OH, HEY...

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

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

THAT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED

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.

In Defense of Derek Roy

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.

TAKING A BITE OUT OF THE SHARKS

(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

AW, SHUCKS BRIAN CAMPBELL

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.

MOVING ON....

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.

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

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.

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

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?

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.

NECESSARY NOTES

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...

FACEBOOK SHOULD HAVE AN "ADD AS ENEMY" OPTION

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.

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.

MY LIFE IS FULL OF HIGHS AND LOWS

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.

"WAY TO HIT THE GLASS"

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.

LOOK WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN.

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.

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...

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'M CALLING YOU OUT

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.