11 years and counting…

[Weave]

11 minutes ago, inkman said:

I don’t understand the flex in this tweet.  We all know the facts.  Has he not watched any games this season seeing the progress this team has made.  It just screams of someone who doesn’t pay much attention, that had a beef with somebody Buffalo related.  
 

 

It screams a guy who was looking for reaction.  And got it.  He spent an NHL career chirping people.  Completely in character here.

His tweet is entirely accurate regardless of whether the future finally looks promising or not. We’re a sensitive fanbase.  

[French Collection]

6 minutes ago, Weave said:

It screams a guy who was looking for reaction.  And got it.  He spent an NHL career chirping people.  Completely in character here.

His tweet is entirely accurate regardless of whether the future finally looks promising or not. We’re a sensitive fanbase.  

I listen to Spittin’ Chiclets and he makes me laugh.

He is over the top with his Leafs fandom and he has been honest about the Pegula era Sabres. Some Sabres fans got him going in the last while though because he has been making a point about attacking Sabres fans. Their podcast loves Jack Eichel, so that may have been the trigger.

Bissonette grew up in Welland Ontario so he is familiar with Buffalo.

[klos1963]

17 hours ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

The years we missed the playoffs before The Tank:

1970-1, 1971-2, 1973-4 1985-6, 1986-7, 1995-6, 2001-2, 2002-3, 2003-4, 2007-8, 2008-9.

We have DOUBLED our playoff misses since Darcy allowed losing to become acceptable in 2011-2.  Then we tried to lose for a few years and then losing became a bad habit like smoking.

Darcy was our most successful GM since Punch.  To single him out for the teams failures is ridiculous. To say he allowed losing to be acceptable is an absurd statement. We never had consistent, high expectations and results with any other GM.  He told it to us straight, Golisano wasn't going to spend what was needed for a quick fix, he knew that and he said that. Not his fault.

[That Aud Smell]

Starting a couple years back, I got on a path in life where I have consciously abandoned giving a rat's ass about things that happened in the past that don't help me be happy, better, etc. in my life today.

So, there's a lot of stuff that happened in the past that I do hang on to, think about, take joy or pride in, try to learn from.

And then there's a lot of stuff that happened in the past that doesn't do anything but make me unhappy.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

I don’t understand the flex in this tweet.  We all know the facts.  Has he not watched any games this season seeing the progress this team has made.  It just screams of someone who doesn’t pay much attention, that had a beef with somebody Buffalo related.  
 

 

He is STILL upset that we beat the Leaves in the Heritage Classic.  Like that game was somehow important? 

 

He was a crappy player in the NHL, and now he is crappy at whatever it is he does.  

[That Aud Smell]

14 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

He was a crappy player in the NHL, and now he is crappy at whatever it is he does.  

He's in the sports entertainment business. It's his job to stir the pot, drive clicks and views. I find him pretty good at what he does - talk in an entertaining way about hockey and all things hockey adjacent. He's a colourful guy.

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

I don’t understand the flex in this tweet.  We all know the facts.  Has he not watched any games this season seeing the progress this team has made.  It just screams of someone who doesn’t pay much attention, that had a beef with somebody Buffalo related.  
 

 

We'll just have to beat the Leafs in their barn again.

[Stoner]

47 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

Darcy was our most successful GM since Punch.  To single him out for the teams failures is ridiculous. To say he allowed losing to be acceptable is an absurd statement. We never had consistent, high expectations and results with any other GM.  He told it to us straight, Golisano wasn't going to spend what was needed for a quick fix, he knew that and he said that. Not his fault.

So close. Take a right at the next light.

I'm just sizzurping.

[Pimlach]

2 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

He's in the sports entertainment business. It's his job to stir the pot, drive clicks and views. I find him pretty good at what he does - talk in an entertaining way about hockey and all things hockey adjacent. He's a colourful guy.

The "Sports Entertainment Business" is the part of sports that I don't watch or follow.  I don't see any value in it and don't make time for it.     

I know, I am old and outdated -   I don't do FaceBook, I don't have a Twitter account, no Instagram or Tik Tok either.  The Bills and Sabres forums are it for my social media stuff.  

I saw his Eichel interview (posted here) and I watched him cry when the Leaves lost the Heritage Classic.  Not impressed.  

[nfreeman]

17 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

It is infuriating reading this revisionist history that the Sabres were not garbage before 2014. At that point they hadn't won a playoff round in 7 years and were trending down but it's easier to say "oh it was just the tank" no the tank was a symptom of a team that had poor drafting and attempted to juice the system. Obviously it failed but we're not better now because we suddenly decided to win, we're better now because we suddenly decided to draft better and add players of talent. 

Correct.  They needed to change.  There were plenty of different avenues they could've taken to improve.  They didn't need to take the route they chose, which many at the time knew was a bad idea -- because it was likely to produce exactly the terrible results that we've seen.

[woods-racer]

It didn't matter what route they took they didn't have the front office staff to be anything better than what they have been for 11 years. 

It all started to get better once they got better in the front office. Not just GM but from the scouting staff up. Darcy was a good GM that had no support and they fired him, it was down hill for 7 years after that because they were absent of front office talent. Botterill was the first GM to have an inkling of professionalism and know how. He has made some good late round picks, something no other GM had done in 15 years.

Can't wait and see how KA does.

[Marvin]

3 hours ago, klos1963 said:

Darcy was our most successful GM since Punch.  To single him out for the teams failures is ridiculous. To say he allowed losing to be acceptable is an absurd statement. We never had consistent, high expectations and results with any other GM.  He told it to us straight, Golisano wasn't going to spend what was needed for a quick fix, he knew that and he said that. Not his fault.

You are probably correct that Darcy was the Sabres' best GM after Punch.  But his tenure, like Punch's, had some real problems.  I personally start blame with how video scouting failed the franchise, but that does not excuse the sub-par talent evaluation and player development from 2005-12.  And yes, a lot of that probably lands at Golisano's feet until 2011.

However...

In 2011-2, Pegula was the owner, not Golisano.  I single out Darcy for that season with absolute precision.

That team had a spell of 9-19-5.  They were icing a team of a 1B/2A line, a 4th line, 2 lines of AHL-ers, a back-up goalie, and AHL goalies.  Lindy Ruff and the players would plead with Darcy to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING on TV in the post-games and on the radio in interviews.  Just trading late picks for bottom-rung NHLers would have actually helped.  (Heck, maybe some sideways trades just to shake the players out of their torpor would have helped.)  And Darcy did nothing.  Outside of that horrendous drought, that flawed team's winning percentage was something like 5th in the conference.  They made it back to 8th in game 78, only to have injuries on defence (Ehrhoff and one other) derail them.  This proved the players right: even minor changes to just push a line of AHL-ers back to the AHL would have meant the playoffs.

Players I met shopping got his message loud and clear: losing was acceptable.  I agreed with them.  They were PISSED OFF.  So, if you like, blame me for their attitude towards management.  Heck, some of my brother's friends blame me for getting Darcy fired -- I saved an e-mail from one of them whose subject is, "so what's your next trick, smart ass?" after Darcy got fired a few weeks after my interview with the New York Times (published 30 October 2013).

Edited April 8, 2022 by Marvin, Sabres Fan

[Pimlach]

45 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

You are probably correct that Darcy was the Sabres' best GM after Punch.  But his tenure, like Punch's, had some real problems.  I personally start blame with how video scouting failed the franchise, but that does not excuse the sub-par talent evaluation and player development from 2005-12.  And yes, a lot of that probably lands at Golisano's feet until 2011.

 

Blasphemy!  

[PromoTheRobot]

Remember when making the playoffs and losing the first round was unacceptable? Good times.

[klos1963]

4 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Blasphemy!  

You were the first and the best.

[Gatorman0519]

The scary part is we are years from making the playoffs yet. 

[LGR4GM]

7 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

The scary part is we are years from making the playoffs yet. 

Do you ever get bored of only saying this stuff when we have bad games?

[SwampD]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Do you ever get bored of only saying this stuff when we have bad games?

The Sabres are not having a bad game.

And haven't for a while.

Edited April 9, 2022 by SwampD

[Gatorman0519]

18 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Do you ever get bored of only saying this stuff when we have bad games?

What are you talking about? I have been saying literally non stop positive things the past few weeks. How weird to come at somebody like that. There is both good and bad and it can honestly be discussed it’s a free country. 

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

What are you talking about? I have been saying literally non stop positive things the past few weeks. How weird to come at somebody like that. There is both good and bad and it can honestly be discussed it’s a free country. 

Yea, and the very second the Sabres aren't playing well it's "we ain't making the playoffs for years"

You weren't discussing the good and bad, just acting like a loss in April after a teams been eliminated from the playoffs means they are "years" away. 

Lol it's a free country, yes and I'm free to call you out. 1st amendment doesn't mean freedom from criticism. 

25 minutes ago, SwampD said:

The Sabres are not having a bad game.

And haven't for a while.

They definitely just had a bad game. 

[LGR4GM]

***** I need to remember to avoid this absolute pity party trash thread. 

[Gatorman0519]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

***** I need to remember to avoid this absolute pity party trash thread. 

I think that’s a good idea for you. Especially if you take everything so personally are are very easily offended and get upset. Grown folk simply scroll past what they don’t like and keep on moving. I’m hardly going to “call people out” for their opinions on a sports thread. My goodness. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Gatorman0519

[Andrew Amerk]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

***** I need to remember to avoid this absolute pity party trash thread. 

Stop it. 

It’s annoying. 

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

I think that’s a good idea for you. Especially if you take everything so personally are are very easily offended and get upset. Grown folk simply scroll past what they don’t like and keep on moving. I’m hardly going to “call people out” for their opinions on a sports thread. My goodness. 

I'm always amused when ppl think I take someone else's bad take personally. 

I just skimmed your posts for the last 2 games, didn't find anything positive so I stand by my original point. 

2 hours ago, The Ghost of NS said:

Stop it. 

It’s annoying. 

Enjoy your thread. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by LGR4GM

[SwampD]

9 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

They definitely just had a bad game. 

We've seen much,… much worse.