Sabres in The Playoffs?

[Stoner]

Is fiverr still around? Oh man have I got the gig of a lifetime. And yeah I'm that bored.

[SabresFanInRochester]

16 hours ago, RVJ said:

Im fine with them making the playoffs, as long were not giving up our lottery slot.

I had similar thoughts -- does this playoff format impact their draft position. It would be quite the snub should the Sabres "earn" a playoff spot and then pick ahead of the Rangers in the draft. And imagine they actually go a round or two and then get a top-3 lottery pick -- wishful thinking on both fronts.

[darksabre]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

History wouldn’t remember it as tainted, it would remember it as the underdog story of all underdog stories.

If they somehow knocked off Toronto Boston and the Met and West champions -which they would have to do - that would be earned.

The only taint would be in the minds of people looking for taint.

There would be taint. You can't just take the stink off with a little Febreze. 

Sports is all about the stories. It's not about whether you win or not, it's how you get there. And the story for the Sabres winning a Cup this year would be: Team out of playoffs at start of global pandemic upsets frontrunners to win championship; 125,000 dead.

I'm not interested in that! lol 

[Stoner]

And that would just be all the coronaries in Buffalo.

[Stoner]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

History wouldn’t remember it as tainted, it would remember it as the underdog story of all underdog stories.

If they somehow knocked off Toronto Boston and the Met and West champions -which they would have to do - that would be earned.

The only taint would be in the minds of people looking for taint.

So it turns out there are no FDR voice actors on fiverr. Sorry... I hear the last line in the voice of FDR. I might be approaching end stage coronavirus madness. ESCM.

[LGR4GM]

21 hours ago, SwampD said:

It’s true.

https://www.arcpointlabs.com/covid-19-antibody-testing/

There are others, as well.

You missed what I was saying. Once you add in a price to anything, it means it is not accessible to "anyone".  If you are poor and your choice is test or food you aren't buying the test. Therefore they are not available to anyone. 

[SwampD]

25 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

You missed what I was saying. Once you add in a price to anything, it means it is not accessible to "anyone".  If you are poor and your choice is test or food you aren't buying the test. Therefore they are not available to anyone. 

I gotcha. I also don’t care.

My initial post was to PA who has a problem with the NHL paying for tests and packing up and moving somewhere to play hockey. I don’t have a problem with it. There is a lot of stuff I want and can’t afford. I’m not going to cry about it, and dammit!, I’m bored. Covid is boring! I would love to have some hockey to watch.

[Tondas]

         Obligatory  post.  Sorry I had to be the one to do it.

[Thorner]

14 hours ago, dudacek said:

History wouldn’t remember it as tainted, it would remember it as the underdog story of all underdog stories.

If they somehow knocked off Toronto Boston and the Met and West champions -which they would have to do - that would be earned.

The only taint would be in the minds of people looking for taint.

No chance! Any team that wins it this year is getting an asterisk, in reality the teams entering the break aren't the same teams exiting it. So many variables. Nevermind if a team wins it that shouldn't even have made the playoffs. 

I legitimately don't know if I'd want them to win it this year, and that's not bitterness. It would feel wrong and I've always envisioned the day they win will be one of the happiest moments of my life. I don't want that idea taken away. 

And you only win the first time, once. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Thorny

[DarthEbriate]

If the Sabres are added to a playoff field I'd laugh. I'd also root for them to win the Cup and if they did I'd gladly say "asterisk" any time. But the key would be that their names would be engraved and they'd have won it. The best team doesn't always win. The bounces (and injuries) need to go your way, and that one other team that matched up badly for you needed to get upset, and on and on.

But!

This team does not deserve to even be "considered" for the playoffs based on this season's performance. They have not earned that ticket. What would irk me most if they make the playoffs is that then the team's leadership and ownership could say "we made the playoffs in 2020" and "we snapped that drought!". And they do not deserve to be able to say that or to rest their laurels on that. They deserve credit for the playoff drought continuing yet another season. They deserve to watch other teams play for the Cup and to be pleased that they're probably going to draft 8th once again.

[SwampD]

14 hours ago, dudacek said:

History wouldn’t remember it as tainted, it would remember it as the underdog story of all underdog stories.

If they somehow knocked off Toronto Boston and the Met and West champions -which they would have to do - that would be earned.

The only taint would be in the minds of people looking for taint.

 

27 minutes ago, Thorny said:

No chance! Any team that wins it this year is getting an asterisk, in reality the teams entering the break aren't the same teams exiting it. So many variables. Nevermind if a team wins it that shouldn't even have made the playoffs. 

I legitimately don't know if I'd want them to win it this year, and that's not bitterness. It would feel wrong and I've always envisioned the day they win will be one of the happiest moments of my life. I don't want that idea taken away. 

And you only win the first time, once. 

I am in total agreement with dudacek (no surprise.) Does anyone remember who won the SC during the last lockout? Is there an asterisk there? They played what, 42 games? Who is to say that the winner that year wouldn't have suffered a catastrophic injury had they played a full season and not even made the playoffs?

We've played 7/8ths of the season, if the rules they set say we're in, then we're in. If we won, I will personally be responsible for the flipping of at least one vehicle in downtown Buffalo for the celebration. Who's with me?

[Eleven]

The NHL has used so many playoff formats over the years that it doesn't matter.  Cup tournaments before that were bizarre, too.  I don't see anyone criticizing the Habs for winning all those Cups in a 6 team league with a lockdown on French-speaking players, either.

[Thorner]

13 minutes ago, SwampD said:

 

I am in total agreement with dudacek (no surprise.) Does anyone remember who won the SC during the last lockout? Is there an asterisk there? They played what, 42 games? Who is to say that the winner that year wouldn't have suffered a catastrophic injury had they played a full season and not even made the playoffs?

We've played 7/8ths of the season, if the rules they set say we're in, then we're in. If we won, I will personally be responsible for the flipping of at least one vehicle in downtown Buffalo for the celebration. Who's with me?

Did you have to quote me then?

Second bolded, for me, yes, but it's minor and not even remotely comparable to this situation, which we all know is unprecedented. A stop and restart of this magnitude mid season....The lockout/injury scenario you proposed is hypothetical, each team was one consistent iteration throughout, whatever happened. This situation would have 31 teams entering the break, and 31 different teams coming out - it's 2 seasons in one. 

Not to mention teams getting in who don't deserve it. You can argue all day until the cows come home that "the rules say we're in, so we're in", but we all know that's BS lol. We are in 25th place. 

- - - 

At the end of the day, if we get in, it's 100%, specifically, because of the virus. No other way a 25th place team gets in. If we win, it was made possible by the virus. 

Anyways, just my 2 cents. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Thorny

[Thorner]

13 minutes ago, Eleven said:

The NHL has used so many playoff formats over the years that it doesn't matter.  Cup tournaments before that were bizarre, too.  I don't see anyone criticizing the Habs for winning all those Cups in a 6 team league with a lockdown on French-speaking players, either.

People de-legitimize their cup total all the time because of this. 

- - - 

This is clearly one of those deeply-personal/character driven things - it'll sit wildly different depending on the individual, I'd imagine. I'd be hard pressed to believe people would be able to view a potential cup win in this climate to be AS satisfying as a normal win, regardless, but maybe I'm wrong there depending on the person. 

I just come down on the side of willingly not wanting it, because I want to protect that hypothetical "real" first win, should that come. If we won this year, it wouldn't be close to as good as a normal win, and if we won again in the normal way, that in turn won't be as good as it would have been had it been our first win. 

I just can't do it, I want the real thing, first. I've been waiting for it my whole life. If we won the cup this year, that's gone forever. If we don't win it this year, it's still possible. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Thorny

[Thorner]

12 minutes ago, Eleven said:

The NHL has used so many playoff formats over the years that it doesn't matter.  Cup tournaments before that were bizarre, too.  I don't see anyone criticizing the Habs for winning all those Cups in a 6 team league with a lockdown on French-speaking players, either.

I don't think they've ever changed the requirements MID season, though. 

[Randall Flagg]

18 minutes ago, SwampD said:

 

I am in total agreement with dudacek (no surprise.) Does anyone remember who won the SC during the last lockout? Is there an asterisk there? They played what, 42 games? Who is to say that the winner that year wouldn't have suffered a catastrophic injury had they played a full season and not even made the playoffs?

We've played 7/8ths of the season, if the rules they set say we're in, then we're in. If we won, I will personally be responsible for the flipping of at least one vehicle in downtown Buffalo for the celebration. Who's with me?

I do think that the winner of this one, particularly if it was a bad team like us, would be viewed way differently than the last lockout's champion, mainly because the last lockout's champion was pretty unambiguously one of the greatest NHL teams ever iced haha

 

[SwampD]

6 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Did you have to quote me then?

Second bolded, for me, yes, but it's minor and not even remotely comparable to this situation, which we all know is unprecedented. A stop and restart of this magnitude mid season....The lockout/injury scenario you proposed is hypothetical, each team was one consistent iteration throughout, whatever happened. This situation would have 31 teams entering the break, and 31 different teams coming out - it's 2 seasons in one. 

Not to mention teams getting in who don't deserve it. You can argue all day until the cows come home that "the rules say we're in, so we're in", but we all know that's BS lol. We are in 25th place. 

- - - 

At the end of the day, if we get in, it's 100%, specifically, because of the virus. If we win, it was made possible by the virus. 

?Sorry, That came out wrong. That wasn't a commentary on what I thought about your posts, just in terms of this discussion.

So, if it's two different seasons, then teams that deserved to be in last maybe don't deserve to be in this one, and we would have won the second one. Who cares? There have been plenty of teams that made it that didn't deserve to based on the rules. It's all arbitrary.

I WANT THE COVID CUP!!!!

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, SwampD said:

?Sorry, That came out wrong. That wasn't a commentary on what I thought about your posts, just in terms of this discussion.

So, if it's two different seasons, then teams that deserved to be in last maybe don't deserve to be in this one, and we would have won the second one. Who cares? There have been plenty of teams that made it that didn't deserve to based on the rules. It's all arbitrary.

I WANT THE COVID CUP!!!!

I mean, ya. My brain is weird though. If this were the last season the NHL were to play, I'd give no shite about an asterisk - this would be the be all end all. I want to win this year in a vacuum if it's in some way possible..but ya, my brain is protective of the dream I've imagined, maybe stupidly, if we are being honest with ourselves.

But, fool's hope, and all that. 

- - - 

I'll pose the question, if somehow you knew the Sabres were going to hoist the cup in the next few years, and you had the power to grant them a cup win this year first, under these circumstances, do you take it? The second cup still follows. 

Maybe it's a minority opinion but I'd take the one cup, rather than 2, in the circumstances I laid out. Would it feel better to have 2? I guess, but neither of the 2 would be as good of an experience, as good of a memory as the scenario just with one. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Thorny

[Eleven]

7 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I don't think they've ever changed the requirements MID season, though. 

They changed the rules mid-overtime once.

[Randall Flagg]

If a below .500 Edmonton Oilers team, fresh off of years of incompetence and a bottom five NHL finish that specific season, had won the lockout cup after in-season alteration of playoff rules, it would be looked at way different than it was when a ridiculously dominant Hawks cap era dynasty team ran away with the regular season and then won it, using the same playoff rules they entered the season with and had used for quite a while

And deservedly so

We are the Oilers in this example 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Randall Flagg

[Eleven]

15 minutes ago, Thorny said:

People de-legitimize their cup total all the time because of this. 

Who?  When?  I don't think I've ever heard this on HNiC, for example.

[Thorner]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

They changed the rules mid-overtime once.

/thread

Just now, Eleven said:

Who?  When?  I don't think I've ever heard this on HNiC, for example.

I've never heard Fox News torpedo Trump, either. 

[SwampD]

9 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I mean, ya. My brain is weird though. If this were the last season the NHL were to play, I'd give no shite about an asterisk - this would be the be all end all. I want to win this year in a vacuum if it's in some way possible..but ya, my brain is protective of the dream I've imagined, maybe stupidly, if we are being honest with ourselves.

But, fool's hope, and all that. 

I'll pose the question, if somehow you knew the Sabres were going to hoist the cup in the next few years, and you had the power to grant them a cup win this year first, under these circumstances, do you take it? The second cup still follows. 

Good question. No. I would want to wait.

My turn. If you knew that this year's Sabres SC* is what propelled them to win a few more in the coming years, would you deny it?

Edited May 1, 2020 by SwampD

[Thorner]

12 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Good question. No. I would not want to wait.

My turn. If you knew that this year's Sabres SC* is what propelled them to win a few more in the coming years, would you deny it?

I find this so cool that we can see it so differently. I wouldn't think twice in refusing the cup this season.

To your question, it's a great one. My interpretation of your wording is that, without that propeller, no cups would be coming. Because I'd be mentally free of the burden of wondering if a better Victory was possible, I think it's an easy yes. 

I suppose, there's a chance there would be a cup coming *after* those coming years, should this run be denied, but I don't think I'm quite insane enough, yet, at this point in my life to turn down your scenario, actively ruling out a win during Jack's tenure here - which is how I'm choosing to frame the circumstances you laid out. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Thorny

[SwampD]

32 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I find this so cool that we can see it so differently. I wouldn't think twice in refusing the cup this season.

To your question, it's a great one. My interpretation of your wording is that, without that propeller, no cups would be coming. Because I'd be mentally free of the burden of wondering if a better Victory was possible, I think it's an easy yes. 

I suppose, there's a chance there would be a cup coming *after* those coming years, should this run be denied, but I don't think I'm quite insane enough, yet, at this point in my life to turn down your scenario, actively ruling out a win during Jack's tenure here - which is how I'm choosing to frame the circumstances you laid out. 

That's a typo. I would want to wait.