Sabres’ Refusal to “Salute” Fans Confirmed

[oddoublee]

Kyle seems like a good dude - and I cannot help but be happy for him. But if any fans here are harboring ill will because they suspect he was behind or supportive of the team's boycott of the fan salute and otherwise anti fan chirping in the lockerroom - I understand that completely. 

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, That Aud Smell said:

You elsewhere chided @LGR4GM for calling some posters here bitter about Okposo's winning a Cup.

Bro. This is some bitter stuff.

No. I chided him for saying people who are not happy that Okposo won a Cup are bitter people. Unhappy people.

[That Aud Smell]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

No. I chided him for saying people who are not happy that Okposo won a Cup are bitter people. Unhappy people.

You're speaking in circles. And elsewhere posting some bitter tea about Okposo!

[PASabreFan]

2 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

You're speaking in circles. And elsewhere posting some bitter tea about Okposo!

You're failing at reading comprehension. I harbor no bitterness toward KO. I just feel no happiness for him. It doesn't make me a miserable person. Again I ask... How many here would have rejoiced in Evander Kane fulfilling a lifelong dream last night?

[Pimlach]

22 minutes ago, oddoublee said:

Kyle seems like a good dude - and I cannot help but be happy for him. But if any fans here are harboring ill will because they suspect he was behind or supportive of the team's boycott of the fan salute and otherwise anti fan chirping in the lockerroom - I understand that completely. 

We don't know the full story on this, other than the boycott really happened.   

The interview with Kyle made me think that he supported the boycott, I was expecting to hear "booing and firing coaches are part of the game and the young  players have to understand it", but he didn't say that. 

But what was worse was the interview with the coach.  Granato actually put out there comments that the players feelings are hurt,  and some of them signed long term deals to be here.   That was the interview that led me to believe that Granato was a big problem and stunting the teams growth.  

Whatever really happened, it was handled wrong, and you can include Adams in there too.  

Time to move forward.  Ruff is a different kind of coach and leader.  

[K-9]

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

You're failing at reading comprehension. I harbor no bitterness toward KO. I just feel no happiness for him. It doesn't make me a miserable person. Again I ask... How many here would have rejoiced in Evander Kane fulfilling a lifelong dream last night?

If Evander Kane had one iota of the class and dedication illustrated by Kyle Okposo over the years, perhaps a few would have been happy for him. 

[Pimlach]

6 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

You're failing at reading comprehension. I harbor no bitterness toward KO. I just feel no happiness for him. It doesn't make me a miserable person. Again I ask... How many here would have rejoiced in Evander Kane fulfilling a lifelong dream last night?

I would not rejoice for Kane.   I like Kyle much more, I can see a decent person there. 

I do not care for Kane and I wish we never traded for him or Bogo.   

[PASabreFan]

25 minutes ago, K-9 said:

If Evander Kane had one iota of the class and dedication illustrated by Kyle Okposo over the years, perhaps a few would have been happy for him. 

There it is. You think you know these guys.

How dedicated to the sport do you have to be to make it to the NHL and stay there for years?

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

You're failing at reading comprehension. I harbor no bitterness toward KO. I just feel no happiness for him. It doesn't make me a miserable person. Again I ask... How many here would have rejoiced in Evander Kane fulfilling a lifelong dream last night?

[K-9]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

There it is. You think you know these guys.

How dedicated to the sport do you have to be to make it to the NHL and stay there for years?

Unless I’ve had a beer or two with a player, I really only know what they present to us in interviews, community events, and what people close to them might reveal. What KO exhibited in that regard while here was leaps and bounds above whatever Kane chose to share. 

So yeah, there it is. 

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, K-9 said:

If Evander Kane had one iota of the class and dedication illustrated by Kyle Okposo over the years, perhaps a few would have been happy for him. 

I would hate to see Kane win anything but I'm indifferent to Okposo.

Happy for ERod though. Team tossed him away and too many people here made slights on him in various ways. Been bounced around the league and never found a home until now even though he contributed on every team he was on. Huge contributor in the final. Congratulations EROD!!!!!!!!!!

[Thorny]

7 hours ago, SwampD said:

Meh. One of their star players mentioned him specifically in the post game interview. We will never know if Florida would have won if Kyle wasn’t on the team. Kyle will always know that he could have been a part of a SC winning team,… because he was.

When the Sabres eventually win the cup, there will most likely be a guy on the team getting a cheap cup. He’ll deserve it, too.

Florida would have won without him, yes lol

[Thorny]

6 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

You elsewhere chided @LGR4GM for calling some posters here bitter about Okposo's winning a Cup.

Bro. This is some bitter stuff.

Meh. He makes a reasonable point. I don’t know why people are so often afraid of saying the truth out loud: there’s no way a cup like that is as sweet.

- - - 

I don’t need to be happy for someone who quite literally has no idea, or care, who I am. And why should/would he? Would he be happy I won my league championship?

Sports are already a one-sided relationship, but it’s a *product/consumer* relationship. They provide entertainment and I provide the coin.

Extending that “relationship” in sharing in the personal joys of someone I’ve never met and don’t know who’s no longer related to my team in any way would be….weird, honestly 

It’s neutral. I’m not happy for him, im not angry at him. 20 humans lost and 20 won. Wouldn’t my happiness be a reflection of not having enough empathy for the losers, if we are doing sort of moral judgment virtual signalling circus? Should I be empathetic for all the losers and share in the joy of all the winners? It makes no sense 

they won. It was entertaining. They are paid a lot of money. Transaction complete. 

that’s it 

Edited June 25 by Thorny

[That Aud Smell]

Just now, Thorny said:

Sports are already a one-sided relationship, but it’s a *product/consumer* relationship. They provide entertainment and I provide the coin.

This is sorta gross. And more than a little sad.

Where's the romance? Where's the development of mythology? THOSE ARE OUR BOYS OUT THERE.

[Thorny]

9 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

This is sorta gross. And more than a little sad.

Where's the romance? Where's the development of mythology? THOSE ARE OUR BOYS OUT THERE.

How is it gross? Art/artist 

I have goodwill for all humans. I’m not prioritizing Kyle Okposo’s sports related happiness over others because I’m so biased I can’t separate from the fact that him playing on mY tEaM somehow makes him more deserving than others

we aren’t special. He wasn’t more deserving cause he’s not evan Bouchard

the word you are looking for isn’t “sad”. I honestly resent that. It was neither here nor there. The word you are actually looking for is “confused”. As you seem confused in terms of being able to understand the effect of personal bias 

Edited June 25 by Thorny

[That Aud Smell]

15 minutes ago, Thorny said:

How is it gross? Art/artist 

I have goodwill for all humans. I’m not prioritizing Kyle Okposo’s sports related happiness over others because I’m so biased I can’t separate from the fact that him playing on mY tEaM somehow makes him more deserving than others

we aren’t special. He wasn’t more deserving cause he’s not evan Bouchard

the word you are looking for isn’t “sad”. I honestly resent that. It was neither here nor there. The word you are actually looking for is “confused”. As you seem confused in terms of being able to understand the effect of personal bias 

Man, it is a little sad! To me. At least how I took it.

Many fans enjoy investing all sorts of fictions and narratives into their beloved sports figures. Imbuing them with virtues sometimes. Making them symbols of something larger than what a single person could ever be. And so on.

I took you to suggest above that sports fandom is far more transactional than that. We pay. They entertain. 

It's much more than that, innit?

[Thorny]

5 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Man, it is a little sad! To me. At least how I took it.

Many fans enjoy investing all sorts of fictions and narratives into their beloved sports figures. Imbuing them with virtues sometimes. Making them symbols of something larger than what a single person could ever be. And so on.

I took you to suggest above that sports fandom is far more transactional than that. We pay. They entertain. 

It's much more than that, innit?

No, sports for me are about investing in the joy of my loved ones, in real life, who are rooting for the same team as me, arbitrarily. Making celebrities/athletes into symbols and infusing them with narratives admittedly isnt really my jam, but to each their own, in fairness.

My interactions around here, even, are a lot more real than any of that storytelling. It’s not the story it’s sharing the experience with the person who tells it to you. You’ve changed my mind slightly, in this sense. YOU seem to achieve some level of happiness through KO’s victory and THAT makes me a bit happy, I can share in that a little, because I at least know you a little. And like you a little bit too. 

[steveoath]

Kyle seems to be a good person. These seem to be in short supply these days. Good on him for getting the cup before he retires. 

Edited June 27 by steveoath
Speeeluuung

[LTS]

9 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I bet when Kyle was a boy he dreamt of being traded to a contender, spending very little time there and contributing very little, then getting handed the Cup.

Of course not. And those on the Panthers who dreamed of scoring the game winning goal are also all going to be real disappointed they didn't win the Cup in accordance to their dreams... except for Reinhart, but his dream was to do it in triple OT, so again, nothing but disappointment with the outcome.

I bet Kyle believed strongly that being a good player and a great teammate would improve his chances of being on a team that could with the Cup and lo.. what do we have here?  It happened!

7 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Just about every year a player finally gets a Cup.  There are always vets dealt at the deadline from poor teams to strong teams, and always hope that it could happen for them. 

Edmonton had a similar older guy in Henrique, but no one talks about the losing teams very much.

Kyle is the guy this year, and he got it in part because Florida wanted him.   He had a coach that knew when to play him and when to let him talk to the team, even if he was a new player with very little skin in the game.   To me that says something about him that we fans don't see.  

PS - Paul Maurice really proved he can go beyond X's and O's, and motivate and really understand his team and how to get the most from them.  

 

Ray Bourque.  Done.

5 hours ago, K-9 said:

If Evander Kane had one iota of the class and dedication illustrated by Kyle Okposo over the years, perhaps a few would have been happy for him. 

100% this.  Kane has demonstrated a lack of class over and over again. I didn't hear his name in the Finals... I wasn't even thinking about him until his name was brought up.

36 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Meh. He makes a reasonable point. I don’t know why people are so often afraid of saying the truth out loud: there’s no way a cup like that is as sweet.

- - - 

I don’t need to be happy for someone who quite literally has no idea, or care, who I am. And why should/would he? Would he be happy I won my league championship?

Sports are already a one-sided relationship, but it’s a *product/consumer* relationship. They provide entertainment and I provide the coin.

Extending that “relationship” in sharing in the personal joys of someone I’ve never met and don’t know who’s no longer related to my team in any way would be….weird, honestly 

It’s neutral. I’m not happy for him, im not angry at him. 20 humans lost and 20 won. Wouldn’t my happiness be a reflection of not having enough empathy for the losers, if we are doing sort of moral judgment virtual signalling circus? Should I be empathetic for all the losers and share in the joy of all the winners? It makes no sense 

they won. It was entertaining. They are paid a lot of money. Transaction complete. 

that’s it 

No. You can have 40 different feelings (well, even more if you knew all the players who were eligible for the Cup but not on the roster or the scratched list).  You can be happier for some and sadder for others. You can be completely agnostic for all of them.  It's not a situation where everyone can win, so if you truly felt the way you theorized about you would oppose the sport in and of itself because it creates winner and losers thus leading to the situation you wanted to avoid.

 

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, LTS said:

Of course not. And those on the Panthers who dreamed of scoring the game winning goal are also all going to be real disappointed they didn't win the Cup in accordance to their dreams... except for Reinhart, but his dream was to do it in triple OT, so again, nothing but disappointment with the outcome.

I bet Kyle believed strongly that being a good player and a great teammate would improve his chances of being on a team that could with the Cup and lo.. what do we have here?  It happened!

Ray Bourque.  Done.

100% this.  Kane has demonstrated a lack of class over and over again. I didn't hear his name in the Finals... I wasn't even thinking about him until his name was brought up.

No. You can have 40 different feelings (well, even more if you knew all the players who were eligible for the Cup but not on the roster or the scratched list).  You can be happier for some and sadder for others. You can be completely agnostic for all of them.  It's not a situation where everyone can win, so if you truly felt the way you theorized about you would oppose the sport in and of itself because it creates winner and losers thus leading to the situation you wanted to avoid.

 

“Oppose the sport in general” lol what nonsense is this. Doesn’t even make sense 

I am simply saying I wished KO joy and happiness and love in life but that I had no particular leanings on whether he won a Stanley Cup. It’s not that hard 

[That Aud Smell]

8 minutes ago, Thorny said:

No, sports for me are about investing in the joy of my loved ones, in real life, who are rooting for the same team as me, arbitrarily.

Man, now we're talkin'. 

TAKE ME TO CHURCH.

[That Aud Smell]

8 minutes ago, Thorny said:

YOU seem to achieve some level of happiness through KO’s victory and THAT makes me a bit happy, I can share in that a little, because I at least know you a little. And like you a little bit too. 

Ha - appreciate that. In point of fact, I caught the most fleeting, inconsequential feeling of "yeah, that's good" from Okposo lifting the Cup. Mostly, I don't care. And certainly didn't care.

I'm actually not even into the activities I described and defended. I just know lotsa people are. Christ - what do baseball journalists even do if not spill ink and crush keystrokes as they build mythologies out of the sport?

But, yes. The shared experience. The coming together. That is everything.

[Thorny]

7 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Man, now we're talkin'. 

TAKE ME TO CHURCH.

 

On 5/7/2024 at 1:14 PM, That Aud Smell said:

Edit: "Pigeon" is absolutely not what I'm looking for here- I looked it up. I need a hockey insult for someone who's a high-end talent with no heart. There may not be a hockey term that fits.

 

On 5/7/2024 at 2:52 PM, Thorny said:

Hoser Hozier

 

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

Ray Bourque.  Done.

Bourque hung on for one more year with the Avs after being dealt at the deadline to win in his second season.

He was still a key player for them probably getting near 25 minutes a game.

[Sabre The Cup]

I don’t hate the guy but I do feel like he strained our salary cup for half a dozen years before having a PR resurrection as a “great leader” on a team that folded every year before missing the playoffs. He sure as hell never took a pay cut, like a Von Miller. 
 

He then gets traded to the cup winner where he contributes little, gets benched, gets another PR storyline, and then his team wins. 
 

Peca I would’ve felt happy for if he won a cup. Hasek I kinda felt happy for in that it legitimized his legacy. But not Okposo. This “great leader” wins the cup as a hanger-on.