My life as a Buffalo sports fan...

[LabattBlue]

As I go through my late 40's, once again I wonder, will I ever see a Sabres or Bills celebration in front of City Hall? I've lived through 4 Super Bowl losses, the 75 & 99 cup runner-ups, the conference championship losses for both teams, the late 70's and early 80's where the Sabres could do nothing in the playoffs and now in a year where it appeared to be a magical playoff run where the stars have aligned, the hockey gods did the unbelievable...injuries to 4 of our top 6 defenseman and a concussion to one of our rising stars.

 

I realize that this is a team that should be reckoned with for the next couple of years, but good teams get knocked out of the playoffs early every single year and it is no given that the Sabres will easily make it back this far next year.

 

I wasn't screaming mad at the end of the game last night...I even watched the handshake. I thought for the Sabres to hang in there like they did was fantastic. But now I sit and wonder...will I ever see that championship parade :(

[ATL61]

I have been a Sabres fan ever since I discovered that hockey is a sport. (became a fan at 13, I am 24) Hey, that's pretty good in Atlanta. 99 hurt because I watched every minute of every game showed. That and I went to my first Sabres Game at HSBC Arena that year. (Fan appreciation night). After 99 the I began to realize what the life of a Buffalo fan is like. I have gone to every game they played in Atlanta. For me it has built up to this year. Right now, I'm walking around in a daze. It actually does hurt. I can't really describe it but what makes you a true Buffalo fan?

 

Am I on my way?

[Spandrel]

Yeah, I'm into my late 30's, and as I said in another thread, I'm a long-time Cubs fan, in addition, to being a Bills and Sabres fans, so I'm with you times 10. In those years, I've become hardened, pessimistic, and have developed tons of coping mechanisms.

 

To be honest, I really don't ever expect any of these teams to win in my lifetime. No matter how good they will be, there will always be a team from Dallas, Miami, New York or f***ing Carolina that will be just a little bit better and wrest the trophy from their hands.

 

I'm not sure why I even continue to follow these teams. I guess I've internalized them. These teams represent the region where I grew up and call home, and hence a part of me. So to some extent, when they lose, I lose too. This is one area where books are better than real life, sometimes.

[RayFinkle]

Boston fans can kiss my ass. Try being a Buffalo fan.

[zow2]

As I go through my late 40's, once again I wonder, will I ever see a Sabres or Bills celebration in front of City Hall?

 

You're not alone dude. As a 10 year old kid I was sitting in the Golds at the Aud watching the Flyers skate around our ice with the Cup. What a memory! I cried of course, ....but as I age and have a family of my own I take the losses with more perspective now. I try not to get caught up in the "curse" or the "hockey gods" too much. I am disappointed, but this is professional sports and sometimes you just tip your cap to the other team. They avoided injuries, they were just a little better in the end. The people I feel bad for are the young kids in Buffalo who are so sad this morning just like I was when I was a kid....or the Blue collar , typical Buffalo worker who shelled out 2 weeks pay to take his or her kid to a playoff game just hoping they would be part of the Stanley Cup journey. We all deserve better someday.

 

For the typical family in Raleigh this morning....their Cup run is probably a nice diversion but it certainly does not have the same meaning or importance that it does in Buffalo.

[LabattBlue]

For the typical family in Raleigh this morning....their Cup run is probably a nice diversion but it certainly does not have the same meaning or importance that it does in Buffalo.

This is why I will cheer for Edmonton...the lesser of two evils.

[MichFan]

Can't think of another football or hockey team I'd rather pull for, qute honestly. I'd rather die a Buffalo sports fan with no championships than find myself being a passionate Lakers or Patriots fan. I'm prouder of the reception the Bills and Norwood got after the first Superbowl than what any city has ever done for their championship parade. I'm prouder of how Sabres fans reacted in '73 (the "Thank You" game) than how any city has received their champions.

 

I'll tell you this, as a lifelong Red Sox fan the World Series was sweet, but it will not touch the celebration I'll have when Buffalo finally gets one.

[nfreeman]

These are poignant and very familiar sentiments. There is indeed a growing risk that we won't get a championship. Who knows how long we'll be able to keep the Bills in town? As for the Sabres, although the salary cap system helps, our payroll is always going to be closer to the floor than the cap, meaning other teams will always have a built-in advantage.

 

It felt to me all year like this was our shot -- all those comebacks, Miller stepping up, a bunch of bigger-market teams slow to adjust to the rules changes, etc. Next year, we'll inevitably lose some guys to retirement, trade, free agency, etc., other teams will adapt better to the new rules, and other teams will take us seriously and play harder against us. Our edge will be reduced.

 

Even so, and this may sound crazy, I'm not that disappointed that we didn't win the cup. I'm definitely melancholy, but I think it's more because the season is over, and something I enjoyed so much and cared so much about is just...gone. I know I should care more about winning the cup, and I really wanted it, both for this team and for the city of buffalo, but it was such an amazing season, such an unexpected, thrilling, miraculous gift, that I just can't feel unhappy about it. Yes, we didn't win the cup, but we got a solid EIGHT MONTHS of an incredible ride. We had great wins and moments of euphoria for 8 months!

 

Remember finally beating Ottawa, with Dominik, in the shootout in HSBC? Or Connolly's unbelievable move to score against toronto? Or Max's no-look pass to Briere for the OT winner vs. Ottawa? Or Roy digging it out and passing to Grier for the winner with 4 seconds left vs. Philly? Or Dallas swaggering in here and leaving with a big fat loss? Or 7-6? Will you ever forget 7-6 as long as you live? I won't.

 

I'm not a hippie or a philosopher, but to me this season was about the journey, not the end point. The journey enriched me immensely. If next year is the exact same as this year, I'll take it. Same goes for the year after that.

 

The other huge factor is that I am pretty confident that the team is on a rock-solid foundation for the first time in about 12 years. Golisano is a smart, successful businessman who understands the big picture and is going to keep the franchise successful, stable, and in Buffalo. He is going to have good hockey men making the hockey decisions and good business men making the business decisions.

 

People are going to be unhappy from time to time about some of the money decisions. We aren't going to sign $5 million players, and it's quite likely that we lose McKee. More importantly I think we have seen the end of consecutive non-playoff seasons, and hopefully we are entering a nice long period of championship contender seasons.

 

So while I will feel an emptiness that won't get filled until October, I also think the glass is much more than half full here.

 

Let's Go, Buffalo!

[orangeclips]

This was my reaction to last night's game:

 

http://www.zubazpants.com/articles/current/lucinski22.html

[Taro T]

These are poignant and very familiar sentiments. There is indeed a growing risk that we won't get a championship. Who knows how long we'll be able to keep the Bills in town? As for the Sabres, although the salary cap system helps, our payroll is always going to be closer to the floor than the cap, meaning other teams will always have a built-in advantage.

 

It felt to me all year like this was our shot -- all those comebacks, Miller stepping up, a bunch of bigger-market teams slow to adjust to the rules changes, etc. Next year, we'll inevitably lose some guys to retirement, trade, free agency, etc., other teams will adapt better to the new rules, and other teams will take us seriously and play harder against us. Our edge will be reduced.

 

Even so, and this may sound crazy, I'm not that disappointed that we didn't win the cup. I'm definitely melancholy, but I think it's more because the season is over, and something I enjoyed so much and cared so much about is just...gone. I know I should care more about winning the cup, and I really wanted it, both for this team and for the city of buffalo, but it was such an amazing season, such an unexpected, thrilling, miraculous gift, that I just can't feel unhappy about it. Yes, we didn't win the cup, but we got a solid EIGHT MONTHS of an incredible ride. We had great wins and moments of euphoria for 8 months!

 

Remember finally beating Ottawa, with Dominik, in the shootout in HSBC? Or Connolly's unbelievable move to score against toronto? Or Max's no-look pass to Briere for the OT winner vs. Ottawa? Or Roy digging it out and passing to Grier for the winner with 4 seconds left vs. Philly? Or Dallas swaggering in here and leaving with a big fat loss? Or 7-6? Will you ever forget 7-6 as long as you live? I won't.

 

I'm not a hippie or a philosopher, but to me this season was about the journey, not the end point. The journey enriched me immensely. If next year is the exact same as this year, I'll take it. Same goes for the year after that.

 

The other huge factor is that I am pretty confident that the team is on a rock-solid foundation for the first time in about 12 years. Golisano is a smart, successful businessman who understands the big picture and is going to keep the franchise successful, stable, and in Buffalo. He is going to have good hockey men making the hockey decisions and good business men making the business decisions.

 

People are going to be unhappy from time to time about some of the money decisions. We aren't going to sign $5 million players, and it's quite likely that we lose McKee. More importantly I think we have seen the end of consecutive non-playoff seasons, and hopefully we are entering a nice long period of championship contender seasons.

 

So while I will feel an emptiness that won't get filled until October, I also think the glass is much more than half full here.

 

Let's Go, Buffalo!

n,

 

Excellent post. You stated very well how I am feeling today as well. Thanks.

[Claude_Verret]

For the typical family in Raleigh this morning....their Cup run is probably a nice diversion but it certainly does not have the same meaning or importance that it does in Buffalo.

 

That's a perfect way to put it, it's a nice diversion for them. I'm right in the heart of Canes country and I have taken way too much crap today at work from people who don't know offsides from icing. I really should have skipped work today. I was thinking about my life as a Buffalo sports fan on the ride in today as well and I concluded that I'm just going to have to live with the heartbreak every so often. The only way I will be able to stop caring is if the Bills or Sabres fold or are moved out of town. I do know this however, IF the day ever comes to pass that the Cup or Lombardi trophy parades down Main street you can bet that it will be the wildest post championship party the sports world will have ever seen. That is the day when the rest of these pretender fans will finally understand what it means to be from Buffalo and root for the Sabres and Bills.

[scottnc]

I'm right in the heart of Canes country and I have taken way too much crap today at work from people who don't know offsides from icing.

 

I know exactly how you feel. I can't stand being taunted by the bandwagon fans who didn't start watching until someone told them the 'Canes were doing well, and that can't name more than 3 players on their team. I guess I'm just bitter that I have to deal with another unhappy ending. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with how far they got, but I was just getting the feeling in my gut, before the hockey gods decided to give us an unprecendented rash of injuries along the blue line, that this was going to be the year...