Sabre Chaser

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T13:34:00.004-05:00

So it's been awhile since either of us posted on here, so I figured as a Christmas present to you all I would start off what remains of the holiday season on the right foot.

First off the game last night blew like gale force winds, it was just awful. I was trying to finish a Christmas present for my brother, so I was mercifully spared the pain of focusing completely on that train wreck of a game.

Sabres this was you last night, the train looks like it's lying down and playing dead, kind of like you. Now if only the horse was a valiant white stead complete with a knight in shining armor come to save us from the drudgery of a poorly played game.

Now that Christmas Eve is here it's time to tell you what I want (just in case you're looking for any last minute gifts).

Paul Gaustad with a big ribbon on his head. (or I'll settle for him making the USA Olympic Team)
Ryan Miller to shut out every team for the rest of the year (or for him to stay healthy)
Jarkko Ruutu to have his ass handed to him by Kaleta or Gaustad on Saturday. (Or I'll just settle for Kaleta playing in the game).
Some fantastic trade that will rid us of all the dead weight that's been dragging down our team all season. (coughSekeracough, coughConnollycough, coughHechtcough, coughRoycough)
World Peace (or for those who can't be with their families this holiday season to know that they are loved and missed and always thought of).

And finally to all you readers I hope that you have a great holiday season filled with the love and happiness that you and your families deserve.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

OH, HEY...

2009-11-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

So, I'm a little slow this season...

Did I comment on training camp at all? NO. Did I attend just about every single training camp practice? YES.

Did I have anything to say about the preseason? NO. Did I go to both preseason games that took place in HSBC Arena? YES.

Did I critique the clothing choices of our boys on the Red Carpet? NO. Did I attend said event, camera in hand, firmly planted at the edge of the carpet? YES.

Have I said anything at all about the season thus far? NO. Have I seen every single Sabres game thus far? YES.

Basically, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

Since I've already missed so much, as far as SC is concerned, I'm just going to jump right in and pretend that I've been blogging all along. Is that okay with you? Well, it had better be. I have a list of things to address.

First of all, Daniel Paille.

(Insert a rant from yours truly, because I had a few long, strongly worded yet deeply emotional paragraphs written, and then Safari decided to quit on me without Blogger having saved said writing.)

My dear friend Kelsey and I were in Pittsburgh for the Pens/Blues game when we got the news. And let me tell you, I FREAKED. We were eating dinner at a pizza place downtown when he heard about Stafford's tweet, and I was frantically trying to find out who was no longer a Sabre for TWO HOURS until we were sitting in our seats in the Igloo when Kim had the decency to call me and enlighten me.

My initial reaction? "NO! They can't trade Pie! He just got married! Now I can't run into Dan and Dana at Wegmans." :(

But really, I'm happy for Danny. He deserved to play night in and night out, and that wasn't happening here. So for that reason, I approve of the trade. Otherwise, I'm pissed that he went to a division rival, and livid that we received next to nothing for him. I don't know how to feel about this, Darcy...

Moving on.

Next up, Derek Roy.

Do I really have to dust off the wheels of the Bench-Derek-Roy-Bandwagon already? WE HAVEN'T BEEN PLAYING FOR A MONTH YET, D. I shouldn't be this mad at you already. I mean, 8 assists in 11 games isn't much to sneeze at, but really? NO GOALS?!?!? Come on, Princess. Kyle expects better from you.

And I will bring back the bandwagon if you don't have a goal before Game 15. In full-force. Yes, Derek... That's a promise AND a threat.

Thirdly, Patrick Kaleta.

Who lit a fire under his ass?! I mean, seriously! For a hot minute there, the kid was at the top of our score sheet! Don't get me wrong; I love every bit of it! But Patty K! I didn't make a ridiculous trade to get you on my fantasy team for you to stop hitting people so much. Your numbers in that column are so pedestrian. Step it up a little bit, babe. Please. Otherwise, keep up the fabulous work!

Oh boy, oh boy... Who's next? OH! Tyler Freaking Myers!

This "mammoth" never ceases to bring a smile to my face! Whether it's his spectacular manners (momma raised the boy right!) , or how impressed I am with his play, I'm beyond glad that the Sabres decided to keep him.

Timmy needs to be taught some manners, you know?

Now, Mike Grier.

I honestly believe that Mike Grier was the majority of the spark behind the teams that almost went all the way back in 2006 and 2007. The visible heart in the Sabres' game is so much different that anything we have seen the past two years, and it all came as soon as Grier was back in the locker room.

Look at the way Briere exploded when he came to Buffalo. Notice how Clarke MacArthur is coming around? Maybe it's just a coincidence, maybe it's not. I'm thinking the latter.

Imagine how we could be if we had Chris Drury still... But! I'm not going there...

Lastly, Jason Pominville.

Yes, yes, I'm glad his game appears to be returning to what it was the season before last, when he played well, but that's not what I want to talk about at all.

BABY POMMER!!! So the baby was born over the weekend, and that's all we know. Believe me, I fully intend on using my connections at the different area hospitals and cashing in favors to have my friends sneak up to the nurseries and look for Pommer and Kim's adorable spawn. (Not really, of course, but I'm tempted.)

Seriously though, I would probably have to kill myself if they ever dress that baby in a little sailor outfit, because the kid is most likely just too cute naked. That would just be overkill.

I think that's about all I had wanted to discuss... You know, the finer points of the first month of the season that normally I'd have rambled on and on about.

All we can do is hope that the Sabres can roll with the punches and stay atop the division. The way they bounce back Wednesday will show a lot, especially since we play the same Islanders team that threw us out of the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday. Hopefully, since Kaleta and Gaustad should be back, there'll be a little more attitude on the Sabres' bench.

I'VE MISSED MAKING FUN OF DEREK ROY

2009-08-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

So, as you can tell, I (meaning we, of course) moved back. Well, technically *I* never moved, I just moved SC. But you get the gist.

This summer has been pretty crummy by Buffalo standards thus far, hasn't it? I mean, weather-wise. Well, my summer hasn't been exactly crummy, just laid-back. Which is alright. A couple concerts here and there, some fireworks, some shopping, a lot of lunch dates, and the usual work. Throw in the wedding of one of my very good friends, a few barbecues and a couple parties, and you've got my summer.

Anyways, I feel like I'm at the point in the season where my missing hockey has hit its peak. Don't get me wrong; I've missed it a lot all along, but I think I'm starting to miss it most right now. Probably, in large part, because I'm starting to integrate the schedules into my life, map them out, and decide what home games of the Sabres I absolutely must go to, what ones I would like to go to, what road games are potentially on the radar, and, of course, I want to make a trip to Chicago this year as well. (I started drafting this post almost a month ago, and since then have planned my trip to Chicago! I'm spending my 21st Birthday with the Blackhawks! Anyways...) It doesn't hurt that all I talk about (still) is hockey, and I've seen enough of Patrick Kane to (almost) get my hockey player (in the Blackhawks sense, at least) fix this summer. Although, I still haven't seen any Sabres of particular interest.

Wait, that's a lie.

As I mentioned, my friend got married in June. I did see Derek on my drive to the wedding. His car isn't hard to miss, even if we were driving in opposite directions on the 190 along the Niagara River.

That's about it, though, besides a Craigory sighting here and there. Pat Kaleta did follow Clare and I around the parking lot at the Galleria the other day, and I almost ran over Adam Mair while Patty was following me. I've never seen anyone walk more slowly across a parking lot before. No others, unfortunately.

But while I'm telling you about my summer, and how I saw our favorite chunky monkey, let's take a look at what he has been up to this summer, shall we?

Oh! We shall! (I should tell you that some crazy, crazy girl sent these lovely pictures to me, claiming to be Derek's girlfriend. She also asked me to ask him why it is that he never returns his calls... Could it be because you steal private(?) pictures of himself and his friends and family off of their Facebook accounts? Hahaa... Actually, a lovely, lovely friend did the detective work, and I owe her my life! But, as usual, I don't reveal my sources, like any good reporter.)

First, a while back, Derek did one of those Q&A's on the Sabres website, and in it said that he spends a good part of his summer at his new lake house, up in Muskoka. (Don't mind me: Dearest Derek, Honey, please, just let me marry you, if only to act as your beard. Your house is beautiful. I don't even need to live in the "cottage;" just give me the keys to the boat house and I'll be just fine. Love always, Cari.)

And so, without further ado (and I'll let the pictures speak for themselves)...

(Oh, and I wasn't lying when I referred to him as my favorite chunky monkey...)

So these are mostly of Derek, his brother, and Kyle... Actually, I can't remember if Kyle is in these pictures... I can't look at them while I'm writing, and I'm too lazy to go to my desktop and figure out which had them in them. Oh, wait, he is in at least one of them...

Anyways, now that school starts for me on Wednesday, and my schedule is comprised completely of internet courses this semester, I'm going to be spending A LOT of time on my MacBook, so I think it would be safe to assume that SC will be updated quite frequently, if nothing else but to serve as a distraction and means of procrastination. Yesss, my favorite things!!

Now I will bid you adieu, and hope that either your last couple days of Summer Vacation or one of your first few days back to school are just peachy.

Oh, Derek says "bye" too! xoxo

WE'VE MOVED

2009-03-17T14:54:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned, we've headed over to WordPress!

Read our latest posts here: http://sabrechaser.wordpress.com

PLEASE EXCUSE OUR MESS

2009-03-17T06:33:00.002-04:00

I've been considering moving the blog over to WordPress for a while now, but I just never said anything to Kim, because I figured she was comfortable on Blogger and wouldn't want to move.

I should've mentioned it earlier.

WordPress is just so much cuter, with their variety of fancy layouts and all.

So while I'm in the process of getting that whole mess straightened out, I'm not going to be posting. Kim may, but I won't. It's really frustrating me to no end trying to get the whole blog situated the way I like it, because WP isn't nearly as simple as Blogger, and I appreciate simplicity.

Whatever, though. It'll be a match made in Heaven, me thinks, kinda like myself and Kris Versteeg.

Yeah, that's right, I didn't say Derek Roy. We're fighting. And in the meantime, I've found solace in the goal scoring of my Western Conference Boyfriend, none other than the Chicago Blackhawk's candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Clare and I agree that Derek's jealous. He'll just have to deal, I suppose.

See you again soon!!

WOW THAT WAS BAD AND MY NEW PROJECT

2009-03-15T13:24:00.005-04:00

Okay so we all know how bad last night's game was well until the third period at least which is why I'm grateful that my mom and I were in Rochester for the Bandits' game. Who by the way lost in overtime, hey sound familiar? Now not to rag on Buffalo sports, but seriously it's like they don't want me to be happy. On a side note: MAXXX you make me happy and Paul and Pie and that's about it at this point.

Because I was at the Bandit's game last night Cari and S(h)ara were texting me updates the whole night to the never ending glee of the guy sitting next to me, who also happened to be a rabid Sabres fan. At one point, when Max scored, I got so excited that my phone flew out of my hands and into his lap where he saw the text I was sending S(h)ara something like "Max my heart my soul thrives only for you" or something equally ridiculous. Needless to say he made fun of me the rest of the night for obsessively checking my cell phone asking me if "my heart" had scored anymore goals. Max score two goals in one night? Perish the thought.

Now I'm not sure how many of you have any idea how much of a rivalry there is between the Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks, lets just say that it pretty much equals the rivalry between Ottawa and the Sabres. Unfortunately, and much to my disappointment, Brandon Francis our new go to fighter got scratched so things weren't getting nearly as interesting as usual. The Bandits' lost mainly because we couldn't seem to keep the ball out of our end and the Knighthawks defense kept shutting down the Bandits' best goal scorer, and Cari's Bandits sweetie, Mark (Whose House?) Steenhuis. It was a heartbreaking loss especially against a team who we had no problem beating the last time we played them, it ended up being 23 to 6 in favor of the Bandits. I do however have a new shirt idea for the next time we play Rochester a guy walking up the stairs had a Fuck The Knighthawks t-shirt on. Well in an effort to keep everything PG I figure I'll make a T-Shirt that says Pluck the Hawks, it both gets the point across and won't offend anyone, well except maybe Knighthawks fans.

Oh and thanks to the lovely Clare from All Hawks Hockey I have my new summer project. I try to undertake at least one large project over the summer, last year it was scrapbooking all my pictures from my family's trip to California. This year it'll be to create a wall of pictures mounted on plaks (and as Clare pointed out no this isn't spelled wrong) to hang on my bedroom wall at home. These pictures are going to be hockey related and I'm going to need some help because, if you don't know it already, I have dial up at home so therefore to search for pictures takes an unbelievably long time. I'm asking any of our readers to send me their favorite pictures of hockey players regardless of the team the player might come from, I'm trying to broaden my horizons, and I'll pick the best ones to put on my wall. The pictures can be anything action shots, stylized, posed, ones you've personally taken, 'borrowed' from other people, gotten off google whatever the point is that I'd appreciate any help you guys could give me in the picture department. My email address is km.sabrechaser@gmail.com. Thanks guys (in the generic sense).

I need a few days to recover from the two losses so I'm going to go watch the first two periods of last nights game that we DVRed basically forgetting that hockey has a third period and that the Sabres used it to fall apart.

THAT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED

2009-03-13T09:18:00.003-04:00

So last night, Kim and I attended the game with the lovely S(h)ara from Sabretooth's House.

And it was bad. No, it was really, really fun, but it was bad. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard. We must do it again.

You all know how the game went, and let me tell you how excited I was! Except, I never stood up when we scored, even when we won, because we were in the first row of the 300-level, and I don't do well with heights. Anywhere else in the 300's and I'm fine, but in the first row? Eehhhhh, not really my thing to have about two feet of concrete and ten inches of glass separating me and the space between myself and the people in the 100-level.

BUT! I seriously think I had a good omen yesterday morning. Whilst driving to school down Elmwood, I was flipping through the radio (which I don't normally do; I usually listen to a CD), still upset that the Sabres have been sucking so badly. But then Star was playing a good song, so I left it on. Then the DJ was talking about the weather and traffic, and I almost turned it off, but then he said something about the 33 and I paid attention.

Good thing, because the next song was "Don't Stop Believin'."

How's that for fate?

(What's also fate, is that at the arena, they played "Glamorous," which didn't help my cause for not cheating on Derek Roy at all. Damn you, Kris Versteeg! Why must you be so Fergalicious? Also, this video of Toews, Burish, and Wiz is pretty great as well. They're so funny. I love those Blackhawks. NO. I need to stop. Clare, look what you've done to me!)

So the game was really, really successful at making me happy. The guys played great, but the company makes it even better. Especially the commentary:

- Me, on Thomas Vanek (?) missing a wide-open net in the first: "If Tim Connolly were there, that would've been a goal!" S(h)ara's response: "Tim Connolly is good at putting things in holes." (That was bad. I'm sorry.)

- Throughout the night, we kept shouting "troglodyte," "Greg Campbell, you suck," "hit him with your purse," and "Princess D."

- The guys behind us were getting very upset with people screaming "shoot" on the power play. Well sorry, sir, but if the Sabres would shoot a little more on the power play, we wouldn't have to tell them how to do their jobs.

- Kim said that we needed to "euthanize the Panthers." I said she was being too kind.

(Now I got a bit lost because I kept watching Kris Versteeg videos. Those Blackhawks are killing me.)

- Every time we saw Anne, S(h)ara and I screamed "foxy lady!" She never heard us.

- When Tallinder took a penalty (and this is really bad guys; I apologize), I said quietly to the girls, "Tallinder's not a hooker; he's a rapist." It was hysterical at the time, and I even tweeted it, but I feel kinda bad about it now because the charges were dropped.

- Kim said Derek Roy needed to go after the puck like it was a Hostess cupcake. She tweeted it too. Which prompted Jill to respond about Ho Ho's, and Jay to suggest ding dongs. That's just wrong, on all accounts. I need to make him a batch of tofu brownies now.

S(h)ara said a whole bunch of funnier things too, but I don't remember them.

Anyways, after the game we met up with Anne at Cobblestone, hoping some of the Sabres would show up, but by 11 o'clock we were all getting pretty tired, and booked. None of them came. We even sat by the back entrance, hoping that they might, but no. Oh well. Anyways, that was pretty much Brian Campbell's place to go, and he's with the Blackhawks now, obviously. (I just can't get away from them, can I?)

Also, Mary tweeted about Lalime singing "Poker Face," (two things: I seem to be obsessed with Twitter, and Patty didn't sing it [to my knowledge, at least]), and now every time I hear that song and/or Lady Gaga, I totally think of him. Especially when they played "Just Dance" during the game.

The only thing that would've made that night better is if MJ could've made it up in time, but her job didn't allow for us to have that much fun. Another time, I suppose.

And my signal that I should stop writing now is the fact that I have no idea if this post is even coherent.

I'll be back later, possibly, as I have absolutely NO PLANS today, which is so, so strange and new to me.

WELL THIS JUST FITS PERFECTLY

2009-03-11T16:35:00.002-04:00

Let's not talk about last night's game, because it will just upset me some more.

I think I've pretty much come to the point in the Sabres season where I have realized that they're toast, finished, finito, done. You name it.

Usually, I don't like to give up any shred of hope until the fat lady has sung and Elvis has left the building. I'm the one girl who will walk around town, the day after the Sabres are done playing, in her Sabres shirt, telling everyone off for being pessimistic about the season that just ended and the one beginning in a few months.

What should people call me? A diehard optimistic Sabres fan. We're pretty much a rare breed. In fact, I think we're on the top of the endangered species list, which makes the odds terrible for me since I have red hair. (My friend Andy likes to remind me all the time that redheads are dying out. This is also why he said I need to marry Brian Campbell and procreate with him, just so that we can repopulate the planet with little freckled, redheads with ringlets. I'm down.)

So when Thomas Vanek broke his jaw, I'll admit that I overreacted even by my standards. Miller and the rest of the guys were playing good hockey at that point in time, so I figured we'd be alright.

But then Miller got hurt, and my optimism took another shot.

And then Lalime's kids brought the flu home from daycare.

Score.

And now who has the flu?

TIM CONNOLLY.

Yes, the same Tim Connolly who just played 27 games in a row, which just so happens to be a really long string comparable to the past few seasons. So of course he would be one of the three guys sitting out of practice today (the other two were Hecht and Afinogenov). I'm just oh, so thrilled.

Whatever though, because I'm going to the game with Kim and S(h)ara tomorrow night!! And M.J. is coming to town tomorrow!!!!!!!!! Weeee so excited!!

I can't wait. =]

In Defense of Derek Roy

2009-03-09T12:27:00.004-04:00

No, I'm not going to ramble on and on about how I truly, 100% in my heart believe that he's straight, because, well, let's look at Exhibit A:

(For some reason, unbeknownst to me, I just got Weezer stunk in my head: If you want to destroy my sweater, hold this thread as I walk away... Yes, Derek, I would like to destroy that sweater.)

So clearly, I cannot win in that argument, because that is the mildest of evidence against him, and I know far too many of the prosecution's points. But just know, I do believe he's straight, just very, very metrosexual, and very, very friendly when he's drunk. That's it. A lot of guys are like that.

What I am going to defend is him as a player.

True, he did have a very bad showing Saturday, and I'm not defending that game. I wasn't paying complete attention because we girls were having some very stimulating discussions, but if Lindy said he was bad, then he was bad.

What annoys me though, is when people get all over his case for being a "whiner" and a "diver."

Okay, so yeah, he has a reputation for doing so. But, if you've watched him since he signed his big contract and has become one of the Sabres most important players, he's smartened up. He only mouths off if he really feels like an injustice has been done, and rarely do you see him dive anymore. Sometimes, it blatantly obvious that he did, but more so now, you see him skating full-force, and if he's taken down, he's truly going down. Either that, or he just became a better actor.

But I'm not to keen to jump on that bandwagon just yet.

Just think about Derek's commercials for Celino and Barnes. Seriously? You think this guy can act? (I would totally link them up, but believe it or not, these gems aren't even on YouTube yet. I know, right?)

I mean, what's with the ridiculous hand motions? Does he think he's ghetto? No, he just doesn't know how to appear natural in front of the camera with two lawyers on either side of him.

And in the other one? He doesn't even know who he's pointing to. "These are my friends Ross Celino and St-(points to Celino)-eve (points to Barnes) Barnes."

Seriously? The guy does not have what it takes.

So yeah, he may run his mouth a bit. And true, he does sometimes go down too easily. But, then again, so do Daniel Briere, Sidney Crosby, and quite a few others in the league. I'll take Derek Roy over them.

And that's not just because I think he's a classy lady.

What happened to me?

2009-03-08T11:09:00.002-04:00

Friends, I honestly don't know where I disappeared to. Actually, I do. School, work, and the mall. But for all intents and purposes, I don't know, and neither do you.

But I'm back, for today, at least.

So the trading deadline has come and gone, and I thought the Sabres made out pretty well.

Except I'll really miss Al. Like, I totally almost started to cry when I heard the news and was leaving Kim a voicemail. Side note: WHY DO I ALWAYS FIND OUT ABOUT TRADES EITHER IN CLASS OR WHILE I'M DRIVING?? Not cool. Anyways, I liked Al. I mean, he's a damn good hockey player, but mostly, I thought he had a beautiful back. Not backside, but back. And if you know me, you know I'm a sucker for a good back and arms. So Al really did the trick for me. But now he's gone, and Derek will have to suffice.

And don't even get me started on how much I already love my Canadian Harvard Grad Dominic Moore, and the new Euro Chic love Mikael Tellqvist!! So much love right there!! Although, this could be lust. Not sure yet. I'm trying not to get too attached or impressed because we all know how Steve Bernier worked out for myself and Anne.

ANYWAYS.

Then Harvard (that's what I've been calling Moore, FYI) had work visa issues. Funny thing is that I was totally pondering this situation Wednesday while I was sitting in my car listening to WGR 550 during my break. But I'm glad they got cleared up.

OH!!! And how could I have forgotten to mention Timmy's new contract??!!??!

Okay, we all know how devoted I feel to Tim Connolly, but even I think $4.5 million a year is too much for him. Do you know what I liken that to? Well, if you follow me on Twitter you'd know. Anyways, I liken it to buying a Coach bag. It's really expensive, and kinda scary when you do it, but in the end, it feels oh, so good.

And also, I just feel I need to say that Anne texted me with the news of his signing WHILE I WAS DISSECTING A CAT IN LAB. I definitely had a scalpel in my hand when I told my partner to read my text message to me. BAD IDEA. I could've lost a finger instead of slicing the diaphragm of Tabitha (that's what we named our... um... patient).

Now to touch on the games.

Wednesday's I don't remember too much (because I kept nodding off during the third period), except for Derek had two goals (including the game-winner), Paul had two goals (including a bad-ass shortie), and Patty L played his heart out. Oh, and Tommy came back. Yayyyy!!

Friday's, I was working during, so I didn't see all of it, and I missed Max getting murdered. I was giving an old man a bath at the time (ew, by the way), and I got him in there as soon as the first period ended. I didn't finish with him until half way through the second, so needless to say I had about 25 texts from Kim, my mother, and my cousin at that point in time. Awesome. But that too, was a fantastic game.

(You like my recaps, don't you? I need more Derek Roy gossip to blog about. I don't go over the games too well. You know why? Because you can read it in the TBN, and I don't want to be a journalist.)

But last night's game was a major disappointment.

All the beautiful blogger girls got together at Tully's to chit chat and watch the game. It was very fun even though the boys let us down. (Although Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg showed up for Clare and I, Matt Greene got an assist for Anne, Ovie is coming back for Frostee, and we even got to see Big Bear for a moment!!) Derek Roy really disappointed me in getting benched, though. Remember when I led the Bench-Derek-Roy-Bandwagon? Yeah, I never actually wanted that to happen. I was just angry. And when I saw Lindy's press conference, I was distraught. I think a batch of tofu brownies and peppermint hot chocolate is in order. Either that, or a bottle of SoCo. I'll take them all, actually....

Okay, dears, I just didn't want you to think that I had fallen off the face of the planet.

More will come tomorrow!! I promise. xoxo

INTRODUCING...

2009-03-04T16:01:00.003-05:00

So now that the trades have officially ended, unless there's something waiting in the wings, I took the opportunity to find pictures of our recent aquisitions.

Dominic Moore with his wifey, sorry girls he's married.

Tellqvist is on the left, not bad, not sure if he's single. Funny how my last

post was about puck bunnies.

WHAT IS A PUCK BUNNY?

2009-03-04T13:53:00.005-05:00

Okay so this post is completely unrelated to the trade deadline because I needed something to do besides frantically hitting the refresh button every 3 seconds waiting for more trade news. (Side note: I'm glad we got another goalie but at the same time I have to wonder if this is the Sabres way of telling us that Miller's going to be out for a longer time than most of us anticipated. At least now they can send Enroth back to Portland in favor of someone who's had some NHL experience. Okay that's the last of the trade talk for this post anyway).

I was cruising around TSN.com and stumbled on these pictures which I happened to find hilarious. I think every girl blogger has at one time been accused of being a puck bunny, I however have gotten over the fact and actually find it funny.

A puck with bunny ears? Why did I never think of this?

This one pretty much speaks for itself.

Then me in my infinite wisdom decided to go to urbandictionary.com to see what their definition of a puck bunny was, it came up with these.

1. a woman who goes to hockey games for the sole purpose of fucking one of the players (the classic definition which doesn't really apply to me).

2. A female, typically in her late teens to early 30s (but it can go lower) who attends hockey games, not to see a well fought game, or to see 2 goons duke it out, but just to look at the studly hockey players in the hoping that one night they'll roll over and see them in their bed, or in his bed, and has little or no interest in the sport or the score, and when a hockey player is brought up in coversation, will commonly use the words "tight, cute, sexy, ass, arms, shoulders" at any point in 1 sentence. (Okay well...this one I won't even get into because the last part most definitely applies to me and most of the conversations I have about hockey players. DON'T JUDGE ME, DON'T YOU DARE)

Sabres game tonight, there's talk that Tellqvist could start on Friday against his former team, could be interesting, I'm sure he'd be quite fired up in net if he did.

TOMMY'S BACK!!!!!

T-MINUS 2 DAYS...

2009-03-02T14:39:00.003-05:00

The trade deadline is Wednesday and for now it all comes down to who stays and who goes. Now I'm not going to get into any great theories about who we should get and who should go because, let's face it, I'm not managment for the Sabres and they probably know a whole hell of a lot more than I can ever hope to about what they're looking for.

However, there is one thing that I do know for certain, Max needs to go. Now I love Max don't get me wrong but the man has been nothing but a waste of roster space for the last two seasons, performing well below average. In an interview Max claimed that he has been ready to play since the middle of February but Ruff hasn't put him in the line up, well needless to say it's the beginning of March and Max hasn't set foot out on the ice in a playing capacity. I'll be sad to see Max go, he was my first Sabres love and you never forget your first love, but it's time that he was put out to greener pastures or at least given to another team for a bag of pucks or maybe a pretty new pair of gloves or some skates.

It would have killed me a few years ago to admit that Max needs to go but right now he's using up valuble roster space that could go to a player who's actually going to play and who's going to play well. Instead of trading for another player how about we get some draft picks and we bring up one of the guys from Portland to fill Max's skates?

I get the text updates from the Sabres and if you do too you know the sinking feeling you get when a new text pops up on the screen. The texts can mean just about anything ranging from someone's hurt, someone's been called up from the minors, that the new mini pucks are on sale and come tomorrow or Wednesday who's been put up on the chopping block.

Now yesterday, because the new mini pucks go on sale on Sundays, I saw I had a text message as I was sitting in the upper room in my church. Now let's just say that I forgot about the whole mini puck thing and I was ready to scream when I saw the text because I thought for sure it was going to bring me bad news that I was not prepared to handle, such as the trading of beloved Pie or Staffy or someone equally as precious to my heart.

Now I'm in school all day tomorrow and I have a feeling if something's going to happen it's going to go down tomorrow and I will inevitably be sitting in class when the news of a trade breaks. Let's just put it this way there are going to be a lot of inquisitive stares directed my way if I'm in class when it happens. They're going to be wondering why all of a sudden I have a death grip on my phone, why I'm making high keening noises and I'm screaming why, why, over and over again. I'm sure they're going to suspect that I've experienced some kind of psychotic breakdown.

Whatever happens in the next two days it's inevitable that someone's going to go. However, how many people get traded is still up in the air and who we're going to get for said tradees remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain things are going to change but whether it's for the better or for the worse I guess we'll figure that out Wednesday night.

The Blackhawks Make Me Smile

2009-02-27T10:36:00.002-05:00

Okay. You really, really, really need to watch this video.

It's great, I promise.

I love the fact that the guys are ripping on Burish for being a ladies' man. (But I wonder if the Sabres rip on Connolly and Roy the same way?)

But really, the best part of the video is at the 2:10 mark, while Burish is being interviewed. Just look behind him and you'll know what I mean.

Oh, my, how I adore Jonathan Toews! Oh, and the rest of those crazy Blackhawks... This is what the Sabres Show should be like, for at least a couple minutes.

Where Do We Go From Here?

2009-02-27T09:30:00.002-05:00

I think it's a little bit redundant, but this time of year is absolutely crazy.

Not just in my life, but in the lives of all hockey loving, college (or high school) students who may or may not have a job.

My life though is just nuts. Not to mention going to class and having a social life, and trying to find time to do my taxes, I'm working all sorts of crazy hours and shifts, studying and doing homework in between (or just laying on the couch with a migraine), and attempting to watch the Sabres games while I'm at work, which usually means everyone (well, except for a few people) are in bed by 7:30, 8 pm, and then I come home and try to decipher the standings and the games ahead, and figure out who we need to win their own games, who we need to lose theirs, and where we could end up if A happens, or if B happens, and also keeping an eye on my favorites Western Conference teams, the Blackhawks and Canucks (in alphabetical order so as to not wrinkle any feathers).

(Phew. And just from that run-on sentence, you can get a glimpse inside of my head.)

So anyways, I owe a big thank you to my partner in crime and dear Frostee for keeping me in the loop last night, or at least until 8:30 when my stupid battery decided to die. I then had to resort to using my mother's cell phone, which is actually more like a child's play toy. Whatever, though, it did the trick.

Therefore, I really can't comment too, too much on the game, seeing as I only listened/watched from the time Jaro got hurt. That's when we got in the car, at least.

But between the fact that we did manage a point, and the fact that Lalime played wonderfully despite having the flu, I'm content. Yes, it sucks that Jaro is hurt, but I'll start worrying when we hear the news.

In the meantime, this is making me the happiest girl in Buffalo (aside from Shelby, of course):

Musical Goal Crease, Anyone?

2009-02-26T06:01:00.002-05:00

So I'm absolutely sure that, by now, you've all heard about the trials and tribulations of the Sabres in net, which are absolutely atrocious at the moment.

Here's our depth chart for netminders:

~~Ryan Miller~~ (ankle sprain)
~~Patrick Lalime~~ (flu)
~~Adam Dennis~~ (hip, surgery)
Jhonas Enroth
~~John DeCaro~~ (broken collarbone)

Oh, and there are two others (Bradley Eidsness, who is playing for the University of North Dakota, and Nick Eno, who plays for Bowling Green), but since neither of the two have pro contracts, I don't know what it would take to get the co-eds up here (Eno just turned 20, by the way, and Eidsness is only 19).

But that provides us with quite the quandary of who might end up in net this evening, if Lalime cannot play, and if (God, please, no) should Enroth go down.

There are three situations that would happen to the Sabres tonight if I were Lindy Ruff:

(1) Lalime is miraculously better, and suits up, 100%, and Enroth backs him up. (Best possible scenario.)

(2) Since Lalime is good enough to play, but not 100%, start Enroth, but have Lalime assume his usual position on the bench as team cheerleader.

(3) If Lalime is a no-go, put Enroth in net.

Who would play second-string in Number 3, you ask?? No one.

That's right; I said no one.

Think about this for a minute: Each team is allowed to dress 20 players, goalies included, right? Well, what if we only dressed one goalie? Then we could dress 19 skaters.

I specifically remember asking questions about this scenario to my parents many, many times when I was younger. In fact, I can hear myself up in Section 325, looking down at Dominik Hasek in net, Martin Biron on the bench, turning to my father and asking, "What happens if Dom and Marty get hurt in the same game?"

His answer? "One of the other guys would have to play goalie."

So that's why I say that. Hey, for all we know, Enroth could steal the show. I honestly think that could be the most interesting thing to happen in a hockey game in a while. I mean, who plays with only one goalie?

Because I don't necessarily trust any of our defensemen to play goal all that well, so why waste them as a benchwarmer?

Seriously, would you want Lydman, Tallinder, Paetsch, or anyone, for that matter, between the pipes with the way they've been playing lately? I sure as Hell wouldn't.

But if it came down to it, I say put the biggest body in the net, if necessary. None of these guys really have experience playing goal, let alone against Eric Staal and the Hurricanes. (Is Mike Ryan still with them? I'm too lazy to look right now...) So put the guy with the most meat in there and more net is covered.

My, my, my, this could become quite comical. I think I'm kind of glad I won't be home to see anything until the third period...

I'm Back [Slash] Let's Have A Movie Night

2009-02-25T06:30:00.004-05:00

What has become of me, friends? Have I seriously dropped off the face of the blogosphere, because it certainly feels like it. I can't promise that I'll be back everyday, even every other day, because I would hate to lie to you. And, because my work schedule is absolutely crazy now, I know I won't be able to blog like I once had. And I really, really mean it when I say that next year I'm making my school schedule differently, because I want to be able to go to the gym before class like I did last year. Actually, if nothing else, to stay in bed a little longer and write about my favorite guys.

But honestly, if they keep playing like they did last night, I'm just going to opt for the extra sleep, or a trip to the gym.

And, in all truthfulness, I feel like I'm watching Titanic over, and over, and over again.

Remember how that charming, handsome young man named Jack saves a lost and forlorn spirit in Rose? Well, over the summer, when I'm hockey-deprived, I'm extremely bored. I'm not a really big fan of baseball; I'll watch it occasionally, and I'll go to Bisons games, but it doesn't affect me one way or another. So I've basically got nothing to attach the sports portion of my heart to. In many ways, then, I am much like Rose, clinging to the railing of the ship, only air separating myself and the icy water below. But then Craig Rivet, Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, and the rest come along and tell me they'll jump with me, and eventually pull me back over the railing.

Then there's the wild love affair, where I become completely infatuated with everything the Sabres do, and we can do no wrong. I mean, we're on the grandest ship in the world, just a girl in love with her team, and her team playing pretty good hockey. Everything is just peachy. And even though ~~Cal~~some teams may be better, I prefer the Sabres.

And I even tell them that I plan on getting off of the boat with them. Now that's commitment.

But now we're at the point in the movie when the ship has split in two, and again, the Sabres and I are clinging to the railing as the Titanic bobs in the water and begins to go down, down, down into the depths of ninth place, or worse.

I can only hope that they're going to rewrite the ending so that I don't have to go through the whole "I'll never let go Sabres, I'll never let go." I'd like them to be on the lifeboat with me in the end, and then we can stick it to ~~Cal~~ the rest of the league once we're really safe on that other ship. (I just love the part where she says her name is Rose Dawson. Wouldn't it be so wonderful to finally say that we are the best???)

But hey, Kate Winslet got what she wanted eventually, right? I mean, she got her Oscar. And if I'm Kate Winslet...

Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking.

Any who, have a nice Wednesday, friends.

RUNNING HIGH

2009-02-17T22:16:00.002-05:00

This is the kind of team I like to see out on the ice. That team out on the ice wasn't afraid to be in your face and wasn't afraid to crash the crease.

And here's a new one, it actually worked, the Sabres won, the Leafs lost...

Go Figure.

THE END OF AN ERA ALMOST HERE...

2009-02-16T11:28:00.007-05:00

So last night while driving on the 190 by the Aud I was greeted with this sight...

Until I saw this I guess the whole thing just didn't seem real yeah sure they were taking down the Aud, I guess I always thought I'll believe it when I see it, well I've seen it and I'm definitely believing it. This sight probably depresses me more than last night's game mainly because now you can see the bowl of the arena. How weird will it be to look off the right side of the 190 when traveling south and not see the Aud standing there? Instead we'll be treated with an unobstructed view of the arena, not that that won't be cool but it still won't make up for the fact that they are knocking down a part of my childhood. It's like when the Disney Store went out of business, they are slowly stealing all my childhood haunts one spot at a time, what will it be next shutting down Disney World?

In other news Tim Connolly has been demoted to the third line with Clarke MacArthur getting the free pass to left wing on the second and all I can say is thank god, last night I wanted to shake him, but not too hard for fear of breaking him again, because he was the worst offender of bad passing. I don't think I saw one solid pass from him the whole night, he either gave it away or shot it so wide of a player that the player had to go chasing it into the corner. I kept telling my mom that they needed to get him off the ice and sit him because he just didn't seem like his usual good passing, good stick handling self. Hopefully these lines will stick for tomorrow nights game because if Timmy gets a lot of ice time...well let's just say I don't want a repeat of last night.

WORD OF THE DAY

2009-02-16T08:47:00.002-05:00

Apathetic.

a-pa-thet-ic adj. 1. having or showing little or no emotion. 2. not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive: an apathetic audience.

Or, in this case, an apathetic hockey team.

Also, the little dictionary widget on my computer provides the origin of the word: apathy, which is on the pattern of pathetic.

Fitting, eh?

But let's take a look at exactly how the Sabres were apathetic last night:

A is for another game that is going to come back to bite them in the ass.

P is for Patrick Lalime giving them every chance to win, yet he apparently was the only Sabre who gave a damn.

A is for aggression, or a lack thereof.

T is for tenacity, or, again, a lack thereof.

H is for hockey game, because I'm pretty sure they forgot there was one scheduled last night.

E is for even-strength goals, of which they allowed two.

T is for time spent in their own zone, which was definitely too much, and time Tim Connolly was on the ice for one shift (over 2 minutes).

I is for increased scoring in the absence of Thomas Vanek, of which there was none.

C is for careless penalties, which is what most of them were, and careless play, in general.

So, while my love for the Sabres is undying, I too am becoming slightly apathetic after last night's debacle. I'm going to go back to baking, cleaning, and running errands... Hmmm, sounds like I'm well on my way to becoming Susie Homemaker.

UM, WELL, UH, YEAH...

2009-02-15T21:29:00.003-05:00

That was pitiful, I asked my mom if I could gnaw off my arm and use the bloody stump to beat myself over the head with, she said no because all the blood might scare the kids who were sitting behind us. Needless to say I was very disappointed with the way the Sabres played tonight, we should have had this game and should have come in with guns blazing. But instead of machine guns and bazookas we were forced to play with water guns or hell those cap guns my brother and I used to play with as kids.

I'm not sure what went wrong because mistakes seemed to come from everywhere, but Patrick Lalime, where have you been all my life. Honestly if it wasn't for him standing on his head for two periods the score would have been at least 5 to 0. Miller was mad that he got pulled, you want to know how I could tell? Maybe the fact that coming in from the first intermission when he saw Lalime in net he took his goalie stick and chucked it down the walkway from the locker room.

I wanted to tell Sekera that he's playing hockey not leap frog with the way he did that tuck and roll over Miller's head in the first period. Well he can look at it this way, if hockey doesn't work out he always has a future as an acrobat in the circus.

I wanted the Sabres to get angry but they sure as hell weren't playing like they were, I wanted to punch someone and I wasn't even one of the players on the ice getting my ass handed to me by a team we should have beaten blind folded and with our collective hands tied behind our backs. We were all over the place, passing was bad because the players refused to watch where they were shooting, for some reason they couldn't seem to keep the puck (when they managed to have possession) on their sticks, they kept hitting the 'Canes defense in the shins with the puck which caused a bunch of unfortunate bouncings allowing the 'Canes offense to regain possession.

One funny part of the game was when Justin Williams from the Hurricanes got hit and stuggled to make it to the bench with what looked like an arm injury. At the same time he was trying to make it to the bench the rest of his teammates on the same line where changing and other player were coming out the door that he was tryin to get through. I sit in the 300 level directly across from the opposing player's bench so that I can look down the hallway that leads to the locker room. Williams' teammates were blocking his way into the bench so that the 'Canes risked a too many men call, Williams yelled at one of these offending teammates "GET THE FUCK OFF THE ICE" which I and I'm sure just about everyone else in the arean could heard loud and clear. After Williams made it onto the bench he took his stick when he was in the hallway and swung it against the floor effectively breaking it in half, yeah he's got some anger issues.

Anyway Happy 30th Birthday Adam Mair, MJ I hope you're baking your future ex-hubby some tofu brownies because after the way the Sabres played tonight, that's about all he and the rest of the team deserve.

ETA: Forgot to mention the guy behind me in the concession stand line was saying that if he were Lindy Ruff he would be throwing and breaking things in the locker room. I turned around and told him that Lindy likes to throw the dry erase markers across the room. He asked me if I was serious and I said yeah because in last years 'What would you get Lindy Ruff for Christmas?' video Tony Lydman said he'd get Ruff some more dry erase markers because Ruff likes to cap and recap them repeatedly when he's talking (usually breaking the caps while doing so) and when he's really angry he throws the markers against the walls. I wish I could find that video somewhere but they never posted it on the Sabres website, it was hysterical some of the answers that the guys gave.

TAKING A BITE OUT OF THE SHARKS

2009-02-13T22:27:00.003-05:00

(Anne, that title is for you, by the way.)

So I had this whole big spiel I was going to go through about how much a Sabres' win would mean to this city, but right now, I'm ecstatic.

My emotions have been running on low for the past 24 hours, and to be honest, I didn't think I could feel much worse after learning about the crash of Flight 3407.

But, wow. Just, wow.

This game was absolutely fantastic!!!

I don't really have a ton of coherant thoughts for the game, but, rather, just some quips:

- Derek Roy is incredibly attractive when he's being all feisty and starting trouble with the other players and mouthing off. idk why, but he is.

- Derek also scored his 100th career goal, on the same goal that Drew Stafford notched his 100th career point. Who gets to keep the puck? I think Roy should get it... Goals are cooler than points.

- It's about time Jason Pominville nets a goal! I really think this is where he'll turn it around... And that shootout goal he had was mighty fine.

- Nathan Gerbe's play has been nothing short of foxy since he stepped foot on the ice at HSBC Arena, the Portland game included. I'm so glad he's in the blue and gold. I can't tell you how many times tonight I was wowed by his effort, his determination, and his heart. And when he had that knee-on-knee scare in overtime, I think I almost died a bit.

- Craig Rivet is my new hero. I don't care what Derek says, and I don't care about the age difference; I love him. He was just way too cute when he and the other guys were jumping around after Pommer's goal. I just love him.

- Roy had an adorable little fist pump... thing... after his shootout goal.

- I honestly thought Danny Paille scored Spacek's goal, and I really wish that he had. He did play very well, though, in his first game back, in my opinion at least.

- Did I mention that we beat the San Jose Sharks, arguably the best team in the league?

- Did I also mention that we, who are in 8th place in the East, are 2 points behind the Rangers, who are in 4th place in the East? Oh, and also that we've played them twice thus far this season, and we won both of those games?

- Looks like Lindy's method of working the power play all practice long yesterday payed off, as we went 3-for-6? As in 50%?? Let's do that more often, okay boys?

- I seem to like to refer to the Sabres as "we." Like I'm part of the team. Sweet.

- I saw Caroline (of Hockey Night in Buffalo) on TV after Pominville's game-tying goal!!

- I'm really, really, really happy about this win.

Okay. I'm going to watch Friday Night Lights (don't judge me), and go to bed, as I'm working alllll day tomorrow, 7 am to 11:30 pm. Woo. Exciting stuff.

Happy Valentine's Day friends, and same to the Sabres. =]

xoxo

INTERUPPTUS INTERUPTI

2009-02-13T16:19:00.005-05:00

Okay so today I expected to come home from school and be able to work on some homework. I have 3 papers to write this weekend and even though I have Monday and Tuesday off I want to actually have the days to veg and not think about anything. I have a busy weekend planned, Sabres game tonight, Bandit's tomorrow, Mamma Mia on Sunday and then the Sabres game on Sunday, so needless to say I had today and tomorrow to work on my papers. Well I figure since today has already gone awry I might as well post because it's pretty much been guaranteed that I'm not going to be getting much done before the game.

I usually get home from school on Fridays by 12:30 but today I had a practice for a redemonstration of nursing skills that I have to complete by the end of next week so I didn't end up getting home until 2. I was home for approximately 20 minutes when my grandma called and said she couldn't get her car started and she needed a ride over to my uncle's who lives in Amherst, my grandma lives in Kenmore and I live in Tonawanda. Then before we went to my uncle's house she had to stop at the funeral home because a woman from our church died. So I spent an hour of my time not working on homework, I wasn't mad that she called because she's done so much for me but at the same time I just wanted to work on homework. Okay well back to hockey talk.

The Sabres are having a surprise autographed picture sale tonight for $20 bucks you pick a number and that number corresponds to an autographed picture of the player. Am I hoping in vain that I can get Paul's? Because I'm totally willing to shell out the $20 bucks if I can have something that he actually touched that he may have breathed on. Ooo my heart's all full of butterflies and sunshine just thinking about it.

We play San Jose tonight, let me tell you my joy is just overflowing please someone get another bucket to contain it, why does the NHL like to kick us when we're down? Not that it's their fault that Vanek got hurt and that we can't seem to beat Ottawa, but I need someone to blame so it's split between whoever the hell it was that hit Vanek with that puck and the NHL. The Sharks are 37-7-5-3 and stand 2nd in points in the NHL. The Sabres on the other hand are 8th in the Eastern Conference and are struggling to stay in the playoff run.

This is the only meeting between the Sharks and the Sabres this season and the first time that Craig Rivet comes face to face with his old teammates since donning the blue and gold when the Sabres picked him up as a UFA in the off season. As we've seen for the last few games that old feistyness that we've come to expect from Rivet has once again appeared. What will happen when Rivet comes face to face with his old teammates? Only the hockey gods know but if nothing else it should get interesting.

REALLY NOW?

2009-02-11T20:34:00.004-05:00

So I've watched the new opening video and while it is a great piece of cinematography I don't find it particularly moving. There's just something about it that seems lacking I don't know if it's just me, but it doesn't seem like what I've come to expect for an opening video. Maybe it is just me? Not that it isn't a great video, because it is, I guess I just wanted something more. The narrative type of video also annoys me, if they're going to do a narrative why not make one featuring the Sabres getting ready to go out for a game then go into a montage of old footage juxtaposing the old and new?

While Cari and I were at the Boston game, as much as it pains me to say it, I really liked their opening video. It started off with the early years of the team and moved up to the present showing some of the greatest highlights through the years. Would it have killed someone to look through old video footage to put together a montage?

I, personally, used to like the old opening which showed a player walking down the tunnel at the Aud, going to center ice and then pulling a sabre from a block of ice and brandishing it as the light glinted off it each night featuring a different player. I thought that video was both a tribute to the history of the Aud and so incredibly cool. I always used to have fun guessing which player it would be on a particular night. But hey I guess I'm not the management and they can do whatever the hell they want. I will admit that the Sabres players playing pond hockey with little kids was really cute.

In all honesty I think I would have preferred, and enjoyed, a video that featured some amazing plays from the teams' history. I guess I'm just not seeing the comparison between this video and the Better Days video from the 2006 playoffs they're not even in the same league as far as I'm concerned. I think both the players and the fans deserve something better. I'm sure Gaustad was disappointed in what they chose to do with the video because he was the one that told Quinn we needed to recapture the glory of the playoffs this was not it.

LET THE GERBE DERBY CONTINUE!

2009-02-11T17:20:00.002-05:00

I guess I was being a tad bit dramatic on Monday. I don't think the world is going to end because Tommy has a seat ready for him in the press box for the next month (hopefully less); in fact, I think this will be the biggest test for the Sabres yet.

Can they win and still play well without their leading scorer?

I think so. Actually, I know so. This group of guys is phenomenal. If you think back a few years, wasn't it great seeing the young guys come up from Rochester to fill in for injured players down the stretch and even in the playoffs, and in those roles, exceeding their expectations?

Wait a minute... Weren't those young guys Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Paul Gaustad, and the like?

Oh yeah, they were!

So you can see why I'm not overly worried. Yes, certain guys--and I won't name names here (coughJASONPOMINVILLEcough)--certainly need to be better, but with Nathan Gerbe in the lineup, I'm quite excited.

Especially after his feisty antics last night.

You know what, I just took a phone call, and because of it, have completely lost my train of thought... Damn.

I had something really good to say, too.

Oh well. I suppose I'll post after the game if I get my psych take-home test finished up.

MY PLEA.

2009-02-09T09:34:00.003-05:00

Is it over?

Now don't go calling me dramatic; don't say I'm going overboard and being way too worrisome. I don't want to hear it. Just give me my answer, damn it.

Is the world as I know it going to end Wednesday night?

I'm skeptical, at best, when considering where the Sabres could have ended up this year, even could still. But losing Tommy is such a huge blow, I'm not sure that we can maintain our pace without him.

He has 13 points in the last 10 games, either including or not including the game against Ottawa, in which he played only four shifts. But his 52 points in 54 games... That's what we're going to miss.

Connolly and Stafford are hot right now, and no doubt can shoulder the team for maybe the next week. We won't survive in February and early March if others--namely, Roy, Pominville, Hecht, and Paille--don't start playing to their full (and in some cases, not even half of their full) potential.

But, at the moment, I really feel a big void in my heart, because (and this is just the pessimist in me) I can see the playoffs slipping away. And I hate that, because I want to be all kinds of hopeful and positive, but I just can't be at the moment. I love me some Thomas Vanek. But what I love more is playoff hockey. Better yet, Sabres playoff hockey. So I'm going to be the typical Buffalonian now, and just have feigning hope of a chance at post-season glory.

Even so, you know I'm all secretly hoping we win it all, overcoming all adversity, and sticking it to those who said we couldn't.

So please, Derek, Drew, Jason, Jochen, Tim, and Danny, please hold on for dear life. I don't think I can take another summer without you boys.

(Oh, and Loves? How was the Catwalk For Charity? Wonderful Jill's amazing husband sent me a fabulous picture of Princess D serenading you... SO JEALOUS. I can't wait until next year! Damn cops and your following the rules and carding people...)

NURSING A BROKEN HEART

2009-02-08T17:59:00.003-05:00

Or in Vanek's case a broken jaw.

When I saw Vanek literally sprint off the ice last night two things came to mind the first being that he probably broke his nose, the second being oh he'll probably be right back in the game. Needless to say neither of those happened.

I for one want to go crawl under a rock somewhere and not come out until I know that he's going to be playing again that way I don't have to watch the Sabres implode, like they are inevitably going to, without Vanek on the roster. The question remains about how long Vanek will be out for, yes Regier said that it would be 3 to 4 weeks but players have been known to return much earlier than that from seemingly much more severe injuries. However, the opposite also applies, players have been out months with what seem to be less severe injuries. But that's enough of that talk I for one don't want to even think about the next 3 to 4 weeks without Vanek because if I do I'm going to cry and I really don't want to. Soo...I'm going to be thinking happy thoughts like puppy dogs and sunshine and the Sabres winning without TV. Please join me in thinking happy thoughts they may not be able to make you fly but hey at least it might make you feel better.

This is the rock under which I will be living,
please come and find me when this nightmare is over. KThanks.

LIKE WHITE ON RICE...

2009-02-06T23:07:00.004-05:00

I was at the game tonight and yes I can already hear the disgruntled complaining, well let me tell you this next week is going to be crazy. Tuesday is the Portland v. Albany game, Friday is the game against San Jose, Saturday is the Bandits game and Valentine's Day, although I don't have to worry about that, and then Sunday is Mamma Mia in the afternoon and then the Sabres game against Carolina in the evening. So basically I'm glad that I don't have any tests the week after because my life is going to be one long sports fest next week. Not that I'm complaining but still that's a lot of sports to digest even for me.

But let's talk about the here and now. Have you ever woken up in the morning and instantly been in a good mood because the Sabres won the night before? Well that's going to be me tomorrow morning and hopefully Sunday morning. I hadn't been to a Sabres game in almost a month before tonight and even though the west coast games were televised there's nothing like the atmosphere when seeing the game live and tonight was no exception. The place was chocked full of Habs fans with their accents that I find so devestatingly attractive in men anyways (my door only swings one way, to the male persuasion that is).

The oleh chant started early as in before the game even started early and was met with the booing of the Sabres fan and soon the competition started between Buffalo fans and Canadien fans. The sound system in the arena was screwed up so by the time the second period rolled around there was no music between stoppages in play, it was kind of creepy I have to tell you. I've never heard it so silent in there but never fear the Buffalo fans knew how to fill the silence with lots of let's go buffalo chants and plenty of cheering.

The game started off slow with the Canadiens dominating the first period at one point when Pominville took a shot that wasn't even close to the net the kid behind me yelled "Nice shot bitch." Now I'm not exactly sure what he was getting at here but it was still unexpected so extremly funny in any case. The first period ended with no score and the Habs up in shots on goal, depressing but true.

Anyone else think that Teppo had a big 'ol target on his back because he kept getting pasted against the board. I kept thinking that hitting Teppo was like kicking the cane out of the hand of a senior citizen, it's just not right, but I digress.

Jaro scored the Sabres' first goal, a one timer from the blue line, 26 seconds in the second in his first game back from a two game absence, I missed said goal because I was talking to my mother. Saku Koivu scored the Canadien's first goal of the game approximately 10 minutes into the second ending Miller's shutout streak. Even so, Miller remained unbeaten for 157 minutes and 13 seconds the longest streak of his career. Nathan Paetsch who was bumped to forward for the game because of the return of Spacek scored the Sabres' second goal less than two minutes after Koivu's goal putting the Sabres up by one. In his post game interview Ruff said that, because of his play in tonight's game, Paetsch might not return to defense which presents us with an interesting conundrum when everyone is healthy, who goes? But that's a discussion for another day. Second period ended with the Sabres up by a score of 2-1.

Third period was punctuated by Tim Connolly's beauty of a goal beating Carey Price 5 minutes in. But the Canadiens' Roman Hamrlik would come back to score with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game, at this point everyone's thinking it but no one is saying it, could the Sabres possibly blow a 2 goal lead? The answer is no they successfully kept the Canadien's at bay something that was sealed when the Canadiens took a tripping penalty with less than 2 minutes in the period ensuring that they would be short handed for the rest of the period, that was if they Sabres didn't score on the power play. In the end the Sabres won the game 3-2 tying them with Philadelphia with 61 points in the Eastern Conference and staying 3 points in front of the Panthers for 7th place.

Best Last Name of the Game: Bouillion. I kid you not every time I saw him all I could think was Chicken or Beef?
Best Player of the Game: Miller, because once again he turned a game, that we should have lost, into a win with some of his fantastic saves that we've come to expect from him.

STORY TIME!!

2009-02-05T15:16:00.007-05:00

Again, I realize I've been a terrible blogger, but once again I fell (sort of) ill, and was helping Kim house/dog sit at a house where they don't have wireless internet. I therefore had to become a "bandwidth theif" as my brother likes to call them, and had to leech off their neighbors, which didn't work out too well. I was able to change my Facebook status, check my email, and IM my brother for about a minute, and then I gave up trying to find a wireless connection that didn't require a password. FAIL.

But the Sabres? PASS!!!

(But that doesn't mean you, Derek Roy, because you most definitely need to SHOOT.)

Seriously, though?? How good has this team been? And I'll be the first to admit that I expected to lose that game last night. I didn't think that, having just traveled cross-country the day before, and having just played the Western Conference teams, that the Sabres would have the energy. And really, who could blame them had they not? Not only that, though, but we were playing Toronto. Now, I know the Leafs aren't exactly daunting when you consider the standings, but I've gone to more than my fair share of Buffalo/Toronto games to know that they're crazy ridiculous. It's usually a very high-tempo, spirited game between the players, as well as the battles in the stands.

But last night? Were the Sabres playing some high school team from Toronto? Because that was probably the worst example of a game between such bitter rivals that I've ever witnessed. I didn't mind it at all, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying it was, well, a disappointment of sorts. I miss those really rough and tumble Leaf games that Rob Ray and Brad May were reminiscing of...

Anyways, back to my point.

Drew Stafford. Sick goal, babe. There's really nothing else I can say about it. And that interview was just precious. I looked over at Kim while he was talking and just said, "Kim, my friend, this is what I want in a man. A really dry, witty sense of humor, from a guy who doesn't give a damn what people think about him, and just tells it like it is. That's what I want." Well, alright, maybe he should give a damn, but you know what I mean... I hope.

Thomas Vanek. What is there left to say? This man is outrageous. He never ceases to amaze me. I thought for sure he was going to try to deke on his one goal, but that sniper, top shelf, totally caught me off guard. Wow, Tommy... Wow. And to think, we almost lost you. I almost hate to think where we might be right now if we had... Whew, I just got chills, actually...

Tim Connolly. The man is on FIRE. 5 goals in 5 games; in the 12 games since his latest return from injury, he has 8 goals and 11 points, which gives him 18 points in 18 games on the season. Nice. This is why we need this guy healthy and in the lineup. It is essential. Enough said.

Ryan Miller. Hot. Damn. Love this guy. I love shut outs. They're fantastic, and he's fantastic.

And do you know what else is FANTASTIC??

Not only did Teppo hit the ice again last night, but Jaro and Jochen will be back on Fridayyyyyy!!!! (Can you tell I'm excited?)

Okay, so in regards to the title, I have a story to tell. Now, I'm not going to lie, I feel like I have to share this story because Anne, from Sabretooth's House, mentioned that the Leafs have some damn good looking fans.

I can definitely attest to that.

Last March, over Spring Break, I traveled to Tampa, Florida with my brother and Kim to hit the beach (and take in a Tampa/Washington game, of course). On the way back to Buffalo, though, is when I had the most fun.

Whilst waiting in the baggage-check line in the Tampa airport, I happened to notice a svelte young man further down the line, holding goalie sticks and a hockey bag. So that peaked my interest immediately (okay, so maybe I do have jersey chaser tendencies). But what kinda killed it at the same time... He was wearing a Leafs hat.

Now, the Sabres were playing Boston that evening, and if you all remember, it was quite the effort for the Sabres to get into the playoffs, and we needed help from other teams. I can't really remember if Toronto was in the running at all, but I don't really have the time to look into right now either.

But what I did was try my hardest for him to overhear me loudly talking about the Sabres in line. And in the terminal, as he was on our flight.

If, though, you think back to my post when Kim and I were in Boston (a bit ironic, don't you think?), I'm not the confrontational type.

So, even though he walked onto the plane right behind us, and I'm sure he heard me, he didn't say a word. I was a tad bit disappointed, but I got over it.

My brother didn't want to sit with us on the plane, which was fine by me, so Kim and I went to the last row on one side, and he to the other (we flew Southwest). Kim took the window seat, so I took the middle one, because there were just too many people on the flight to be stingy and leave a seat open. This cute little old man sat down next to me because there was only one other empty seat (next to hot Toronto fan) and he allowed his wife to sit there with the fine young gentleman.

But, like I said, he was a gentleman. Goalie got up from his seat, approached the man who had sat next to me, and said, "Sir, would you like to sit with your wife?"

I DIED. I do a lot of that, I'm sure you've noticed. I have more lives than a cat.

So I watched whatever movie he was watching on the way home, and while at the baggage claim, Kim scoped out his baggage for his name. I forget what it is though... Something with Thomas, but I don't remember if that was his first name or last name.

That was a fun day.

And then I saw him at UB like, two weeks later. And he said hey and smiled like he remembered me. Weird.

So that was story time. Be sure to check out the Tim Connolly and Mike Milbury drama over at Puck Daddy. Pretty entertaining shit.

WHERE TO BEGIN?

2009-02-02T10:30:00.008-05:00

Okay, so I realize that I've become very neglectful of my dear blog. And I apologize for that.

But I'm trying this new thing for me, where I'm actually going to study regularly on my own time, and not just pay attention in class. That worked out well for me in high school, but I can't say it's doing much the same in college. So, in order to not waste my $354.50 that I had to pay in tuition this semester, I'm actually taking the time to do my reading and take my own notes.

Sad, right?

But school also messed up my blogging schedule. Last semester, my earliest class was at 10, which still left me plenty of time to wake up early, blog, get ready, and then be on my way. This time around? No. I decided that I wanted to get all of my school out of the way so I could have all afternoon and evening to myself. So, being the genius that I am, I made my Tuesday/Thursday schedule so that I go in at 8, and I'm done at 12:15. Wednesdays are a bit tedious, in that my lab starts at 9, but my last class lets out at 3:50.

For that reason, I'm not blogging nearly as much as I used to. I just have too many things on my plate once I get home from school, or I go somewhere... You know how it is. And it's not like I can even blog in between classes, because T/Th, I only have 15 minutes breaks, and Wednesday I have an hour and a half, but that's my lunch time (I only have two classes that day).

And then there's the whole work issue.

I used to be able to blog at work. The past few games I was going to, but out of the 12 patients I have, eight of them decided to come down with the stomach flu this week. Yeah, so I didn't really have time to blog, much less eat my dinner, because they all decided to get violently ill during my down time. Thankfully that wasn't during the Sabres game. Well, no, I actually did miss the first period of the Phoenix game. Kim and my mom were blowing up my phone about Paetsch and ridiculous calls, and I had no clue what they were talking about.

Shame.

So.

I'm back... At least, for the time being.

Thus far, I can't really complain about the west coast trip. Yes, we lost to Calgary, but we also walked all over Edmonton, and won a tough game against Phoenix. I can't really comment on the meat of the games, though, because I was in a stupor during the Oilers game, and at work for the 'yotes. The Flames game, though.. I don't even remember where I was. Well, it was Wednesday, so I guess I was home. But, again, in a stupor.

But what I can say is DAY-YUM.

Don't even get me started on Tim Connolly. I FREAKING LOVE THIS MAN, STD's included. If they've helped to make him the hockey star that he is, I'll take it. He's been absolutely phenomenal the past couple weeks, and I will be absolutely devastated if anything happened to him now. But I did freak out when they were stitching up his lip. All in all, though, he just won't be able to kiss any of the puckbunnies, or anything along those lines.

This, though, was my cousin's Facebook status, in regards to Timmy C:

(Sorry, Shelby... I wasn't knocking Tommy, you know I love him. I just love Timmy more.)

So basically, enough said. Thanks, Todd.

And Nathan Paetsch??

Dang, when did he get so feisty??

I'm not going to lie; I like it.

And Ryan Miller has been so foxy in net, and foxy on his living room couch, and just foxy in general.

Watch this, and you'll see what I mean. It's basically everything that was in the TBN on Sunday, but I just like how cute he looks in the video.

Yeahhh, and Derek's assist one Drew's goal was pretty sexy as well. Just like Drew's play as of late.

Oh, and Patty K, Patty K, PATTY K!!!! Way to cause a ruckus in your first game back! That's why I love you. Oh, and not to mention how adorable you were in your interview:

Who could punch this face??

Oh, wait... Denis Gauthier could. Funny thing, though, is that he's being told to report to a disciplinary hearing with Gary Bettman. Aww, shucks, Denis. Looks like you can't get away with being an asshole forever!

And in other NHL news, Ottawa has *finally* fired their coach. I mean, when did the rumors start for real? I know I wrote about it back in... Oh, wait, nevermind. I can't find it, but I believe it was back in the beginning of January when we doubled up on them, 4-2. Sucks to be you, Craig Hartsburg. But I find sick enjoyment in Ottawa's struggles, myself. I think I'm getting to the point where I hate the Sens more than the Leafs...

Alright, so my plan for this evening is to do some Psychology reading, watch the St. Louis/Detroit game tonight, and then the Sabres game at 10. It might kill me, but I might have to go to bed before the end of the game. I'm not sure if I can run on four hours of sleep again...

I will most definitely be back tomorrow, though. I promise. Even if it is at four in the afternoon. xoxo.

GRAVITY IS NOT MY FRIEND

2009-01-30T19:36:00.003-05:00

So needless to say the last week has been anything but spectacular, except for the Sabres winning 10-2 that was a bright spot, for a number of reasons.

First my computer got a Trojan virus which caused it to crash yesterday. Luckily for me though I had saved most of my stuff onto a flashdrive, which thank god is not infected. But it turns out that my computer wasn't completely fried which meant I was able to run my virus software to get rid it. My uncle works on computers and he told me that if I could reboot it and get to the desktop that was a good sign, so I count myself lucky, but that I should keep running the virus software everyday for the next week just to make sure that the virus was completely gone. One plus to the whole situation is that I got to flirt with the cute boy from the computer services office at my school, when I went in there to ask him to check if the virus was completely gone, this morning. For right now I think everything is fixed, at least I hope, but I'm running the battery of tests on my computer just to be sure.

My second bad thing happened this morning when I feel down the concrete stairs in the parking lot at school. I landed on my side and have a huge bruise on my left thigh that hurts like a bitch and is turning just about every color of the rainbow. Well there's certainly no pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. So suffice it to say that it hasn't been a great two days. Plus I slept really badly last night because I was worried about my computer and the paper that I had just finished writing that was on it.

But anyway enough about my crappy life back to the Sabres who were equally as crappy in that appauling loss to Calgary. I have a feeling the pigeon was probably dropped from the rafters of the Pengrowth Saddle dome on Wednesday after the game. (Which wouldn't hurt it anyway, it being a taxidermied pigeon, the gesture is more symbolic than anything.) I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow well if anything it should be interesting, hopefully there will be good news to report tomorrow after the game. But if not we'll regroup and hope that things turn out better in Anaheim on Monday.

DREW STAFFORD, ILY

2009-01-28T17:46:00.002-05:00

So, I don't really have anything to say. I'm pretty wiped out because of driving in the snow, shoveling, and being at school all day after four hours of sleep.

But I do have this.

Enjoy, loves. You know I do.

Oh, and like I said on Twitter, if this game against the Flames shows even a fraction of the effort on the Sabres' part as they put forth last night, I will be one happy girl. That was, as Kim alluded to, a damn fine game.

But like I said, here you go.

I HAS A HOCKEY STICK

2009-01-27T23:29:00.005-05:00

and I'm not afraid to use it....

So tonight's game was just, wow....10 goals, the most scored all season and Drew with the hat trick, Timmy with 2 goals, Vanek with number 29 I believe (I'm too tired to check for accuracy), Paetsch with his first on the season, Jaro pulling of his second of the season (Jaro get puck, score goal, win game), Hecht with number 6, and Derek who has been on fire lately.

I have to say that the commentators for Sportsnet were actually good they even went so far as to complement Buffalo a number of times, mainly on their chicken wings. The first image we got of one of their commentators was him chowing down on a chicken wing but I have to question his sanity...what no blue cheese? I'm sorry but if you're going to eat wings you've got to smother them in a healthy dose of blue cheese.

So let's start with the beginning of the game DREWWWWWWW!!!! my mom turned her back to the TV and because Jennerette wasn't doing the commentary I had to tell her that he scored she didn't believe me until they showed the replay 9 seconds SWEET. Then she was on the phone in the kitchen and her only indication of them scoring at 1:11 into the game was the fact that I was sitting on the couch squealing like a pig at a hog tying contest. I couldn't believe my eyes and I was pretty sure at this point I was hallucinating but hey give me all the 'shrooms you want if the Sabres keep playing like that I'd be more than willing to spend the rest of the season in a drug induced haze.

I couldn't believe that they just kept scoring, every time I looked down at my computer to try writing my paper it seemed like they scored again which gave me a good excuse to stop looking down at my computer. This lead to me writing 3 words which I later erased because they were OH MY GOD and this is not a religion or theology paper so they weren't entirely relevant.

I'm pretty sure everyone by now has seen the shot of Craig Rivet getting hit in the nads with a skate which I'm pretty sure is about equal to having them sliced off with a plastic spoon. Let's just say that he's probably going to be singing backup for Bjork for awhile, stick him in a Renaissance flick he could be one of the adolescent choir boys or a eunuch which is scarily appropriate considering the circumstance. I hope Mrs. Rivet doesn't want anymore children because Craigory's little swimmers are probably not going to be taking any long vacations any time soon.

Throughout the game Cari and I were texting and repeatedly asking each other if we were dreaming. I told Cari that if she was still dreaming she should keep having Sleeping Beauty Syndrome for the rest of the season and that maybe Derek could be her Prince Charming. If this was all a beautiful dream, which I'm pretty sure it's not considering I have the nail marks in my arm to prove it, I don't want to wake up. Speaking of waking up, I'm going to go to bed and hopefully update tomorrow, before I go to school, when my neurons will be firing properly in my brain.

Oh and I don't know if anyone caught it but with about 3 minutes left in the 3rd the fans still left in the area, coincidentally most were disguised as chairs, started chanting 'WE WANT 10'. So either they're really masochistic, have a really bad sense of humor or there were a lot of Buffalo fans in the arena. I like to think it was the latter and that Buffalo fans are pretty much taking over every arena in the league. Okay I'm done now, another game tomorrow, we'll see how well that one goes, it should be interesting.

I FEEL LIKE IT'S AUTUMN...

2009-01-27T14:55:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's because school just started again...

Maybe it's because the sun 25 degrees all of a sudden after dreary, almost sub-zero temps make me feel like we're in the middle of an Indian Summer in October, prompting me to drive home from school with my car window partially open... (Hey, mine wa s only cracked. There were plenty of people on the road with the windows all. the. way. down. Yeah.)

Or, maybe it's because I haven't seen my Sabres in exactly a week, and honest to God, I feel like I'm about to go to the season/home opener right now.

I think it's all three, with a very, very large emphasis on the third. Yeah, that must be it.

But I also can't deny that I'm sure some of my excitement stems from tennis's Australian Open. Please excuse me while I only partially explain my love of this game. Okay, well, I'll spare you, and won't. But let me just tell you this: I have two favorite male players in Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic. I kind of liken my love for them to my love for Tim Connolly and Derek Roy. I've loved Connolly (Roddick) since the moment I knew who he was. And it's fantastic because Connolly was doing so well (Roddick won the US Open in 2003). But then Timmy got hurt (and Roddick started sucking). And then Derek Roy (Novak Djokovic) came along and stole my heart by stepping up and trying so hard to begin filling a hole left by certain co-captains (Novak did things like this and won the Australian Open last year).

So you can imagine how distrought I was Sunday when I found out that my two tennis loves were to meet in the quarterfinals. I remember Kim asking me who I would cheer for. To tell you the truth, I hadn't a clue.

I figured Djokovic would win, because he's ranked higher, and he's just fantastic, but I was hoping that Roddick would win because I just want him to do well. I'll always have a soft spot for him, seeing as his slam-winning match was the first that I ever really watched.

And to my surprise, he did.

But anyways, is this a tennis blog or a Sabres blog??

Sheesh, Cari, what are you doing?

Really though, I just hope we can get through this roadtrip relatively unscathed. I'd love for 6 points, but I'm thinking 4 or 5 would suffice for me, especially with the looks of things on defense.

I suppose we'll see tonight...

Oh, and I have to add, isn't Tommy Vanek always Mr. Humble? I mean, I adore him for it, but at some point, take some credit for yourself, okay man??? Gees...

From Sabres.com: "It's awesome," Vanek said [of being selected to play in the All-Star Game]. "A few of the other guys probably deserved to go, but I was fortunate enough to be picked and represent my teammates and the Buffalo organization."

Too cute.

Go Sabres!!

JUST BECAUSE

2009-01-26T08:26:00.001-05:00

So I really have nothing to talk about in relation to the current Sabres, so what I am going to do is provide you with some good articles and videos, related to guys I love and love to hate.

But, if you don't have a ton of time to actually sit around and be completely unproductive all day, like I have the luxury of doing this morning, if you have to pick and choose what you watch, I suggest Blackhawks TV for your viewing pleasure. It's pretty much the best thing going these days.

Okay, are you ready? You sure?

Alright.

We'll start with Michael Ryan. The Schenedtady Gazette had a nice article about his surprise of getting an AHL All-Star nod. (Yes, this is for you, MJ, but I'm not so sure you'll appreciate it once you've reached the fourth paragraph... Unless that's you?)

This next one is a commentary from this morning's TBN, by Jerry Sullivan. Now, more often than not, I disagree with Sully, but I'll give him credit where it's due, and it's definitely due today. John Brownschidle, son of NHL-er Jack, is a senior at Buffalo's Canisius High School. What's so special about him? He's a cancer survivor.

I know it's not Christmastime anymore, but the Rochester Americans in this trainwreck is just fantastic. There's a blooper reel on the site, as well, which is always good.

Patrick Sharp: Sharp shooter? Or Sharp dressed man?

No way. Even Jonathan Toews knows that listening to him be mic'ed up is brutal.

No, actual Jon, listening to you and your teammates sing a song about the Blackhawks is brutal.

(Can you tell that I really enjoy Blackhawks TV??)

I adore Patrick Sharp and Adam Burish. Their cheeky shenanigans are fabulous. Ordering the boys breakfast? Soaking hotel rooms? Stealing bags? I just love guys who shamelessly act like they're twelve. What's worse is the team is encouraging it. No, really, I do love some good pranks.

The Carolina Hurricanes were told to make a dinosaur noise. Um... What?

Up close and personal with Steve Bernier? Okay, where do I sign up? Parts 1 and 2.

Oh, one more Blackhawks video. This one was on Sports Soup last night: Kris Versteeg filling in for Ludacris on Fergie's "Glamourous." Kris? Please keep your day job. Please.

And while we're at it? Sean Avery? Ummm, plays with dolls? Somehow, I'm not surprised. Please, Sean, if you know what's good for everyone, you won't come back to hockey, and you'll just go work at a doll store. (This video is edited a bit in some spots, as I'm sure you'll notice, but it's funny, nonetheless.)

NOTES FROM THE ALL*STAR GAME.

2009-01-25T18:26:00.005-05:00

I figure doing this is the only way I'm going to pay an inkling of true attention to the ASG. Plus, there's really nothing else on TV, and if I don't do this, I'll probably fall asleep due to the Sudafed and Excedrin running through my veins.

Honestly, though, why am I bothering? We all know it's going to be ridiculously high scoring, with not excitement because there won't be any hits, and I'm 99.999% sure there won't be any penalties. What does that spell? Boring.

All I can hope is that maybe someone will do something funny. (I'm hoping he does, Frostee. For your sake and mine.)

Here goes. (All I reallt want is Vanek to do well, by the way.)

Pre-Game

- Acrobats? Really? And one playing the violin? Okay, that's sick. But... What does it have to do with hockey?

- I just love the cheers for Lecavalier. I love him playing for Tampa, because that means I can see him play for virtually nothing when I go visit my grandmother, but it would be awesome to see him play for a great team like Montreal.

- On a side note, I'm super stoked that my migraine decided to go away.

- Another side note: I think the NHL needs to copy the AHL in a way when it comes to the skills competition. I think it's cool that the teams go up against each other, and that the players still get rewarded individually.

First Period

- MARC SAVARD IS MIC'ED UP AGAIN!! WOOHOO!! Listening to the Versus idiots is totally worth it if one or more of the guys are commentating.

- 1-0 West. Keith Tkachuk. I still refuse to like him since he hurt Connolly. No, I don't hold grudges or anything. I'm not your stereotypical redhead. Nope. Not me.

- Savvy just described himself as "stiff." Hmmmm. How about we keep it PG, okay Marc? Can you handle that?

- Just a thought: How many people think that Derek Roy could have been voted in had he rushed out of the gates, playing like he is now back in October? I'd love to see him on a line with some of these guys...

- Okay, I just have to put this out there, but I hate, hate, HATE that the Montreal fans do the "Ole" chant. THE OLE CHANT IS FOR SOCCER/FOOTBALL, depending on where you are from. NOT HOCKEY. And yes, I'll admit, I did it at the Bandits' game last week, but that's different.

- 1-1. Yeah, Alex!! I love a good give-and-go.

- I always feel bad for the goalies in the ASG. Yeah, it's cool that they got in and all, but damn are they going to get chased. That's why I was so proud of Miller last year, when he allowed only 3 of the East's 12 goals against.

- 2-1 East. Eric Staal puts the East ahead on a nifty little play with some neat passing.

- Is it wrong of me to cheer for the West?? I mean, they've got Campbell, Kane, and Toews. I adore them.

- Is Eddie Olchek going to get suspended from Versus because he's "a little banged up" and skipping the ASG? I still think it's ridiculous that the NHL is benching Lidstrom and Datsyuk because they've opted not to play.

- During any other game, I would absolutely despise the on-the-bench interviews, but during the ASG? Anything goes, I suppose.

- Okay, I really, really wish the Sabres could mic guys up during games regularly. It's pretty awesome. I used to go to Amerks games a lot and sit right behind the bench. Let me tell ya, I've never heard words strung together like that before... Quite the experience!

- A 4-on-1. You'll never, ever see that in a true NHL game, because as Savvy said, the coach "would hang us all."

- 3-1 East Alex Kovalev with a beautiful fake on a breakaway. And, of course, a wonderful reception from the Montreal fans.

- I have to say, this weekend has kinda won me over for Malkin. Seeing his performance in the accuracy competition last night and the little move he just pulled... I kinda like his style. Kudos to you, man, and I apologize for the trash-talking I've done in your direction.

- Honda is the official vehicle of the NHL?? WHAT? Since when? I do want a Civic Hybrid, though, but only if they'd come in coupes...

- They're interviewing Sidney. As much as I don't like him, he should be playing, and it is unfortunate that he's hurt, because he is a truly gifted player.

- To be honest, I find it pretty difficult to get into

- 4-1 East. Savvy gets an assist on Markov's goal!! As does Ovie. Nice little set up, too. I wish the Sabres' passes could be that quick and crisp.

- 4-2 East. Marleau cuts the deficit in half right before the intermission.

- NO!! SAVVY, YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!! WTF is this shit? Seriously, though, if Versus doesn't have someone else mic'ed up in the second, I'm switching over to CBC. The Canadians call hockey INFINITELY better than Americans. Exhibit A: Rick Jeanneret.

First Intermission

- I love how all the guys are running around and getting each other's autographs. So cute.

- NELSON MANDELLA!! Oh, he takes me back to global studies, sophomore year in high school with Mrs. Reidell (Anne, you know who I'm talking about, right??). We had to sing "Free Nelson Mandella." Oh, good times. You had to be there, I guess.

- Aw, Mrs. Kennedy is too cute, too. idk, maybe it's just the nursing home employee in me, but I love it when the old ladies rock the animal prints and velour sweat suits.

- Well, it's obvious that the Staal boys take after their mother, blonde hair and pale skin. Whatever. At least Eric and Jordan are good-looking.

- Ovie says he'll hit someone if he gets the chance. Um, yeah, probably not the smartest thing to do in the ASG.

Second Period

- Martin St. Louis is mic'ed up. =] He's very quiet, though...

- He says he's impressed by Zach Parise's play. I'm impressed that Drew Stafford has such good-looking friends.

- 5-2 East. Good thing Marty said "gotta go boys," because he scored on a yummy backhand. Did I really just describe a goal as "yummy?"

- 6-2 East. I think Vs should keep St. Louis mic'ed up if it means that Parise is going to keep notching the points.

- 6-3 East Nice, quick release from Souray again cuts the West's deficit in half.

- Random thought: I stand by the notion that soup is the best thing to eat while one is sick. Delicious.

- I just now noticed Vanek on the ice for the first time. Some fan I am, eh?

- 6-4 East. Shane Doan beautifully sets up Dan Boyle. And I should mention that Brian Campbell assisted on that.

- Seriously? Who gets their nose broken five times, and then their jaw broken? Talk about a tough guy...

- I love these drinkability Bud Light commercials... =]

- 7-4 East. Like I said, Malkin really is winning me over. "The Malkin Special..." Haha.

- Cary Price was just on the phone with his mama. Adorable.

- 7-5 East. Rick Nash goes top shelf. I must say, thus far, this is one of the closest ASG's I can remember.

- 7-6 East. Hejduk puts it up high, as well, the pull the West within one. Another thing of beauty. That's what I love about this game; you get to see all of these ridiculously incredible goals that you'd never see elsewhere.

- 7-7. Souray ties it up. Again, the passing tonight is continually blowing my mind. It's perfection, just like Mike Ryan's eyebrows, right MJ??

- Random thought: I'm writing a ton more on this liveblog than I've ever written on a Sabres liveblog. There's something wrong with that, right?

- One of the commentators just said that Montreal's fans are in a bad mood all summer if the Canadiens miss the playoffs. Um, excuse me, but isn't any truly dedicated hockey fan upset if their team misses the playoffs? I mean, I for one am absolutely miserable whenever someone mentions the Sabres in the off-season even if we do make the playoffs. Then again, that's just me, little ol' maniacal me.

- 8-7 East. Beautifully executed breakaway by Kovalev, beginning on his end of the neutral zone. You don't see that every day. Absolutely incredible.

- Kovalev missed the perfect opportunity for a hat trick by cranking one off the post. Oh well. Not that he won't have many more chances, or anything.

- I love the Sports Soup commercials. What's more is my adoration of Sports Soup itself. I never thought I'd have that sort of appreciation for a show other than Talk Soup or Late Night with Conan O'Brien. (I told you I have a thing for redheads. Don't judge me. Don't you dare.)

- I think we need to get Vanek some new linemates. He needs to put some points up.

- 8-8. I told you that this was the closest ASG I can remember. The proof is in the pudding, my friends.

- Tommy tried a nice little move, attempting to go "right through the kitchen, there." Um, what? Yeah, I don't know either. I'm still proud of him for his performance last night.

- Patty K got robbed. (Wow, I feel like I'm talking about Kaleta. That makes me sad. I want him back.)

- St. Louis couldn't wait to get that earpiece out, I guess, seeing as he was struggling to get free of it before the Vs guys even bid their adieus.

Second Intermission

- Aw, Tim Thomas is a mama's boy!! You can't hold that against him, though, as his mother is a cancer survivor.

- They suggested that Luongo wear body armor. Yeah.

Third Period

- 9-8 West. Shane Doan is feeding off of the fun he had last night.

- 9-9. Heatley ties it up. Another thing of beauty with a guy camped out at the top of the crease. Not something I'll get used to.

- Seriously? Who schedules hockey games on Super Bowl Sunday? Are you stupid? Even if it is a matinee game... Sheesh.

- 10-9 West. YAYYY BOYTOY TOEWS!! That's what I've been waiting for!

- Haha, the fans are chanting "Thomas." The goalie chant gets old, though, because it usually backfires, unless you're chanting "Miller," at which point, who the hell knows what will happen?

- I have to admit, the commercial with Ovie, Chara, and Savvy was very cute.

- Aww, PKane. So modest. Typical Buffalonian.

- Uhm, Joe Thornton so obviously does not know how to discreetly look at the Teleprompter. Shame.

- 10-10. Marty St. Louis ties it up, finally getting one past Roberto, for his second of the night.

- Shots are 46-41, with the West leading. That's incredible, if you forget how many goals have been scored.

- I'm a tad bit disappointed that no player is mic'ed up this period, but I'm too lazy to get up, get the controller, and change the channel.

- Ovie has to be kidding me. You can't seriously be looking for a penalty in the ASG. Come on now, boy.

- 11-10 West. PKANE!! Yeah boy! Way to get it done. So all three of the ChiTown boys have gotten on the board in at least one column; now I'm just waiting on Vanek to get some.

- 11-11. Wow. This game isn't back and forth at all, or anything. JBo! Can we get him? Please? Just make a nice little package of Max, some other dead weight, a draft pick, and a bag of pucks and tape, and I think that should suffice, don't you?

- How awesome would it be if this game went to a shootout like the ASG did a few years ago?

Overtime

- Interesting factoid: The ASG in Buffalo back in '78 was the first to go to OT, and Gil Perreault ended it.

- This is probably one of the most intense extra five minutes I've ever watched. Amazing saves. Unbelievable.

- Oh, you've got to be kidding me!! Why would you call a penalty now? The first penalty in the All-Star Game since 2000, and you're going to call it in overtime? Get outta here. West PP.

- Beautiful PK by the East. Textbook play, and it couldn't be better.

Shootout

- First of all, did I call it, or what??

- Isn't it fitting to put Shane Doan in the shootout? Taking notes Wayne?

- Oh, there's the garden gnome. (AKA Gary Bettman.)

- Round 1: Lecavalier? Unsuccessful. Doan? Saved.

- Round 2: Kovalev? Scores! Nash? Missed. 1-0 East.

- Round 3: Ovechkin? It's good! 2-0 East.

Final: 12-11 East.

Not too shabby!! A ~~bit~~ lot too high-scoring for me, but whatever. It was entertaining... Kind of.

I just wish Vanek had put up some points, and hadn't finished in a tie for the worst +/- in the game (-3) along with linemates

And Bettman is getting booed. I love it.

Kovalev gets the MVP. Deserved, seeing as he had 2 goals and an assist, as well as the game winner in the shootout.

Well, I assume I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with something interesting. If not, I'll definitely post Tuesday afternoon after school. No more early morning posts for me. At least, not on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, seeing as I have to be at school for an 8 am class. Yuck.

Time for Sports Soup. xoxo.

OH, HI THERE.

2009-01-25T09:03:00.005-05:00

So I'm assuming that you've all been waiting with baited breath for my next update. At that point though, you'd be dead, seeing as you wouldn't have breathed for a week now. So, short of death, I'm positive that each and every one of you have been worried sick that I got in a car accident, I possibly got clobbered over the head with a cane at the nursing home, maybe I got a look inside of Derek Roy's closet and passed out, or maybe I encountered Tim Connolly on Chippewa (enough said).

Well, my friends, my life is not always that exciting, and as much as it saddens me to say this, none of that happened, and I know you all have lives, so you weren't really worried. It doesn't hurt that I talked to at least a few of you on Facebook or through texts or emails.

But really, I had probably the shittiest week known to man. Not only did school start, but I think I'm going to resort to rearranging my ethics ~~professor's~~ teacher's face with my fist. I cannot stand the woman. Not only that, but there was a death in my family, which was extremely shocking, and now I'm sick, and there was whole bunch of other crap, but I can't even think of it right now because the Sudafed is going to my head, which feels like it weighs about 25 pounds right now.

Whatever.

I have to say, I'm in love with the photographers from this weekend. A while back, when the Sabres started taking those ultrasexy black and white pictures of the guys and throwing them up all over the arena, I was in love. But, at the same time, I was thinking, "Ummmm, no. These guys are not the most photogenic (coughTimConnnollycoughBrianCampbellcough), so why am I gushing over these pictures?"

But I've taken it all back, because they're really cool. They're artsy and they show the guys a little bit differently. I still like going by Connolly's because you can see his terribly receeding hairline, and Kaleta's because his face is mangled. Oh, and Mair's and Lydman's are pretty good, too, because the shadows allow you to see all of their scars. They're actually pretty neat.

So you can imagine my glee when I saw all of the ridiculous pictures they were taking this weekend.

Like this one:

But then you get true winners like these ones:

But I'm sorry, because Vinny takes the cake for the best looking boy of the night:

Niiiiiice!!

So the SuperSkills Competition was pretty entertaining. I can't stand Versus, so I watched on CBC. I figured some of the guys were mic'ed up when I saw the CIA-esque wires sticking out of their jerseys, but I didn't equate them with the Versus broadcast, so I missed out on that fun. Oh well. I was pretty amused by Ovie's antics with the sunglasses, and I just love his use of my ancestor's flag in his hat. Adorable. And I totally called Vanek using the Around The World. I didn't know he'd use it twice though. Cool deal.

I'm still undecided if I really will give the All*Star game my full attention this evening. I might. Really. As much as I am disgusted with the whole voting process and all, it could be entertaining. But if it starts to look anything like the YoungStars game was last night, I'll leave it on, but I'm moving on to the endless hours of psychology reading I have. Not that that is any more fun or anything. I just want Vanek to do well.

What's more, though, is my excitement that next week's games actually will be televised after all. When it was made known to me that no one in WNY could watch it at all, I was almost tempted to get into my car and drive somewhere--anywhere--that didn't have an ip address that I do, just so I could watch it. But I'm glad I don't have to do that, because it saves me a bunch of money, and a whole lot of sleep.

Seriously, though, I hate west coast trips. The guys never seem to have their feet under them during the first couple games, so it'll be interesting to see how they do. I think it would have been beneficial to get them out there a day or two early, but that can't happen because of the break. They should be quite rested, although that doesn't always seem to help, either. Vanek, in my opinion, is the only guy with an excuse to not play well.

Well, maybe he and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Yes, we called him up last night. Last time he put on the blue and gold, he skated with the forwards. This time, he's filling in for Henrik Tallinder, who injured his shoulder and is out indefinitely. Cool. Should be interesting, to say the least.

Even though I was one of those ones, complaining that we had too many defensemen up here a couple weeks ago, I knew something like this would happen. I really think Regier needs to make some sort of move to get an established d-man here, because we can't afford to throw our prospects in the lineup, especially with this roadtrip. Chris Butler has been exceptional thus far, and we've received much more than we could have imagined from him. But that's not going to hold true to everyone, so I'm just praying that Gragnani can at least keep it simple and not screw things up. The Sabres can't afford to do poorly on this trip because Carolina is only two points behind us; Pittsburgh and Florida only three behind.

These next four games will be vital to kicking off the playoff push. I just hope we can pull at least 5, but more ideally at least 6 points, out of this trip.

I'M CONVINCED

2009-01-19T09:53:00.005-05:00

Seriously. Maria Genero has totally won my heart over...

...for Henrik Tallinder. (Don't even get me started on Genero. I've said it before, I want her job, and I'd stop at nothing short of lumping her up to get it. That is, if I weren't afraid of the ensuing arrest.)

Really, though, I've always liked Hank and thought he was a decent enough defenseman. And it didn't hurt that during practices or whatever he always, always is smiling, and you can often her him shouting in celebration or just because they're having fun. And that's what I want from the Sabres. I want them to play well, but I want them to have fun.

Everyone knows that when you're having fun and you're getting satisfaction from your job or task at hand, than you'll perform better while doing it. So if the Sabres are having fun, then they'll most likely be playing a hell of a lot better than we've seen out of them this season.

Anyways, I just thought it was adorable during the Sabres Show, when Henrik was talking about sledding with this wife Ann(e) and their children Nathan and Amelie. He smiled and went all cute and sentimental on us when he said he loves to hear the kids giggle.

Come on, now. Big collective AWWW. =]

But that's only the first part of my conviction.

The rest has to do with the long-term injuries suffered by Teppo Numminen (fractured jaw) and Andrej Sekera (ankle).

I've been saying it for weeks: The Sabres somehow needed to devise a defensemen rotation of sorts. Yes, before you even say it, I know it would screw up the pairings and the chemistry, blah blah blah, but we all know that our defense corps tend to break down and fall apart (i.e. every single one gets hurt) from the middle of the season, down through the stretch, and into the playoffs.

(I honestly believe that, had Jay McKee not contracted a ridiculous staph infection in his leg, due to a laceration from his pads, we would have a Stanley Cup banner in the rafters at the HSBC Arena.)

But now Chris Butler is really going to know what it's like to be a regular NHL player. Teppo Numminen is not going to be there to show him the ropes now, and he's going to have to step up even more than he has already to carry this team. Yes, I said carry this team. Out of the six defensemen that are going to be dressing now, I believe that Butler is the most consistent and most reliable. At least he has been since he was called up before Christmas.

And Nathan Paetsch?

I've been saying all along that Lindy Ruff needs to change the ways he deals with his seventh defenseman and his back-up goalies. If they have one bad game, they never again see playing time. You can't expect a guy who sits about 10 games or more to come back to the lineup and play better than your starter(s). It just won't happen. They either have to be played more often, or given a string of two, maybe three, games, depending on who it is (i.e. position).

Lindy did it last year with Thibault, and he's doing it this year with Lalime.

The sad thing is, this thinking and method has seeped it's way up to the press box, which has become much like a prison for Paetsch, I'm sure.

No matter how many bag skates this guy does, no matter how many extra minutes he logs with James Patrick, no matter how many times he hits the stationary bikes, he is not going to be used to game-play. It just won't happen.

I can only hope that Nathan has a good game tonight. Well, actually, whether he does or not is slightly irrelevant, because no one is going to be getting a flight from Portland to Buffalo any time soon. Not a defenseman, at least. Mike Weber has been injured for some time now, and Mike Funk is recuperating in his hometown of Abbotsford, BC while he recovers from his second concussion since training camp of this year. (The first was suffered during camp, I believe the opening day. He returned from that on November 7, 2008, which just so happened to be the night I was there. The second concussion was suffered from a vicious hit from behind into the boards (which I still can't find video of), mid-December. Funk has only played in 13 of Portland's 37 games.) Out of the other d-men there, only two have seen any time up in Buffalo (Mike Card and Marc-Andre Gragnani, the latter used to play as a winger).

So like I said, hopefully Paetsch will have been worked in practice hard enough to be near game speed. I really hope he does well, because I'd hate to see him go. And the likely scenario is that he will if he doesn't play well.

Die By The Blade has already furthered the trade rumor that could be bringing in veteran Mathieu Schneider to bolster the blue line in exchange for the mostly unwanted Maxim Afinogenov.

Could something along these lines happen? It will be interesting to see which rumors turn out to be actual moves once the trade deadline passes. But if this one does go through, the Sabres will be in a rut as far as bodies go. We've got too many defensemen, but most of them are very young. I'm anxious to see what Darcy and the management will do, come February and March.

Anyways, Go Sabres! (And Derek? Remember what I said about no friends on the ice. You shouldn't even be friends with Greg Campbell off the ice, so definitely no niceties on the ice.)

Oh, and I just feel the need to tell you that Thomas Vanek giggles like a girl, and he and Drew Stafford stuck Butler with the bill at Chef's on Saturday. He laughed it off when asked about it, but still. Way to treat the rookies like that.

SHOULD I LOOK ON THE SPORTS PAGE? OR IN THE OBITUARIES?

2009-01-17T08:29:00.002-05:00

Wow. What a Buffalo sports ~~weekend~~ Thursday and Friday (You can't tell me yesterday didn't feel like a Saturday. No? Well it did to me, but then again, I'm used to four-day weekends.).

Let me first touch on the Sabres/Stars game.

I kid you not, I was seriously going to turn the game off when it became 3-0, Dallas. I mean, my brother had already vacated the room, my father had fallen asleep in his recliner, and my mother had picked up her Stephen King novel. At that point, what's a girl to do? Her family has "abandoned" her, and the only love(s) in her life weren't measuring up.

And don't even get me started on how angry I was with Drew Stafford. Seriously? How do you get in the box twice in one period and then how do the Sabres allow them to score twice?? Honestly, I didn't think there would be a doghouse big enough to fit Drew in at that moment. And I really did not envy the ensuing brunt of Lindy's anger, either.

But then Paul Gaustad came along.

Kim, I know that Paul is your favorite and all, but I love him. I've definitely fallen for him (at least until tonight's game).

So it was all good during our little comeback. We came within one goal, thanks to Jochen Hecht, but then we allowed the Stars to pull ahead a bit more, which was extremely disconcerting to my feeble heart.

But, then again, cue Paul Gaustad!! Seriously, this guy knows how to make a girl's heart flutter.

And I could barely contain myself when I thought Jaro Spacek had scored, but then was even more excited to find out that it was, in fact, Clarke MacArthur! There we had it, folks. A tie game, headed to overtime.

But you all know how much I hate overtime. And I hate the shootout even more. Don't get me wrong; it's entertaining as hell. I just don't have the patience/strength to endure it.

I really thought Tim Connolly would help a girl out and win the game for us, but no. Anyways, what can I expect from a guy who had all but concluded his 10th game of the season? And can I just say that when Jere Lehtinen beat Ryan Miller in the shootout, I feared all hope was lost? But then Derek Roy rescued me from the depths of despair (yes, I'm being dramatic), and Jason Pominville (who I've taken to calling JPom for some reason...) put the nail in the coffin.

I have a flair for the dramatic. That's why I love games like these. And wasn't it just adorable to see the guys pushing, shoving, and punching each other at the end? They were just so happy!

Note to the Sabres: See how happy you are when you win? And when you're happy, your body produces more serotonin. And when you're producing more serotonin, you'll probably play better. Which means you'll win more. See where I'm going with this??

Oh, and congratulations goes to Craig Rivet, who put up his 200th career point with his assist on Gaustad's first goal of the game.

So guys, let's keep the serotonin flowing tonight, eh?

But on to the Bandits game, where there was an overabundance of serotonin.

23 goals??? Seriously???

For those of you who don't know, last night was my first Bandits game. I'm a big lacrosse fan, and when they used to show the games on Empire back in the day, I'd watch them. But now they're not televised (that I know of), so I never get to see them.

But the Bandits sure know how to instill false expectations in a girl.

So we all know that Derek Roy is my favorite Sabre, and that Trent Edwards is my favorite Bill (sort of by default). But I needed a favorite Bandit. So, who do I choose? Mark Steenhuis. The reason, you may ask? Well, there's a few. He has ridiculously hair, which is basically the reason I fell for Tim Connolly during his Sabres introductory press conference. He also was born in Niagara Falls (Ontario), so he's basically a hometown boy. And he has bright orange sneakers, which is just fabulous. It doesn't hurt that his adorable son has his hair.

Little did I know that I'd walk away with my adopted favorite Bandit scoring 13 points. Eight goals and five assists. Um... What??

Yeah. Pretty much the best first Bandits game. Ever. Maureen (Kim's mom) probably hates me now, because whenever she can't go to a sporting event, I take her ticket. And whenever I take her ticket, they (usually the Sabres) win. And in spectacular fashion. So last night fit the mold perfectly.

Kim just looked up some factoids on her phone as I was writing this:

That game (in which the final score was 23-6) now holds the Rochester Knighthawk's records for most goals against and most lopsided loss. Pretty sweet, right?

But at one point during the game, the guy who sits next to Kim just looked at us, dumbfounded, and said, "So, tomorrow, when I want to read about this game, should I look on the sports page, or in the obituaries?"

Damn good question, Aaron. I think the latter would be more appropriate.

Well anyways, Kim and I are finally getting to a game-day skate today, barring any unforeseen occurrences in the next half hour. I'll put up some pictures before I go fulfill my duties to the work-world.

I'M A GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT

2009-01-15T14:10:00.003-05:00

Remember how I said I didn't want to know anything about last night's game until it was over, and I was at home, peacefully watching the game from the initial puckdrop, only after I enjoyed my evening being serenaded by Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal?

Yeah, well... That didn't happen.

Yes, I did have a wonderful evening at Shea's, watching my favorite musical ever (RENT! Go see it!), but I couldn't stay away from the Sabres. I couldn't resist.

During intermission, no matter how much Kim protested, because I made her promise to not let me, I pulled out my cell phone and checked the score.

"Ehh... Not bad." It was 0-0.

A moment later, Kim nudges me: "Al scored!" Cool deal.

But then, a few minutes later, 2-1 Chicago. Um, what? Excuse me?

Cue "Seasons of Love," and the powering-down of the phone.

So then, once the play was over and we were crossing a slush-covered Main Street (Sorry, Britt, but your boots have salt marks on them now. I'm trying my best to get them off!), I again, couldn't resist, so I checked the damage. And damage is right. It was 4-1 at that point.

Needless to say, after listening to the third period on the radio on the way home, and then my brother admitting to me that we blew a six-minute power play, I was less than thrilled.

The only part of the game I watched were the last few minutes that I caught upon entering the house, and I watched Stafford's hit on Keith this morning, just to see if it really was all that bad. And it wasn't. Unfortunate that he struggled after the hit, but it was clean, and the way Ben Eager reacted was absolutely ridiculous. I understand sticking up for your teammate, but do it, and then let it go. The hit was clean.

And Ben Eager is going to get himself a reputation if he keeps behaving and talking trash like that... Well, not that he doesn't already, or anything.

I only hope that the game I will actually see will be better.

But can someone seriously explain to me what is going through Lindy Ruff's mind right now/last night? Why on Earth was Butler sitting in the press box? He's been one of the best defensemen on this team since he arrived in Buffalo, and there is no reason good enough to satisfy me as to why he shouldn't be in the lineup.

Okay. Now that I sort of got my ranting out of the way (seriously, though--go see Rent), I can just say Go Sabres, and hopefully we'll ~~beat the Stars~~ play well this evening.

AW, SHUCKS BRIAN CAMPBELL

2009-01-14T08:30:00.005-05:00

I'm going to be completely honest with you, friends. I love Brian Campbell. No lie. I've told you that before. And it's not just because he's a redhead, but I'm not going to go into the depths of my attachment to him, so just know it's there. Oh, and it's been there for a very, very long time.

What I am willing to divulge to you, though, is my behavior last year on February 26, 2008. (And I can almost guarantee that I will act in basically the same manner if another of my favorites gets sent packing on March 4th.) I woke up that morning just like any other morning and packed my bag for school, triple checking the battery level on my MacBook. I had TSN's TradeCenter set to my homepage on Safari, ensuring that I wouldn't miss a thing.

I drove the 15 minutes to UB's north campus, and was sitting in Chemistry (one of the few times I actually went before I just stopped going because I had already failed), not paying too much attention to Professor ("Winston") Churchill, only hitting refresh continuously on my browser. Oh, and all the while, IM-ing Kim, discussing the trades and how I wasn't too sure if I'd be able to deal if Brian left.

At 11:27 am, my heart dropped and shattered on the lecture hall floor. Literally, this is what I said to Kim: "HE'S GONE. KIMMY, HE'S GONE."

From then on, I'm not entirely too sure what I did. I know I almost felt like crying, and thankfully I was in one of the last rows of the biggest hall on campus, and it was dark, because Winston likes to use Powerpoint.

But then I discovered Steve Bernier, and I was willing to accept him with open arms, especially with his debut in blue and gold.

Really, though? I miss them both terribly.

The one story I will always remember about Brian Campbell is highly entertaining. Well, at least it was to the 15-year-old me, before I heard about his galavanting ways.

It was late March or early April 2003, and the Dairy Queen in Kenmore had just reopened for the season. My friend and I wanted to go get some ice cream, so we walked the, oh I don't know, maybe seven blocks down Elmwood to get some.

The topic on everyone's mind was the SARS pandemic. But it was hitting home for Sabres fans, with roommates Rhett Warrener and Brian Campbell under house arrest/quarantine, because Campbell's sister-in-law was showing symptoms after coming into contact with SARS patients at the Toronto hospital she worked at. They were shacked up in Warrener's Kenmore home, not all that far from my friend's house.

Anyways, while we were standing in line to get our ice cream, who should get in the line opposite ours? Brian Campbell and Rhett Warrener. I'm pretty sure Campbell got a twist in a dish with chocolate sprinkles.

Basically, they could have killed me. Except, neither one of them actually contracted SARS, so I guess that's alright.

(ETA: In retrospect, I guess I didn't really do the story justice. I just think it's funny that, when they might have had SARS, Brian and Rhett are sneaking out of the house, disregarding regulations from the World Health Organization, to go to Dairy Queen and get their ice cream fix. Hmm.)

Even so, Brian, I'll never boo you. Well, at least not baring unforeseen occurrences. I'm impressed at how you and your Blackhawks have done this season, and I'll always cheer for you, as long as you're not playing the Sabres. Hey, I drove my family nuts on New Years Day because all I wanted was for it to be 1 o'clock so that I could watch you in the Winter Classic (even though it was better when you were wearing blue and gold).

Now if we could get Steve Bernier back, I'd be a happy girl.

*****

There is a positively awesome article about Derek Roy in the TBN today, surprisingly written by Bucky Gleason. I knew there was a reason I loved Derek. I mean, for his hockey skills, not his ridiculous off-ice behavior.

*****

About tonight's game? Well, I'm not going to be watching. I know, I know, that's outrageous since it's my one legit change to really watch Brian Campbell and not want him to win this season. But Kim and I are going to see Rent tonight at Shea's. Totally worth it. So excited.

But I am taping the game, and I've already told all of my hockey-obsessed friends and my family not to breathe a word of a score or anything related to this game to me until I finish watching it. Yeah. We'll see if that actually happens. Not counting on it.

SOMETHING THAT TICKS ME OFF

2009-01-11T12:47:00.005-05:00

So Cari and I were discussing this with Anne outside JJ's last night after we had bid adieu to the rest of the bloggers. We were talking about how guys (not any guys in particular) seem to think that because we're girls that we somehow know less then they do about sports. Now from the time i was very young I was raised on hockey if there was a Sabres game it was on my living room TV and no one was allowed to change the channel. In my family my mom and my brother love it as does my grandmother, my dad watches it but doesn't get emotionally invested like the other members of my family.

But still I've been going to hockey games since I was little and now my family splits season tickets with my uncle so I go to at least 20 games a year and watch all the other games on TV. I know the hand motions for penalties and I know all the players, I've had guys behind me at the games ask what a certain call means or what icing is or off-sides is I am in no way a PUCK BUNNY. Most guys assume that because I like hockey I'm in it for the men and while yes the good looking players are an added bonus the fact that I like hockey has very little to do with that fact. I like hockey for its intensity and its ability to make me forget about everything except grown men pushing a disc of galvanized rubber around a big sheet of ice while occasionally getting it into a big netted contraption which means that team gets a point.

While Mark Mancari was up from Portland there were two guys sitting behind my mom and me discussing him. They were saying that they knew he had the fastest shot in the AHL but they weren't sure how fast it actually was, being me I turned around and told him matter of factly that the slapshot registered at 102.8 mph which was .4 mph less then Zdeno Chara. The guy looked at me like I had grown three heads and said "wow you know a lot about hockey for a girl." And there they are the magic words I would have been fine if he had just said that I knew a lot about hockey but then he had to go and add the words 'for a girl' I hate that stereotype and that's exactly what it is a stereotype that because I have boobs and ovaries that I somehow should know less about sports then they do.

So guys if you ever meet me anywhere and want to know anything about hockey please for the love of all that is holy don't add the words 'for a girl' on the end of a sentence. As a matter of fact I'm pretty sure that any of my fellow girl bloggers would appreciate it if you would refrain from using the words 'for a girl' and 'Puck Bunny' in their presence.

MOVING ON....

2009-01-10T23:36:00.003-05:00

We lost to Detroit and yeah I understand that it was an important game and it would have been nice to win and all but seriously before tonight we won 4 in a row one of the longest winning steaks we've had all season. Let's face it though Detroit is 3rd in the league it wasn't exactly a no brainer that we were going to lose and that's not just me being negative. We played last night, Detroit didn't and if the first two periods of last night's game were any indication we were tired or just not trying hard enough to win although we somehow squeaked by with a win. If we were having that much of a problem against the Rangers it was almost a guarantee that were going to have an even bigger problem against an even better team (aka Detroit).

I have to say that I didn't watch much of the game mainly because I was standing in a crowded bar with fellow bloggers discussing hockey related things (most of the time). It was also hard to watch the game with no sound because the bar was also showing the football games that were on tonight so the sound for the Sabres game was turned down so as not to distract the other patrons from watching grown men tackle each other over possession of a pig skin (not that I'm dissing football, I just think that hockey is more interesting but I've got to be PC here I couldn't risk pissing someone off but then again it's our blog we can do what we will with it anyways back to hockey).

When the Sabres scored I almost let myself believe that maybe we could pull it off (yay Derek Roy) but once again it is the Sabres curse to get your hopes up only to have them dashed at the last second, or the last 3 minutes, which was how long it took Detroit to take a game that was relatively evenly matched to a game that was most certainly a Detroit win.

Even though the Sabres lost I still had fun tonight it was nice meeting everyone and being able to put faces with blogs. Now I'm off to bed to get ready for my return to the academic world on Monday I've got to get all the sleep I can because once school starts it's going to be in short supply.

MISSING: A GRITTY, OFFENSIVE FIRST-ROUNDER.

2009-01-10T09:40:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking about how I was going to go about this entry for quite a while now, but I feel that it's finally necessary, whether or not I want to write it, or whether or not I know how to do it.

Really, though, where has Daniel Paille disappeared to? (Do I really need to put this picture on the side of all milk cartons in Buffalo?)

I mean, last season, he was our diamond in the rough. He played in 77 games, had 19 goals and 16 assists, and finished a plus-nine. He showed great potential as being a guy who would go into the corners, battle with the opposition, and he showed signs of playing without fear.

Aside from the first month of the season, I haven't noticed him on the ice, and that worries me.

At the start of the season, Paille came storming out of the gates in a presence-sense, hitting everything in sight. That tapered off in a matter of games, surprising for a guy who was voted the hardest checker in the OHL back in the day.

That, however, is not the only upsetting thing about number 20. What is? The fact that he has been wildly inconsistent and unreliable is what worries me.

In October, he only registered points in four games. Paille had one goal and four assists for the month, and was a plus-one. This was across the Sabres' 10 games. That's not that bad, considering that he produced an average .5 points per game, which would land him a pace of 40 points for the season.

November, though, was a travesty. Dan missed two of the Sabres' 13 games in the month, one as a healthy scratch up in Boston (Nov. 8), and the other (also against Boston, on Nov. 26) due to illness (the flu). So he played in 11 games, in which he put up points in three, leaving him with one goal and two assists on the month. He was also a minus-three. That's a terrible performance, if you ask me. I like to judge a player's offensive production by averages of points per game, if you hadn't noticed, because I think just goals or just assists doesn't tell the whole story. But Dan's tells a very scary story, because in November, he was only at .27 points per game. Yeah. Enough said.

The month of December was hardly better to Paille. Appearing in all 14 games for the team, Dan only racked up two goals and two assists, those coming in three games. A minus-three on the month, Paille's points per game stat sat at .29.

Thus far in January, Paille has played in the Sabres' four games. He had an assist in only one of those games, putting his points per game at .25, and he's at an even zero on the plus/minus.

What does that leave him at for the season? Well, after 39 games, Paille has four goals and nine assists, totaling for 13 points, that's .33 points per game. And he's at a minus-five. Pace for the season? At this rate, he'll appear in 80 games, and his stats will improve to eight goals and 18 assists, for 26 points (still only .33 per game), and finish at a minus-five.

How do I feel about this?

You all should know by now that I am a Daniel Paille fan. If you don't, you do now. I really took a liking to him last season, but thus far in 2008-09, I'm not impressed at all. I should definitely be seeing more from a first-round draft pick, especially when he tore up the OHL. This, however, is about the level he produced at in Rochester while there.

I think, though, if someone needs to be packaged up in a trade to clear some room, or to Maxim Afinogenov look more appealing to other teams, Paille would be the guy I would send, as much as it would break my heart. Many people would say Drew Stafford would be a better guy to send packing, but Stafford is doing well on a line with Derek Roy. I'd leave him alone. Paille has struggled all year, and that could just be a general struggle.

But can we really afford to have a guy who is supposed to be one of our more gritty lower-scoring forwards on our team? It could be a deal-breaker if we're fighting for a playoff spot come March. That's all I'm saying...

Alas, Kim and I will be joining the other bloggers down at Casa di Pizza tonight for the game, as she mentioned last night. It will most definitely be a good time, and hopefully the Sabres will finally be able to solve Ty Conklin. I'm really sick of him having our number. Let's get his for a change, eh?

THE WEATHER CAN STAY COLD AS LONG AS THE SABRES STAY HOT

2009-01-09T23:23:00.006-05:00

I admit that I forgot I was going to the game tonight and because of the first two periods I wasn't so sure I was glad I remembered. They were just awful, but the complete hideousness of the game was broken up by Derek Roy's goal with 3:53 left in the second and everyone in the arena at that point was thinking the same thing "It's about time". Through the first two periods it seemed as if the team couldn't do anything right. Their passing was horrible and they couldn't seem to get the puck out of our end with Rangers outshooting us 14 to 7 in the first period. The second period was even worse with first shot on goal coming with 10 minutes already gone in the period. The fans were getting frustrated with good reason because that shot was met with derisive cheering and clapping. The Sabres stepped it up in the third because I'm pretty sure I could hear Ruff yelling, from the dressing room up in the 300s, to get their asses in gear something they seemed to have a problem with in the first and second. The only player who showed up for all three periods was Miller and I'll even forgive him that goal because he was screened and it came from a wrist shot almost out at the blue line.

Overtime was back and forth between zones which was really frustrating because at that point you know that it's going to a shootout. I hate shootouts, I hate them on principle usually because we're always on the losing end but tonight the Sabres pulled it off. Ales Kotalik had the lone goal in the shootout for the Sabres but it turned out to be just enough with Miller stone walling the three New York shots.

It's horrible to say but the Sabres deserved to lose that game because of their play in the first two periods. The Rangers were the superior team for most of the game both out shooting, out skating and overall out playing the Sabres but once again the Sabres managed to pull a goal out of their butts and sneak away with a win in the shootout.

The scariest part of the game came with 16 minutes left in the first period when, after colliding with Paul Gaustad, Michal Rosival fell face into the open doorway at the Sabres bench hitting his face on the corner of the boards. He skated across the ice to the Ranger bench and sat down next to Henrik Lundquist who sat out the game allowing Steve Valiquette to get the start. After being examined by the trainer Rosival was escorted to the Ranger locker room and didn't return to the game. On the post game show it was reported that Rosival had recieved a gash that stretched the length of his cheek. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he also suffered a neck injury after the way he hit those boards with his neck snapping back so quickly it looked like his head was replaced with a bouncy ball.

Speaking of neck injuries from the seats where my mom and I sit for the games we can see the part of the press box that the injured players sit in during the national anthem I turned around to see Pat Kaleta sporting a neck brace and managed to snap a picture of it with the phone on my camera, which is why it's really fuzzy, during one of the stoppages in play. He looked really bored which I would be if I had to sit and watch my teammates play without me. Max Afinogenov put in an appearance leaning over the edge to look out at the crowd during the first intermission. Jeanerette showed up during the second intermission talking to Kaleta all the while chowing down on a cookie.

That's him on the left.

Today marked the halfway point in the Sabres season and before tonights game they were dead even in wins and losses with 20 each counting shootout and overtime losses. Tonight's game was also the 4th win in a row for the Sabres putting them at 4-0 since the New Year if this streak continues the Sabres can say hello to a playoff spot (let's hope) because as it stands right now they are tied with Carolina for 7th place in the Eastern conference.

As the guy in the booth at the parking ramp said tonight it was an important win for the Sabres tonight because tomorrow we play (shudder, cringe) Detroit who we haven't played at all this season and who I'm not looking forward to playing at all for obvious reasons mainly Henrik Zetterberg and Ty Conklin (why is it that we get rid of a player and they do fantastically on another team it's got to be part of the Buffalo curse I tell you).

Well I'm attending the blogger get together tomorrow so for those of you who are going it'll be nice to put a blog with a face I look forward to meeting you.

WHAT THE SYSTEM NEEDS

2009-01-09T12:23:00.002-05:00

Since I've already delved into the Tim Connolly chapter of the Sabres' history, I decided that today, in lieu of his return to the ice, I would discuss what I believe the Sabres need to do in order to be successful in the second-half of the season. This is, in my opinion, what The System needs to mean to the guys in the blue and gold.

Leadership. Cliche, yes, but it's the honest-to-goodness truth. The first step to team chemistry (which we all know the Sabres have; most of them came up through the ranks together, and you know they consider each other to be the best of friends) is a well-defined leader. It obviously hasn't worked thus far this season too much, with the absence of Captain Craig Rivet. The guys have not been holding each other accountable enough, and that's the main reason I wish that we had never lost tonight's foe, Chris Drury. But, with Rivet back in the lineup (hopefully, for good, now), this snafu should be cleared up. (Although, it was nice to see Gaustad call out the entire team the other night after the debacle against Washington. As I said, he had my vote for captain.)

Balanced scoring. The Sabres need to roll three lines in order to have this. That means everyone, and not just Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Drew Stafford, Jason Pominville, and Clarke MacArthur, need to step it up and bury the biscuit a little more often. Hopefully, again, with the return of Connolly, a little spice might be thrown into our game, and mix it up a little. True, seven Sabres have over 20 points, but only four have more than 10 goals. You might say I'm asking too much, but when we've got guys like Paille, Hecht, Connolly, and Kotalik have eight goals or less, something's got to give.

Discipline. Plan and simple, the Sabres have taken too many stupid penalties. How many times have we been whistled for too many men on the ice? Take that number, and add ten. That's that many too many. And some people might say the refs are out to get us, or they're still bitter over the Miller situation, but that's water under the bridge. Even if the officials are calling a biased game, no matter our opponent, the Sabres need to overcome that. It's what good teams do, and if the Sabres can't do it, well then we've got a very big problem.

Strong penalty killing. Yes, we're sitting at third overall currently, with an 86.7% average, but that needs to be maintained. And bettered at home.

Killer instinct on the power play. The Sabres have only converted on 20.6% of their man-advantages. That's only 11th in the league. Enough said. Basically, and it's easy for me to say, because I've never played hockey; but hey, I've only watched it since I was, oh, about three years old. Get the puck to the net, and have a guy down low. That's where Vanek had a ton of success last season, and Gaustad is effective there as well. Like I said, easier said than done, but it's an effective method. Again, Connolly's return will help with puck movement and pulling the opposition out of position. His presence will definitely have an impact.

Health. Thus far, we've lost 107 man games to injury. There have been 15 different instances of injury, many of which occurred to the same players. This doesn't even include games lost to illness (Paille, Toni Lydman, etc.). We've struggled mainly due to inconsistency of lineups. Hopefully, with Connolly and Rivet off the shelf (for the time being, at least), it will begin to improve. Now if only we could get Patrick Kaleta back into the lineup. It will be interesting to see what does happen with the roster when, or if, we reach full health, because there will be way too many guys in the locker room.

Effort and heart. I cannot tell you have many times I've left the arena in years past saying, "Well, it's too bad they lost. At least they played hard," or "at least it was a good game." I haven't been able to say that much at all this season. Honestly, I don't mind watching them play, even shelling out in the neighborhood of $100, if the Sabres play hard and battle, and then lose. It's part of the risk you take buying tickets, or even sitting down in the evening to watch a game, rather than write a term paper. What I hate most is when I do that, and the Sabres barely show up, and I wonder if my residents at the nursing home could play a better game of hockey. All I ask is for consistent effort, 100%, 60 minutes, night-in, night-out. It's what they're getting paid for, after all.

This barely scratches the surface of the issues with this team, but if they could get the ball rolling on those, this team could be great. They've all got the potential and the talent, but that only goes so far. That needs to be put into action to translate into wins. They're not going to post themselves automatically. I only hope that the Sabres can keep on the path that 2009 has them on, because if they continue to play that way, they'll be one of the teams to beat, come the stretch.

HEY NOW YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR...

2009-01-08T13:43:00.003-05:00

Thomas Vanek is as hot as a pancake (to steal a Harry Neale comparison) not only is he tied for first in goals with Jeff Carter and Alex Ovechkin (who has unsurprisingly caught up in goals scored) he's been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

For me the actual All-Star game is boring because we all know it's going to be a high scoring game with very few penalties, very few hits and no fights (not that I can remember at least). Now that's not to say that I'm not going to watch it because I will but I'd much rather watch the skills competition which I believe to be the most exciting part of the All-Star break.

Now as Cari said in a previous post we are trying to make this blog less puck bunny and more intelligent hockey discussion which means that I have to curb those puck bunny tendencies that seem to want to surface every time Paul's name is mention. They include giggling, swooning and making keening noises when someone mentions his name or when he's on the ice during a game. I lead a sad and pathetic life, don't judge me. Now just because we're saying that we're going to try and make this blog not so puck bunnyish doesn't mean that it's not going to be puck bunnyish some of the time because we're girls with hormones and lots of 'em.

Back to intelligent hockey, now I don't know if any of you have heard about the live chat that the Buffalo News hosts Thursday mornings but if you haven't it's basically a question and answer session when fans send in their questions and Bucky Gleason answers them. One question in particular caught my eye someone asked what was up with Pat K. considering they said he would be out for three weeks after being put in a hard brace for his neck injury and it's already been two weeks with no word as to a date for a return. Bucky said in response that it's a ligament in Pat's neck that has been giving him trouble since being suckerpunched by Denis Gauthier. Correct me if I'm wrong but the Sabres haven't actually come out and said what's wrong with Kaleta's neck so at least now we know it's not a concussion or something really serious like a cracked vertebrae. The live chat is still up on Buffalo News.com under Sabres Edge for anyone who is interested.

THE RETURN OF TIM CONNOLLY AND THE D.R.R., AND RUMORS IN PORTLAND

2009-01-08T08:35:00.006-05:00

No one is happier than this girl to not only see this face again, but to see it bearing a grin.

Alright. Now that I've gotten that out of the way... Seeing as how Timmmmaaaay is returning tomorrow night, I thought it might be interesting to examine his case.

If you asked me if I could sum up Connolly's career in one word, I'd chose unfortunate, the definition of which states that it is something marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune. Tim Connolly is incredibly gifted and is a fantastic hockey player, but the poor guy has had more injuries that I can count.

The serious ones began back in his junior year, while playing down the 90 in Erie, with the Otters. In the 1998-99 season, Connolly broke his leg during a game, resulting in a rod being placed in his tibia.

This injury hardly affected his draft status, as the New York Islanders took him fifth overall that year. Despite just coming off of his broken leg, Connolly made the team out of camp. He played 81 games in his rookie season, recording only 10 goals, but snagging 20 assists for 34 points on the year. Not too shabby for a rookie, especially in the Old NHL, but more would definitely be expected of a first-round pick.

In his sophomore season, Connolly appeared in all 82 games, this time posting 10 goals, but 31 assists, improving his points total to a high 41.

The summer after that season, Tim was attending the high school graduation of his younger twin sisters, Caitlin and Shannon. Their graduation coincided with the second day of the NHL Entry Draft. Connolly admitted being excited, due to NYI's acquisition of Alexei Yashin and Chris Osgood, and since the first day is usually when the wheeling and dealing occurs, he was completely shocked when GM Mike Milbury called--during the ceremony--to tell him that he and Taylor Pyatt had been sent packing to Buffalo, in exchange for Mike Peca.

So, Connolly suited up in the red and black. In his first season for the Sabres, Connolly again played all 82 games, but struggled to produce, improving on his previous totals, but hardly significantly. He scored 10 goals again, and tallied 35 assists, heightening his points total by four to 45.

In his fourth career season--second with the Sabres--Connolly severly underachieved, only netting 12 goals and 13 assists, for 25 points. Tim appeared in 80 games, and only missed the last two of the season due to a suspension, warranted due to swinging a stick at an opponent.

At this point in time, Tim looked reliable, at least health-wise. He was one of the leading Iron Men in the league, playing over 300 straight games (I believe he had a run of over 320, but I can't find the exact number, and I think that put him at third in the rank).

But it all went downhill from there.

In the preseason of the 2003-2004 season, the Sabres were playing an exhibition game against the Chicago Blackhawks. This is what Tim had to say:

I took a mid-ice, shoulder-to-head hit with Scott Nichol from the Blackhawks. It was a clean hit, but I had just taken a shot, so I was in a vulnerable position where I couldn't really brace myself. I didn't get knocked out, I skated to the bench, but I was out of it. My legs gave out a little bit. I had never suffered a concussion before, but it was one of those situations where it wouldn't go away. It took more than six months before my head was clear and I was able to work out and get back in the swing of things. (From ESPN.com)

Needless to say, as I'm sure you're all well aware, Tim missed that entire season.

Cue the lockout. Tim opted to play in Switzerland, with HC Lugano. There, he played 16 games, had seven goals and three assists. His stay in Europe was cut short, though, due to a knee injury.

So Tim returned to New York, and rehabbed his knee to be sure that it would be ready for the upcoming NHL season.

In 2005-2006, Connolly was limited to 63 games in the regular season, due to a controversial knee injury. This happened when Darius Kasparaitis, then of the New York Rangers, checked Connolly low, causing him to miss time. In this season, though, Connolly recorded 16 goals and 39 assists, combining for 55 points, career highs across the board. At this point in time, he was registering .87 points per game. Hardly anything to sneeze at.

In his first playoff appearance, Connolly only played in 8 games, but registered five goals and six assists for 11 points, which would be 1.375 points per game. He did not conclude the Sabres' playoff push with them, though, because he suffered a second concussion, thanks to a vicious, but clean, hit, from the Ottawa Senators' Peter Schaefer, now with the Boston Bruins.

Because of problems thought to be related to his second concussion, Connolly sat out all but the last two games of the 2006-2007 season. In those last two games, he recorded one goal.

In the playoffs that year, though, Tim played 16 games, recording nine assists.

On to the 2007-2008 season. Connolly struggled throughout the year with bone spurs in his hip, which eventually required surgery. He suited up for only 48 games, scoring only seven goals, adding 33 helpers, but in the end only posted 40 points. Obviously more is needed from Connolly, whose points per game total for the season then sat at .83.

Thus far this season, Connolly has had fractured vertebrae and a broken rib, limiting him to only six of the the Sabres' 40 games. In those six games, though, Connolly has put up two goals and five assists, for a points per game average of 1.167.

None of this goes to show how skilled Connolly is, though. He has long been Ruff's PP QB, and always sees ice time on the PK. His teammates will always say how gifted he is, and how difficult he can be to play against.

But what do his numbers really mean to us? Why is he valuable to this team?

Let's allow his career totals to do the talking, shall we? In the nine seasons Connolly was with an NHL team (the season he missed due to concussion symptoms and the current season included), he's only played 444 of a possible 696 games (only 63.8%). In those games, he's recorded 72 goals and 176 assists, for a total of 248 points. That's only an average of .558 points per game, which would equate to 45.8 points on a season.

Like I said, I love Tim Connolly more than the next Sabres fan. I have since we acquired him, but that's a whole 'nother story. My point is, his numbers suck. They definitely do not portray the player we all know Connolly has the potential to be. The problem is, he is so injury-plagued that he probably will never live up to his own expectations, let alone ours.

But I'm glad to see he'll be back tomorrow. Our power play sure as hell needs him, and it wouldn't hurt to have a center who can really see the ice and find good passing lanes out there.

The question remains, how much longer will Timmy be wearing blue and gold? Will he be gone by the trade deadline? Is he going to leave that day? Over the summer? Or will he stay with us? Your guess is as good as mine, seeing as how Afinogenov is a bigger problem, and Kotalik would probably garner the most interest from other teams. It doesn't hurt that the coaching staff loves Connolly. If he does stay, though, he'd better be willing to take a sizeable pay cut, because there is no way, talent aside, that a guy that injury-riddled deserves a salary of $2.9 million per season.

*****

Speaking of trades, there are rumors spreading up in Portland. They've hit a snag this season with goaltending, as Adam Dennis recently required season-ending hip surgery. That means Jhonas Enroth has been shouldering all of the duties, now coming up on his (I believe) 11th game in a row.

Their need of a goalie, combined with the Sabres' supposed interest in keeping Chris Butler (we'll see about that one) and Matt Ellis up in Buffalo, would obviously present the Sabres with a predicament. In order to keep extra bodies up in the NHL, they'd have to clear roster space. The obvious bodies to move would be Afinogenov and Paetsch, Max for obvious reasons, and Paetsch because he's the odd man out. Kotalik and Connolly could also be moved due to contract years, but that's hardly likely; Kotalik is a force on this team, and Connolly has virtually no stock.

Maine Hockey Journal reported that Kevin Dineen, the coach of the Portland Pirates, had some interesting sound bytes one the subject, suggesting the Buffalo brass have something in the works:

"(Goalie search) has been put off for a reason and won’t be clarified til Friday at the earliest,” said Dineen.

It'll be interesting to see what happens, that's for sure.

*****

And seeing as Derek Roy actually called up Kiss 98.5 this morning, I can tell you what he had to say. Honestly, though, I think this is the first actual D.R.R. in about a month, mostly due to the holidays falling on Thursdays...

- Andrew Peters' thumb is bruised, was bleeding yesterday, and it still hurts.
- Derek suggested that Andy's fingers taste like chicken wings.
- He says you shouldn't bite people unless your life is in danger. Nick added, "Unless you're on Chippewa."
- He's excited to play against Chris Drury.
- Is he doing anything differently? No. He's sticking with his system.
- VitaminWater flavor? Endurance/Mango.
- Sometimes works out after games.
- January has a ridiculous travel schedule. He may just leave his suitcase packed.
- Doesn't have any pets.
- Did he send a baby gift to Rob Ray? No.
- He was 3 when he first skated. His brothers were about that age as well. He was awful, falling everywhere. Couldn't stop until he was "like 10 years old."

Finally, he called them, and finally some oddball information.

Well, kids, it snowed again. Big surprise. I'm off to shovel, and the hopefully I'll feel spry enough to head to the gym. That's my plan, at least. I'll be back if I hear any juicy information.

SERIOUSLY?

2009-01-06T21:45:00.002-05:00

Okay, so in reviewing all of my posts since Kim and I started this wonderful little blog, I must say I am quite surprised at myself. I really prided myself on knowing all sorts of stuff about hockey, and really truly say that I am not a puck bunny, but in all honesty, I've done nothing to convince you of the sort since, probably, mid-October.

So my New Year's Resolution for SC is to return to smart and intuitive hockey blogging. I'm still going to gush on my love for the guys, but I'm going to make an earnest effort to supply much more clever blogging.

And I'm hoping that begins now, and continues.

I had no idea that when I turned on the game, not only would I almost miss Matt Ellis' fourth goal of the season, but I hadn't a clue that I would be watching Jarkko Ruutu's best imitation of Tyson v. Holyfield.

(I enjoyed Andrew Peters' comments on that, as he spouted cliche after cliche. True, he has to hold himself accountable for his own actions, and no doubt knows that if he said something stupid, he'd be in deep, but still. Who didn't want to hear Petey call out Ruutu and just say, "Yeah, I'm aware we play them again on Saturday, February 7th, and don't worry, I know Jarkko's number." Hopefully the NHL will step in and hold Ruutu accountable for that action, which was not only embarrassing to himself and the Senators, but also the league, and the game in general. And if the NHL doesn't step in, I'll be angry, but it wouldn't surprise me since they all but ignored Denis Gauthier's sucker punch to Patrick Kaleta, who is still out, mind you, due to that cheap shot.)

But it was nice to see Ellis continue on his little goal streak. Four goals in three games ain't to shabby if you ask me.

I was slightly disappointed the game lost a lot of it's intensity after the first period. I know the coaches probably harped on the players to get their heads in the game, cool their tempers, get a grip, blah, blah, blah, but seriously, I had planned on watching a highly spirited game with loads of fisticuffs and all that jazz, you know, seeing as how high emotions were running the last time we faced off against the Sens. But Captain Craig didn't disappoint in his return, that's for sure. He all but took on every guy in red and black on the ice, and bloodied up one of them, just because they got too close to Ryan Miller. It's nice to see someone standing up for Miller and immediately and instinctively jumping the culprit. That's the leadership this Sabres team has been missing for the past season and a half, give or take the games Rivet was healthy for.

And thankfully that puck tipped by Derek Roy bounced into the net off of Carrie Underwood's boyfriend Mike Fisher's skate, or else Miller probably would've been kicking himself tonight.

Oh, and anyone else notice how similar Drew Stafford's little move in front of the Sens' net was to Jason Pominville's playoff game winner, way back when? If Roy hadn't been in the corner and had fed the puck to Staffy, and instead he had broken in all alone, those two goals could possibly have been identical.

There's one other thing I want to point out: Thomas Vanek's 27th goal was scored with 26 seconds left. The only thing that could have made it better would be #26 scoring his 26th with 0:26 left. How weird would that be?

So, my stars, for the game, since I haven't done that since October:

(1) Derek Roy. (Not just because he's my guy, but because he had a solid night, with one goal and two assists, that goal being the game winner.)

(2) Jason Spezza. (Yes, he's a Senator, but still, a two goal game is quite impressive, especially when the only guy who scores is one of three who make up half of the scoring for the entire team.)

(3) Ryan Miller. (True, he single-handedly allowed the Senators a chance at a comeback, but if he hadn't snapped out of whatever funk he had gotten himself into after that second goal, the Sabres would have been in real big trouble.)

Overall, very good game, boys. I'm very impressed at the little streak you've put together for yourself, but I'm not holding my breath. We'll see how it goes on Friday, and we'll see how happy I am with the NHL in the next couple days.

It's Been Awhile...

2009-01-06T08:57:00.004-05:00

(Oh gees, now I have that Staind song stuck in my head...)

Well, anyways, I haven't been around since Friday. And I must apologize for that. I was going to post Saturday morning, around 6 am, and tell you that I was going to be up in Toronto for the weekend, but I woke up late, and seeing that I woke up at 6, had to be out of the house by 6:45, pick up Brittany and be over at the guys' house by 7:15, yeah, a post was nowhere to be found.

So I was up in Toronto for the UB Bulls International Bowl. Yes, I'm sure you all know how that went. But the rest of my weekend was fabulous, because we spent the night up in TO, and let me tell you, this club up there--Circa--is my favorite club now. It's awesome. And we met some super creepy people up there. All in all, tough, a great weekend because while we were eating at Hoops on Saturday (it's kinda like a Buffalo Wild Wings, fyi), they were showing the highlights from the Sabres game, and we all started cheering (there were eight of us, so it was kinda loud). I can't even tell you how many dirty looks we got, especially from our waitress, who was wearing a Leafs shirt.

But whatever, because I'm back now. And I must say that I missed you and this little blog terribly in my three day absence.

I had this really killer idea for a post today, but today I can't remember the one line I wanted to throw in it, and it happened to be the punch-line, so I'm not quite sure I want to post that anymore.

Really, though, the only things I'm concerned about are Craigory and Timmykins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have a whole lot of time now, so I'm going to go now, but I plan on liveblogging the game tonight with Kim, as she is going to be watching with me at my house.

But I'll leave you now with this gem:

Yeah, I'd like to see plenty of this tonight.

And does anyone else remember what happened the last time we played Ottawa?

Really Jarkko? Is that what happened? Well, Adam remembers it a little more clearly, I think.

Hey Jarkko, it's after the holidays...

In the least, it should be a damn good game. See you later.

WHY ALEXANDER OVECHKIN STOLE MY HEART

2009-01-02T08:19:00.009-05:00

(Read this post and try not loving AO. I DARE YOU.)

Guys, I think I might love Alex more than Derek right now, and that's even after Derek's two-goal, three-point night. Yeah.

(But wasn't that a great game???? I was very impressed with that. It seemed like it was the only game thus far, or at least in a long time, that the Sabres have put in a solid effort for the whole game. And it was good to see Roy, Miller, Vanek, Pominville, and Stafford step up and fill up the score sheet. Alright, my heart is too full of rainbows and butterflies to talk hockey, so we'll talk Alex instead.}

BUT DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE ME. DON'T YOU DARE. I have a legitimate reason to be in love with AO.

FROSTEE!!!!! PLEASE KNOW THAT AS SOON AS MY MOTHER TOLD ME THIS STORY, YOU WERE THE FIRST PERSON I THOUGHT OF (hence, the note I left on your wall). Just please don't die on me... I need someone to search Ovie with me when the Caps are in Buffalo....

STORY TIME!!!!!!!!

Okay, so my mom and I were walking out of work last night (yes, I work with my mother), and she goes, "Okay, listen to this!"

So I listened. And this is what I learned:

Our supervisor, Betty, is like, in her mid 70's. She's pretty awesome, and she's got a son in his late 40's/early 50's, who has real bad MS. What I didn't know is that her son is a hockey fanatic.

I guess he used to play hockey when he was younger, and was friends with Danny Gare and some of the other Sabres from that era. But since his MS has gotten so bad, and considering his age, he and his friends have stopped playing hockey, but have taken up competition through a fantasy league.

Now, Betty's son bleeds blue and gold, more so than I do, which is a lot. But his favorite player is Alexander Ovechkin. Not surprisingly; I mean, he has amazing skill, and I honestly think he's the best player in the league (Crosby, who? Malkin, who?). Anyways, he has Ovie on his fantasy team.

A while back, he writes a letter to AO, just briefly explaining his situation, where he's come from and what he's become, and told Alex that he loves his game, blah, blah, blah, and basically just says something along the lines of "if you wouldn't mind, I'd love it if you could send me an autographed picture of yourself."

So a good amount of time goes by, and Betty and her son never heard a thing. Until the other day.

The phone rings, and it's the Sabres calling for him.

(At this point in the story, I'm like, "Please don't tell me that he met AO! OMGAH He didn't meet Ovie while the Caps were here did he? AHHHHH!)

Whoever it was said, "Mr. Lawson, the Washington Capitals were in town recently, and I have instructions from Mr. Ovechkin to deliver a package to you."

(Please excuse me while I AHAHAHALSGKJALWKNG;AKYGOIH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Phew! I'm good, I swear.)

"He is very adamant that this gets to you as quickly as possibly, and made sure to tell us that he will be checking back with us to be sure that it got to you."

So obviously, Betty and her son jump in the car and drive down to HSBC Arena immediately, and sure enough, there was a package waiting.

Betty's son opens it up and finds a handwritten letter from Alex himself. The letter goes on to say how his story is very touching, and Alex appreciates the support, blah, blah, blah.

The best part, though? This is how the letter reads: "I don't have any pictures of myself to send to you, so I hope this will be alright."

What was "this" you might ask?

An autographed, game-used All*Star jersey.

ALKDSGJLAHGD;LAHFSL;GJALFH I KNOW, RIGHT??

So this is why I love Alexander Ovechkin, because he would give up something so valuable, something so memorable to himself, and something so rare collector-wise, to a person he's never met, just because of a touching letter. Not only is this story heartwarming to me because it's a hockey player doing something nice for a fan, but because Alex's gift made the world for Betty's son. Ovie isn't just a good hockey player, he's a damn good human being, and his act of kindness, which wasn't really too much for him to do, makes me feel better about humanity in general. So next time I hear someone trashing AO for whatever reason, I'm going to think of this story and know how wrong that person is.

Do you think Sidney or Evgeni would do this for a random stranger, who isn't even someone from their hometown, the town they play in, or a town they have a personal connection to? I don't think so.

ETA: After getting numerous e-mails and comments saying I'm a bitch or Crosby-hater, etc, for that last statement, I feel it's necessary to reiterate something I myself commented on this post. When I wrote that, I wasn't so much doubting that Crosby or Malkin, or anyone else for that matter, don't do amazing things for perfect strangers. I know they do, and I've heard countless stories of it. A good portion of those stories and experiences, though, are due to extenuating circumstances, such as work done by the Make A Wish Foundation. Now, I'm not saying that those groups and organizations aren't amazing, because they are, and I applaud the guys for working with such foundations. My point was that Alex has no connection whatsoever to Buffalo. He's not from Buffalo, and my supervisor's son isn't from Russia, and doesn't live in the Washington area, nor did he meet AO through a charitable organization. He approached Ovie and asked for an autographed 8x10 picture. Alex went above and beyond what was necessary and made this guy's life. It's no secret amongst my friends and I that I don't care much for Crosby and Malkin, but hey, even if my worst enemy were to do something like this, I'd love him too. I'm not trying to step on any toes or ruffle any feathers, so I could really do without the criticism and the judgement. All I wanted to do was share a heartwarming story..

Seriously, though? I respect Malkin and Crosby for their skills and what they do for the game, and also what they do in the community. Is it wrong that I happen to like Ovechkin more? No. This is America, and it's a free country. I admit some of my statements come off as whatever they may, and I can live with that, but I've come out and explained what I meant. That being said, you can stop with all of the proof that Crosby and Malkin are just as good, if not better, than Ovechkin. They're nice stories to hear, yes, but I could stand to hear these stories without the putting down of Alex, and the exalting of Sid and Evgeni. And that might make me sound like a bitch, but so be it. I like to hear stories about any person, not just Ovie, doing great things for other people, and one good dead by the president does not make a good dead done by a regular person any less special. Get what I mean?

NEW YEAR, NEW ICE BOWL

2009-01-01T19:44:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you have all sufficiently recovered from your post party hangovers and if you haven't well at least you have a fun time last night I'm assuming. If you're like me, as in under 21, I'm going to go out on a limb here that you at least had champagne at midnight so therefore do not have a hangover and didn't wake up this morning wishing that you hadn't, woken up that is.

I of course watched the Winter Classic like every other self respecting hockey fan and no matter how much you try to convince me I still believe the one in Buffalo was better. I know I'm probably biased but come on what can beat 80,000 people screaming their heads off in the freezing cold while it snowed and snowed and snowed? And it wasn't just that sleet-snow it was that snow-globe snow the big fluffy flakes that made me want to lie down in the aisle making my best snow angel.

It was an overall good game both teams played well and the game wasn't interrupted ten times by the zamboni which meant that the game didn't last 4 hours. I for one wasn't surprised by the outcome because overall Detroit is the better team better defense (sorry Soupy), better offense (sorry Patrick) and as much as it pains me to say this better goaltending by Ty.

The game play I thought was more interesting this year more goals (9), one bone crushing hit with Dan Cleary ending up in the Chicago bench in retaliation for his hit Tuesday night on Patrick Kane and a dog pile? with most of the players on the ice ending up on top of each other. However, I'm more inclined to believe that the closer a game is the more interesting it is, then there's also the fact that our game went to overtime and then to a shoot out which is sure to get the fans' blood going.

I liked our jerseys for the Ice Bowl better, I thought Chicago's were too dark and that the numbers on the back were hard to see especially when the players were skating I also thought they were ugly with the big white stripe through the middle. Detroit's were cool with the Old English D on the front a throwback to their first year in the NHL the numbers on the back were at least easy to see. If they're going to have an outdoor game where the fans aren't going to be that close to the players they need to make the jerseys and the numbers contrasting colors so that people can see who they're looking at.

I can understand the significance of having the game in Wrigley field I actually think it's cool but it stands to reason that when having the game in a baseball stadium half the fans aren't going to be able to see the puck or the players very well as was the case today. The people who got seats in the outfield probably had no clue what was going on because let's see a small piece of galvanized rubber viewed from approximately 50 yards away...yeah that's not going to happen unless you happen to have the eyesight of a hawk or really really strong binoculars. At least at Ralph Wilson even the people who had the 10 dollar seats or those in the 300 deck could see the puck because they were sitting right on top of the ice almost. The people at Wrigley were in what could be considered the 200 deck and were at least 50 yards offering them little or no chance to follow the game except to look at the large video screens that were set up just for them.

But anyways I still think ours was better no bones about it and I don't care if I'm biased I will always believe that.

THERE'S ONLY FOUR SABRES I'M NOT UPSET WITH

2008-12-31T13:17:00.006-05:00

Okay, well, actually there are only (wait, let me count on my fingers...) ten Sabres I'm not upset with.

(Oh, and just so you all know, I'm back on the bandwagon. The Bench-Derek-Roy-Bandwagon. I actually never left. I never thought that he was truly himself, even though he did have that hot-streak through the beginning of the month...)

You may ask how I come up with a number like ten, when the whole team played absolutely atrociously yesterday. Well, I reply, only four of those Sabres actually took to the ice last night. The other six are Lalime (who obviously had no control over the game), and the other five had a nice view from the press box: Rivet, Kaleta, Connolly, Peters, and Paetsch.

Now, I'm a little worried about Nate, but honestly, I feel that if he gets in there a couple games, he'll be alright. It's just his first game back that's always terrible, because he's not in game-form; he's in practice-form, and I think Lindy forgets that PRACTICE DOES NOT EQUAL GAME PLAY. Whatever. But you will notice that Maxim Afinogenov (sorry, Kim) is not on my list of forgiven Sabres. Yeah. No explanation necessary there.

But my point today is that Adam Mair, Clarke MacArthur, Matt Ellis, and Paul Gaustad are getting all the love in the world from me today. I just adore them.

Adam's goal was fabulous, and Clarke has just been tearing it up on the stats sheet since he was given a night off, Matty is just working his ass off, and Paul, fresh off a shoulder injury, was hitting everything in sight.

This will be the last thing I'll say today, as I'm trying to be upbeat as I possibly can about last night's debacle, and this is surely going to bring down my mood: And while I'm in a Paul Gaustad loving mood right now, this is why I truly believe that Goose should have been named captain:

(And that's not to bash Craig Rivet; he's been removed from the dressing room for much of the season, so he really didn't have much of a chance to have an effect of this team and their attitude. I love Craig, but this team needs some [gosh-darned] leadership, and they need it fast. And I think that leadership lies in the heart of Paul Gaustad.)

So, Loves, Happy New Year!! Don't do anything too stupid tonight, and be safe! See you all tomorrow after the Winter Classic II!! AHHHHH Brian Campbell time!! =] (I still love him.)

Washington @ Buffalo, "Live" from Kenmore.

2008-12-30T18:59:00.012-05:00

So here with go with the AO Show, which I have to say, is much, much better than the Crosby show. At least I can have respect for Ovie and his game.

Like I said earlier, I'm very, very excited about the return of Goose and Gerbe... We'll see how they hold up through the game. I'm also curious to see how Tommy's knee is holding up.

Sad news: Roby's mother-in-law passed away, so there will be no Roby-isms tonight. My condolences to his family.

Miller's getting the nod; Max is out (thank God), as is Petey.

First Period

19:33 That wasn't an outrageous penalty on Derek's part at all. Way to basically amputate the guy's leg. WSH PP.

18:03 Sweeeet. The Sabres have to do a better job of getting in the passing lanes and clearing the zone when shorthanded, or else it's going to be a very, very long night. Derek's going to get a few ear-fulls for that one. 1-0 WSH, PPG.

12:18 What is wrong with Derek Roy? First he takes a really dumb tripping penalty, and then he passes the puck directly to Washington's money man? Oh no. I don't think so. Something's gotta give.

10:58 Miller has got to be better on that play; that rebound was gigantic, and I'll bet I could've scored with that one. I also think Pominville committed too much to his guy at the blue line, playing the body rather than anticipating the pass. Whatever, though. Bottom line is Washington buried it. 2-0 WSH.

10:00 The Caps have 9 SOG, as compared to the Sabres' 3. Yeah...

9:22 I'm just loving this game. Seriously, is Matt Ellis the only player to show up tonight? But, oh, wait... Even when Washington has an obscene amount of skaters on the ice, Danny gets whistled for hooking. WSH PP.

8:50 Okay, I take that back. Pommer showed up too. Nice chance for a shorty; too bad he couldn't convert on the bad-angle rebound.

6:41 Dude, if you "shove" the Gerbe Derby, he's going to go down. It's all in the laws of physics, because look at how little he is, and compare that to how big you are. It's bound to happen. I'm crossing my fingers... BUF PP.

4:41 "BOO" is right.

0:00 Well that period was forgettable. The problems so far? Undisciplined and lackluster play, combined with insufficient battling and huge rebounds. It's got to stop, and it's got to stop now.

AWWW, poor Frostee. Yes, I realize that she's at the game, but she's totally missing Ovie's interview... Her loss.

Second Period

19:17 OH, how I wish Tommy could've pulled a shot off. Well, I suppose it's alright since Schultz is headed to the box... BUF PP.

17:17 Another waste. =[

14:22 Vanek, you doof!! That was a really, really dumb penalty to take. I guess it's fitting that you and D are good friends, eh? WSH PP.

12:22 Penalty killed, thank goodness.

8:46 Sekera penalty. Questionable call, if you ask me. WSH PP.

7:43 Wow. That wasn't predictable or anything. Again, a terrible, terrible rebound given up by Miller, who put himself out of position to stop it. 3-0 WSH, PPG.

6:10 An elbow to the head of Pominville by Clark results in him taking a 2-minute breather in the sin bin. BUF PP.

5:00 Miller stops an Ovechkin breakaway!!! WHAT??? Wow. Nice. I was afraid he was going to go for a poke-check. I'm extremely thankful that he didn't.

4:10 Yet again, another wasted power play. I dare say I want Tim Connolly back to QB our PP. Any seconds?

3:00 Gaustad is getting a little feisty. I like it! Way to take down Ovie.

1:03 YES!! Finally someone besides the Sabres are getting called for too many men!! BUF PP.

0:00 BOOOOO. I really, really wish that the Sabres would just wake up. They're incredibly sloppy, the passes are not connecting, the disciplined play is still not there, the lackluster goaltending is still present, and it has got to change. Simple as that.

Third Period

19:03 Do I have to say we wasted another one again? Yes, I realize that it was a split power play, but still.

15:30 Is anyone else afraid that Gaustad is going to put someone and himself through the boards and up into the 300 level?? Because he looks like the new Patrick Kaleta tonight...

12:19 ADAM MAIR!!! Hahahaa that was a goal scorer's goal, and I'm betting he only got that because he was fired up by what Rob Ray said to him. ("Adam, it seems like you guys are just standing around and watching tonight.") Nice set up by Paul Gaustad. 3-1 WSH.

11:40 NOW they start chanting. It's nice to hear "Let's Go Buffalo" for a change. I have to say, even though we're down 3-1, that goal put the life back in me. I don't know about the Sabres, but I'm definitely back in... Sort of. I'm a bit apprehensive, though.

1:07 Hey... Last I checked it was against the rules to knock a player down if they don't have the puck... BUF PP.

19:17 4-1 WSH, ENG

0:10 Too little, too late, as MacArthur pops a rebound behind Theodore. 4-2 WSH, PPG.

Is the outcome surprising? Yes, but not all that much.

Okay, seriously? I'll tell you what the Sabres' problem is: They're just not desperate enough. They just plain don't want it enough. You can tell by looking at their sloppy, disjointed play, and the fact that no one seems to be on the same page... EVER. I'm not Lindy Ruff, so I don't know what to do to inspire these guys to play as a team, but something needs to be done. There is no way in hell that this team is going to go ANYWHERE if they keep playing the way they have ~~the past couple weeks~~ this whole season, the first six games aside.

It just sickens me to think of the start this team had, and to think of where they were headed, and now to see where we are, and where we're headed. It's truly heartbreaking, and I'm not sure how much more of it I can stomach to watch.

RETURN OF THE GOOSE AND THE DERBY, AND WHY I LOVE DREW STAFFORD

2008-12-30T11:14:00.004-05:00

So, is Paul really coming back tonight?? I'm not entirely sure. Yes, I'd like to think so, but since I didn't get to morning skate like I had hoped (Kim, it's not your fault), I have no idea if he was even skating, because no reports have come back yet.

Sad.

Whatever, though. I'm sure we're going to have a difficult enough time with Ovie and the Caps tonight anyways, with or without Goose. Not that I don't want him to come back tonight or anything, because I do. I really, really do. But I'm not sure throwing him into the lineup instead of Matt Ellis is really going to make that much of a difference tonight.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! WHYYYYYYYY!!!!???!?!?!??! I mean, I'm super duper excited that Paul and Gerbe Derby! are going to be back, BUT PATTY K???? SERIOUSLY??? WAAAAAA. Totally ruins my somewhat-decent mood.

And as I'm sure you've all noticed, I've really, really, REALLY gotten away from constructive, objective, and even smart hockey blogging. I'm hoping I can change that tonight, as I will be home with my mother, watching the game, with absolutely NO DISTRACTIONS, except for my cat, meowing for more food, which she will not get. So I'd like to liveblog tonight, but we'll see how that goes, since I have this tendency lately to not do what I set out to do...

But let me get to the point that I've been meaning to for days. (See what I mean?)

DREW STAFFORD. (But really, when is my point something other than he or Derek Roy? BTW, has anyone noticed that there has not been one inkling of juicy Sabres news since those pictures surfaced? Boooooooo!!)

So remember when I was explaining my love for Drew, and how he almost beat out Derek to be my favorite? Yeah, well this explains it all:

As I stated yesterday, I purchased the 2008-2009 Buffalo Sabres Yearbook. Now, I thoroughly enjoyed reading most of the players "Off The Ice" profiles, but some of them were just plain boring and useless.

Drew's, on the other hand, was a masterpiece. A masterpiece which Monet, Picasso, van Gogh, da Vinci, and Michelangelo would become teary-eyed in front of, and would worship for the rest of their now meaningless lives.

Let's read:

Nickname: Staff

What did you do this summer? Took power skating class

Favorite vacation spot: Minnesota

Ehh, nothing too, too interesting, but it says that he's a responsible, home-town boy. I can respect that.

Let's continue:

Pet's name: Dog (Gonzo), frog (Butters)

Ummmmmm... WHAT? Okay, Gonzo is cute and all, but why? And BUTTERS? I don't even want to know the story behind that one... But I think it's cute that he has a frog. I remember when I was little, my mom's friend Penny and her husband Al (who everyone calls Jake... weird) lived out in Arcade, and we used to go out there for bonfires and stuff, and I used to run around and fill these gigantic buckets with frogs and toads. And now that I think about that, that's kind of gross, and I'm sorry, I'm rambling again, and I'll get back to the point. Those names are just.... odd.

Favorite athlete: Brett Farve before his attempt at a comeback

YES!! Cynicism and witt!! My favorites!

Favorite food: Chipotle

Favorite band: Invisible Children

Okay, cocky, conceited, and self-centered? Sure, but at least he's consistent.

Favorite actor/actress: Brad Pitt, Mila Kunis

Favorite TV show: Tim and Eric

AHHHHHHH Adult Swim. Drew, ily.

Favorite movie: Gladiator

First car: 1999 Ford Explorer

Hobbies: Shredding, cooking, calculating breakdowns, hunting and gathering

Um, Drew? Have I ever told you that I love very strange and obscure senses of humor? Oh, I didn't? Well I do. And did I mention that I find those senses of humor to be extremely attractive? NO? Oh... Well...

If I wasn't a hockey player I'd be: an orthopedic surgeon

Okay, as much as I adore you--which is a lot, I don't think I'd be very comfortable with you operating on me... Yeah, no.

Best friend in the NHL: Zach Parise

Favorite book: James Patterson novels

Pet peeves: Toadies, weasels, gremlins, and bad drivers

Oh, Drew... What are we going to do with you?

Most influential person in your life: Myself

Alright, that's either super existential, or you're extremely cocky and arrogant. I'm going to believe the former, because I think that's definitely more interesting and becoming of you.

Best way to describe me: Normal

Yeah.... Right.

Drew, Drew, Drew... Can I dump Derek and marry you instead? Please? You know where to find me...

Anyways... Go Sabres!! xoxo

FAIR WARNING

2008-12-30T10:44:00.004-05:00

Somebody please make sure that there is defibrillator on hand if Paul plays tonight because I'm pretty sure that my heart's going to stop beating as soon as I see him in the good old blue and yellow. Word came down that Paul would be evaluated today, after skating on an actual line in practice yesterday, to determine if he would play tonight so everyone please cross your fingers because I could do with a little good news.

Why may you ask am I literally dying for some good news? One we play Washington tonight which means Ovie which is never a good thing (sorry Frostee). Two I'm getting sick which stinks by itself but add to the fact that tomorrow is New Year's Eve and I'm going to start off the New Year sick doesn't make me very happy. Three I just got my book list for next semester and because I have to buy a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff and a whole ton of books for my nursing and regular classes the grand total comes out to be around 700 dollars not really something I'm looking forward to. But enough about my stinky life back to hockey:

To Jay McKee's finger: Hi finger Jay needs you and probably wishes that you would stay attached to his body so please do because we love Jay and want him to continue to be able to play hockey.

To Paul Gaustad's upper-body injury/face injury: Hi injury you know by now that I love Paul and your being around has caused me to not see him play for the last 5 games and therefore undeniable pain. So while I can appreciate that Paul got you while in practice and therefore doing his joby I and mostly everyone else that I know would really like it if you would go away so that Paul could play tonight. Oh and if you have messed up Paul's face in anyway know that I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish. (although it may seem impossible there are ways and just let me have my delusions its usually better this way because if not there are all kinds of medications and maybe some institutionalization in my future)

To Patrick Kaleta's eyes: Hi eyes I know that you took a hit from stupid Denis Gauthier and I know your causing Patrick some problems and while I know none of it is your fault because we all blame that overgrown nancy boy Gauthier it would be really nice if you would allow Patty to see again so that he could play.

To Nathan Gerbe's shoulder? upper body? whatever?: Gerbe Derby I miss you terribly and I want you BAAAAAACCCCCKKKKK. *goes to cry in the corner and curse out injuries*

To Craig Rivet's shoulder: Hi shoulder you suck that's all I have to say. You took away our captain and if how we've been playing lately is any indication we would really like him back so that he can use his amazing captain's powers (which I'm sure he has) to make our guys play well again. These powers include the ability to write inspirational speeches powererful enough to make the manliest man cry, Jaro I'm sure would be blubbering like a baby all the while saying "Jaro sad" over and over and then because no other player wants to see another player cry or they're just embarrassed for him they go out and play the best game of their lives....SEE, see what you have taken from us injury, damn you.

To Tim Connolly's broken rib: Well it seems that you have been but one injury in a long line of injuries and when I heard about you all I could do was sit back and laugh because let's face it you weren't unexpected. Actually I had a countdown on my wall as to how long after Timmy came back it would take for an injury to appear well congratulations you're the winner. I think that because of this latest injury Timmy needs to start being wrapped in bubble wrap before he goes out to play hockey and while this may not seem like the best solution who doesn't love bubble wrap? Seriously I'm sure Man Child I and II (Danny and Clarke) would get the biggest kick out of poking Timmy just to hear the bubbles pop at least it would give them something to do while sitting on the bench. Anyways injury I don't blame you at all Timmy is just very fragile and I believe that we should steal a bunch of those FRAGILE stickers that people but on boxes when they're moving and stick them all over his jersey so that people will have warning that before they hit him they are most likely to cause serious injury.

New Year's Resolution:

To stop swearing so much everyday, but during Sabres game make an exception.

I swear like a trucker most of the time and I really want to stop relying so much on curse words and start expressing myself using my big girl words. I can't hold to that during the Sabres' games though because it's almost impossible not to swear at them repeatedly throughout a game.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and that you spend it with the people you love.

SEE YOU IN 2009!!!!!

YEARBOOK SUPERLATIVES

2008-12-29T09:32:00.004-05:00

Saturday night, while sitting up in the 300 level watching the Sabres warmup, Kim and I were flipping through this season's issue of the Sabres Yearbook.

Then we got to wondering... (Which you all should know is never a good thing.)

If they were to do superlatives, you know, the ones that read "most likely to...," who would be most likely to?

This is what I came up with last night while having a movie marathon ~~after a depressing Bills game~~:

(FYI, I got these categories from a bunch of random websites, and thought they were the best ones there. And that's pretty sad. But I'm not feeling all that creative today, so I'm not coming up with my own. If you come up with anything better, let me know!)

Most likely to be a spy? Maxim Afinogenov

Most likely to have a Cleaver-esque family? Chris Butler

Most likely to appear on a reality show? Tim Connolly

Most likely to move around a lot? Matt Ellis

Most likely to cure cancer? Paul Gaustad

Most likely to be caught looking in a mirror? Nathan Gerbe

Most likely to be an evil genius? Jochen Hecht

Most likely to stay in Buffalo? Patrick Kaleta

Most likely to travel the world? Ales Kotalik

Most likely to succeed Katie Couric? Patrick Lalime

Most likely to be a serial killer? Toni Lydman

Most likely to lie about their age? Clarke MacArthur

Most likely to be picked out of a police lineup? Adam Mair

Most likely to be seen selling their art of the streets of Paris? Ryan Miller

Most likely to be elected President? Teppo Numminen

Most likely to ride a mechanical bull? Nathan Paetsch

Most likely to fall asleep on the bench? Daniel Paille

Most likely to be the next Free Hugs guy? Andrew Peters

Most likely to raise a litter of abandoned kittens or puppies by hand? Jason Pominville

Most likely to rule the world? Craig Rivet

Most likely to work for Versace? Derek Roy

Most likely to rival Bill Gates? Andrej Sekera

Most likely to end up living in a cave? Jaroslav Spacek

Most likely to record a platinum record? Drew Stafford

Most likely to have a white picket fence? Henrik Tallinder

Most likely to succeed? Thomas Vanek

Can you tell I was bored?

In the real hockey world, I'm super excited that both Team Canada and Team USA are doing fantastically!! I was at Poster Art in the Boulevard Mall on Saturday, and I was seriously tempted to by one of the I <3 Canadian Hockey shirts. Kim wholeheartedly disapproved, but hey, I'm Canadian, I love Canadians, and I love hockey. What's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. I think I might go back and buy it...

Alexei Cherepanov was doping? It's still sad that he died, but if this really did have anything to do with his death, what a waste.

Stupid Bills. Stupid nights without Sabres games. Stupid work. Stupid tuition bills... Yeah, I'm just kind of out of it today... I'll be better tomorrow. =]

NECESSARY NOTES

2008-12-28T13:45:00.003-05:00

I'm going to take the time this gloomy, windy Sunday afternoon in "wild Western New York" to write thank you notes while watching the Bills game, as well as write a few needed letters to deserving ones across the NHL.

Dear Derek,

I don't know what has gotten into you, but it has got to stop. I mean, it's bad enough that you didn't score on Monday for my birthday, but then you completely forgot to get me a present either for my 20th or Christmas, you don't make up for it against Washington, and then you play as terribly as you did last night to top it off? Puh-lease. Derek, I don't know what to do about you. I figured when Kim saw you across the street from the mall on Tuesday that you were, for sure, going shopping for me, but I guess you were just indulging yourself. But just let me say this: If I find out that you were eating lots and lots of Christmas cookies and turkey, instead of tofu brownies and tofurkey, you're in trouble Mister. And truly, if you refuse to shoot the puck--especially on a two-on-one--on Tuesday, I'm breaking up with you again. And believe me, I'll do it.

Love, Cari

*****

Dear Tommy,

So I see you're now on the third line... That upsets me. Not because you're on the third line due to injury, but because you're hurt. And it's obvious. You weren't taking strides if it wasn't necessary, and you don't seem to have that burst of intensity that you had a couple weeks ago. I'll make you some cookies and leave them on your doorstep. Maybe that will help. But, on second thought, Ashley might not appreciate some random girl baking cookies for her man. I'll leave that up to her, then. But seriously, though, get well soon, Tommy. The Sabres need Atlas.

xoxo, Cari

*****

To Paul and Patty K:

I saw you two last night. Paul, you looked positively smashing in your black suit. Very nice. But Pat? What was with the beanie? I mean, I know that it's cold in the arena, and yeah, you looked cute, but still... It kind of defeats the purpose of wearing a suit and tie if you're going to put a winter hat on indoors. Whatever, though. I still enjoyed knowing that you were sitting directly behind me.

Hoping for you speedy return, Cari

*****

Dear Portland Pirates,

I apologize that the Sabres' injury woes have hurt your position in the standings. Because once we took Mark Mancari from you, I believe in his absence, you only won two games. Sorry. And to make it worse, we now have Nate and Tim, which is only making a difficult situation worse.

Again, sorry. <3 Cari

*****

Dear Timmykins,

To Timmy C, I love and miss you. What's happening? Are you still hurt? Are you dead? Have you taken up residence in Childrens' Hospital, drawing with the children? Because that would be cute. But you could also have taken up residence at the bar at SoHo, drowning your sorrows in bottles of Skyy Vodka or Southern Comfort, and then going home with a different girl each night to disguise the pain... But I'd like to think of you as a really good human being, so I'm going to believe the former. Yeah.

To Timmy K, YAYYY!! I was so excited to read, as Kim pulled into my driveway last night, that you had been called up! And then you were in the starting lineup? Ahhhhh-mazing! I'm so proud of you, Shirley Temple! You played well last night, so we'll see how the rest of your stay with the Sabes goes.

Fondly, Cari

*****

Dear Sidney,

You're an asshole.

Love, Cari

*****

Dear Jay McKee,

I hope your finger can be saved. I don't like to think of amputations, in general, but especially not when they jeopardize the career of one of my all-time favorite hockey players, let alone Sabres. I just can't imagine a McKee-less NHL. And I don't want to see it anytime soon.

Best wishes, Cari

*****

Taylor Pyatt,

Maybe breaking your foot will teach you to not block shots from your teammates. I'll miss you, Bedroom Eyes.

--Cari

*****

To all hockey players,

You'd think you'd learned from Maxim Afinogenov's mishaps... HOCKEY PLAYERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO WARMUP BY PLAYING SOCCER. It should be banned.

Regards, Cari

I had other letters to write, but I just can't remember them at the moment. I keep getting distracted by the sounds of tree branches snapping and the Bills game. So I'm going to go watch the game, and I'll come back, possibly with a few more letters, tomorrow. Love...

ATLAS SHRUGGED?

2008-12-27T09:16:00.002-05:00

AHHHHHH THOMAS VANEK PLEASE DON'T BE DEAD TO ME!!!! Can he please just be alright? I don't think I could take it if Atlas has finally shrugged. (Ahahah, I'm soooo funny. That was sarcastic, by the way.) But even though he came back, scored a goal, and finished out the game, I don't want to be overly optimistic with him, because if you noticed, he was never really putting any unnecessary pressure on his right leg. He hopped up onto the bench, not stepped, and he glided along the ice whenever he could get away with it. That worries me.

But really...

I feel like I've neglected my blog as of late, but then I look back, and realize I've only really missed one day (yesterday). And seriously, I really had intended on posting yesterday, but seeing as I didn't get home from work of Christmas until midnight, then showered, and didn't get to bed until 1. Then I work up at 5 to be at Brittany's by 6, to be at Target by 7. Sheesh. But we had fun. Target --> Pier 1 Imports --> Galleria Mall --> Outlet Mall --> Chili's --> home at 3:45. Then I took a nap for about half an hour, and my parents, aunt, and grandmother dragged me out for a fish fry, when they all know that I don't eat fish. Then by the time I got home, the game was on.

I seriously should have slept through the game. It would've been more worth my time. Actually, the only things that made it worth watching were the following: my aunt and grandmother agreeing that I definitely need to marry Derek, Max's goal (he's now on pace for 5!!!!), and Ovie's goal.

Since there's really nothing new going on on the Sabre scene... I'm just going to ramble about my life.

MY FAMILY IS DRIVING ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. I now remember why I cannot stand it when my family stays at my house. They're loud and obnoxious and talk over the Sabres games and my other TV shows, and I just cannot stand it.

Anyways...

I have to go clean up again, because my friend Parker is in town from school/home in Pittsburgh/Baltimore, and we're getting brunch, and then I'm either going out with her for a while or heading over to another friend's house, and eventually the game tonight with Kim.

I will most definitely post after the game tonight, but I just didn't want you all to think that I had forgotten you.

BIRTHDAYS, BICEPS, AND NATHAN GERBE IS NOT A FAN OF SANTA

2008-12-23T10:03:00.006-05:00

So if any of you are friends with me on Facebook, you may have noticed that my status as of last night after the game read like such: "Carianne is really sick of Sidney Crosby, the biased referees, and the anti-Buffalo NHL. But thanks for the birthday wishes!"

I think that pretty much sums up my day.

No, really. It does. I had a fairly decent birthday, if you look past the fact that while I was driving home from work (my Monday shift) around midnight, my windshield cracked. And then Kim and I didn't go to the Sabres' practice or Chef's yesterday, because we figured the streets would have been horrendously snow-bogged. So I missed the possibility of having the guys serenade me with the birthday song over some delicious chicken parmesan. Sad.

Instead, we went to visit our friend Karina (who is home from school in Pittsburgh) and her sister Andrea (who is home from school in Chicago) and we played some Guitar Hero, and they're both terrible, but Andrea's singing made it all worthwhile.

Then we sat in the waiting room at the glass place for almost 2 hours, and then it was game time.

Psh. Bullshit. There is no way in hell that the height of Crosby's stick was less than that of the crossbar. No way. Thanks, Sid. You ruined a ~~perfect~~ pretty good birthday.

I was happy with the play of the Sabres (excluding some glaring mishaps by Numminen, Afinogenov, and some other turnovers and such), but the officiating just blew.

And I'm too angry at the refs and the War Zone operators to say anything else.

I'm just glad Patty K doesn't have a concussion.

But since my birthday was pretty shitty hockey-wise, I hope Ales Kotalik's 30th birthday is 1000 times better than my 20th.

SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG AL!!

Aww, shucks. We're nine years and 364 days apart. Ain't that sweet? No, not really.

But, while I'm in the mood to post pictures, here's a beauty for the Christmas lovers in all of us:

That's right, kids. The toddler-version of Nathan Gerbe is tearfully afraid of Santa Claus. Now that is sweet.

And do you know what else is sweet? Tim Connolly's biceps.

To steal a phrase from Caroline, ZANG BABY BOY!!! Hot damn... I knew there was a reason I found you attractive! (Oh, and I stole this picture from the wonderful Shelby Rose's Facebook.)

Hmm... I suppose I should get to cleaning, since I have a ton of it to do, and it has to be done by 2 pm tomorrow when my Aunt's flight lands. If it lands. I hate it when relatives stay at my house, because the houses in my area of Kenmore are not that big, and we have a three bedroom house. I live with my parents and my brother, so obviously all three bedrooms are occupied. But who gets the boot every time someone visits? This girl. Fair? Hardly. So I'm going to take up residence on the futon in my game room until Sunday. I hate futons. This is going to be a really uncomfortable week.

So I probably won't be back until Friday after shopping(!!!), so I hope you, my dear lovelies, have a beautiful holiday season, and if you go out to snow blow your driveway, don't pull a Joe Sakic and stick your hand in the blades, please!! xoxo

WELCOME TO THE SQUIDNEY CROTCHBY SHOW

2008-12-22T23:40:00.005-05:00

Once again the NHL got the picture perfect ending to a nationally televised hockey game, Sidney Crosby scoring the game winner in overtime. Does that remind anyone of a certain Ice Bowl where said golden boy scored a shootout goal successfully clinching the game for Pittsburgh also on national television? Even better then Crosby scoring the game winner was that, most likely, the guys on Versus, I was at the game so I didn't hear what they were saying, turned tonights broadcast into 'How many times can we say how great Crosby is? All I can say is that I'm grateful to Cari, who bought my ticket for tonight's game for my birthday, that I was able to miss that because usually the Versus broadcasters make me want to projectile vomit all over my TV, successfully covering Squidney's reasonably handsome, stupid face. Oh Versus, where the commentators know even less about the game then the nearest puck bunny and that's saying something.
When Buffalo scored less then a minute in the game I got nervous because usually that translates into a quick goal for the other team. However, when we ended the first period still up by a goal my spirits were temporarily lifted, then when Kotalik scored making it 2-0 I was flying high. But my dreams of conquest slowly started to dissipate and the cartoon cloud of doom started to hover when Pittsburgh scored twice tying the score at 2. But Sparky Clarky who has been on fire lately scored on the power play allowing the Sabres to pull ahead 3-2 at the end of the second. Why do you build me up Buffalo Sabres just to let me down? Then everyone knows what happens next Pittsburgh scores sending the game into overtime, which against Pittsburgh usually never bodes well for us, and Squidney gets the game winner with a VERY questionable goal. I still say that the stick was higher then the crossbar as did all the other Sabres' fans left in the arena who still had hope that the goal would be disallowed. But once again we were all disappointed which to Buffalo is really nothing new I swear we're getting battered wife syndrome, they keep beating us down yet we keep coming back for more. Go figure.

And how about Petey's 'fight'? Or as I like to call it Bromance on Ice because they were literally hugging each other for a good half a minute before the first punch was thrown which got them both 5 minute majors for fighting. How about 2 minutes for unnecessary hugging? I think that would have been a much more appropriatepenalty. Sorry I'm just a little bitter. Okay, well that was a huge understatement a lot bitter but that's besides the point. Once again Happy Birthday to the best PIC ever and I guess it's better luck next time we go to a game together which is Saturday actually. Until then Happy Holidays everyone.

HAPPY DAY YOU CAME INTO EXISTENCE

2008-12-22T17:12:00.003-05:00

SO this is going to be really quick because I'm sitting at Cari's house eating hot pockets and we're going to be picking up our friend Jen and her sister Julie so that we can all go to the game tonight and enjoy some Sabres winning... hopefully. I have prayed to the hockey gods long and hard and if they grant my request Squidney Crotchby will get hurt and will be out the rest of the season and will not be able to break his no goal streak and the Sabres will win by about a bazillion goals so if all goes to plan this should be one hell of a game. Oh yeah and it would be great if Paul played but I know the hope is futile, but hey a girl can dream can't she.

But ANYWAY, enough of my inane rambling this post is primarily in existence to wish my PIC, or partner in crime a very very happy PAILLE BIRTHDAY. I couldn't embarrass her today like I wanted to because we didn't go to a restaurant where they sing to you obnoxiously about how happy they are that it's your birthday...like they care.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CARI, may the hockey gods look favorably down upon you and may they grace us with a win tonight in honor of the day you came into existence.

My Wishlist.

2008-12-21T09:34:00.004-05:00

Before I get to today's point, I'm just going to say that game last night was awful. Awful, in that the officiating was terrible, and the was something wrong with our defense. How can you allow almost 90 shots against in two games?? There is something wrong there, and it's obviously not Nathan Paetsch's fault. I say bench someone, and put Nate back in. It couldn't hurt. But thank God we've got Miller, Roy, Butler, and whoever else played halfway decent.

*****

I tend to copy people's random ideas once in a while, and this is one of those occasions.

Since Caroline and Kim both posted their wishlists, I thought that since my birthday and Christmas are both this week, I might do the same.

So here are the things that I want for everyday life:

- Gift certificates to Sephora, MetroPark, Express, and/or Tony Walker.

- Avon chapstick... The sugar cookie flavored kind.

- An extension on my car warranty.

- Updates to my music collection.

- A new printer. Any kind. I'm not picky. Even if it's only $20.

- (Don't judge me for this one.) Tickets to Britney's concert in either Pittsburgh or Toronto.

- My textbooks for next semester.

- ~~A snow blower.~~ Plow servicing.

- Some clothing I will never, ever wear, just to hold to tradition.

And now some things that I really, really, REALLY want:

- Sabres, Bills, and Bandits season tickets.

- The Sabres to win when I go to a road game.

- Derek Roy to say Happy Birthday to me (Oh, wait... That happened already.)

- Paul Gaustad, Patrick Kaleta, and Tim Connolly to return to the lineup on Monday (wishful thinking, I know).

- A really, really, REALLY good game tomorrow night.

- My favorites to stay with the Sabres forever.

- And just one last thing:

xoxo

Itty Bitty Bitching Committee

2008-12-20T18:13:00.004-05:00

Maybe that's an understatement because this committee, I'm sure, isn't so itty bitty it's...well I don't have a rhyme for something that is large. But anyways membership is up and includes everyone who is outraged by that suckerpunch on Pat Kaleta is last night's game. It's one thing to go after someone who ran you into the boards purposely it's quite another to go after someone who wasn't even going after you in the first place. Now that's not to say that Kaleta is innocent because as those of us here in Buffalo know he is far from it. Kaleta is not opposed to trash talking, running away from fights and basically being a pest but still that hit was uncalled for and everybody knows it.

If Gauthier had been successful in landing that elbow he tried to hit Kaleta with before suckerpunching him I'm sure the league would have had a thing or two to say about it. But so far not so much as a peep out of the Powers That Be which leads me to wonder if the league even knows what the word consistency means. They claim they're trying to eliminate headshots from the game by enforcing harsher punishments on the perpetrators but a suckerpunch, especially an unwarranted one, well that's apparently a different story. It still remains to be seen if the league will get their heads out of their asses and suspend Gauthier but if they haven't done anything by now I'm not taking that as a good sign.

Anyways, so it seems like Christmas has let me down, if you don't know what I'm talking about see the post titled My Christmas List. I haven't gotten that magical call about my new Sabres jersey so unless they call me Monday I won't have it in time for the game. The Sabres lost to Detroit so they didn't win all of their remaining games and it looks like Paul isn't going to be playing on Monday so he won't be able to score that hat trick I talked about. But there is one piece of good news it looks like my foot isn't broken so I won't be spending my Christmas break in a cast.

I've done my bitching for the day so I'm going to go make some cookies and fall into a Christmas movie coma before watching the Sabres game.

FACEBOOK SHOULD HAVE AN "ADD AS ENEMY" OPTION

2008-12-20T09:41:00.005-05:00

SADFACE. =[[[

Anyways, if Facebook did, I would definitely search out the real account for LA's Denis Gauthier, and proceed with that request. Please allow me to indulge myself in sharing the message I would then send to him:

Dear Mr. D. Gauthier, Jr,

Let me, please, take this opportunity to express my disgust with your behavior.

First of all, Mr. Patrick Kaleta was not even attempting to hit you when he crashed into the boards. If you watch the replay of the event, Mr. Kaleta was attempting to hit, I believe, Mr. Jaret Stoll, with a clean hit, NOT YOU. But what do you do upon seeing this? You attempt to hit Mr. Kaleta, but in doing so, bring your elbow up to the level of his head. Luckily, at that time, you missed you check.

What you do at this point, is what infuriates me. Mr. Kaleta skates away, but yes, he turns back towards you. But you have to know that Mr. Kaleta has a reputation for doing such, and that he just came back from a semi-lengthy injury, and that he was going to be up to his usual tricks. But you just can't let it go. For some reason, unbeknownst to any of us viewers, you lose your head, drop the gloves, and instantly punch a defenseless Mr. Kaleta in the face.

Now, I am one to use the expression, "I am going to punch you in the face," quite often, BUT NEVER DO I MEAN IT. What you did classifies you as a "gutless puke," as Mr. Michael Robitaille would say. And I second the sentiments of one Mr. Lindy Ruff when I say that the NHL needs to suspend you immediately for you classless, careless, and hurtful actions. It was a despicable event which I wish was never seen in the great game of hockey.

I have one thing left to say to you; I present you with the wording from the rule-book of the National Hockey League that applies to the matter: An instigator of an altercation shall be a player who by his actions or demeanor demonstrates any/some of the following criteria: distance traveled; gloves off first; first punch thrown; menacing attitude or posture; verbal instigation or threats; conduct in retaliation to a prior game (or season) incident; obvious retribution for a previous incident in the game or season..

I have been of the thought all along that the instigator rule has to go, but you obviously fall under its range, and some action needs to be taken. I do not care how long you are out, or how much money you forfeit; only that the NHL does what they say they do, and that you are punished.

Because we all know that even if the NHL does not punish you, you will get your comeuppance because this is nothing new for you. You have a reputation for taking cheap shots and being dirty, so someone will give you a taste of your own medicine, somewhere along the way.

You had just better hope that Mr. Kaleta will recover from the issues with his eyesight, because if this becomes a recurring thing with him, not only will the Sabres remember it, but many of their fans will as well.

And yes, I alluded to Mr. Kaleta's reputation for hitting and turtling, but I do not care about his reputation. If that is what other people know that he does, it is their own fault for falling for his ploy. That is his game, and when people like you fall for it, it becomes effective. Players like you are the reason Mr. Kaleta has said reputation, because he would not have that role if his opponents did not react to his actions in a manner similar to yours.

But that is enough. I am through discussing your ridiculous actions. But if a redhead wearing a Sabres jersey ever slaps you across the face--EVER, you know why.

Good day, Mr. Gauthier.

*******

Alright, well, good game last night. We're fortunate that Ryan Miller and Derek Roy showed up for the entire 60 minutes, before the rest of the team slowly came around. Because if they hadn't, that game could've turned out widely different.

But props to the other goal scorers.

And I am very excited about Chris Butler. You always hear the rookies come up and say, "Oh, I'd like to just keep it simple, blah blah blah," but rarely do you see it actually translate to the ice. Butler actually did just that, and I was quite impressed, because I don't recall hearing his name in a negative way at all. And his post-game interview was adorable. After someone complemented him on the first pass out of the zone plays, he just went, "Aw, thanks," and now I'll always expect him to say "Golly, gee whiz," for some reason...

But anyways, hopefully we can carry that through tonight in Montreal. I'm assuming Patty L will be between the pipes since Crunchy played yesterday, but he did get the shut out, so who knows.

Like I said, hopefully we'll carry it through.

I have to work, unfortunately, so I'll probably only see about half of the game, but I'm going to bust my ass to get everyone in bed by 7 pm. Brittany is working with me, so that's good, and I don't plan on taking a dinner break tonight, just so I can get everyone in bed. I should rephrase that. Everyone who doesn't watch hockey will be in bed by 7 pm. If they watch hockey, they can go to bed whenever they want, because I'll put the game on in their rooms, and they won't mind at all.

I love the way I work. =]

SUNDIN AND THE SEDINS.

2008-12-18T18:09:00.003-05:00

My friends, D-Day, as NHL.com has dubbed it, is upon us.

AND MY SECOND-FAVORITE NHL TEAM HAS LET ME DOWN. Vancouver.... WHYYYYY???

If you don't get it by now, Mats Sundin has signed with the Canucks, as and you can tell, I'm not happy about it.

NOT HAPPY AT ALL.

So, moving on, and I only have--literally--five minutes, here's the latest installment of the Derek Roy Report, which I missed this morning, choosing to sleep a little bit more, rather than get stood up again. Turns out he actually showed up. Go figure.

Be back tomorrow, loves.

EL DIABLO.

2008-12-17T19:01:00.007-05:00

ETA: I have to say, that while I was watching this game, I was completely blinded by my love for Patty K and just ecstatic about his return. Therefore, I didn't actually blog constructively, and for some reason, felt that the Sabres played a good game. Ummm, what hockey game was I watching, you ask? I have no effing idea. So read this with a grain of salt, and please know that I am really, really, really upset with our defensemen, our forwards, our power play, and more specifically, Clarke MacArthur, Maxim Afinogenov, and a few others. Yikes... You call that hockey? Shesh....

My favorite thing having to deal with the Devils is this.

So, like I promised, I'm liveblogging tonight. For the first time since, like, October something. Sparky's in the lineup!! Yay ManChild II !!!!! Hopefully playing with Derek will help him out a little bit, production-wise. And, like I said, I really, really hope that Patty K runs someone--HARD--tonight. It'd be even better if it were on his first shift. Nothing like jumping right back into the game.

First Period

18:54 left Stupid Devils. Not a terribly bad goal, in my opinion, but the rebound was baaaaad. 0-1

16:30 Derek showed up to work tonight. My mother says he was "inspired by [my] beauty last night."

14:10 ANOTHER GOAL POST?? Seriously, I think we need to start a Monopoly-esque Free Parking for the player who hits the most posts in a season.

13:02 DREW STAFFORD ILY!!!!!!!!! Beautiful tip-in! OMGAH FINALLY WE'RE RUSHING THE NET. "Upon further review, it is a good goal." Yay! 1-1

12:31 That's the Patty K I love!! Way to put us on the power play, dear! <3

11:20 The power play looks impressive, thus far. I like that they're shooting a lot more. EMPHASIS ON A LOT. They're looked really good.

9:20 Okay, if anyone knows the count of 5-on-3's in our opponents' favor this season, please tell me. My curiosity has been peaked.

8:16 Booooo. Drew, you're not allowed to be friends with Parise anymore. 1-2

3:10 Oh, Max... If only you could score fancy goals like you used to be able to do...

2:26 Someone's got a death wish. You don't hit Patty after the play and live to tell the tale, Mr. Rupp (for long, at least).

0:00 Overall, a decent period. I'm pretty pleased with the Sabres thus far. Good enough job on the PK, and good puck movement and opportunities on the PP. It'd only be better if Pat had listened to me and had run someone, but whatever. There's still 40 minutes for that. =]

(Roby just called Tallinder a "wounded puma." What the hell is a wounded pew-ma, and what is it doing on ice?)

(TIMMY'S NOT DEAD!! And he can draw?? WHAAA??? It's too bad that he's such a man-whore. He'd probably be a really good father. That is, if he doesn't have a whole litter of kiddies already... Hmmm.... It ~~almost~~ makes me love him again.)

Second Period

16:30 Okay, this has nothing to do with the game, but I REALLY MISS TIM CONNOLLY. That video only put me back into withdrawal. =[

10:12 Did I mention that I <3 Patrick Kaleta? I did? Well, I did it again. Sue me.

9:08 Wow, that goal wasn't awful, or anything. I realize that it was tipped, but man, was that puck moving slowly. Yuck. 1-3

8:50 PATRICK KALETA, I'VE SAID IT TWICE ALREADY TONIGHT, BUT I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE YOU. Yayyyyy, you're really cute. 2-3

0:00 Kim called me right after Pat scored (to ask me if I was freaking out, which I was), so I have nothing constructive to say about the rest of the period. Sorry.

Third Period

17:32 Collin White has a dirty mouth. Anyone have any soap??

16:41 Seriously? Seriously? That was a stupid penalty.

14:45 Nice work, Reggie!!! Showing flashes of Timmy with his holding of the puck in the offensive zone on the PK.

13:58 WHAT. THE. HELL. Way to just fall apart there, guys. MacArthur should've had that puck out, and Paetsch should've had him. And Miller? NO MORE POKE-CHECKS. Next time I see you at Wegmans, I'm telling you to stop poke-checking. 2-4

12:06 Paetsch hit someone!! Yay!! (Sidenote: It's pretty pathetic when the only thing that I've cheered about thus far in the third is a mediocre hit...)

10:22 Ummm... What?? For reals? How was Ryan supposed to do anything about that when whatshisface bowls over him?? 2-5

10:10 YAYYYYY PAUL!! 3-5

6:42 Oduya? I wanna kill ya.

4:37 Um, so I really like how, as soon as Clemmensen is touched, the whistle blows, but a Devil can be on top of Millsie, and the Devils can then take possession of the puck, shoot, and score, and no one thinks twice about it. Cool deal.

0:03 Way to get emotional when it's way too late.

0:00 Devils win, 3-5. That's a damn shame.

Honestly though, that wasn't a bad game at all. That is, if you look past the fact that officiating was a little lame, and that we lost.

Patty K should get the pigeon in my opinion.

That's about all I've got to say... =[

...except this: FAIL.

MY CHRISTMAS LIST

2008-12-17T14:45:00.002-05:00

So today I made my Christmas list and of course filled it with many Sabre related things.

1. My Paul Gaustad third jersey to come in before Monday so I can wear it to the game. I ordered it 3 weeks ago even though I told myself when they first came out that I wouldn't. Well as soon as I saw how pretty Cari's Derek jersey was I knew that I had to have one. Plus it also helped that my grandmother gave me the money for it for my birthday.

2. A Stanley Cup. I have some pretty high hopes here but I don't think they're unrealistic...much.

3. The Sabres to win all of their remaining games. Once again some pretty high hopes.

4. Paul to score a hat trick. Hey it could happen.

5. Paul to confess his undying love for me so we can get married and have cute energy conscious babies. Enough said.

6. My foot not to be broken. I go to the doctor tomorrow then for an x-ray to hopefully find out I didn't break it.

7. To have a white Christmas. The more I watch the weather the more it seems like it's going to happen.

8. The Bandits to be World Champions for the second year in a row. Being defending champs and all it'll be interesting to see if they can do it again.

9. Derek to be Cari's birthday monkey. The birthday card that I had him sign for her says that she can't resist the birthday monkey so we think we may have called him a birthday monkey.

10. Peace, love and happiness in the New Year.

MY LIFE IS FULL OF HIGHS AND LOWS

2008-12-17T08:01:00.003-05:00

So, let's examine the past couple days...

Work? Sucks.
Sleep? ~~Decent~~ Terrible.
Sociology? Don't even go there.
Car Insurance? I'm broke.
Derek Roy? BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
Studying, more? Ew.
Sleep? --or lack thereof.
Runny nose? Disgusting.
Sabres news? Aside from Patty K, nothing exciting.
6 inches of snow? Yuck.
Anatomy lab practical? Ehhh.
Nutrition Exam? Ummm, no.
Nap? Sounds good.
Sabres game? THANK GOD.

It's pretty pathetic that the highlights of my week thus far only have to do with the Sabres.

Or, in the least, Derek Roy.

WHO I SAW LAST NIGHT. Seriously, Dave and Adam are my new best friends for allowing me to see Derek for all of probably 60 seconds last night.

Okay, so what to talk about??? First, his fashion, I think. Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start.

Princess D had a camo hoodie on. WHY??? It was green and navy blue. Which perfectly complemented his navy tee and Yankees hat (AHHHHHH he's a Yankees fan!! Love!!). And he had that stupid furry coat that basically eats him alive. But seriously, though, why must he always wear a hat?? It shields his baby blue eyes from view... And deprives pretty much everyone of enjoying his boyish good looks.

Oh, and Kim had him sign a birthday card for me. He was upset that I knew about it. Kim said, "It's her birthday Monday, and you're her favorite, so could you sign a card for her?" or something like that, and he just looked at me and said, "Well that kinda ruins the surprise, doesn't it? Come on!"

And he is adorable with kids. There was a little boy a few people ahead of us, and his mother/father (didn't catch who brought him) wanted to take a picture, and D was behind the table (actually barricaded in), so the kid stood in front. Derek put his hands on the boy's shoulders and swayed him back and forth... I guess you had to be there, because as I write this, it just gives the impression that D likes to partake in afflicting children with something like Shaken Baby Syndrome... Hmm...

That's enough about Derek right now.

The next signings are Patty L (on the 7th?) and Patty K (on the 12th). (Both in January)

And since I don't really have much time (considering I should leave in 30 minutes and there is snow that needs to be shoveled), or attention span (all I can think about right now is Anatomy and Physiology), I'll be back later tonight for the game, probably a live-blog, since I haven't constructively discussed hockey in a very long time. And I apologize for that.

So, someone, please have a real snowball fight for me today. And I'm not talking Facebook snowballs, either.

RANDOM RAMBLINGS

2008-12-16T14:03:00.004-05:00

The Sabres haven't played since Saturday and because of this there are some pretty slim pickings when it comes to news to report to the masses. Or in reality the twenty or so people who read this blog on a regular basis. So because of this I had to scour the sports news sites for even the smallest entertaining and/or new information about the Sabres or other teams that I actually care about.

For those of you who have ever set foot in the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport you're aware of what a happy, fun-filled place it is especially the lost luggage counter. Well tell that to Zenon Konopka the AHL player who got called up by Tampa for Wednesday's game. He arrived in Buffalo 30 minutes before the game started to discover that the bag containing his pads and skates didn't arrive with him. So what's a hockey player to do when his skates and pads don't arrive? He has to borrow these essential items. So he borrowed shoulder pads from Ryan Malone, shin guards from Gary Roberts and a pair of skates from Jeff Halpern. But trying to wear someone else's skates proved to be too uncomfortable so after 47 seconds of ice time and a fight Zenon, after the day he had, sat out the rest of the game. Let's hope he at least wore his own jock strap.

I was babysitting yesterday when Cari called me with news about my poor Paul's beautiful face. I almost cried even though scars serve to make a man, in my opinion, more rugged and handsome. But still this was Paul and I don't want my Paul with scars. Paul is my own personal David with the fig leaf for modesty's sake.

My David

Now I'm hearing the Derby Gerbe is hurt and is out for 10 days to 2 weeks with an upper body injury stemming from him being hit by Jamie Langenbrunner in Saturday night's game agains the Devils, my poor Speedy. But on an upbeat note, it looks as if everyone's favorite Boom Boy is going to be back for Wednesday's game, Kaleta's been cleared to play after missing the last few weeks with a neck injury.

So now we have Rivet out for at least two weeks with a shoulder injury, Gerbe out for 10 days to 2 weeks with an upper body injury, Timmy out for who knows how long, Paetsch with a missing tooth after being hit with a puck in the mouth and poor Paul being hit in the chin with a puck at the same practice. Ugh...and the injuries start piling up.

I REALLY SHOULD BE STUDYING

2008-12-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

But, at the moment, I really feel that it's more important and vital to my life that I post, instead of study for my three exams in the next three days. That's what tomorrow is for, right??

No, I don't procrastinate or anything...

If you're as ridiculous as I am when it comes to the Sabres, then I'm sure you've already watched this week's installment of the Sabres Show... twice.

And I know I rag on Drew Stafford a lot, but I really, really like him. No, really, I do. Like, when I was deciding who to love instead of Tim Connolly last season, Drew was definitely in the mix. Actually, it was Drew, Derek, Patty K, Danny, Jason, and Nathan. Then I knocked Nate and Jason out, and eventually Danny and Pat, so really, Drew is my second choice.

Now that I think about it, Drew is actually more my type. Derek is too much like me... Whatever, though. I adore them both. But really, I chose Princess D because it's more likely that he'd be here longer. I'm in this for the long haul, you know? Not that Drew won't be, but it's more likely he'd leave before Derek.

Again, I keep telling you things that you probably don't really have all that much interest in. And again, I apologize, but just appease me and let me rant and go on tangents, and the world will be okay.

BUT BACK TO MY POINT... Not that I ever established one. OH WAIT. DREW STAFFORD.

That video... I mean, the part where he's playing drums... OMGAH it just takes me back to the time when my older brother had a band while he was in high school. I fell for every single one of his drummers, which was two. Nick, his once best friend, was the drummer for years. And then Jeff, his now best friend, I guess, came along as the singer, but he's an even better drummer, so there. I have a thing for drummers.

BUT ANYWAYS.

I love a guy who can have fun like that.

Even if he does let his lady friend wear his mustache:

I have some old Metallica, Guns N' Roses, and Poison shirts kicking around in the attic somewhere...

DREW I WANNA WEAR YOUR MUSTACHE. =[[[[[

Alright. Now that I've gotten my daily hissy fit out of the way, I'm going to go make some lunch, and go to work, where I will (hopefully) get some studying done.

Peace out, girl (and guy) scouts.

DEAR SEAN AVERY...

2008-12-14T17:55:00.005-05:00

OH MY GOD, did the loom throw up on you, because that has got to be by far the ugliest suit that I have ever seen anyone wear, ever. Oh and I'm pretty sure that I have that same pair of sunglasses in my car.

Dear Sean Avery,

I hate you, actually I despise you, you embody evil and I believe that you got exactly what you deserve. I'm quite sure that if one were to strip you out of the that, probably, ridiculously expensive suit (I now need to go brillo pad that off my memory cells) they would find a forked tail. I also believe that you are using those girlie sunglasses to hide the fact that when you go out in daylight your eyes glow red. I hope that you never play in the NHL again even though, when you're not acting like a douchebag, you're a resonably good player. I know this may sound harsh but what can I say it's a cruel world and I am the harbinger of bad news. I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that even your own teammates hate you and with good reason, your attitude sucks. I also hope that you never get hired at one of the magazines that I read because if you did I would have to stop reading it and I would feel compelled to burn every copy that came into my possession.

Sincerely (sarcasm),

Kim

SUNDAY SHENANIGANS.

2008-12-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I began writing this entry Friday morning. Some time management, eh? Well, I'll tell you, though... I was in the middle of writing Friday when Kim called me up and asked if I wanted to go to the mall. DUH. So we went, and then I went to work. Usually I can post at work, but not that night. Whatever. So then I was going to post it yesterday. But, we ended up at the mall, again.

So here I am this afternoon.

Great game last night, right??? Tommy is the equivalent of God in my books right now, and Derek would probably be Jesus. Stafford, Lydman, Gerbe, Miller, and the likes could be apostles, or whatever.

Basically, though, I'm in love. And this week is going to be the best and the worst ever. The Bills are most certainly going to lose today, and tomorrow I've got to work, but the first high point comes Tuesday evening with the Derek Roy signing. Wednesday is going to be absolutely brutal, with my last Anatomy lab practical and Nutrition exams for the semester. Yikes. Hopefully the boys will pull off that game against the Devils. Thursday won't be much better with my actual Anatomy exam. Friday will be awesome though because my dear Jennifer comes home from school in New Mexico (at least I think it's Friday; she won't tell Kim or I), and Saturday Karina comes home. I'm working the weekend, which is alright, because Monday the girls and I are going to the Pittsburgh game for my birthday!! Not that you really care, or anything, but I just wanted to share.

So Friday morning I was rummaging around the internet, trying to find something about the Sabres that was obscure enough for me to have fun with.

Do you think I found anything?

No. Not really.

But what I did find, on Facebook, of course, were a bunch of fun pictures. What prompted me to search for pictures, you might (not) ask? Well, I was over at Meet Me At Chef's, reading Rachel's post, and saw this wonderful picture of Ryan Miller.

MIND YOU, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS EXACT PICTURE FOR FOREVER. This was in the First Sunday insert of the TBN a while back. My interest in this picture? RYAN IS IN TIM CONNOLLY'S HOUSE. Yeah, that's right. He was living with Timmy while his house was being built.

BUT NOTICE TIMMAAAAY'S MARBLE FLOORS. Pretentious, much? Oh, wait... It's Tim we're talking about. Of course he's pretentious. This is the guy that wants to dine with Hugh Hefner and own vineyards. And listen to G-Unit while doing that.

Yikes.

Okay, moving on.

The rest of these beauties were found on Fb or Getty, so I am not responsible for whatever may come from them. =]

Ummm... WHAT??

Jaro, I love you, but are you trying to get Janice Dickinson to recruit you? I mean, I could totally see you doing a spread for Dolce and Gabbana in the next issue of Elle magazine.

I'm just saying...

And this gem?? Ohhhh man...

Teppo, your wife is a MILF. Most definitely. And you're little girls? Gorgeous. I want to see your son. They'll be heartbreakers in 15 years.

But no matter how beautiful your family is, it still doesn't make this one right:

Okay, well the picture is alright, but it's the context of the picture, I suppose. So you're out with Mrs. Teppo, and Dmitri Kalinin, and Maxim Afinogenov. You're enjoying a few beers. That's fine. But what's your entertainment for the night?? JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. Now I just think that's adorable.

And while we're on the topic of gorgeous families and Justin Timberlake...

Jason Pominville's ~~girlfriend~~ ~~fiancee~~ lady friend is probably the most adorable girl ever, which makes them the world's most adorable couple. I'm in love with both of them.

Haha, Jason's Dave and Adam's commercial just came on. The one with Petey and Nathan... Awww, they're so cute!

Oh man... I think that's enough excitement. Plus I have to prepare for the ~~probably terrible~~ hopefully decent Bills game. So... Bye.

THIS IS A RECORD FOR US (IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE)

2008-12-13T21:47:00.003-05:00

So for the second time in a row, Cari and I watched a game together and the Sabres won, the first record to be mentioned. Previously, if my memory serves me correctly, we watched many games together on Cari's couch and the Sabres won exactly none of them. Now I believe the Sabres winning probably has something to do with the fact that Cari, the first night, made cookies with all the players nicknames on them for us to enjoy during the game. Tonight we made cookies when I got to her house that had their first names on them. SO I believe that the Sabres winning has something to do with the fact that both Cari and I were extremely sugar high during the games so there is extra shouting and jumping around especially tonight. Even though they're in New Jersey, and while Cari and I have extremely large mouths, there is no way in hell they could hear us, although, we like to believe that they can.

Now you have to understand that earlier today Cari and I went to the Cheesecake Factory where we ate lunch and then brought home two pieces of cheesecake to eat, which we consumed during the game along with the cookies, therefore adding to the sugar high that ensued which we used to annoy Cari's brother who happened to be home for the game. Wow that was a long run on sentence, which I know Cari despises but at this moment I really don't care, but I'm too lazy to fix it so whatever.

So the Sabres won and by doing so reached a very big milestone, scoring their 10,000th goal in franchise history. I believe it to be very appropriate that the player who is considered, by me at least, to be the face of the franchise was the one to score. T-Van I love you with all of my heart and you deserve cookies so come on over and eat some of the ones that we have left because believe Cari and I don't need anymore, just don't tell Paul I said that I don't want him to be jealous and think that I don't love him anymore. Because, while I love you and every other player on the team, I love Paul more.

While Cari and I were frosting even more cookies for the rest of her family to enjoy we started singing Love Lockdown by Kanye West and getting to the part of the song that says 'system overload', we readily replaced that with 'sugar overload singing oh oh oh oh oh' in a pained voice. I believe it to be very appropriate for the state that we are in right now which includes me writing this while Cari is washing dishes which I should be helping her with but am not so now I feel bad and waiting to play Guitar Hero as soon as her brother gets off the phone with his girlfriend. So faithful readers I leave you with the thoughts of someone who has consumed way to much sugar and is waiting for her heart to stop beating as all the sugar finally overrides her system.

Love Life, Play (Watch) Hockey, Eat Sugar

I AM THE VENGEANCE IN THE NIGHT; I... AM... GAUSTAD.

2008-12-11T22:37:00.005-05:00

We all know that my dear Kim is just smitten with one Paul Gaustad.

So this morning, when I saw that spectacular picture of Goose, I texted her immediately.

This is what communication has transpired between us throughout the day:

Cari, 08:31: Have you seen the Sports section today, dear?

Kim, 08:37: No, I'm out with my momma.

Cari, 08:38: Ohhhh dear. Well... You'll love it.

Cari, 08:39: [Picture message sent, containing the image of Paul and the headline "Sauce from the Goose"]

Kim, 09:12: The picture you sent me didn't come through.

Cari, 09:12: Ughh I'll try it again.

Cari, 12:26: TIM CONNOLLY LOOK-A-LIKE AT BURGER KING!!

Kim, 12:27: Haha Are you sure it wasn't him? Maybe he was eating away his pain...

Cari, 12:38: I'm sure. He had hair and was smoking.

Kim, 12:38: Well, it would've been a great scenario.

Cari, 12:39: I know, right?

Cari, 13:37: Did you ever get that picture?

Kim, 15:01: No, it never came.

Cari, 15:02: Ughh Well, did you see the newspaper?

Kim, 15:02: No, I'm babysitting and they don't get the paper.

Cari, 15:03: Ohhhh I'll try it again because it is vital that you see it stat.

Kim, 15:03: Okay.

Cari, 15:03: [Second attempt to send said picture of Paul]

Kim, 18:52: I saw the picture in the paper. Oh, hot damn, he looks hot!

Cari, 20:58: OMGAH doesn't he??? Ughhh I'd love it if I saw him pummeling someone like that on the street...

Kim, 21:20: Haha Well, see, then he'd probably get arrested for battery.

Cari, 21:21: Yeah, but so what? It'd be hot. And he'd probably just be beating a criminal or defending our honor.

Kim, 21:22: Or saving the world from polluters.

Cari, 21:23: Exactly... So who could throw him in jail for that?

Kim, 21:23: Good point. He'd probably end up with a key to the city.

Cari, 21:34: Oh, most definitely. He's seriously like Batman.

So, basically, I think that's how things should work in Buffalo. Can the BPD get a big searchlight atop 74 Franklin Street, and emblazon a large 28, or maybe a flying goose, or something of the like, upon the dark, winter sky?? I think it would work out quite well.

OH! And I'm pretty much fed up that my picture message didn't send. And since, being the genius that I am, I didn't try to send a picture to anyone else, I don't know if Verizon is to blame, or if it's Kim's phone's fault, and AT&T is to blame. They both suck at the moment, then...

And if you're wondering, we normally text about four times as much as that throughout the day. I was in Canada for part of the day and wasn't texting (I JUST LOVE BEING DETAINED AT THE BORDER), and then I was driving around for a while, and not texting while driving for a change... But yeah, this was a slow day for us...

"WAY TO HIT THE GLASS"

2008-12-11T08:35:00.006-05:00

Ugh, so my perfect evening was ruined because of some dumb waitress at Chili's. She took forever to bring us TWO APPETIZERS. Two orders of boneless wings should not take half an hour.

MISS WAITRESS LADY?? I FORGET YOUR NAME, BUT YOU DIDN'T DESERVE YOUR $3 TIP. WE SAW YOU ONCE, AND WHAT'S WORSE, YOU MADE ME MISS WARMUPS. I CAN NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT.

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system...

So I must say, sitting in the front row--in the corner--is very, very exciting, especially when the Sabres win.

Brittany and I weren't prepared for just how nerve-wracking it can be to see two 200-pound men skating quickly towards you, with only a piece of glass to stop them. It's actually downright scary.

Quick hits from the game:

- Pommers got hit right in front of us. WHY JASON? Why couldn't someone flatten Lecavalier right there, or something?

- The delay-of-game call on Miller was COMPLETE bull shit. I was sitting ten feet away from Miller and could clearly see him catch the puck, then proceed to wave his closed glove in the air for the refs to see. I don't care what anyone says, Miller is on the shit list of the refs, along with Roy and Kaleta. Hell, throw everyone wearing blue and gold up on there, as well.

- Ditto for the "boarding" call.

- The guy behind us called Jaro "Space Station." That was pretty good.

- Thomas Vanek is a sexy beast. Enough said.

- Nathan Gerbe is extremely impressive. I've said it before (I think): It's one thing to watch him on TV and say, "Yeah, he's good," or "Yeah, he's really fast," but you have no idea until you've seen him play in person. He's fantastic. I will say this, though: He looked good last night, but this is nothing like what he can play. When I saw him up in Portland, I was completely blown away. And that doesn't happen much...

- Goose and Mair are also sexy beasts. I love the picture of Paul on the front of TBN's Sports section today. Hahaa.... Sauce from the Goose. I love it.

- What's with the no-call when Derek got his lip cut open??

(I love how this is all ADD-ish, and not in order of anything that really happened in the game...)

- Britt's boyfriend texted us at one point and told us that we weren't hitting the glass enough. Mostly because she braced herself every time the players skated towards us, and I guess maybe he watched us, and saw her sit all the way back.

- He then texted us and said that the guy sitting next to us looked like a snowman. Our response? "It's Frosty, duhhhhhh." He did on TV, though. White hat and a white long sleeve T on a big man? Yep.

(Derek is late calling up Kiss again... He's so unreliable...)

- Back to Miller's penalty, I'm really proud of the guys for killing off that two-minute two-man. Kudos.

- Steven Stamkos looks like Luke's friend Nick, so we proceeded to call him that for the rest of the night.

- There was a guy sitting right behind us that looked like he could be our friend Tom's twin.

Ohhhh, well I can't really remember much else. I'm blogging, listening to the radio, and reading the newspaper at the same time right now. Multi-tasking is something I can usually do well, but it's not really working for me this morning. I have to do it, though, because in about an hour, I have to head out for Canada, as I have an interview for my Nexus pass at 11 am.

This was the best picture I found from the night:

I <3 THE GERBE DERBY!!

Oh, and Britt and I were in a couple pictures from Getty, as well:

AHHHH he scored on that one. And then my hand hurt really bad. I usually can take a lot of pain, but I didn't think that hitting plexiglass repeatedly would hurt that much...

I don't like this picture. (A), because I look stupid, and (B) because Pommer had just been smooshed right in front of me, and (C) you don't mess with my Pommer.

Alright, well I don't think Derek's woken up yet. So I'm going to go get ready, and if Derek ever decides to call, I'll update you on his ridiculousness.

THERE'S A HOCKEY GAME ON AND I CAN ACTUALLY WATCH IT

2008-12-10T17:54:00.004-05:00

So for the first time in a long time I can actually sit down and watch a game with no interuptions because I'm done with school...well at least until January. I don't have to study or read or look at notes or anything and suddenly because I don't have anything to do I feel empty, it's not a nice feeling. But anyways back to hockey news...

Joe Sakic is out for three months and you want to know why? Because the moron stuck his hand in a SNOWBLOWER, now the powers that be aren't saying that's exactly what he did but when they come out with "He had his hand where he shouldn't have" it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened. To Joe Sakic: Hello!!!! The light's on but nobody's home, he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic, not the sharpest tool in the shed, a few beers short of a six pack...I got a million of those. Now granted I know that people make mistakes but seriously, you think he said to himself, "oh look I'm going to stick my valuable hockey player hands near the spinning blade of death?" He's lucky he just broke three fingers and had some tendon damage, because it could have been a lot worse, as in amputation of fingers worse, and then he could just say goodbye to what's left of his hockey career. And POOF it's gone.

My mom called Gerbe, Herbe today by accident of course but still I think we should plant Gerbe in the garden and see if he grows any taller. And when he grows up he's going to be a REAL hockey player. Just kidding, I love Gerbe because he's so damn tiny he disappears and he's so damn quick that no one can catch him. He's like Speedy Gonzalez on crack or speed if that's more appropriate, "¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!"

Well off to watch the game, hopefully they win because both Cari and my friend Lynda are there.

Let's Go Buffalo

I DIDN'T EXPECT THAT.

2008-12-10T14:23:00.005-05:00

So I've figured out that the Sabres tend to post the night's playlist the day of the game...

I usually like to make fun of the player who's iPod gets shuffled for the game, so I checked it out a few minutes ago. And just for the record, I expected it to be that of Gerbe Derby.

But his taste in music, I didn't expect.

ALL THAT COUNTRY??

Now, I don't have a problem with country at all. I like a good amount of it; I just have to be in the right mood to listen to it.

But really Nate? Taylor Swift?

Well, I suppose I should've expected that much, at least, due to your status on Facebook:

Ahhh, being friends with Sabres on Facebook has it's perks. Like stealing pictures from you and Drew, which is evident from my post earlier today.

Anyways, good luck tonight, Gerbe Derby. I'll be seeing you!

SHORT, LIKE NATHAN GERBE

2008-12-10T07:37:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I don't have a ton of time, mostly because I have to leave in about an hour for class, and I just rolled out of bed. But I wanted to post today, and since, after class, I'm crashing on the couch for a couple hours, and then leaving, this is my only opportunity.

Anyways...

I have one thing, and one thing only to say about the whole Ryan Miller getting cussed out by the ref situation: If a player can't say shit to a ref without getting the book thrown at them, no way in hell should a ref be able to say boo to a player. That's like, say, I felt like calling a teacher of mine an effing [w]itch to her face, which prompts her to give me detention, and then she proceeds to call me the same. Nuh uh. I don't think so.

But Jay, on Caroline's last post, brought out something interesting:

(This comes straight from the NHL rule book, mind you.)

If, through misadventure or sickness, the Referees and Linesmen appointed are prevented from appearing, the League will make every attempt to find suitable replacement officials, otherwise,the Managers or Coaches of the two Clubs shall agree on Referee(s) and Linesman(men). If they are unable to agree, they shall appoint a player from each side who shall act as Referee and Linesman; the player of the home Club acting as Referee and the player of the visiting Club as Linesman.

Gee, I think I'd want someone awesome to be ref for us. At first, I was thinking Patty K could be ref. But then I decided against that, as if he weren't ref, he could run whoever he wanted on the ice...

So I'm not really too sure... Probably Stafford... He's kinda deviant and seems like he'd be a huge rule-breaker... So I think he'd be a good "slanted" ref, don't you?

I'd pay to ever see that happen. But seriously, what would it take to off the refs minutes before puckdrop?

Alright. That's about all of the hockey commentary you're going to get out of me at 7:45 in the morning.

So here's a beautiful picture, instead:

Drew, just promise me that if you were made ref for a game, you either would call a game your mother would be proud of, or you'll force her not to watch as you'll be completely one-sided and unsportsmanlike throughout. And I'm sure she didn't bring you up like that, so I'm going to prefer the later.

BUT HEY LOOK!!! YOU'RE ACTUALLY SMILING!!

And I'll be smiling tonight, as Britt and I will be sitting here:

We're going to be right behind the Buffalo portion of "Buffalo General Hospital" on the boards behind Paul.

I would've circled it and written all over it, but I don't have Paint on my computer, and I don't have time to figure out which program allows me to do that. Sorry, but you get the gist.

So we'll be behind Miller twice, and then behind, I'm assuming, Mike Smith for the second.

We'd better see some hits in front of us like the one Gaustad threw the other night, and we'd better see some awesome saves and some beautiful goals (I know, I'm asking for a lot). Actually, I just hope they play well and win for the home crowd.

And that you look for us.

Go Sabres!!

LOOK WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN.

2008-12-09T09:16:00.007-05:00

Shady's back. Celebrate.

Errr, maybe... Sabres are back? Celebrate? Ehh, my attempt at rewriting Eminem's lyrics are no where near as good as some of the others I've attempted, like Tom Petty's Free Fallin', Lou Bega's Mambo #5, or The Foundation's Build Me Up Buttercup.

Wow. I don't go off on tangents much...

Are those the Sabres I'm in love with, winning before my very eyes once again? ARE THEY BACK AGAIN? I can honestly say that I think the Sabres have finally woken up and turned the ship around. At least it appears that way, right?

I think we finally got some of that good puck luck that Lindy's been talking about, ever since the guys apparently gave up on The System.

But seriously, though, I'm too overjoyed that they finally are putting a GOOD streak together to even figure out something to write about... That's terrible.

OHHHH. But seriously guys? You need to look for me and my beautiful friend Brittany on TV tomorrow. I'll show you exactly where we're sitting tomorrow, but I'm still looking for the right picture, but anyways, we'll be sitting front row in a corner, behind Ryan twice. EXCITING SHIT, as I've never sat front row before. And I've been going to Sabres games my whole life. Strange...

Did anyone else get really, really, REALLY annoyed that the (a) Versus guys kept talking about the Crosby and Malkin Shows, and the (b) refs totally tried to screw us over and hand the game to the Pens on a silver platter??

It's a damn good thing we have awesome penalty killers...

And I seriously think Derek is trying to win me back with pretty goals, and a nice point streak, and a point total that's approaching his pace for last season. Well, it's working.

BUT DEREK... We need to take our relationship slowly. Obviously, jumping in that deep, that quickly distracted you, and I apologize for being responsible for your slow start. If we take it slow, maybe you can focus more on your game and not be so overwhelmed by our amazing compatibility. That way, you're happy because you're playing better, and Lindy's happy because you're playing better, and most likely the team is happier because they'll be winning more, and I'll be happy because you guys are all happy.

It's a win-win situation, really.

You know what else is a win-win situation?

AL SCORED!! Okay, so maybe that didn't make sense, but whatever. I almost never make sense, so it's appropriate.

But he really does score in all areas of life, because this is his girlfriend:

I'm shocked that it's not another blonde. Not that there's anything wrong with blondes, or anything. One of my best friends is blonde. I just think it's funny that most of them are blonde... Very pretty, though.

And can I just say that I'm really glad that Crosby (or Crotch-by, as I dubbed him at one point last night) was held to a -2, and that my Pittsburgh BF Jordan Staal got nothing. Nothing at all. Love it.

Well, I guess that's about all I can come up with for now. I'll probably post later when I'm not in an I-just-woke-up-and-cannot-focus-on-anything stupor.

<3 Sabres.

OH, LIFE.

2008-12-08T09:12:00.006-05:00

So Saturday night was pretty much awesome.. That is, until about 2 am, at which point Lucas and Jay decided to argue about which anatomical area on the male body fosters more bacteria: The groin, or the hands. And then they were arguing about when they should wash their hands--before or after they use the bathroom. WAY TO KILL A FABULOUS MOOD. They pretty much ruined the party. Oh well.

And then, I was planning on driving home, but since, in that particular area of Amherst we were in, you couldn't see out the front window of their house, I spent the night at Britt's, since she lives two minutes from there, and myself 15.

So yesterday morning, I found myself comfy in B's bed, trying to post from my phone. Alas, since Verizon has what I am sure is the worst mobile internet around, I had written my entire post, and THEN IT WOULDN'T LET ME. And I was too frustrated and tired and hung-over to write it again once I had come home.

But anyways, it mostly consisted of something like this (I'm going purely from memory, here, kids. Bear with me.):

WTF, SABRES. WTF.

See, now, I'm think I'm an extremely devoted person, when I want to be. So when I take the time to be devoted to a flailing hockey team, YOU TAKE IT.

I almost abandoned you, though. See, my 16-year-old cousin Trevor plays hockey for his high school. I almost took up cheering for his team full time instead of you, Sabres. Because his team is actually good. And he's my cousin, so I have to like his hockey team. But Sabres? You're making me want to like his team.

THAT IS, UNTIL I DECIDED TO BREAK UP WITH PRINCESS D, AND NOT PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO YOUR GAME, AND INSTEAD GET DRUNK. THEN YOU DECIDE TO WIN.

Thanks. Thanks a lot.

But I'm glad you won. And I'm glad Derek scored. We're broken up until further notice. But just so you know, D, I want you back.

Just to prove that we do, in fact, belong together: At the party we were playing Fuck the Dealer. Now, the first deck of cards that Tom grabbed from somewhere in the house was a deck Luke had received when he went to Aces and Blades a couple years ago. I had never played this game before, so when my turn came around, I had no strategy, or anything. I just picked a number--8--and who was on that card, a winning card, mind you? DEREK ROY. FATE-TASTIC, FOR REALS.

But anyways, I don't really have much to say in the way of hockey. Nothing's really happened.

Oh... Wait. My Pirates.

So I'm sad that Marky Mark's stay in Buffalo has ended. Lindy really didn't utilize him correctly, but whatever. Moving on. GERBE DERBY!!! AHHHHHHHH. Enough said.

And my poor Mikey Funk... Remember how he had a concussion during camp, that he suffered on, like, the first day? Yeah, well when Kim and I were up in Portland for a game, it just so happened to be my love's first game back from the head injury. So Saturday night, who gets absolutely obliterated from behind into the boards? MIKE FUNK. Who has another concussion as a result? MIKE FUNK.

I'M SERIOUSLY GOING TO KILL ANSSI SALMELA IF I EVER SEE HIM ON THE STREETS. UGH.

I swear to God, if he becomes the next Tim Connolly/Brett Lindros/Pat LaFontaine in regards to bruised brains, I'LL SERIOUSLY CRY, because I love him.

Okay then. Now that I got that out of my system... I baked cookies last night for a friend, and then I made some special ones for Kim and myself, for our little soiree this evening.

If I could send cookies (the edible kind) through the internet, I'd have a big platter full of them for you all. But, since I can't do that, here's something sweet instead:

BACKGROUND INFO IS NECESSARY, THOUGH. Remember that picture that caused quite a ruckus in these parts recently?? Well, remember how we thought that it was one Clarke MacArthur that was grabbing the junk of one Derek Roy??

WELL IT WASN'T THE GENERAL, AND I HAVE THE PROOF.

Here's a snipet of the picture in question:

Notice the man on the left--supposedly Clarke MacArthur. Notice the writing on D's shirt. Also, notice the man to the right's striped green shirt.

Now take a look at this picture, which I got off of another Facebook account:

HMMM... RECOGNIZE ANYONE??

The guy in the green Fox track jacket and the green Von Dutch hat would be D's younger brother, Scott. Hmm, that other green shirt looks awfully familiar, doesn't it? And the guy next to Derek--supposedly Sparky--doesn't appear to look like Sparky at all, actually.

So there you have it, folks. Derek's sexuality status is still in limbo, but as far as I'm concerned, the second coming of the Man-Child is straight, and as innocent as can be.

LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!

I THINK I HAVE A PROBLEM...

2008-12-06T09:49:00.003-05:00

So, I think you can tell by now that I'm pretty much addicted to the Sabres, and the game of hockey in general.

Because, in light of the Sabres' terrible play, I almost abandoned them for my 16-year-old cousin's high school team. They do better, at least, and I have an undying devotion to my Trevor, so... But, when my aunt dropped off Christmas cookies yesterday (!!!! Too bad they're all gone already...), she told me that Trev had a game last night. Too bad I picked up a shift at work because I took this weekend off...

So whatever.

Oooh, now I sound like Ryan Miller...

Anyways, let me get to the point.

This morning, you'd probably think, and that includes myself, that I'd still be disgusted with the Sabres, and that I would want nothing to do with them, and that I'd still want my ~~fake~~ relationship with Derek to be over, but...

I DONT.

First thing (well, actually, not quite, but same difference) that I thought this morning when I woke up? THERE'S A SABRES GAME TONIGHT. Sad thing (maybe not?) is, though, I'm not sure how much of it I'll see. See, the guys are throwing Britt and I a little soiree for our birthdays (hers was the same as Kim's (this past Monday), and mine is a week from this coming Monday), and while they'll probably have the game on, I'm concerned that, if the boys start losing and/or playing like they have as of late, they just might turn it off. AND I DON'T WANT THAT, YA HEAR???

Oh, and while we're talking about my birthday, I have to remind you that Princess D is going to be at Dave and Adam's on Tuesday the 16th. I went and bought tickets for Kim and myself yesterday. Price gouging, for reals. I'm going to have him sign my jersey, and Kim's going to have him sign a birthday card for me.

WE NEED YOUR HELP, THOUGH. What kind of card do you think we should get for me? (A) One with a (half) naked man (Possible issues: He may steal it.), (B) a singing/musical card, or (C) a funny one? I think the naked man card could be interesting...

BUT REALLY...

What am I going to do with myself?? I fear I'm too far gone, and nothing could ever help me..

I think I really do live and die by the outcome of the Sabres games... And that's kind of pathetic.

But it's most definitely alright with me.

And, remember that thing I said about the Pirates yesterday? How they weren't letting me down? Well, that was an attempt to boost their confidence, which apparently didn't work. Since we've taken Marky Mark from them, they won one of their past seven games. Ouch. Sorry, Portland. I still love you, though. Next time I go to Boston, I'm coming up again. Don't you worry.

Ughhh, so like I said, I'm not going to comment on actual hockey at all, so long as it involves the Sabres. That's why I'm leaving you with this:

I WANT TO SEE PLENTY OF THIS TONIGHT, AND NOT JUST AT THE PARTY.

I want the Sabres to join Drew, his father, and their friend... or just Drew... high-five-ing over a few beers at a Pittsburgh bar after tonight's game. NOTICE I SAID HIGH-FIVES. No drinking away your sorrows allowed tonight.

Umm, so, let's go Buffalo???

I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE

2008-12-05T14:52:00.004-05:00

So I tried, I really did, okay so maybe it wasn't the best effort but I did I really did.

SABRES, I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU...

In reality I tried to not say their names and I tried to now think about them but every thought permeating my brain contained thoughts of the boys in blue and gold who deserve my love and affection no matter how sucky they've been playing lately. Truthfully I want to love them and hug and squeeze them until their eyes pop out of their heads...but that would be bad, so maybe not.

Dear Sabres,

What you really need is my support and I realized that you boys were very upset with my claims that I had disowned you. It's all my fault that you guys lost last night, I didn't believe in you, I let my petty feelings get in the way of my undying love and admiration for you and for that I'm truly sorry. I don't know what came over me, maybe it was the fact that my brain was so addled by studying that I wasn't thinking clearly, but whatever the reason I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, I hang my head in shame.

Love,
Kim

I'M CALLING YOU OUT

2008-12-05T09:58:00.009-05:00

Okay, Sabres. You've had your fun. And by fun, I mean toying with the hearts of countless people throughout Western New York, Southern Ontario, and across the country.

AND WE DON'T APPRECIATE IT.

In fact, it's downright despicable. I really don't care for how you've been playing, at all. Goaltending? Needs to be better. Consistent, but yet, needs to be better. Defense? Don't even get me started. Offense? Ditto.

First of all, DEREK ROY I TOLD YOU THAT YOU CAN'T BE FRIENDS WITH ANYONE. Not the coach who led you to the Memorial Cup, no one. Know why? Because he coaches Gregory Campbell. YOU CAN'T BE FRIENDS WITH HIM. Wanna know why? Because he could have single-handedly beat you last night. That's why.

Anyways...

I mean, something is obviously wrong in the locker room. I, for one, don't think it's Lindy Ruff's fault. The guys don't have it in them. I don't know why, but they just don't. Somehow, though, I honestly feel like management might call for Lindy's head. But I don't think Regier would allow Ruff to be axed; they've been together too long, and they were together when this team didn't make the playoffs, what, three seasons in a row? Regier, as we are all too well aware, is not one to jump the gun, so I really believe that Ruff's job is safe, and that's fine by me, because he is an elite coach.

That being said, I'll refer to my comment about the guys just not showing up. What's my solution to that? Make some phone calls to Portland. Get Nathan Gerbe on a plane ASAP. If I were Lindy, I'd stick with the plan of benching guys. I'm still on the Bench Derek Roy Bandwagon. He most definitely needs to play better (and obviously my theory of embarrassing him didn't work as well as I had hoped). But seriously. Rotate Gerbe in for the guys we are very much underachieving this year. Oh, wait... That's pretty much everyone except for Vanek, and I'll throw MacArthur in there (strictly because of his numbers) and Mancari (because he's played pretty well). And like I said, don't even get me started on the D. Seriously, bench them all. Play Paetsch and Weber in Lydman and Tallinder's spots for a few games, and then in Sekera and Spacek's, and then Numminen's. I won't throw Rivet in there because he's been battling injuries all season, but still.

SOMETHING HAS GOT TO GIVE.

We obviously have to find what's wrong with this team, and we have to find it now. Because as it stands, playoff-wise, we're already on the outside. And I'm not so sure I can take another Sabre-less late spring.

Like I said to Anne today, I seriously want to jump a plane to Tampa when I drop my brother off at the airport this morning. I really want to go down there, smack every single Buffalo Sabre across the face, and then proceed to bawl my eyes out and throw a hissy fit to make them see just how much their sucking affects me.

Oh, my God. If I talk about them any more I think I actually might start crying. Either that, or my couch pillows and other household objects may suddenly be able to fly...

So, I think, instead of talking about those men who shall not be named (Sounds like Harry Potter, eh? I think I might use Kim's method: ******.), I think I'm just going to post ridiculous pictures of them, and talk about my boyfriends from the other teams.

Here goes.

So, in last night's game, my Florida boyfriend, the beautiful David Booth did what? Nothing. Oh, that's right, because he didn't play, because he has some shoulder injury.

WHY IS IT THAT THE ONES I LIKE ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS GET HURT????

But Marcus Naslund scored for the Rangers, neither of my goalie BF's played in the Islanders/Caps game, both Staal brothers let me down in their matchup, Shea Weber netted a goal, Todd Fedoruk did as well, and that's it. Well I guess I pretty much got stood up across the board. But thank you, Marcus, Shea, and Todd, for trying to cheer me up. But, alas, it didn't work.

At least Tampa lost... But, wait, I don't think that will matter since they absolutely steamrolled us when they were up here last.

Umm, so a picture...

So I lied. I can't look at my pictures of the ****** without getting all kinds of upset. Well, I'll put up a picture of one of my guys who didn't let me down last night:

The Pirates couldn't possibly let me down last night because they didn't play.

In fact, they only made me love them more.

While the Sabres are out making millions by playing terribly and galavanting on the beach and Chippewa, the most adorable hockey players every (coughTHEPIRATEScough) are doing charity work. Yeah, that's right, and making the days of countless children, grown men, and adoring women.

Three of the four Mikey-Poo's in Portland (Card, Funk, and Kostka), along with Derek Whitmore unveiled the newly remodeled Dorothy Elizabeth room at Gary's House, a Ronald McDonald-esque house, in Portland. They also decorated for Christmas.

And then Tim Kennedy (who looks like a child himself) and Jimmy Bonneau did a signing.

The Pirates are my new hockey loves.

Take that, Sabres. Oh, and Derek Roy? I'm breaking up with you.

NOW WHAT?

2008-12-04T08:36:00.005-05:00

Yeah, so I'm sure you all know what's going on with a certain picture of a certain Derek Roy... But I'm not even going to say I'm sorry for the spread of that picture. You know why? First of all, it's his own damn fault, secondly, I did nothing wrong, and thirdly, it was with ~~good intentions~~ the most harmless of intentions possible.

So, Derek, just be glad we took the picture down, although it can be found elsewhere, now, from what I've seen...

Oh well. Next time, don't let your friends violate you in public, let someone else photograph it, and the let them put it on Facebook, where anyone can see it. Namely, me. Because you know I'm giving it to MJ.

Anyways, back to legit hockey blogging.

Toni Lydman is doubtful for tonight, as is Craig Rivet, apparently. So who would get the logical promotion from Portland? Mike Weber, obviously. But I guess he's been iffy, as far as health is concerned, so then who?

(Lindy doesn't seem too, too concerned about those issues, but still...)

Marc-Andre Gragnani, in 20 games, has 1 goal and 10 assists; also, he's a -1 with 16 penalty minutes.

Mike Kostka has 2 goals and 6 assists, also in 20 games, with 6 PIM, and he's a +8.

Chris Butler's points and games are the same as Kostka's, but he is a +2 with 14 penalty minutes.

My Mikey-Poo, Mr. Funk, has been limited to 11 games due to a concussion he suffered the opening day of training camp. But, in those 11 games, he's netted just 1 goal and 3 assists. He's racked up 8 penalty minutes and is a +3.

Paul Baier, whom I'm not sure we have rights to?, has 3 points (1-2) in 18 games, with a -2 and 12 PIM.

Weber has played 19 games, has only 2 assists to put towards his point total, and is a +5 with 51 PIM.

Mike Card has been limited to 13 games, most recently due to taking a puck off of his gorgeous face (please don't need plastic surgery). He's only got 1 assist, so far, on the year, and is an even 0 on +/-, with 16 penalty minutes.

I'm making my choice with the assumption that Weber is unavailable, fyi...

So, based purely on statistics, I'd probably want to call up Gragnani or Kostka. Based on playing style, comparable to Lydman, I'd probably go with Funk, because when I've seen him play in person, he's physical on the puck, and he can skate. Based solely on the fact that I adore him, I'd call Funker, as well.

But I'm kind of mad at him because he still hasn't accepted my friendship on Facebook... Then again, neither have Mancari or Dylan Hunter, so idk... What's with these Portland boys? Don't they check their Facebook 1,978,234,986 times a day like I do?? Well, at least Gerbe Derby does...

Anyways, I've come to the conclusion that blogging purely on the game is kind of boring. I like being ridiculous way, way, way too much.

SO.

I'm throwing this out there:

UMMMM WHAT??

Tommy, what the hell were you thinking when this picture was taken?? I'm not even going to talk about that RIDICULOUS hat.

Um, and what are you doing in that area of Buffalo???

Hmm, well, Shelby, that's for you.

But anyways, the Panthers? Stephen Weiss? Gregory Campbell? Not too intimidated. But Derek, seriously, forget that your friends with the later. Please. No nice guys tonight.

So I guess I'll miss probably half of the game. I've decided that if they're winning, maybe I won't watch the rest of it?? Because, I don't know, maybe it's me. I kind of take it personally when the Sabres are sucking, and get all bummed and mope around the house... I swear, if I slit my wrists, I'd covered in blue and gold goo. So maybe I won't watch/listen, just to see if that works... But I don't know if I can hold out like that. I've never intentionally ignored a game...

We'll see. Go Sabes!

AVERY AND LAVIOLETTE

2008-12-03T13:52:00.005-05:00

So I had to giggle a little, okay a lot, when I saw that Avery had been suspended because let's face it, he had it coming. After the crap he pulled against Brodeur last year and all the underhanded, nasty things he's done to various players I'd say he deserved it. Maybe now he'll get a full time job at Vogue and leave the hockey world in peace, we'd all be better off without him I'm sure.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the douchebag of the day.

Oh the inhumanity, what is with those glasses and that haircut this why they created shows like What Not To Wear. Somebody call the fashion police because obviously his time at Vogue taught him nothing.

In other news Carolina has relieved Peter Laviolette of his duties as head coach of the Hurricanes, which is just the polite way to say that they fired his ass. I was surprised as hell considering, as all of us here in Buffalo know, the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with Laviolette as head coach. Management was disappointed that the Hurricanes had started the season 12-11-2 so they decided it was time for something new, or old. Paul Maurice the new head coach is actually an old head coach having been behind the bench as head coach in Carolina from 1995 to 2003. I guess what's old is new again.