Days Off

by Ryan


It was a cold, blustery day in the city, the kind of day that makes you want to sleep until the sun comes out again. A storm of hellfire followed me into the city, hail and rain turning the journey into a mess of brake lights and windshield wipers.

But storm clouds thinned, and hellfire soon turned to the brisk chill of a breeze and the light sifting of snow. The day was turned on its head, suddenly a forgettable 24 hours has the calm of a winter day.

It hit me as I walked around the city. That crisp crackle of leaves underfoot brought that undeniable smell to the city.

Hockey weather.

The Sabres didn't play today. In fact, they lost last night. Still, just that one thought made me smile today, and put this whole week in perspective for me.

There are a lot of people that say bad things about Buffalo. Today I saw someone say Abi Grab is a better place then Buffalo. It's an exaggeration for sure, but these are the things that are said about where many of us live.

It's not the best place in the world to live, that's for sure, but there is one thing I do know about Buffalo: Buffalo has hockey weather. That kind of atmosphere that makes you want to drop everything you are responsible to and find a pond somewhere. When I crossed the street and caught that scent, the only thing I wanted to do was drive home and get my skates.

I really don't know what the point of this is, but I think days like today are something special. The next time you think about how bad things are here, remember that even on off days, we have hockey weather.

Sometimes, I think that's all that matters.