I Want My Hockey Team Back!

[PerreaultForever]

Remember when we were good?

Remember when we had a team filled with pride that stood up for each other?

Remember when we could take it and dish it out just as well? 

Remember when we used to win as the norm and losing hurt?

Remember when it wasn't about just making the playoffs but it was about can we win it all?

Remember?????

We deserve better than this. Do not accept this s-show as the norm. Give me something to believe in again or fold it up and call it a day. Enough is enough.

Remember?

and not saying I'm looking for saturday fight nights, but the pride, the TEAM, the standing up for each other, the grit and fortitude. We have fallen so far we've forgotten what it used to be like.

I'm going to back off now and spend the rest of the summer watching good old hockey memories from youtube. The Jack trade arguments and all the what will be and who and what if and etc etc has just grown pointless. See ya later.

and as an aside - remember when the Bruins actually had a guy named Shoebottom. 

[Norcal]

I remember. Here's one for your perusal. Man this is vintage Rick. Listening to him makes my hair stand up. 

 

[SABRES 0311]

48 minutes ago, Norcal said:

I remember. Here's one for your perusal. Man this is vintage Rick. Listening to him makes my hair stand up. 

 

I remember that Sanderson one handed goal.  Those Sabres gave you a reason to love the team.  Dmen going down low when they were supposed to.  Forwards going to the dirty areas.  Backing each other up on plays.  Someday it will be like that again.

[Norcal]

5 minutes ago, SABRES 0311 said:

I remember that Sanderson one handed goal.  Those Sabres gave you a reason to love the team.  Dmen going down low when they were supposed to.  Forwards going to the dirty areas.  Backing each other up on plays.  Someday it will be like that again.

Yep. That's why I picked it. That was a true team. 

[Kristian]

5 hours ago, Norcal said:

I remember. Here's one for your perusal. Man this is vintage Rick. Listening to him makes my hair stand up. 

 

I watched pretty much every full 1999 game I could find on Youtube, during the lockdown.

I loved rooting for that team. No passengers.

Now…. No. The current franchise isn’t worthy of mention alongside the teams of old.

[FogBat]

5 hours ago, Norcal said:

I remember. Here's one for your perusal. Man this is vintage Rick. Listening to him makes my hair stand up. 

 

I miss Curtis Brown. He and his wife managed to bounce back after they lost their daughter to SIDS. Speaking of which, he followed Christ, and was on the same team as a guy named Satan. Imagine that!

And the Peca hit on Tie Domi right after he stepped out of the penalty box...

Those were the days.

We'll be back there someday.

[Huckleberry]

Only one solution, brig back the goat head.

 

[FogBat]

29 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Only one solution, brig back the goat head.

 

I liked the goat head too, but it needs to stay in that epoch of time.

[Gatorman0519]

It’s a clown-show now. And seems semi permanent.   

[Huckleberry]

2 hours ago, FogBat said:

I liked the goat head too, but it needs to stay in that epoch of time.

3rd jersey at least.

[FogBat]

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

3rd jersey at least.

I could see that. It is a big part of our history.

Just don't bring back that hideous Darcy Regier toupee!

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Taking a break is a good idea.

Myself and @Taro T do annual breaks at certain points each year.

It's great from my perspective and Taro has said the same.

Look forward to see a refreshed @PerreaultForever when the season starts, or training camp, or whenever.  Hopefully the dust will settle around the team by then.

Have a great summer.

[Doohicksie]

This, to my reckoning, is the last game the Sabres were relevant late in the season.  They would end up missing the playoffs, but this at the time was a must-win game.

I want this again.  Listen to the crowd.

[Norcal]

Man Foligno had his head pinned to the ice by that dudes stick. Tough SOB wish he was still in the blue and gold

[Doohicksie]

2 minutes ago, Norcal said:

Man Foligno had his head pinned to the ice by that dudes stick. Tough SOB wish he was still in the blue and gold

He was just a kid then, not yet 21.  We've got a bunch of guys on the team to fill that role, not the least of which is Cozens.  It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.  I see the Sabres as half full, and still filling up over the next 2 or 3 years.

[Norcal]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

He was just a kid then, not yet 21.  We've got a bunch of guys on the team to fill that role, not the least of which is Cozens.  It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.  I see the Sabres as half full, and still filling up over the next 2 or 3 years.

You're right. In order to be the team they need to be they will need to get back to the attitude and work ethic that allowed for that goal to be scored. 

[Doohicksie]

6 minutes ago, Norcal said:

Man Foligno had his head pinned to the ice by that dudes stick. Tough SOB wish he was still in the blue and gold

I've watched this many times since it happened.  There are three salient points to note:

1. The whistle wasn't blown because it was under a Leafs defenseman in the crease.  If they blew the whistle at that point, it would have been a penalty show.  It was actually a "pro-Leafs" call to keep the play alive.
2. Leopold collapses into the crease.  He knows where the puck is under the Leafs D-man, but Scrivens, the goalie, had grabbed a hold of Leo's stick and didn't want to let go. 
3. Leopold finally yanks his stick free and quietly sweeps the loose puck into the goal.

[Doohicksie]

42 minutes ago, Norcal said:

You're right. In order to be the team they need to be they will need to get back to the attitude and work ethic that allowed for that goal to be scored. 

I think Granato's philosophy will foster that kind of attitude.  He's development focused, and part of that is for inexperienced players to learn when to jump out of the system to create versus maintaining discipline within the system.  He's said it's okay if players make a mistake if they made it for the right reasons (trying to score a goal, etc.)  In this case it's Leopold coming all the way from his position at the point to collapse on the crease.  This goal happened under Ruff.  That would have never happened under, say, Krueger. 

I don't see Granato being as animated behind the bench, but I anticipate the Sabres will be more spirited under him.

I don't see him preaching pride to them, I see him getting them playing the right way and the pride will logically follow (as will the wins).

Edited July 31, 2021 by Doohickie

[Doohicksie]

I want this back (within the current rules of the NHL, of course):

 

I want to be Scary Good again.

 

[Doohicksie]

I want to live again!

 

[Marvin]

There was something incredible about how the Sabres became so beloved so quickly.  Some of it is probably Buffalo and we, the fans, but something about the team, the era, and the management that bonded us.

[Doohicksie]

I think the same could happen with this group- a bunch of up and coming young players, with a likeable yet underdog coach.  The thought about getting them out into the community could add to that likeability.  They won't be scary good this year; the best to hope for is competitive game in, game out.  And a team that progresses as the season goes on.

[thewookie1]

33 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I think the same could happen with this group- a bunch of up and coming young players, with a likeable yet underdog coach.  The thought about getting them out into the community could add to that likeability.  They won't be scary good this year; the best to hope for is competitive game in, game out.  And a team that progresses as the season goes on.

Pretty much, Buffalo fans are suckers for plucky groups punching above their weight class on a nightly basis. I’ll always feel that given obvious effort and hard work that we’d support even a 20 win team because they’d still be entertaining and fighting. 

Most of our recent teams always have a combination of underachieving vets and mediocre middle 6 guys. It’s why Cozens was able to woo 3/4th the fan base through merely skating hard and looking like he gave a damn.

 

one problem with Eichel was although I’ll never doubt his effort; his skating style makes him appear slow and plodding more often than not. Even though we know he’s a fast skater. 

[HoosierDaddy]

1 minute ago, thewookie1 said:

Pretty much, Buffalo fans are suckers for plucky groups punching above their weight class on a nightly basis. I’ll always feel that given obvious effort and hard work that we’d support even a 20 win team because they’d still be entertaining and fighting. 

Most of our recent teams always have a combination of underachieving vets and mediocre middle 6 guys. It’s why Cozens was able to woo 3/4th the fan base through merely skating hard and looking like he gave a damn.

 

one problem with Eichel was although I’ll never doubt his effort; his skating style makes him appear slow and plodding more often than not. Even though we know he’s a fast skater. 

And we also hate any D that don’t hit. Housley’s in the HOF, but he was HATED as a player here.

[Andrew Amerk]

1 hour ago, HoosierDaddy said:

And we also hate any D that don’t hit. Housley’s in the HOF, but he was HATED as a player here.

This helps explain why a lot of Sabres fans can’t see or appreciate Dahlin for what he is.