Losing culture defined in the words of Don Granato (narrated by Dr. Fred McFeely Rogers)

[Stoner]

They want to win, they feel they can, they see a way they can, I'm happy for that and proud of them for that. 

[Night Train]

[Marvin]

Until they can consistently win, isn't that what we expect the coach to say?

[inkman]

I’m not here to point the finger at any one player or coach but it’s broke.  Fix it.  

[Stoner]

20 minutes ago, Marvin said:

Until they can consistently win, isn't that what we expect the coach to say?

Not in the NHL, no.

I'm over this juicebox crowd.

[K-9]

I’ve had it with Granato, who I once had the highest respect for coming off the Krueger debacle. But he’s a loser, plain and simple. When you resort to trotting out stats to justify your job and urge reporters to “look them up” it’s beyond pathetic. Did you know that the Sabres are one of, if not THE best team, when leading after two periods the last two seasons and that shows how “mature” this group is? Hey Meatballs, how about leading after two periods more often so that stat can actually mean something? 

[inkman]

3 minutes ago, K-9 said:

I’ve had it with Granato, who I once had the highest respect for coming off the Krueger debacle. But he’s a loser, plain and simple. When you resort to trotting out stats to justify your job and urge reporters to “look them up” it’s beyond pathetic. Did you know that the Sabres are one of, if not THE best team, when leading after two periods the last two seasons and that shows how “mature” this group is? Hey Meatballs, how about leading after two periods more often so that stat can actually mean something? 

They can bring in Jesus himself to coach these guys and it won’t matter.  They need a heart transplant. The guy relaying the message matters, see Ralph Krueger, but until they bring in players with the guts and determination to do the little things it takes to win, they will be losers.  
 

In fact, if they don’t move out one or more of Tage, Skinner, Dahlin, Power or Mittelstadt, this team ain’t going nowhere’s as my buddy Paul Hamilton would say. 

[oddoublee]

5 minutes ago, inkman said:

They can bring in Jesus himself to coach these guys and it won’t matter.  They need a heart transplant. The guy relaying the message matters, see Ralph Krueger, but until they bring in players with the guts and determination to do the little things it takes to win, they will be losers.  
 

In fact, if they don’t move out one or more of Tage, Skinner, Dahlin, Power or Mittelstadt, this team ain’t going nowhere’s as my buddy Paul Hamilton would say. 

if all of our forwards played the puck as aggressively against the boards as mitts, this would be a different team. That said, i do not disagree on skinner. he is a horrible example for the younger players on how to play complete hockey. move(buy) him out - bring a couple of B level two way players in.....AND add a new coach....AND maybe, just maybe, this team can finish above .500

[K-9]

3 minutes ago, inkman said:

They can bring in Jesus himself to coach these guys and it won’t matter.  They need a heart transplant. The guy relaying the message matters, see Ralph Krueger, but until they bring in players with the guts and determination to do the little things it takes to win, they will be losers.  
 

In fact, if they don’t move out one or more of Tage, Skinner, Dahlin, Power or Mittelstadt, this team ain’t going nowhere’s as my buddy Paul Hamilton would say. 

I agree 1000%, but I doubt Jesus would resort to citing meaningless stats and urge the scribes to look them up in a pathetic attempt to make his coaching job look better. It reeks of desperation and insecurity and I have to believe that filters down to the losers in the locker room who also like to confuse effort with results on a regular basis. 

[#freejame]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

They want to win, they feel they can, they see a way they can, I'm happy for that and proud of them for that. 

This isn’t an actual quote from Donny right?

[Stoner]

5 minutes ago, #freejame said:

This isn’t an actual quote from Donny right?

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/sports/sabres/listen-granato-had-plenty-to-be-aggravated-with-following-tuesdays-loss-in-florida

[mjd1001]

I still have no (well, a LITTLE) problem with Granato.  The limit of the issue I have with him is....I THINK the PP needs a new direction/new assistant coach, and he has (or should have) the power/ability to make that change.  I see a lot of positives with this team COMPARED to last year.  They are better on defense.  They are getting better goaltending. Many of the players are playing BETTER than last year (Mitts, Peterka, Greenway).  Benson has developed.  After a rough start Cliton is playing better, Jokiharju is playing much better after a slow start.  Quinn came back and in a short stint looked even better than last year.  The players who are playing worse (Tage and Cozens) have had injuries. The players whos production is slightly down (Skinner and Tuch) have also had injuries.  The roster is still flawed, but when I look at the coaching job...I see a head coach who isn't perfect, but who wasn't perfect last year, but I still do not see one of the retreads out there that everyone who wants DG fired stepping in and doing a better job. Not at all.

Edited February 29 by mjd1001

[#freejame]

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/sports/sabres/listen-granato-had-plenty-to-be-aggravated-with-following-tuesdays-loss-in-florida

What an embarrassing cupcake of an organization. Literally unbelievable. 

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

I'm over this juicebox crowd.

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

I’ve had it with Granato, who I once had the highest respect for coming off the Krueger debacle. But he’s a loser, plain and simple. 

I've come to conclude that Granato is a very good, possibly great, development coach. That doesn't make him a loser, imo. It does make him an ill fit for being a HC in the best league in the world. And I think the "juicebox" jab is overstating things - but, hey, that's what hyperbole is for.

1 hour ago, inkman said:

They can bring in Jesus himself to coach these guys and it won’t matter.  They need a heart transplant.

I'd still like to see what this roster - with some tweaks - can do under a new set of coaches.

[#freejame]

1 minute ago, That Aud Smell said:

I've come to conclude that Granato is a very good, possibly great, development coach. That doesn't make him a loser, imo. It does make him an ill fit for being a HC in the best league in the world. And I think the "juicebox" jab is overstating things - but, hey, that's what hyperbole is for.

I'd still like to see what this roster - with some tweaks - can do under a new set of coaches.

I’ve seen this a lot and it’s recently got me thinking that maybe it isnt that he’s a great development coach, maybe that’s just where his tactics and approach have the most success. To me there’s a difference between a coach who develops players very effectively and gets more/see more in them than other coaches, and a coach who maybe is a great coach for the teenage level but can’t make the jump. I think that’s probably part of the reason he never had much of a shot before us at the top gig.

I think we’re seeing the Peter Principle in real time and once again we were the suckers. 

[irregularly irregular]

Thank you Terry for all you've done for professional sports in WNY, but it's time for you to sell the Sabres. Or at least a controlling interest.

Then and only then will the changes be made that will make the Sabres a consistently relevant team rather than the bottom feeders they have been for over a decade. 

 

[spndnchz]

You may have missed a thread

 

 

[Pimlach]

32 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I still have no (well, a LITTLE) problem with Granato.  The limit of the issue I have with him is....I THINK the PP needs a new direction/new assistant coach, and he has (or should have) the power/ability to make that change.  I see a lot of positives with this team COMPARED to last year.  They are better on defense.  They are getting better goaltending. Many of the players are playing BETTER than last year (Mitts, Peterka, Greenway).  Benson has developed.  After a rough start Cliton is playing better, Jokiharju is playing much better after a slow start.  Quinn came back and in a short stint looked even better than last year.  The players who are playing worse (Tage and Cozens) have had injuries. The players whos production is slightly down (Skinner and Tuch) have also had injuries.  The roster is still flawed, but when I look at the coaching job...I see a head coach who isn't perfect, but who wasn't perfect last year, but I still do not see one of the retreads out there that everyone who wants DG fired stepping in and doing a better job. Not at all.

Many of the players are better than last year?  Uh no.   

Three players have improved - JJP, UPL, and Greenway.    Mitts and Z and Joker are playing about the same as last year.   So many important players are playing worse- Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Power, Cozens, Dahlin, Muel, Okposo, VO  - all having worse seasons. 

I see only a few positives and I don't see Donny improving this group.  I see a poor coaching staff with limited technical know how, the game day coaching is also very bad, and the players are too comfortable with being a poor team.  

Not one player will own this drought.  They can own it without taking the blame for 13 years of it.  I keep seeing quotes from this team about who was not there for all of it, Dahls, Tage, Donny, Kevy - they should just own it and end it.   

Mentally week from Pegula down.  

Blow up the coaching staff this off season, conduct a real coaching review and and bring in someone that has won on the NHL level.  Then let him work on bringing in a new staff, installing NHL systems, and allow him to influence the roster.  Shut down the country club.  There are coaches out there that can take the next step, and more.  

[Pimlach]

51 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/sports/sabres/listen-granato-had-plenty-to-be-aggravated-with-following-tuesdays-loss-in-florida

[inkman]

24 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Many of the players are better than last year?  Uh no.   

Three players have improved - JJP, UPL, and Greenway.    Mitts and Z and Joker are playing about the same as last year.   So many important players are playing worse- Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Power, Cozens, Dahlin, Muel, Okposo, VO  - all having worse seasons. 

I see only a few positives and I don't see Donny improving this group.  I see a poor coaching staff with limited technical know how, the game day coaching is also very bad, and the players are too comfortable with being a poor team.  

Not one player will own this drought.  They can own it without taking the blame for 13 years of it.  I keep seeing quotes from this team about who was not there for all of it, Dahls, Tage, Donny, Kevy - they should just own it and end it.   

Mentally week from Pegula down.  

Blow up the coaching staff this off season, conduct a real coaching review and and bring in someone that has won on the NHL level.  Then let him work on bringing in a new staff, installing NHL systems, and allow him to influence the roster.  Shut down the country club.  There are coaches out there that can take the next step, and more.  

Sorry I don’t think think team has the character to succeed.  They need new players.  

[French Collection]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

They can bring in Jesus himself to coach these guys and it won’t matter.  They need a heart transplant. The guy relaying the message matters, see Ralph Krueger, but until they bring in players with the guts and determination to do the little things it takes to win, they will be losers.  

Florida does not have a designated tough guy, like some people like to talk about. They play a tough and heavy game, finishing checks, hard on the forecheck and muck it up in scrums before and after whistles.

This is an example of heart, grit and determination. I don’t like them but they stood up to and rolled over the mighty Bruins with this attitude and have kept it going this season.

[K-9]

1 hour ago, That Aud Smell said:

I've come to conclude that Granato is a very good, possibly great, development coach. That doesn't make him a loser, imo. It does make him an ill fit for being a HC in the best league in the world. And I think the "juicebox" jab is overstating things - but, hey, that's what hyperbole is for.

I'd still like to see what this roster - with some tweaks - can do under a new set of coaches.

Yeah, he’s a fantastic development coach; right up to the point of regression. Which he doesn’t recognize let alone do anything about. 

[Pimlach]

49 minutes ago, inkman said:

Sorry I don’t think think team has the character to succeed.  They need new players.  

Always start with the coaching staff.  

[hockey]

3 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Not in the NHL, no.

I'm over this juicebox crowd.

PROVE IT

[Stoner]

7 minutes ago, hockey said:

PROVE IT

I'm headed to work. I will later.