Killer Instinct

[Captainkirk001]

I just wanted to say that I am a long time reader, but I dont post alot, I do throughly enjoy reading the posts that you guys put on the board. Sometimes the only way I can follow a game when im working is to read the posts on this board. For that, I just wanted to say thank you...

 

Now, I know this is beating a dead horse with the noise and atmosphere at the arena, but the Vancouver/Boston game had 107 total penalty minutes, fights, roughing, slashing, game misconducts....when the hell have we seen a game like that out of this current team?? I think the last fight was out of Ehrhoff in which he got hurt.

 

What happened to the days when your team is down, a guy goes out there and starts a scrum to put get some energy going for his team and the crowd?? I havent seen anything like that all year. Maybe I am wrong or maybe its just this team, but there has always been that role of enforcer that one or maybe a few guys had a on a team. I know some of you have mentioned that fans at the FNC dont even stand up for a goal, I HAVE to believe that if there is a major league fight going on, everyone in that arena will be on their feet.

 

I obviously dont know the rosters of every NHL team as thoroughly as I do the Sabres since i dont follow them. But there is Orr in Toronto, Thornton in Boston, etc. Who the hell has that role on this team?? I assumed it belonged to Cody McCormick. Because I am just throwing this out there, I havent been able to watch every game but Ive seen Ehrhoff get into more fights than McCormick. I mean I know you keep guys like that around also, to prevent bad stuff from happening to your guys, in other words keep the other tough guys in check from taking out your stars. But obviously, that didnt mean squat when Milan Lucic dropped Miller like a bad habit.

 

My point being in all of this is, why even dress guys like Mccormick. Kaleta is another example, he wanted to change his game and I KNOW i read an article in which Lindy was behind him doing that. But the reason he is here is to go out there and keep the other team honest, now he is just a waste of space out there. I hate to go nerdy on you guys but in NHL 12 there is a statistic called intimidation. When you are beating the hell out of the other team with big hits and such, they dont control the puck as well in the boards because they have to keep their head up more and worry about being hit.

 

We have NO intimidation on this team, NO enforcers, and only a few playing with that "chip" on their shoulder, Gerbe being the best example. I really feel that Ehrhoff is starting to get that chip as well, he was in the Stanley Cup Finals 7 months ago and he has to be getting a little sick of sh*t.

 

Im sorry this is so long, but in my opinion, this all goes solely on the back of the coach, Lindy Ruff. Everytime the camera pans to him he looks like he struggling to stay awake. Where is the fire???? I believe it is gone, however, I feel that the players have gotten comfortable where they are and they dont care if he yells at them anymore. And....due to that Lindy said the hell with it, they arent going to listen to me anyhow, why bother.

 

Bottom line, dead horse once again, a major shakeup is needed. A streak of wins is needed, a few blowout wins against good teams (6-1, 5-1) are needed at home as well, throw in some fights as well. Hell, if we are going to lose, lets at least put on a damn good show (im not saying turn into the Charlestown Chiefs) and knock hell out of the other team.

 

Signed,

A very frustrated Buffalo fan (but is there any other kind?)

 

Perfect example.....look at the bruins rush in there to kick some ass.....

 

[Oakstream]

Great post, I feel the same way. I do believe the last fight was fought by Ehrhoff. That's not Ok. What are Cody, Pat and Goose doing? Not fighting, that's what. The big hits from Kaleta seems gone, and that at least was something to look forward to..

 

Buffalo Sabres plays with no pride or heart, and they will not make the playoffs that way. Even if they did, they wouldn't get very far.

 

Somethings got to give. New players, new GM, new coach. Something.

[carpandean]

But there is Orr in Toronto,

 

Orr was waived by Toronto a couple of days ago and Burke cried about the death of the enforcer role in the NHL.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Orr was waived by Toronto a couple of days ago and Burke cried about the death of the enforcer role in the NHL.

 

I saw the video....awesome. A 9 minute wrant about how the game is over-regulated and guys don't want to take chances and get suspended......talking about how the future of the game is at stake. He almost cried that he had to waive him.

[Captainkirk001]

Orr was waived by Toronto a couple of days ago and Burke cried about the death of the enforcer role in the NHL.

 

Sorry I missed that...

[Bmwolf21]

I saw the video....awesome. A 9 minute wrant about how the game is over-regulated and guys don't want to take chances and get suspended......talking about how the future of the game is at stake. He almost cried that he had to waive him.

 

I couldn't listen to his crying but the NHL Tonight announcers were saying that they have someone else who can play that role and can keep up with the actual play, and basically that Orr isn't a good enough skater to keep up on the roster.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I couldn't listen to his crying but the NHL Tonight announcers were saying that they have someone else who can play that role and can keep up with the actual play, and basically that Orr isn't a good enough skater to keep up on the roster.

 

Burke said the same, himself. He said the role of the enforcer is dead and the "rats" have taken over the league. guys that cause commotion, take cheap shots, and refuse to fight. He says the honor of the game is near extinct and that although he likes the speed and skill of the game....if you remove the physical aspect and the self-policing and leave it to litigation (i.e Shannahan), the game is no longer special.

 

I agree. 40% of the posts in game threads before the Sabres bit the dust had to do with..."suspend him!", "how can the ref not throw him out"...yadda yadda. A decade+ ago you wouldn't see a lot of these injuries because the hits wouldn't be made since there would be 5 guys beating you down 3 seconds afterwards. Take Miller for example. His year at the very least, and possibly career as a Sabre may have gone up in flames after Lucic ran him knowing full well he had nothing to worry about. And Lucic was correct.

[TheChimp]

I'm telling Chet and Muffy on you guys and you're going to get it now. Fighting???? In a sport made for families??????? Shame on you.

 

But to be honest, I don't care for the fighting nearly as much as I do for the hard (legal) hitting. Only time for a fight is to retaliate for hitting the goalie or for what you think was an illegal hit on one of your guys. But when it's time to fight, everybody needs to be willing to go, not just some stupid "enforcer". E V E R Y B O D Y.

 

I say, when this stupid owner finally wises up and tosses Lindy and Darcy to the curb, the new coach needs to look all these jokers in the eye and tell them in no uncertain terms, if you're on the ice when they hit your goalie or they hit one of your linemates dirty, and you don't drop 'em and do your best to decapitate the guy who did it, you've played your last game as a Sabre.

 

I know that all of my favorite Sabres wouldn't flinch. And all the ones I hate would be gone by mid-season. And by that same point, even Chet would find himself dropping his sushi platter and screaming and cheering along with the drunkards, yelling things that would make Muffy blush and cover the kids' ears. The Viagra Center would indeed be a house of hockey finally.

 

And life will be good in Buffalo again.....

 

 

.....ahh yes, perchance to dream.......

[Bmwolf21]

Burke said the same, himself. He said the role of the enforcer is dead and the "rats" have taken over the league. guys that cause commotion, take cheap shots, and refuse to fight. He says the honor of the game is near extinct and that although he likes the speed and skill of the game....if you remove the physical aspect and the self-policing and leave it to litigation (i.e Shannahan), the game is no longer special.

 

I agree. 40% of the posts in game threads before the Sabres bit the dust had to do with..."suspend him!", "how can the ref not throw him out"...yadda yadda. A decade+ ago you wouldn't see a lot of these injuries because the hits wouldn't be made since there would be 5 guys beating you down 3 seconds afterwards. Take Miller for example. His year at the very least, and possibly career as a Sabre may have gone up in flames after Lucic ran him knowing full well he had nothing to worry about. And Lucic was correct.

 

I don't completely agree with Burke. The only thing that is dying is the one-trick pony, the heavyweight enforcer who can't play more than 4 minutes a game. The new breed of "enforcers" will be the guys who can play 10-12 minutes a game and can drop the gloves. More middleweights or upper middleweights.

 

For all his crying about the death of the enforcer role, though - why was he whining about big bad Downie going after Phaneuf? Can't his big tough captain (who has 5 inches and 25 pounds on Downie) handle that little pest?

 

I do agree about the rats, though.