems to step up at just the right times (a la 2 goals in clinching game). So how come I can listen to Paul Hamilton talk about how Buffalo's only hope in the playoffs is for Stafford, Connoly, and Pomms to get their groove back (and maintain it). The only time he (and others) even mentions Gerbe and Ennis is when he's saying how they did a good job helping our main lines wakeup during the regular season.

 

Is it expected that our little guys will be shutdown for the playoffs? Is Pronger really going to swat them like flies when a beast like Chara was seemingly unable to do so last year in round 1? I just don't get it. Am I watching different versions of the games?

[JJFIVEOH]

Did you say Doug Flutie?

[Weave]

The only thing I can go by is history. More often than not, when the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs earlier than they should have been alot of the talk was how Buffalo was too small and not tough enough for the playoff grind. Darcy himself alluded to it last season after the Boston series. Given past results it is only natural that there is some skepticism in some regarding the ability of Gerbe and Ennis to get it done in April.

 

Is it fair to pre-judge Gerbe and Ennis based on the failures of Sabres past? Probably not. Each one is their own person and should be judged on their own merits. I'll say this, he may not have size but Gerbe sure seems to have the intestinal fortitude to make a good show of himself in the postseason. Hopefully intestinal fortitude will carry him through. I am a little more concerned about Ennis right now. I wouldn't have said that 3 months ago, but it'll be interesting for me to see how he handles this years' playoffs. I'm more confident in Gerbe right now. Mostly because of his personality.

 

As for Hamiltons' comments, I think you may be mis-taking what he was saying. I don't think he was discounting the little guys. I think he was assuming that their performance was a given and that past playoff disappearers like Stafford, Connolly, and Pomminstein need to actually show up this year.

[Derrico]

I'm somewhat of a new hockey fan. Let me clarify: I've always loved hockey, watched the Sabres, gone to some games. However, this season is the first time I've become obsessed with the Sabres (Strangely since the beginning of the season .. not just since the Pegula era). So with that outta the way there's one major question that I would like some of the more experienced fans/analysts to answer for me:

 

Why do all the media sports analysts continue to leave the small guys out? As I said, this is the first season I've not missed watching or attending a single game. The reason I stuck to them was because I watched the first (and only) round of Sabres playoffs last year against Boston and my interest in the team was literally reborn when I saw Ennis skating circles around the Boston net when the rest of the Sabres seemed ready to give up. You could literally see Ennis saying "WTF guys looks what I can do! Let's do it." Gerbe and Ennis (in the playoffs, mind you) looked like stars ... in fact they made some stars... look like fools .... IN THE PLAYOFFS.

 

Fast forward to this season again. Ennis has looked deadly all season and Gerbe has finally gotten some confidence and always seems to step up at just the right times (a la 2 goals in clinching game). So how come I can listen to Paul Hamilton talk about how Buffalo's only hope in the playoffs is for Stafford, Connoly, and Pomms to get their groove back (and maintain it). The only time he (and others) even mentions Gerbe and Ennis is when he's saying how they did a good job helping our main lines wakeup during the regular season.

 

Is it expected that our little guys will be shutdown for the playoffs? Is Pronger really going to swat them like flies when a beast like Chara was seemingly unable to do so last year in round 1? I just don't get it. Am I watching different versions of the games?

 

They are rookies which in the past generally means they have the biggest adjustment come playoff time. The experienced guys need to show up. Also, less ice out there come playoff time. I'm with you though if we're going to beat the flyers it'll be speed that does it and those are the fastest guys out there. I really hope Mancari gets limited ice time if he suits up....

[JJFIVEOH]

Let's not forget, Ennis did lead the team in post-season points last year (tied with P-ville).

[Derrico]

Let's not forget, Ennis did lead the team in post-season points last year (tied with P-ville).

 

True but he also didn't have the grind of an NHL season leading up to that. Trust me I want him to be a difference maker and I'm sure he will be.

[...]

The only thing I can go by is history. More often than not, when the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs earlier than they should have been alot of the talk was how Buffalo was too small and not tough enough for the playoff grind. Darcy himself alluded to it last season after the Boston series. Given past results it is only natural that there is some skepticism in some regarding the ability of Gerbe and Ennis to get it done in April.

 

Is it fair to pre-judge Gerbe and Ennis based on the failures of Sabres past? Probably not. Each one is their own person and should be judged on their own merits. I'll say this, he may not have size but Gerbe sure seems to have the intestinal fortitude to make a good show of himself in the postseason. Hopefully intestinal fortitude will carry him through. I am a little more concerned about Ennis right now. I wouldn't have said that 3 months ago, but it'll be interesting for me to see how he handles this years' playoffs. I'm more confident in Gerbe right now. Mostly because of his personality.

 

As for Hamiltons' comments, I think you may be mis-taking what he was saying. I don't think he was discounting the little guys. I think he was assuming that their performance was a given and that past playoff disappearers like Stafford, Connolly, and Pomminstein need to actually show up this year.

 

A well-reasoned reply.

 

However, on the matter of Ennis, I think it should be noted that he's the one who was getting IV fluids inbetween periods the last few games. The dude has been playing sick enough to require IV fluids during the game, and yet keeps playing. To me that says quite a lot about his character and dedication to winning.

[DumbPuck]

A well-reasoned reply.

 

However, on the matter of Ennis, I think it should be noted that he's the one who was getting IV fluids inbetween periods the last few games. The dude has been playing sick enough to require IV fluids during the game, and yet keeps playing. To me that says quite a lot about his character and dedication to winning.

 

 

For sure that shows some grit.... but he also hasn't been playing all that well since being ill. Not the Ennis we saw in January-March at least.

[DumbPuck]

They are rookies which in the past generally means they have the biggest adjustment come playoff time. The experienced guys need to show up. Also, less ice out there come playoff time. I'm with you though if we're going to beat the flyers it'll be speed that does it and those are the fastest guys out there. I really hope Mancari gets limited ice time if he suits up....

 

I was listening to WGR tonight and Sully (I think it was Sully?!) was saying how if Hecht or Grier come back they would have no issue seeing Ellis sent back down and that Mancari would probably be next. He then went on to say that Boyes could (and did) work great on the Gerbe/Gaustad line in Mancari's steed. I don't remember this though. I was pretty sure that the few games where Ruff put Boyes on Gerbe's line was right around the time when Boyes AND Gerbe both stopped producing (maybe mid to late March?). Any stat freaks know the facts on whether or not that line produced?

 

I may be wrong, but I like the two big guys (Gaustad/Mancari) in Gerbe's line as I think they complement Gerbe's style well.

[Derrico]

I was listening to WGR tonight and Sully (I think it was Sully?!) was saying how if Hecht or Grier come back they would have no issue seeing Ellis sent back down and that Mancari would probably be next. He then went on to say that Boyes could (and did) work great on the Gerbe/Gaustad line in Mancari's steed. I don't remember this though. I was pretty sure that the few games where Ruff put Boyes on Gerbe's line was right around the time when Boyes AND Gerbe both stopped producing (maybe mid to late March?). Any stat freaks know the facts on whether or not that line produced?

 

I may be wrong, but I like the two big guys (Gaustad/Mancari) in Gerbe's line as I think they complement Gerbe's style well.

 

He's just so friggen slow. Turnovers and quick breaks are going to determine this series IMO and we can't have guys out there who skate slower than my grandmother.

[JJFIVEOH]

Even though Gerbe is short, I don't really consider him one of the "little" guys. He's not very frail like most of the little guys in the league. He's not going to knock Chara on his ass, but I don't think you need to worry about him getting hurt by being pushed around. He's a big dude, if he were 6'5" or 6'6" I bet he'd weigh 240-250.

[...]

For sure that shows some grit.... but he also hasn't been playing all that well since being ill. Not the Ennis we saw in January-March at least.

 

 

That's kind of the point. Ennis has had some time now to get healthy - perfect timing. Let him get back to producing during the playoffs.

[LGR4GM]

He's just so friggen slow. Turnovers and quick breaks are going to determine this series IMO and we can't have guys out there who skate slower than my grandmother.

I'm assuming we are talking about grier being slow and I agree.

 

Second Gerbe is only 5'5" but hes 173 pds. That is pretty sturdy for anyone of that height. Hes dense for a little guy and I think he will be just fine. Its not like the playoffs allow other teams to illegally check so everything will be fine.

[...]

He's just so friggen slow. Turnovers and quick breaks are going to determine this series IMO and we can't have guys out there who skate slower than my grandmother.

 

 

Who? Mancari?

[DR HOLLIDAY]

I'm somewhat of a new hockey fan. Let me clarify: I've always loved hockey, watched the Sabres, gone to some games. However, this season is the first time I've become obsessed with the Sabres (Strangely since the beginning of the season .. not just since the Pegula era). So with that outta the way there's one major question that I would like some of the more experienced fans/analysts to answer for me:

 

Why do all the media sports analysts continue to leave the small guys out? As I said, this is the first season I've not missed watching or attending a single game. The reason I stuck to them was because I watched the first (and only) round of Sabres playoffs last year against Boston and my interest in the team was literally reborn when I saw Ennis skating circles around the Boston net when the rest of the Sabres seemed ready to give up. You could literally see Ennis saying "WTF guys looks what I can do! Let's do it." Gerbe and Ennis (in the playoffs, mind you) looked like stars ... in fact they made some stars... look like fools .... IN THE PLAYOFFS.

 

Fast forward to this season again. Ennis has looked deadly all season and Gerbe has finally gotten some confidence and always seems to step up at just the right times (a la 2 goals in clinching game). So how come I can listen to Paul Hamilton talk about how Buffalo's only hope in the playoffs is for Stafford, Connoly, and Pomms to get their groove back (and maintain it). The only time he (and others) even mentions Gerbe and Ennis is when he's saying how they did a good job helping our main lines wakeup during the regular season.

 

Is it expected that our little guys will be shutdown for the playoffs? Is Pronger really going to swat them like flies when a beast like Chara was seemingly unable to do so last year in round 1? I just don't get it. Am I watching different versions of the games?

 

Great Screen name, lol........... :beer:

[darksabre]

For sure that shows some grit.... but he also hasn't been playing all that well since being ill. Not the Ennis we saw in January-March at least.

 

But he's still been better than Max was the last year or so here, so that's a plus.

[DumbPuck]

I'm assuming we are talking about grier being slow and I agree.

 

Second Gerbe is only 5'5" but hes 173 pds. That is pretty sturdy for anyone of that height. Hes dense for a little guy and I think he will be just fine. Its not like the playoffs allow other teams to illegally check so everything will be fine.

 

 

I think you're right about that. Gerbe is built like a wrestler. I was watching a Gerbe post-game interview with a buddy at work today (I have a playoff-friendly office thank god) and he commented on how crazy Gerbe's traps (shoulders) looked.

 

As for the original question I posted in the thread, I think Weave answered my question in his first post. I think I might be misunderstanding some of the radio commentary. I was looking at their exclusion of Gerbe and Ennis as them being written off. However, it might just be that their good performance is to be expected and its the veterans who have been kinda hit-or-miss in the past need to be on.

[DumbPuck]

Great Screen name, lol........... :beer:

 

Thanks :rolleyes: . I've been lurking these forums for quite a while now just reading all the excellent threads. The "Carcillo" thread finally made me want to register and get involved in the conversation because I was flippin out at my TV when I saw the head pat.... and cheering of course when Gerbe made that insane shot. I figured if that was my motivation then I might as well make it my screenname :thumbsup:

[bunomatic]

Thanks :rolleyes: . I've been lurking these forums for quite a while now just reading all the excellent threads. The "Carcillo" thread finally made me want to register and get involved in the conversation because I was flippin out at my TV when I saw the head pat.... and cheering of course when Gerbe made that insane shot. I figured if that was my motivation then I might as well make it my screenname :thumbsup:

On the Gerbe shot (heard round da world) do you think part of the flyers gameplan will be to piss this guy off. I don't think so. I think the flyers learned a valuable lesson in that game in that this guy just gets more determined when belittled (pardon the pun). In last years playoffs against the Bruins I felt Gerbe was a little out of his element and he played a limited role and didn't have the confidence. Now I can see him playing a much larger role with confidence and hopefully doing real well this year.

[DumbPuck]

On the Gerbe shot (heard round da world) do you think part of the flyers gameplan will be to piss this guy off. I don't think so. I think the flyers learned a valuable lesson in that game in that this guy just gets more determined when belittled (pardon the pun). In last years playoffs against the Bruins I felt Gerbe was a little out of his element and he played a limited role and didn't have the confidence. Now I can see him playing a much larger role with confidence and hopefully doing real well this year.

 

 

I don't think they have a choice. The mind-game is a huge part of hockey and I'm sure they're going to play it. I don't think they'll be dumb enough to make such a glaring mistake as the Carcillo head-pat again, but they will still be trying to get under EVERYBODY'S skin. It will be interesting to see Kaletta in this picture for the playoffs.

 

I'm more excited to see whether Gerbe can screw the screwers though ... remember January 18th in Montreal? The mindgame was tangible there.... you could practically see Gerbe pulling the strings on Gomez... forcing a penalty. I was laughing my ass off I know that.

[bunomatic]

I don't think they have a choice. The mind-game is a huge part of hockey and I'm sure they're going to play it. I don't think they'll be dumb enough to make such a glaring mistake as the Carcillo head-pat again, but they will still be trying to get under EVERYBODY'S skin. It will be interesting to see Kaletta in this picture for the playoffs.

 

I'm more excited to see whether Gerbe can screw the screwers though ... remember January 18th in Montreal? The mindgame was tangible there.... you could practically see Gerbe pulling the strings on Gomez... forcing a penalty. I was laughing my ass off I know that.

Or the last time they played the Bruins when Gerbe launched Horton onto his ass behind the net. The look of surprise on hortons face as he flew backwards was priceless. I think many players underestimate Gerbes strength and low centre of gravity.

[Kristian]

I'm assuming we are talking about grier being slow and I agree.

 

Second Gerbe is only 5'5" but hes 173 pds. That is pretty sturdy for anyone of that height. Hes dense for a little guy and I think he will be just fine. Its not like the playoffs allow other teams to illegally check so everything will be fine.

 

In my experience, the further you go in the playoffs, the more the refs let things slide, especially in the 3rd period.

[Kristian]

Or the last time they played the Bruins when Gerbe launched Horton onto his ass behind the net. The look of surprise on hortons face as he flew backwards was priceless. I think many players underestimate Gerbes strength and low centre of gravity.

 

Lol yeah, great scene that.

 

Horton "Let's give the midget a shove.... There... ". *SLAM CRASH BANG* "... WTF am I doing down here??!"

 

:thumbsup:

[Buzz Killington]

Lol yeah, great scene that.

 

Horton "Let's give the midget a shove.... There... ". *SLAM CRASH BANG* "... WTF am I doing down here??!"

 

:thumbsup:

 

 

GERBE SMASH...?

[Eleven]

My only issue with Gerbe is I'm not sure he'll last in a league where everyone is considerably bigger than him and 50% of the players are as fast as him. In other leagues, he's small, but other players can't keep up (and thus can't hurt him). Other than that, I'm happy he's around.