Tuesday, September 30

The Sabres Are My Life.


I actually have a chance to post about something...  I'm at work, on the clock, on my MacBook.  I'm doing what we call a One-on-One with a lady, but she's napping at the moment, so I'm taking my chance.

Amidst all the searching for positive Sabres news this morning, and the depressing news I found instead during that search (*cough, cough* Paul Gaustad), I did however, find a piece that made me all warm-and-fuzzy feeling.

While scouring the blogs and columns at THN, I found this one by Ryan Kennedy:  The Straight Edge:  Hockey More Than a Pasttime For Fans in Some Struggling Cities.

I don't get super offended when I hear players from different teams trashing Buffalo (i.e. Ray Emery) or expect much different from players who just got moved here (i.e. Craig Rivet), because what do they see when they come here?  (Actually, who am I kidding?  Of course I get offended, but if you redeem yourself, like Rivet has, then I can be very forgiving.)  They take the 33 from the airport through probably one of Buffalo's worst areas, and see the dirty buildings downtown in the industrial area, and the run-down-ness of it Buffalo, in all of it's supposed un-glory.  And what do they ever hear about Buffalo?  That the economy sucks, and that there's crime, and the only weather we have involves seven feet of snow.

Well you know what?  Don't trash it 'til you've lived it.  I love Buffalo.  There, I said it, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Honestly, I can't imagine living anywhere else...  Except for maybe Boston.  I love it there, too, but that's besides the point.

And you know what else?  Every single guy who has played here has loved it here, except for maybe Slava Kozlov and Miro Satan, but who cares about them?  Not this girl.

Anyways, I just really appreciated this article because it truly does say something about a team when they get over 10,000 people standing outside the arena to watch a playoff game, and every single bar or restaurant that has a TV is packed.  And don't forget the house parties that get well over 5,000 people, and sometimes reaching 10,000 to watch away games, or the Party in the Plaza they threw in the middle of winter now two seasons ago, which I think 4,000 freezing fans attended.

This city has spirit.  It may not show in the economy, and it may not show in the scenery on the 33, but take a look at the people who live here.  I cannot go one day without seeing someone wearing a Bills or Sabres shirt, and I cannot even begin to count how many cars have either teams decal, sticker, magnet, flag, or whatever on it.  (My car's blue, and I've got the decal, the license plate frame, and blue, gold, and silver Mardi Gras beads hanging from my mirror.  Check that shit.)

It's pretty amazing that, even realizing how difficult life can be here, it's pretty special that we've got such a great group of guys playing their hearts out, FOR US.  I mean, come on, Brian Effing Campbell was in tears because he didn't want to leave.  Jay McKee, Marty Biron, and countless others still live here.  Scotty Bowman (who works for the Red Wings) and Ron McLean (of Hockey Night In Canada) both live in the area, so it can't be THAT bad.  The Sabres come out, night after night, and perform for us, to give us something to distract ourselves from our mundane lives, to give us something to believe in, and something to hope for.

And I think it speaks volumes when Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville, Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad, Teppo Numminen, Daniel Paille, Thomas Vanek (by default), Jochen Hecht, and the like sign for many years to stay in this area, to play for us.  And they, and those who've left, consistently say that the best fans can be found in this city.

You don't get teams or fans like this anywhere else.  I'd bet my life on it.  And I'd win.

POOR PAUL, and Some Write Believes in the Sabres!!! Sort of...


The Sabres just texted me and told me that Paully, after fighting for Danny's honor, had to have surjury on his thumb and will now be out for about a month.  You know, Paul, I love you, but sometimes, you just need to take out your anger on the country's energy consumption and lack of recycling skills by scoring, not beating this shit out of people, because then you hurt yourself.

Oh, and more cuts have been made.  Read about it all here.

So I've spent the last hour scouring my favorite hockey sites for some decent information to write about, seeing as I probably won't be entering anything until either tomorrow night around 11:45 when I get home from work, or Thursday morning.

I stumbled upon the column of Mr. Adam Porteau over at The Hockey News, where SOMEONE FINALLY THINKS THE SABRES WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!!!  Granted, he puts us at 8th in the East, BUT STILL.

Always-Look-On-The-Bright-Side Adam Says:  The Sabres finished four points out of the 2008 playoffs, thanks in part to a lukewarm showing by goalie Ryan Miller, as well as off-years from Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly, both of whom are playing in the final year of their contracts.  All it should take is a better performance from one or more of those three, plus tighter play from their blueliners, and Buffalo should be back on the playoff scene.

Well, I'm not so sure about his comments about Miller (Adam, I'd like to see you play 72 NHL games, 60 minutes EACH game, and do half as good), but about Max and Tim?  Could not agree more.  Connolly just needs to get his ass off of the bar floor.  More on that later.

Always-Assume-The-Worst Adam Says:  About that defense--not quite the second coming of the 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens, are they?  Also troubling, considering some of the Sabres' more recent salary-related departures, is the prospect of losing another top talent to the annual summer bidding wars.  For that reason, Afinogenov or Connolly could be dealt midway through the year, adding another potentially sorry chapter to a book Buffalonians have grown weary with.

Nothing new here.  I've been saying all this for three years now.  In our two recent deep playoff pushes, our defense has come up lacking purely due to injuries (i.e. Jay McKee in 2006).  But whatever.  Let's just hope Teppo doesn't drop dead on the ice, and Rivet doesn't shoot the puck over the glass to give whoever the go-ahead goal.

And Mr. Sam McCaig of THN predicts this 2008 Sabres' MVP:

Two seasons ago, Maxim Afinogenov burst out of the gates and had people making Pavel Bure comparisons.  Last year... not so much, after he scored just 10 goals in 56 games.  He's no Bure, but Afinogenov is much better than last season's debacle.

Well, Adam, I think you and Sam need to have a little chat, eh?

Now, on the subject of the gross human being, Tim Connolly.  Lovely reader GG informed me this morning of Timmy's bar-hopping-with-a-"sore-back" adventures.  She said he was seen Sunday at the Snooty Fox on Delaware Avenue, slamming shots until 4 am, and at one point, being sprawled out on the bar floor.  Now Tim, if one has a sore back, I've heard it could be helped by sleeping on a dining room table, or on a board, or, in fact, on the floor.  NEVER DID I HEAR THIS RECOMMENDED TO BE ON A BARROOM FLOOR.  Honestly, I don't think Tim has any respect for himself.  I mean, otherwise, how could be do that, and wear shiny shirts out in public if he's not an Elvis impersonator?

Right now I feel like I have to share with all of you one of Tim's flaws in my eyes.  He for some reason, reminds me of an actor that I really cannot stand.  Now, I love Will Farrel's movies, but for some reason, every single character he portrays reminds me of TC.  I don't get it, but I honestly feel like Tim is a party-hard, couldn't give a damn about anything else, frat boy, who has no interest in getting a job, no interest in taking care of himself, and no interest in developing a true relationship.  If someone can say they feel that I am wrong, please, by all means, tell me.  I love to argue, so bring it on.  And even then, he'll still be the typical life-long bachelor.  The guy says the person he admires and would like to meet most is Hugh Hefner.  I mean, can anyone see Timmy getting married?  I can't, that is, not unless it's to one of Hugh's girls.

This topic is just depressing me.  On to much nicer guys, MJ's been informed, so I feel it's okay to pass the news on to you; Mr. Wonderful Mike Ryan is doing quite well, it seems, in Nashville's camp.

And there was a nice article about Sparky-Clarkey in the TBN today.  He's so cute.  Like I said, if he doesn't clear waivers, I'll pretty much die.

Alright, I'm off to school for an anatomy exam which I did not study for.  I'll be okay, though.  In high school, I took Honors Biology, Advanced Placement Biology, and the Anatomy and Physiology elective.  I'm good.  And then it's off to work.  So enjoy your day, as I obviously won't, and oh wait!  To top it off, it's raining.  And there isn't even a Sabres game tonight.  Damn.  At least House is on.  I'll post something tomorrow, maybe...

Monday, September 29

I KNEW IT!!!!!!!


NO ONE can tell me that Tim Connolly isn't hurt anymore, BECAUSE HE IS!

I just KNEW he couldn't last a couple practices without hurting his delicate self.  Now, don't get me wrong; we all should know by now that I am positively in LOVE with Timothy (Michael?) Connolly.  I just think he's positively ridiculous...  Wait, just like me!

But anyways, I woke up at 1:00 pm today, after working from 3:30 pm Sunday afternoon til 7:00 am this morning (yuck)***.  I proceeded to immediately inform the household that no one is to occupy the shower at 2:00 pm because I absolutely NEED a shower before, wait for it, going back to work (double yuck)!  You might ask why would I want to work over 40 hours a week, every week, from now until early November?  Because Kim and I are going on quite possibly the most AMAZING road trip EVER!!!  We're driving from Kenmore all the way up to Mike Ryan's stomping grounds to stay with my Aunt for 5 days, during which we'll be taking in a Sabres/Bruins game, and booking it up to Portland to catch a Pirates game.

BUT BACK TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF:
I picked up the TBN almost immediately after I woke up, and could not stop laughing when I read this:

 Other than Adam Mair, who has missed the entire preseason with a knee injury, Connolly is the only player who didn't play in either weekend home game.  Connolly is nursing a sore back and was held out as a precaution.  Connolly did, however, practice at full speed both Saturday and Sunday, taking part in the session with the roughly 25 players not dressing for the game.  Ruff said he should play this week.  The Sabres return to action with a rematch Wednesday at Minnesota.

Why am I not surprised?  Oh...  Wait.  It's because Timmy is like a balled-up and pocketed tissue in the world of washing machines.  Lindy may as well re-institute the guidelines used last year when Tim sat out the practices and played every other game.  Or just sub him in on the power play, because that is obviously lacking in his absence.

Anywho, the Sabres lost.  Again.  Am I surprised, no.  Am I disappointed, sort of.  Over the years my parents have taught me not to get too attached emotionally to the Sabres.  I wish they really could've prevented me from doing so, because it ABSOLUTELY KILLS ME WHEN THEY LOSE.  But right now it's just the preseason, and the preseason is the preseason for a reason.  And anyways, it's never a sign of things to come.  I mean, a couple of seasons ago we were undefeated in the PS, and Adam Mair was our leading scorer, but we didn't win the cup, and Adam Mair is still roughing it on the fourth line.  Don't get me wrong, I want them to win.  But I'd rather they save their wins for October all the way through June.  I can live with a few loses now.

AND MY POOR DANNY AND PAUL!!!  I'll bet you anything that Dan shows up to practice showing off his big ol' bruise to everyone (and by everyone, I mean Clarke, Timmy K, Drew, and the other little ones), and is now becoming the God of Tough Guys in their eyes.  And how cute was Paul to step in for Adam as the guardian and risking his health in order to protect him???  Cue the big collective AWWWwwwww.  In all seriousness, they need to heal their bruised leg and jammed thumb, and get their asses back ASAP.

And can I just say how much I hate the love/hate relationship I have with shootouts?  I think they're incredibly exciting, I JUST HATE OVERTIME AND SHOOTOUTS.  They're just so...  Oh, I don't know the word, but I hate the fact that we can lose in a heartbeat, but I looooooove it when we win!!!  Like Saturday, it was a beautiful thing.  Last night, I wanted to throw my radio on the floor at work, but I figured that might make a bit too much noise and would wake my residents up.

Okay, well I'm going to go back to work now, so you can all have a nice evening, and I'll be spending my time NOT watching Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill, and instead I'll be earning money to go to Boston!

Oh, and by the way, this is going to seem extra ridiculous, but today is the one year anniversary of Tim Connolly smiling at me, and, looking me in the eye, telling me to "have a good one."  Swoon.  See, I don't get it.  His power over women is completely and entirely inexplicable.

Sunday, September 28

I Missed Derek, But He Made Up For It


Life is now about as normal as it can ever be for me...

To start off Saturday's festivities, I was extremely disappointed because, while Kim and I, along with her beautiful mother Maureen, arrived at the Red Carpet Ceremony admittedly a few minutes late, WE STILL MISSED ALL OF THE GUYS WHO WERE TO PLAY.  That's absolutely ridiculous, because that means I MISSED DEREK ROY.  IN HIS WHITE SUIT!!!!  I was completely devastated.

So, needless to say, if the Sabres say they're going to start an event at 5:00 pm, start at 5:00 pm and not earlier.  You don't tell people to show up for a party at 10 pm and start it at 8.  It just doesn't make any sense.  And we only got there, like, 5 minutes late.  But whatever.

BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE:
TIM CONNOLLY IS ALIVE!!!!
My love has not left me yet!  Not completely, anyways.  He did look about as miserable as ever, though.  But look at my pictures and notice his terribly receeding hairline.  It's actually quite comical because he most definitely had a full head of hair before he went to Switzerland and shaved off his curly locks.  And he didn't even smile; he just had his signature smug, disdained look of boredom on his chipmunk-cheeked face.  Lame.

AND he has a LOOK-A-LIKE!!  Marc-Andre Gragnani has that Tim Connolly look on his face.  Too bad I couldn't get a picture of it.  They must be roommates.  It's the only explanation.  Poor kid.

And Tim Kennedy had another awkward interview!!  The first question Kevin asked him was something along the lines of, "Do you realize that you're the object of envy of every young hockey player in Buffalo?"  Tim didn't even laugh.  He just looked at Kevin all seriously and said, "Yes, I do."  Retard.

Everyone let out a big collective "AWWWW" when newbie Patrick Lalime showed up with a date on each arm, two of his adorable little girls, Liliana and Rosemary, both wearing their dad's jersey.  Seriously, two of the cutest little things I've ever seen.  What a sweetie.

And MJ will be happy to know that Adam Mair showed up, sans wedding ring, so there's no competition with the wifey there.

Despite the set-back of missing half the team, I still saw so many beautiful Sabres, so it was worth it, AND THEN THEY WON!!!

When Vanek took that double minor, I looked at Kim and said, "Goodbye, game," but of course Derek and Paul would pull it off in great fashion.  Honestly, though, I had no voice after the first period thanks to Craig Rivet's fighting skills, which automatically trump those of Andrew Peters, and the countless hits by Mr. Patrick (Andrew?) Kaleta.  I say that because when they announced the Hit of the Game (formerly known as the Carubba Collision), the PA guy said Andrew Kaleta.  Hello!  Do you work for the Sabres?  Do you live in Buffalo?  Get it right.  And while I'm on the topic of people in position to talk about the Sabres messing up, when I got home I flipped on Channel 4 to watch their sports report, and Robyn Adams upset me.  She  mispronounced Rivet, and didn't even mention that we came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the game in a matter of 5 minutes, and not even that Goose tied it up with 5.0 seconds left in regulation.  Idiot.

And I had to laugh because the prospects were all sitting up in the press box, and Kim and I kept looking over after we scored to see their reactions, and saw NOTHING.  No one clapped, even after we tied it up.  They didn't even appear to be smiling.  Only a few clapped after the game ended, but they all peaced out so quickly afterwards...  Jerks.  Way to support the team.

Whatever though.  While I was upset with the Sabres about the whole ceremony thing, I left a very, very, VERY happy girl.  Now I'm just trying to find someone to go with me to the game on the 10th so I can go to the home opener for probably the 10th season in a row.  I just love hockey so much.  I kind of forgot what it was like over this ridiculously long summer.

Except, this broke my heart.  It's the remnants of the Mike Ryan Fanclub.  =[

Let's just hope they keep going like they did yesterday.  Just, stop giving me a heart attack.  Please.  I don't know if I can take 82 games of that.  Actually, I'm not sure if I can take 96 games like yesterday's, if you know what I mean.  And I did not just say that for those of you who are superstitious.  =]

Saturday, September 27

Counting Down...Hours...Minutes...Seconds

So there are under 6 hours left until the start of real hockey's return to Buffalo. So it only made the day about 100 times better when I opened my mailbox this afternoon to find the newest issue of The Hockey News waiting for me.

As usual THN has ranked the top twenty players in terms of position based on their projected performance in the coming season and I have to say it's about time that Buffalo players made the grade. Yay Sabres someone finally appreciates you, not that I don't but oh you know what I mean...no it's okay Danny sorry I made you cry I know how sensitive you are...

None of our defensemen made the list but Ryan Miller was ranked number 8 in goalies, so some good news there. It should come as no surprise as to who was ranked first in left wingers, Alex Ovechkin, but the real surprise came futher down at number 8 who is this? Thomas Vanek? okay so here I am thinking this is good news at least two of our players made the list. Number 1 in centers was none other than Sidney Crosby (seriously I was stunned), but much to my apparently unending surpise Derek Roy was number 16th on that list. Could my eyes be deceiving me THREE of our players? It couldn't be four could it? But there it was in black and white Jason Pominville ranked 8th in right wingers. FOUR PLAYERS finally getting the respect they deserve, hell the SABRES getting the respect they deserve.

I thought my happiness was never ending but there THN goes ruining it. They didn't even predict us to make the playoffs giving us the 11th position in the East, they rank 4 of our players in the top twenty in their positions and they don't even have the decency to give us a playoff spot. What kind of messed up crap is that? I don't know but they are going to get a strongly worded letter detailing my displeasure with them, or I'm just going to think very hard about how much I loathe and despise them (I'm not good with confrontation).

In a special section key departures were listed which included, for Buffalo, DMITRI KALININ, seriously, someone actually misses him, I didn't even realize he was gone. If you miss Kalinin raise your hand, anyone, anyone, Bueller, Bueller, yeah that's what I thought. Please, if you miss him let me know so that Cari and I can point and laugh at you, you'll be our entertainment for the week. I admit I'll miss Steve Bernier but Kalinin now there was a one man train wreck.

And this line in the team report sums up the game of hockey:

Ryan Miller realizes in the grand scheme of things, he and his teammates are just a bunch of big kids playing a little kid's game.

Or in the case of some of our players (Tim Kennedy anyone) little kid's playing a little kids game.

The report included more of the same old same old on Miller, the whole team rests on his shoulders, he has to do better if the team hopes to make the playoffs this year, he played too many games last season, yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah. Thank you Hockey News for telling us here in Buffalo what we already know.

Also in the team report:

...bounce back seasons by Tim Connolly and Maxim Afinogenov will have the Sabres in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Okay first off this was written before Timmy went MIA so this just made me giggle a little because as Cari has previously reported Timmy is either dead or buried under some blond he's screwing and can't seem to manage getting out from under her in time to go to practice. As for Max as much as I love the man, I can't see this being a bounce back season for him, we've heard for so long that he hasn't reached his potential I'm starting to wonder if he even had it to begin with. I think we should finally realize that the guy is a one trick pony who should be taken out behind the barn and shot or in the best case scenario traded.

I guess we'll see what this season has to offer and it all begins tonight.

Friday, September 26

Saturday's Line-Up!


Thanks to TBN's Mr. John Vogl's posting of the roster, I'm an extremely happy girl this evening, and will likewise be tomorrow:


FORWARDS:
Thomas Vanek/Derek Roy/Maxim Afinogenov
Philip Gogulla/Marek Zagrapan/Drew Stafford
Clarke MacArthur/Paul Gaustad/Ales Kotalik
Andrew Peters/Felix Schutz/Patrick Kaleta

DEFENSE:
Toni Lydman/Craig Rivet
Mike Weber/Teppo Numminen
Andrej Sekera/Tyler Myers

Goaltenders:
Ryan Miller
Jhonas Enroth


FURTHERING MY CONCLUSION THAT TIM CONNOLLY IS HURT!!  And I have a feeling Royzie might get the C???  My money's on him, anyways...

I Don't Want To Be The One To Tell Lindy


It's all Kim's fault, so don't blame me, but we missed the first part of practice because she had school.  I totally could've gone by myself for the first hour and a half, but I don't like to do much by myself (I guess I'm the typical flocking girl).  So, sorry Jill, but I missed Ryan and Paul.  I know, it's tragic.  I guess I need to work on my confidence and go somewhere by myself.  But there are other reasons why I didn't go that have to do with a certain someone, but I won't get into that...

Anyways, as far as I'm concerned, Tim Connolly wasn't there.  Again.  So, I still say he's dead.  Or a hologram.  I don't know which is worse.

Speaking of dead, each player was hooked up to a heart-rate monitor, much like the ones Kim and I were forced to use during our senior year gym class.  And they put all of the heart rates up on the Jumbotron.  Now, the thing about these heart-rate monitors is that if the sensor can't pick up your pulse, you appear to be dead (or in this case, non-applicable).  And, at one point, THEY WERE ALL DEAD.  Roy, Vanek, Paetsch, Afinogenov, Lalime, Weber, Mair, Kennedy, Spacek, Tallinder...  All gone.  I would NOT want to be that bearer of bad news to Lindy Ruff if, say, they actually were dead.  I don't think he could be held responsible for what he would, and I think what he would do would be kill me.  So it's really a lose-lose situation for me.

And MJ will be happy to know that the new Beloved-Future-Ex-Husband was taking his babysitting job to the max of seriousness, adopting a new client, Tim Kennedy.

(I wanted to insert the picture of those two standing in line with Clarke, waiting to do a drill, but it won't work.  The caption would've read:  Adam had to keep these two separated.  I wonder who was being bad and beating up the other?  Clarke probably put glue in Tim's helmet or something...  Drew is teaching him to do bad things with paste.)

And HE was smiling, too!!  What is this world coming to?  Tim Connolly, Drew Stafford, AND Adam Mair all smiling?  Within a week?  Something's wrong with the water in Buffalo this year, I think...

Coaching/Leading practice today was James Patrick and the assistant from Portland (Sorry!!  Forgot your name...).  Lindy's absence led Kim and I to wonder if he was finalizing the next set of cuts, and probably the line up for tomorrow's game.  This was kind of confirmed when they were stretching out at the end and Patrick said, "The line-up's up, so check for your name."  That kind of made me envision them all running down the hall to the bulletin board like they do in movies about high school and checking for their name.  And I can just see someone punching a locker for getting cut, or whatever.  I don't doubt that it happens.  But I guess they can all (well, mostly, anyways) pretty much figure out where they'll fall into place.  And like Kim said before, the only guys' status that I'm worried about are Paetsch, Mancari, and MacArthur.

And can I please just tell you all how excited I am to go to tomorrow's game?!?  It was totally a (sort-of) spur of the moment thing, because I was listening to the game Monday on my walkman (which I bought for $10 at Target) at work while pushing some lady around in a wheelchair, and they started talking about the red carpet thing, and I freaked out.  I looked at the girl I work with and was like, "If I make plans for Saturday can you work for me?"  And of course she said yes, so I called up Kim and told her to check for tickets because she's going with her mother and I totally would've gone by myself (for the first time in my life), but luckily I got a seat right behind them because the lady at the arena ticket office was beautiful.  BUT I'M SO EXCITED TO KICK OFF MY PART OF THE HOCKEY SEASON WITH A TORONTO GAME!!!  I just hope my loves play.  I know Myers is playing, but other than that, I have no clue.  Dress Royzie and I'll be content.

Oh, and there are more pictures from today.  And more coming tomorrow night!  =]

Daniel Paille... Is Manly? What?


Yesterday, Kim and I observed that our dear Man-Child seemed a little more manly, and a little less childish.  (That is, if you ignore this
picture.)

And the Buffalo News seems to confirm my story with their own piece on Danny.  It states that Dan beefed himself up this summer, that he can now puff his chest up, and that his shoulders buldge.  I mean, it's kinda hard to be that specific when he's in pads and all, but I'd have to say that John Vogl is right because he was noticeably different, if you get past the fact that he still makes stupid faces for the camera, which lack creativity.  Yeah, Dan, close your eyes and stick out your jaw and make yourself look a little less than mentally capable of playing go fish.  My little cousin can do that and he's 5.  Good ambition.  But I suppose your dreams of playing on the 2nd line with Jochen and Pommers could come true this year.  Just don't usurp the RAV line, which, by the way, was skating together yesterday!!

And in other news, a feel-good story from TBN:  Guardian angels step in to save a life.  Honestly, I love Sabres fans for this reason.  Well, okay, these guys could have been Leafs fans, but whatever.  They saved the guy's life.  And from the standpoint of someone studying medicine in some capacity, I love stories like this.  When my mom was reading this story to me this morning, I was half expecting her to say it was a Sabre that saved him.  Can you imagine Timmy doing CPR on someone?  Because I can't...  That is, unless it's a chick and he's about to get laid.

But if you come to Buffalo you'd better be nice.  I do remember one nice Leafs fan...  Well, he was drunk, so who really knows if he was nice, but for all intensive purposes, he was.  I was about 10 years old, I think, at the HSBC Arena, enjoying yet another Sabres/Leafs game, and this old TO fan was sitting in front of us wearing an old Tim Horton Sabres jersey (I haven't a clue either).  During intermission he went to the Sabres Store and spent well over $200 on merch, and proceeded to hand it all out (mostly hats and pucks) to the kids all around him.  I received a hat, which I believe I still have around here somewhere...

I'll post more about today's practice later.

Thursday, September 25

Will The Real Tim Connolly Please Stand Up??

So Kim and I ventured down to the Sabres' open practice this morning, which I had thought started at 10, but it was really 9, so we unfortunately missed the beginning.

Oh well.

First funny story:  We were talking about all the guys, and saying stupid things like girls do, such as "Ohmygod, he's hot," but we were also constructively talking.  We decided, though, to keep our dignity a little bit intact, we should speak in German, since both of us studied it in school.  Me, being the genius I am, spotted Jochen Hecht about to step off the bench right in front of us (we were sitting in the front row) and said, "Ich liebe dich," which translates to I love you, and HE LOOKED RIGHT AT ME.  How embarrassing.

Paul Gaustad appeared to be anything but himself when he first hit the ice; he looked tired and possibly ill, and carried a bright green drink onto the rink and set it on the boards in front of us.  If anything, it was probably the beverage making him sick, because as soon as he got rid of it, he seemed much more perky and lively.

Ryan Miller was caught yawning.  Sorry practice is so boring for you, Mr. I'm Not A Rock Star.  We'll let you get your beauty sleep now; sorry for keeping you awake.

We had to giggle when Nathan Gerbe skated out because he looked just like an Oompa Loompa in his green practice jersey.  And it was pure genius that he happened to be out there at the same time as 6'7" Tyler Myers.  When they had a little pow-wow with Ruff, Tyler took a knee, and Nate stood, but they were practically the same height.  I swear, if you put Derek Roy out there with him, Derek would look like a giant.

And guess who was conspicuously missing from practice today!!!  Perhaps, the only Sabre to not put on skates today?  Mr. Timothy Connolly.  Now, this just fits into my theory that Timmy is not a real person, because no one ever sees him, so I've come to the conclusion that he is a figment of Buffalo's imagination.  Anyways, has anyone heard if this person, who happened to be the captain Tuesday night, is hurt? or otherwise maligned? or is healthy and is just a bum?  Because if you know, you'd best share that information with me, because I'm dying to know.  Just dying.  And I love Tim, so I need to have knowledge of his safety.  Because if he's hurt (which actually wouldn't surprise me), I'd cry.

Anyways, we're going to the practice again tomorrow, but for now, enjoy the sights from today.  And we've got the Red Carpet ceremony on Saturday covered as well.  =]

Wednesday, September 24

Sabres Preseason Woes

So the Sabres have lost their first preseason games...so what? It's not actually real hockey season so it frustrates me to no end that people keep saying that this season is going to end up like the last. Get a clue people, the team that is playing now is the not the team that is going to start the season. That's why it's called the preseason, it's a chance for the coaches to see who works well together and to get a feel for the new guys.

So anyway, something that I found extremely funny last night while listening to the game was the fact that Jeanerette decided to announce that they had a moose alarm on the bus that took the players from the airport to Roberval, Quebec.

A MOOSE ALARM!!!!!

How hilarious is that? Because we all know that the moose sit on the side of the road just waiting for a big ol' bus to come rolling down the street, saying "hey guys let's see if this one has an alarm...Aw man it does that's no fun, lets wait for another one."

Monday, September 22

Purely by chance...

So today after I vacated the wonderful institution that is school Cari picked me up and we made our way over to the Arena where Cari ordered two new jerseys for herself and a friend who lives near New York City. She was dismayed to learn that the new jerseys wouldn't be coming in until December, how convenient just in time for Christmas or the holiday of your choosing whatever that may be. Because I'm, as of the moment, broke I'm going to wait to get one until my funds allow me to.

After perusing the Sabres Store for half an hour I gave blood at the blood drive the Sabres were holding at the Arena and for almost passing out and for my trouble I was awarded a microfiber Sabres' blanket that Cari promptly told me she wanted to steal.

The whole point of this story, however, is that after when we were driving out of the parking ramp at the Arena we drove around the back of the building because we were curious as to who was there. While driving behind the Arena, there's a parking lot where all the players park, we witnessed Derek Roy walking to his rather ugly auto. Which led both Cari and me to believe that he's not playing in tonight's preseason game or else he probably would have already been in Toronto.

And while I was answering all types of personal questions, no I've never had sex with a prostitute or taken money for sex, Cari was investigating sounds that sounded suspiciously like skates and sticks and hockey pucks ringing off cross bars on the ice. She was pleased to discover that there actually were players on the ice but no one we recognized, although Cari did say one of them was hot.

Oh and as we left Larry Playfair was walking out of the building with a pair of skates in hand.

Saturday, September 20

Sadness

So after spending the last hour talking to Cari on the phone because we haven't seen each other in 2 days, seriously I don't know how I survive without her, we read something that depressed us both. According to LetsGoSabres.com if Mark Mancari and Clarke MacArthur don't make the team out of training camp we could be bidding them both a long farewell as they would have to clear waivers in order to be sent back to Portland. This is also true for Nathan Paetsch if he loses his spot on the blueline to Mike Weber he would have to clear waivers also.

After learning this information we then proceeded to talk to each other like we were five years old and our favorite pet had just died. Which speaking of pets I feel the need to mention that Cari named her first three fish who died after, you guessed it, these three . I'm noticing a disturbing trend here. Cari, no more naming your fish after hockey players anymore...

The aforemention fish were named Mr. Muscles, Sparky and Mohawk because Cari couldn't just give them normal names. Instead she decided to use the affectionate nicknames for the aforementioned player. So children now comes story time...

If any of you watched the AHL All-Stars Skills Competition you probably have noticed that Mark broke an AHL record for fastest slapshot at 102.8mph. In the interview that followed this feat of strength the interviewer decided to refer to Mark as Mr. Muscles and Cari being Cari decided to henceforth refer to Mark as such. So Cari once again being Cari named her first fish Mr. Muscles.

The name Sparky which refers to Clarke MacArthur comes from the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation which Cari decided to watch before partaking in a Sabres game. In a stroke of genius when Clarke was mentioned Cari thought of Ellen's nickname for Clark in the movie, Sparky, and now refers to Clarke as such, which she once again decided to name her fish.

Mohawk is Nathan Paetsch because for a short period of time Nathan could be seen sporting a mohawk which made Cari love him even more so she just HAD to name her last fish Mohawk. FYI: Derek Roy has been sporting a fauxhawk hence one of the reason why Cari has a SMALL obsession with him.

So now you know something about our pathetic lives which we spend making up equally pathetic nicknames for our favorite players:

  • Maxim Afinogenov is Maxi when he's doing good, and Maxi Pad when he's doing bad.
  • Tim Connolly we refer to as Timmy-Ho because he's a confirmed man-whore or T-Con.
  • Paul Gaustad is Goose for more obvious reasons.
  • Jochen Hecht is Yoyo.
  • Patrick Lalime and Craig Rivet are both Newbie.
  • Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder together are known as Nickel and Dime, apart we don't have a nickname for Lydman but Henrik is Hank the Tank.
  • Adam Mair is The Pacifier because he has to make sure the 'little ones' stay in line.
  • Ryan Miller we just call Ryan because we're suddenly on a first name basis.
  • Daniel Paille is the Man Child (thanks MJ) because he looks like he's 12.
  • Andrew Peters is Twinkle Toes because he seems to like to dance during fights instead of actually hitting something.
  • Jason Pominville is refered to as JT because he bears a scary resemblance, when sporting his aviator sunglasses, to Justin Timberlake.
  • Derek Roy is Shawty for obvious reasons.
  • Andrej Sekera is Reggie because that's what the rest of the team calls him.
  • Jaroslav Spacek is the Caveman because I think we'd all be afraid to trust him around small animals and children for fear he'd eat them.
  • Drew Stafford is Rockstar because he's in a band.
  • Thomas Vanek is Tommy because for some reason we think it's cute.

So as you can see we neither have lives nor want them deal with it.

Friday, September 19

Training Camp Worries


So while the Sabres were at the Pepsi Center or the arena until late afternoon, and then I presume a bunch went out to celebrate Pommer's extention, Kim and I were at my house starting production of our 2008-09 homemade Sabres shirts.  (BTW, if anyone wants one, let me know.  I actually got complements on the Amerks ones I made last year buy a woman who worked in their merch store.  I'll put pictures up.)

But then I was thinking, honestly, if you go out and get trashed the night before you're supposed to report for your yearly physicals, I don't think that would turn out too well.  I mean, seriously, who likes having a physical done anyways?  Drinking might make you a little bit more loose, but then you run the possibility of throwing up, or getting a migrane, both of which present as symptoms of a concussion.  So boys, let's not end up like Timmy C and end up sitting out the entire season.  And if you do have a concussion, don't be stupid and lie about it like Drew did.  Please?  Because as much as I hate to see my guys sidelined and in the press box, I'd rather have them there than in a pine box, which is where you'd probably end up if you got checked by, oh, let's say Pat Kaleta.


This is what happens to you when you get concussions.
You make stupid decisions in regards to your appearance,
yet you still get an ample amount of ass.  Go figure.


In other news, I think we've got a few too many players...  I'm kind of hoping that youngins like Clarke MacArthur (who I affectionately call Sparky), Pat Kaleta, Mark Mancari, and Andrej Sekera give a good push for the team, but so many roster spots are filled by my loves, it makes it so difficult for me to comprehend that my boys like Nathan Paetsch and Tim Connolly are sort of on the bubble this year.  Well, I suppose we'll see in a couple weeks whether or not my loves will be in Buffalo or Portland.

Exciting news and all that jazz

So as most of you probably already know, unless you've been living under a rock since yesterday and you haven't read the previous post. The Buffalo Sabres have signed Jason Pominville to a 5 year contract worth a reported 26.5 million dollars. That's right folks a 5 year contract, which will keep him in Buffalo to the 2013-2014. Not bad for a team that 2 years ago let two of our biggest players walk without so much as a "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

So what has been accomplished this off season according to the Buffalo News let us recap:

  • Ryan Miller was signed to a 5 year contract worth 31.25 million dollars.
  • We finally have a dependable (that has yet to be seen) backup goalie with Patrick Lalime.
  • We got Craig Rivet who is supposed to add some much needed aggressiveness to the blue line.
  • And because we seem to like shorter players here in Buffalo we finally got some height with 8 players selected averaging 6-foot-2.
So overall it hasn't been a bad off season, much better than last, and definitely, infinitely better than the disaster two years ago.

Speaking of tall new players an article in the paper this morning said that when he reported to training camp Tyler Myers the 6-foot-7 giant drafted this summer had gained 15 pounds, which seems like a lot but considering how tall he is he only weighs 215. I'm sure during games of hide and seek the newbies are playing at the Hyatt all he has to do is turn sideways to have the perfect hiding spot.
Nathan Gerbe: Has anyone seen Tyler??? I've been looking for him for like an hour.

While Tyler's weight might be an issue, in all other aspects of the game trainers and coaches alike had nothing but good things to say about him. Even Bucky Gleason, who at times I wonder if he has a nice bone in his body, said nothing to put down our gentle giant.

WE GET TO KEEP PLAYERS!!!!! YAY!!!!

  • Miller, Pominville and Vanek for 6 years
  • Roy for 5 years
  • Hecht and Gaustad for 4 years
  • Rivet for 3 years
  • And of course Paille, Stafford, Weber and Sekera are all sure to have long term contracts in their futures.
I have to say I think that I'm more excited for this season to start than any other season, because there's no uncertainty left, everyone who deserves to stay is staying and we don't have to worry about the dreaded words Free Agency.

Thursday, September 18

Pominville!!!! and Ladies, Start Your Engines!!

BREAKING NEWS!!!  JASON POMINVILLE HAS SIGNED A 5-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION!!!
Yay!  That means I get to stare at my favorite Justin Timberlake look-a-like way past my 21st birthday...  =]

So on this beautiful, albeit a bit chilly, September morning, I should have been attending classes at Erie Community College, and Kim should have been cozy in her Tonawanda home, studying.  BUT, since TRAINING CAMP IS MERELY HOURS AWAY, we could not resist the temptation to see our guys before The System starts to work them over.

At 8 am, we started our adventure.  Now, we weren't quite sure what to expect, because we weren't too sure that they would show up, seeing as it's technically their last day of vacation until at least April, but hopefully June.

But...  Here's what we did encounter:

8:20 am : A white Cadillac Escalade pulls into the parking lot.  No one exited.  About 15 minutes went by with no activity.  We did notice, though, that the truck had a California license plate, so by default, we determined that the mystery man inside was none other than new-comer Craig Rivet.  At this point, he backed his truck up and proceeded to talk on the phone and drive to the other end of the lot, where he put the truck in park.  Here's what we assume he was saying to the person on the other line, who we decided was one Derek Roy:

Craig:  Dude, where are you?  Is anybody coming today?
Derek:  Um...  Yeah, dude.  What are you talking about?
Craig:  Well no one's here yet.  Don't you guys know that I have no idea where the hell I am?  I've only been in Buffalo for three weeks, you know.
Derek:  Yeah, Craig, we know.  We're coming, man, don't get your panties in a bunch.
Craig:  This just better not be some kind of joke or trick that you play on the newbies.  'Cause if it is, it'll be your panties that are in a bunch.
Derek:  Whatever dude.

8:45 am : Whilst poor little lost Craig Rivet is chatting furiously with Royzie, he is ignorant to the fact that Jason Pominville just drove right by him in a silver Expedition, blaring the Jonas Brothers, and thinking he's all hot in his aviator sunglasses (we're not 100% sure that he was listening to the Jonas Brothers, but admit it, it's not a far-fetched idea).

9:10 am : A wacky little bird scuttles across the parking lot, chirping.  Apparently he was as excited as we were.

9:20 am : Jochen Hecht arrives in a white BMW, but is apparently too cool to get there so early, so he stays in his car for a while.

9:25 am : An older model black Cadillac pulls up.  A tall, dark, and handsome man gets out, but his back is to us, so we are yet left to wonder as to his identity.  That, though, is revealed when Mr. Patrick Lalime pulls out his brand-spankin-new bright blue goalie mask.

9:30 am : Henrik Tallinder apparently didn't know what the weather was going to be like today, as he exited his BMW wearing a sweatshirt with shorts and flip flops.  Also arriving at this time was Paul Gaustad, dressed similarly, but driving an older model Mercury Mountaineer (I have to say, I was quite surprised he wasn't in some little, economical hybrid).  Ryan Miller appears to double as Mary Poppins, considering that he can fit all of his goalie equipment into a sporty little BMW, and Toni Lydman arrived in a black Audi.  A black Equinox or Torrent

9:35 am : Goaltending coach Jim Corsi arrived, Tim Horton's in hand.  Adam Mair pulled up in a white Lexus ISF (SOOOO JEALOUS.  Adam, I'm stealing your car.), and a mystery Sabre, who we are guessing is Ales Kotalik came in a silver Mercedes.

9:40 am : At this point in time, a black Lamborghini parks across from us.  Who on the Sabres could possibly afford a Lamborghini besides Thomas Vanek?  No one.  He carried in an armful of colorful jerseys.

9:45 am : Almost hitting my car, Drew Stafford literally flies into the parking lot in a black Suburban with a Minnesota plate.  About the same time, Derek Roy, chauffeuring Daniel Paille and Adam Dennis, arrive in his boxy Mercedes SUV, which is very stupid-looking.  Immediately, all three gentlemen jump out of the truck and literally run over to Tommy's car, and proceed to gawk at it for a few moments, like kids at FAO Schwartz.

9:50 am : Teppo Numminen arrives, looking better than ever, and pulls his gear out of a gold Mercedes SUV whilst chatting on the phone.

10:00 am : An unidentified Sabre arrived now, in a black BMW SUV.  We couldn't figure out who it was, but he was skinny.  And because he didn't appear at any other time, we assume this was Nathan Paetsch.

10:05 am : Trying very unsuccessfully to be fashionably late were Maxim Afinogenov (looking like a big, hot mess), Andrew Peters (in short shorts), and Jaroslav Spacek (in a lime green polo), driving black cars, a BMW, an Acura, and a BMW, respectively.  I guess it's better late than never.

10:45 am : Another unidentified Sabre arrives in a white Range Rover, after we left.  I can only hope it was Tim Connolly.  I have yet to see him outside of a Sabres event in person in so long.  I don't think Tim Connolly actually exists anymore...

We took pictures of them all for you to see...  We're not so mean as to keep them all to ourselves.  Just I get Derek, and Kim gets Paul.  The rest are fair game.

So that was our morning.  I was glad to see that the Buffalo News had an article about one of my favorite minor-leaguers, Mark Mancari.  I really hope he gets a chance to show off his game in the NHL.  After going to a few Amerks games last year, he's truly quite a presence on the ice, and a leader for that young team.

And I seriously cannot wait until tomorrow.  Like, this is honestly the most excited about a hockey season that I have ever been, and that, my friends, is saying something.

AHHHHH!

SIGHTING:  Basically, the whole Sabres team.  Kim and I camped out at the Pepsi Center for breakfast this morning, and have the photographic evidence to prove it.

More coming later this afternoon...

Wednesday, September 17

Summer vacations, rooming with Royzie, and Invisible Children

When I opened my mailbox Tuesday evening, I was excited to find my new issue of The Hockey News, for some unknown reason...  Oh, wait, TRAINING CAMP STARTS FRIDAAAAYYYY!!  Anyways, the individual team reports were focused on the summer vacations of players, coaches, whomever.  Let us read:

Atlanta:  "Garnet Exelby ate black ink octopus risotto and he's got the photo to prove it."
My question?  Who the hell cares?

Boston:  "...[Zdeno] Chara traveled to Africa this summer, visiting Mozambique before hiking 18,650 feet up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania." 
My question?  Why would you subject yourself to such torture?  I mean, come on, you're already practically that tall, but go for it man.  All the more power to ya.

Buffalo:  "The Sabres coach [Lindy Ruff] got a chance to caddy on the PGA tour for longtime friend and golf professional Dudley Hart."
My question?  Did he get paid?  And did he supply Dudley with a Happy Gilmour-esque putter, much like Derek Roy used recently?  (I would post the picture, but I can't find it)

Dallas:  "Sean Avery spent hours pondering the outfit he would wear to his Dallas Stars introduction press conference in August and settled on an unstructured suit of madras plaid with short pants and red leather dress shoes."


My question?  Yes, I will admit that I am envious of him because he had an internship with Men's Vogue magazine, but what the hell did he do to deserve this internship, and how the hell can someone like him still play hockey when he admitted that he doesn't really watch any other sport or ANY OTHER HOCKEY GAME???  Nothing, and I have no idea.  Is he ridiculous?  Borderline homosexual?  I definitely think so.

Florida:  "[Tanner] Glass was afforded a rare opportunity of a different sort when he visited his girlfriend in eastern Africa, where she was working as a nurse for an HIV/AIDS awareness organization called Project Soccer."
My question?  Okay, so I know Kim and I used to make fun of you when we went to Amerks games because you're actually really good looking, but you have terrible hands, but who the hell knew you were such a sweetheart?  Major props because your girlfriend is a good person.

St. Louis:  "[Cam] Janssen and his friends that the boat to the Meramec and Mississippi rivers in Missouri.  They often go exploring in the woods.  'One time, we found a cave,' Janssen said.  'There was a sleeping bag in there and a fire still burning.  We found the guy on a sandbar.  He looked like Charles Manson.  We asked him if he was alright and he just walked back into the woods."
My question?  If he looks like Charles Manson, and he's living in some remote cave in a wooded area off of a large river, WHY THE HELL DID YOU TALK TO HIM AND PRACTICALLY INVITE HIM ONTO YOUR BOAT?!?  Are you absolutely insane?  You're just asking to end up the victim of a serial killer.

San Jose:  "In August, [Jeremy] Roenick bolstered his acting resume with a role in Leverage, a new TNT TV series...  Roenick said he has friends in the industry, one of whom 'casts me in as many things as he can because he wants me to be an actor when I'm done playing hockey."
My question?  Am I being a bit far-fetched when I go out on a limb and say I don't think JR will have too great of a career in acting?  I'm not too sure, so I guess I'll have to watch Leverage.

Those were the highlights.  There were a lot of weddings mentioned, but no one of great importance or interest.  Vinny Lecavalier rehabed, as did many others (no riding camels for him this off-season), and there were a lot of baseball-related activities.  Mark Bell served his community service by picking up garbage and doing landscaping.  Meanwhile, I had a relatively uneventful summer; I didn't go anywhere further than Rochester or Toronto, and didn't really do anything fun, unless work falls under that category, and last time I checked, it definitely did not.

And there was a small interview with Drew Stafford; in it he mentioned that he has roomed with Clarke MacArthur and Daniel Paille, who, by the way, are both "great, but Derek Roy?  It was all about him."  Damn straight, it's all about him.  And can I just say how envious I am of Drew???  Well, I'm about as envious as one can get, times infinity.  And then he had to throw in a shameless plug for Invisible Children's CD (WHICH IS FINALLY OUT!), called "Pralien."  He considers it the best album of all time.  Click here for more info.

SIGHTING!!!  Mike Comrie (gag) and Hilary Duff were spotted at the Yankees/White Sox game last night, looking all (and by all, I mean not at all) cute.

And there was something else, but in my furious studies of sociology, anatomy, and nutrition, I seem to only be able to think of medical ailments.  How depressing, considering that fact that I don't think I mentioned training camp, WHICH STARTS FRIDAY!!  Oh, wait, my bad.  That was the first thing I said.  I just wanted to be sure you didn't forget.  =]

Tuesday, September 16

Stranger Things Have Happened

So this is probably going to happen a lot, my partner in crime (aka Cari) will post and then I will post either before or after her depending on the day. But anywho I figured since I had some free time I would post today.

Okay so I feel in love with hockey when I was about 7 my first game was, like Cari's, in the oranges of the Aud. Which by the way looks like complete and absolute crap because they're taking all the gold paneling off the outside of the building in preparation for the inevitable tear down. As Cari and I were discussing yesterday when we drove by it, it makes us both incredibly sad to see such a piece of Sabres' history being reduced to a Bass Pro Shop. A BASS PRO SHOP are you kidding me!!!!

But I digre
ss. I totally and completely blame my mother for my Sabres obsession and she is both pleased and proud to take the blame. She, however, blames Cari for the depth to which my obsession has sunk. Cari is the milk to my oreos, the banana to my split, the pot to my kettle, the peanut butter to my jelly , etc... you get where I'm going here.

So anyway back to story time.

My cousin Kathy got married this weekend in Connecticut and while at the wedding I met my cousin Jen's boyfriend Adam who upon hearing that I was a Buffalo girl promptly decided to piss me off by declaring "Sabres Suck." To which I probably would have punched him had my cousin not grabbed my arm before I could get the shot off.

However, he endeared himself to me, after telling me that his favorite team was Pittsburgh (haha), by admitting he thinks that the Sabres have the best goalie
in the NHL so I picked my jaw up off the floor, because someone outside Buffalo finally realizes that the Sabres have an amazing goalie, and spent the rest of the night arguing with him about how I think Sabretooth is a much better mascot than Iceburg (because he is), seriously we almost came to blows.
Who wouldn't love that face?

Sticks are meant to be on the ice, not in the seats.

Take a gander at this.

I'm all for second chances, but I think this is a bit extreme.  If it were enough to punish him for intentionally throwing his stick--into the crowd where, hey!, there are fans sitting and watching hockey--by suspending him for life from the ECHL, I'm not so sure that he should be back.  I'm sure that was a heat of the moment thing, but then again, Chris Simon, Chris Simon (twice, I know), and Chris Pronger would know a thing about that.

This story makes me think of a Buffalo/Toronto game I attended when I was a kid; I forget what happened, but somehow Wendyl Clark's stick ended up in about the fifth row in the stands.  He was being a whiney bitch about it, and eventually demanded that the fan who caught it throw it back to him.  When this happened, apparently Matt Barnaby was outraged.  He, sitting on the Buffalo bench, got up and grabbed one of his own sticks, skated across the ice, and tossed that one to the fan.  That's Class (notice, with a capital C).

Now, on a completely different subject, Kim and I were picking up a few things at the Amherst Street Wegmans yesterday evening, when walking by the beer section we pass this guy who I absolutely SWORE was Paul Gaustad.  It wasn't, unfortunately, but it had to have been his evil twin.  He looked just like Paul did with his playoff beard, but we figured it probably wasn't him before we passed again because, despite his similar height, he was hunched over a bit, carrying crappy beer, and was wearing Tommy Hilfiger khakis (I just think Paul would have a better label on his environmentally-friendly self).

Monday, September 15

They finally did something right...

I'm so excited about this...

The broadcast team this year definitely has more potential, now.  Not that I don't like Rob Ray, but I was sick of hearing him say the same things, night after night, especially when he defended the Sabres after a terrible game.  While I liked having a recent-former-player doing commentary, I don't think a fighter is the one to have; if the Sabres were angling for that, then I feel they should've gone with a guy more along the lines of...  Oh, I don't know, but somebody who was a better all-around player than Ray.  I'm all for team spirit, but Rob needs to listen to Robitaille once in a while.  Hopefully Maria Genero will help me out and give me something other than repetitive interviews about The System, and lighten the mood up a little bit.

And Rick Jeanneret???  Hell Yes!!  This man is a God Among Men, and I could not be happier that he's sticking around a couple more years.  I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when he retires...

But I'm not so sure I like Nathan Paetsch being the odd man out of the defense core this season, as impressed as I was with Andrej Sekera's performance last year.

In other news, Drew and Ryan busted out the guitar and drum sticks this weekend at the Music Is Art festival.  I had to work so I missed them yet again, but all I can say is that Ryan Miller has no stage presence.  It's a good thing he's a damn good goalie, because (whether or not he's a good musician) I wouldn't enjoy a concert from a band that had his presence.  Only the stage presence, that is.  I'd just stare at him, and enjoy that.



Sunday, September 14

It's hockey season, bitches!!

So I've wanted to start a Sabres blog for a really long time now, especially since I read My Safety is Harvard and Sabretooth's House pretty much everyday.  And I figured, what better time than he start of the new season?

I tend to be a bit psychotic when it comes to the Sabres, but that's only because I consider my life to have two seasons:  summer and hockey, which is basically all there is in Buffalo.  Therefore, I pretty much spend my free time during the winter doing everything I can to find some bit of new information about the Sabes, or some ridiculous picture of at least one of them, or trying to find at least one of them while around town (I don't have that much free time, though).

Inspired a bit by Gossip Girl (I can't lie), I don't want to be a stalker, but I think it's beneficial to know where our favorite guys of fall, winter, and spring hang out when they're not on the ice, and maybe get to know them a little, so that if we do happen to strike up a conversation with them, it's not going to be about Jason's System or Tommy's contract he may or may not deserve, but it could be about more than Derek's terrible clothes, Paul's green endeavors, or Tim's sex life.  Hence, I'm employing all of you to send me anything you know about the Sabres' whereabouts (barring anything too personal), including in-the-moment-sighting-cell-phone-picture tips.  Those are the best.  =]  And they can go to ckmisener@gmail.com.

And of course I'll actually talk hockey on here.  I'm not some girl who only watches hockey for the hot guys, and I didn't get into hockey because my boyfriend likes hockey, and I'm not a huge Sabres fanatic just because all of Buffalo became fans when they made the playoff runs a few years ago.  I have to defend myself a little bit, because no one seems to believe that I actually like hockey.  They're right.  I don't like hockey; I love hockey.  I've been going to Sabres games since I was about 4 years old, sitting in one of the top rows in the Orange at the Aud.  Yuck.  But whatever.  I rarely miss a game, and if I do, I have everyone I know keeping me updated.  So the hot guys are just a welcomed bonus.

But let's just say that I'm so excited for this season...