LastPommerFan Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 Regehr came here in his 30's after being to a Cup himself. Roy, connolly, Vanek, Pominville, Gaustad, Afinogenov, Kalinin, Kotalik, Miller.....the guys that were NURTURED under this culture and didn't get out in their early 20's.....what have they done? Granted it is early on a few, but it was so obvious all along. Even though Darcy/Lindy are gone, there is still a nuclear half-life in play. I don't know the formula yet. I will tell you it years down the line when they start winning playoff series. Pommer is leading the Wild in points, Vanek in assists, and Miller is 11-3 (and actually got a REAL Shutout). Nashville, Vancouver, and the Wild are all doing well out in the West. The stink didn't stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 Not just that, but one of the reasons you should consider things veeeeery carefully before you start a deliberate tank, is that you could end up breeding a losing culture in the team, that takes over the entire organisation. I'm sure GMTM expected the team to be bad this year, but I doubt he saw the current trainwreck coming, and I fear both he and Nolan are absolutely cluess about how to rectify it, which *has* to raise some panic-levels somewhere. Reinhart is currently being subjected to this every day, as is Zadorov and Risto. McEichel is next in line to learn how to lose, lose often, and lose big. We can't draft our way out of this, this is going to take years to fix, and it starts by adding guys who want to win, who can play, and who are very vocal in the locker room. Unfortunately, there aren't too many of those guys around, and I doubt we'll be able to attract many, as long as the Sabres are synonomous with not only losing, but also playing like losers. This. Totally agree. The 2005-06 Sabres didn't need to overcome some mythical culture of losing, and neither did the 1988 Bills. The 2005-'06 Sabres had a year and a half off, and the 1988 Bills had a future 1st-ballot HoF'er as their new QB who wasn't afraid to tell everyone who didn't want to do what it took to win to GTFO. Hell yeah. If as fans, we know this year is meaningless, how the hell can you expect the players not to be feeling it? It shows most with the guys who don't have "it" like Hodgson and Stewart and even good people like Gionta and Moulson are affected. This, even more than talent is why we are as bad as we are. Subconsciously, they not only expect to lose, they think they are supposed to. To my mind, this is what makes Girgensons so special. He just keeps plowing forward. And this. I think there's a world of difference between being down psychologically because you know this year is shot, and having a permanently damaged psyche that ruins future seasons. The former can be very real. But the latter? Not even remotely convinced. Why? Because looking at history, it's amazing how quickly a seemingly permanent "culture" of losing turns around when a few star players show up. It's likewise amazing how a winning culture becomes a losing one when star players exit. I suppose it depends on what you mean by "a few star players." I think for a deeply-baked loser team, the stars have to be in the "force of nature" category -- like Chara, Crosby/Malkin, Toews/Kane. Otherwise, it's a long, difficult slog that is hard to emerge from. I concede. Seriously. If you've ever had the misfortune of watching someone close to you, slowly die, that is what my posting feels like to me over the years. Without any passion for the team, the organs just start to shut down. I've signed the waiver and have accepted the morphine drip. Tickets to a game on Stubhub for $8, yet people will stand in line 45 minutes to pay $8 for a coffee and a few doughnuts across the street. What's left? Regehr came here in his 30's after being to a Cup himself. Roy, connolly, Vanek, Pominville, Gaustad, Afinogenov, Kalinin, Kotalik, Miller.....the guys that were NURTURED under this culture and didn't get out in their early 20's.....what have they done? Granted it is early on a few, but it was so obvious all along. Even though Darcy/Lindy are gone, there is still a nuclear half-life in play. I don't know the formula yet. I will tell you it years down the line when they start winning playoff series. I too am losing the love. It's mostly already gone with the Bills and I fear my feelings about the Sabres are similarly drying up. I don't like this plan, I don't like the "blueprint" spin, I don't like the organizational fawning over McDavid (which I suspect is intentionally designed to mislead the public about the odds of getting him) and I hate the fact that I had to write off an entire year in which none of the games is worth getting excited about. I'm sure I'll be back on board once they make it exciting again, and I'm pretty confident that day will come, but I'm not confident it will be next year or even the year after. And it shouldn't have come to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastPommerFan Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) And it shouldn't have come to this. Yes. It definitely should not have come to this. Edited November 18, 2014 by Glass Case Of Emotion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohicksie Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) I too am losing the love. Not me, not by a long shot. If I get discouraged by sports in general, the thing that affects my fandom the most is fantasy sports. I just can't get my head around the concept of building of team from all over the league (no matter the sport), then rooting for *this guy* in *this game* and *that guy* in *that game* or even players that are playing against each other in a game, or, worst of all, rooting for a player that's playing against *my* team. Team sports are about teams winning or losing. This fractured world of fantasy sports makes my head hurt. But as for the Sabres, I'll continue to root for them and love doing it. Edited November 18, 2014 by Neuvirths Glove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 This. The 2005-'06 Sabres had a year and a half off, and the 1988 Bills had a future 1st-ballot HoF'er as their new QB who wasn't afraid to tell everyone who didn't want to do what it took to win to GTFO. And this. I suppose it depends on what you mean by "a few star players." I think for a deeply-baked loser team, the stars have to be in the "force of nature" category -- like Chara, Crosby/Malkin, Toews/Kane. Otherwise, it's a long, difficult slog that is hard to emerge from. I too am losing the love. It's mostly already gone with the Bills and I fear my feelings about the Sabres are similarly drying up. I don't like this plan, I don't like the "blueprint" spin, I don't like the organizational fawning over McDavid (which I suspect is intentionally designed to mislead the public about the odds of getting him) and I hate the fact that I had to write off an entire year in which none of the games is worth getting excited about. I'm sure I'll be back on board once they make it exciting again, and I'm pretty confident that day will come, but I'm not confident it will be next year or even the year after. And it shouldn't have come to this. My love is hurting to for both teams, especially the Bills. God they need a QB with an arm, vision and attitude. Sabres still have hope, but if they don't get a McEichel, it is going to a tough pill to swallow and I see some dark years to come... Dark I say. Doom and Gloom... straight out of Ghost Busters... Seriously though, it will be sad to suffer this much and then still have no hope. Sabres need some hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny DangerFace Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Winning fixes everything. If our prospects reach their potential and we become a great team, then it was worth it. If they don't, then it wasn't I knows its obvious, but it really is that simple. Was this the only way to do it? No. Is this the way they chose? Yes. Was there better choices? Who knows. Is this or any way guaranteed to work? Never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 My love is hurting to for both teams, especially the Bills. God they need a QB with an arm, vision and attitude. Sabres still have hope, but if they don't get a McEichel, it is going to a tough pill to swallow and I see some dark years to come... Dark I say. Doom and Gloom... straight out of Ghost Busters... Seriously though, it will be sad to suffer this much and then still have no hope. Sabres need some hope. Well, as for the Bills, the current administration went all-in on Sammy Watkins and blew any chance of having a QB in the near future. It was a desperation move but one that I could see made by a GM who was nervous about new ownership. That said, he should have seen what that new owner had accepted with the Sabres and thought differently. So.. they are screwed. As for the Sabres. I still think they can avoid getting Eichel or McDavid and be pretty damn good. Sure they will be better with one of the two, at least hopefully, but they do have 3 first round picks this year.. the scale is weighed so heavily in their favor that it would take pretty damn good odds to completely miss at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsixspd Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 This hasn't been bumped in a month and a half. Hodgson has played 38 games, scored only 2 goals, and a meager 6 points. His +/- is brutal; a minus 15. I got to see him play in Detroit on 12/23..... in the telecasts, the cameras follow the puck, not Hodgson, so I made a point to observe his skating and play following the brief moments when he actually HAS the puck. He seems like he's always out of the action, for the most part. I dislike him more after seeing him play in person than watching him on the telecasts. I was at the game with a Red Wings fan, and I explained to him that when Hodgson is on the ice, its almost like the Sabres are short-handed, and that he gets rid of the puck like it's a hot potato. Nothing about Hodgson's time on the ice during that game to disprove either of my opinions. A soft player who surrenders the puck with abandon, and lacks scoring ability. He's like Ville Leino Ver 2.0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted January 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 This hasn't been bumped in a month and a half. Hodgson has played 38 games, scored only 2 goals, and a meager 6 points. His +/- is brutal; a minus 15. I got to see him play in Detroit on 12/23..... in the telecasts, the cameras follow the puck, not Hodgson, so I made a point to observe his skating and play following the brief moments when he actually HAS the puck. He seems like he's always out of the action, for the most part. I dislike him more after seeing him play in person than watching him on the telecasts. I was at the game with a Red Wings fan, and I explained to him that when Hodgson is on the ice, its almost like the Sabres are short-handed, and that he gets rid of the puck like it's a hot potato. Nothing about Hodgson's time on the ice during that game to disprove either of my opinions. A soft player who surrenders the puck with abandon, and lacks scoring ability. He's like Ville Leino Ver 2.0. Oh man, I forgot about this thread. How could I forget? Hodgson needs to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 I know Hodgson is just 24 and has enough talent to bounce back. But seriously, is there any chance Murray could buy him out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlueGED Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) I know Hodgson is just 24 and has enough talent to bounce back. But seriously, is there any chance Murray could buy him out? If he plans on keeping Nolan around long term and he can't get a taker for Hodgson, he almost has to buy him out. I'm firmly convinced that Hodgson and Nolan just aren't compatable. You can't be spending over $4MM long term on what they're getting out of Hodgson. Edited January 3, 2015 by TrueBluePhD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hodgson wasn't compatible with his former organization, either. Hmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsixspd Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Chris Stewart has more goals and points than Hodgson. Some "center" Hodgson is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Crotch Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 For a $4+ million forward to only have 6 points half way through the season is almost criminal. If that same player is a great defender, can win faceoffs, can kill penalties, can hit and/or fight, etc. then you can at least make a case that he provides something above-and-beyond scoring. But, CoHo hasn't contributed much of anything this year. Murray is going to have a bitch of a time unloading that contract. I'm not sure we could get much more than a mid-round pick for CoHo. Maybe we could trade CoHo back to Vancouver for Kassian? Has there ever been a reverse trade before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastPommerFan Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 For a $4+ million forward to only have 6 points half way through the season is almost criminal. If that same player is a great defender, can win faceoffs, can kill penalties, can hit and/or fight, etc. then you can at least make a case that he provides something above-and-beyond scoring. But, CoHo hasn't contributed much of anything this year. Murray is going to have a bitch of a time unloading that contract. I'm not sure we could get much more than a mid-round pick for CoHo. Maybe we could trade CoHo back to Vancouver for Kassian? Has there ever been a reverse trade before? I think it's gonna be super easy to unload when he buys it out in June at the 1/3 rate (under 26) with a cap hit around $700k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Chris Stewart has more goals and points than Hodgson. Some "center" Hodgson is. He's been playing wing most of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsixspd Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Yeah, whether he's playing wing or center, the point is.... he's supposed to be an offensive star. For a d-man to be outscoring him and outpointing him - that's just sad. PS - I like Chris Stewart and generally pleased with his effort on the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Yeah, whether he's playing wing or center, the point is.... he's supposed to be an offensive star. For a d-man to be outscoring him and outpointing him - that's just sad. PS - I like Chris Stewart and generally pleased with his effort on the ice. I'm all in favor of making him go away but I can't help thinking he's more a symptom than a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwksndmonster Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 He's supposed to be a decent offensive player, not a star. But yeah he sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Dwight Drane Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 I like Paul Hamilton when it comes to hockey.....but the craziest thing he ever said was that he thought Hodgson should get the "C". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_sauve28 Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Winning fixes everything. If our prospects reach their potential and we become a great team, then it was worth it. If they don't, then it wasn't I knows its obvious, but it really is that simple. Was this the only way to do it? No. Is this the way they chose? Yes. Was there better choices? Who knows. Is this or any way guaranteed to work? Never. I enjoy watching the building of a team. If they turn great it will be fun to see it from the groud up for sure. If they turn into bums, oh well. Nothing is ever guaranteed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redemption City Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 I like Paul Hamilton when it comes to hockey.....but the craziest thing he ever said was that he thought Hodgson should get the "C". Chlamydia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunomatic Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Chlamydia? If he was playing college hockey I could see it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubkev Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 If he was playing college hockey I could see it I'm pretty sure that the dirties in Juniors and the NHL are worse than the dirties in college. The ones in college have free student health care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom webster Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 I like Paul Hamilton when it comes to hockey.....but the craziest thing he ever said was that he thought Hodgson should get the "C". First, coming out of juniors Hodgson was considered a leader on par with Trevor Linden Second, I never heard Hamilton say Hodgson but he was 100% certain Nolan was going to name Stafford captain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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