Meet your free agent!

By Jon

Stealing the idea that Rich had a few days ago, it's time to meet the Bills' new linebacker.

He may not be so popular with our female readers.

Kawika (kuh-vee-kuh) Mitchell was drafted in the second round (47th overall) of 2003 by the Chefs Chiefs. He spent four seasons with the Chiefs, and was their leading tackler in 05 and 06.



Mitchell signed a 1-year, 1 million dollar contract with the Giants prior to last season after their attempt to acquire Al Wilson fell through. He won a starting spot at OLB in training camp, and started every game for the Super Bowl champs. He finished with 76 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and an interception return for a TD that some of you might remember.


There is something quite disturbing, however. As seen in this video, his hat seems to fall in the dreaded "douchebag zone". For those unfamiliar with the douchebag zone, please refer to the Buffalo Cane (Second bullet point, three quarters of the way down.)

So welcome, Kawika. Here's hoping that you can help shore up our D.

Knowledge is Power

"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.

Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."- Hank Steinbrenner

Things I've learned from this quote:

1. Sean Salisbury is a Yankees fan. It just makes so much sense now.

2. In all the history of time and space the universe has only been in order a mere 26 years. That explains a lot as well. For example, people ordering food while on their cell phone. Or not getting that little package of mixed nuts on your flights anymore. Or SARS.

3. Bad things never happen while the Yankees are champions. Like Pearl Harbor. Or 9/11.

Now I know what Hank actually means, but I just can't believe the words are actually coming out of his mouth. Really, what's the point in all this? I as much as anyone hate the whole Official Red Sox Nation thing they are pawning on us, mostly because I don't need a card in my wallet to tell me what team I root for. Still, don't you dare tell me I don't exist. As a Sox fan not living in Boston, I make a point of knowing what is going on with my team.

Sure, there are some "fans" that will see one of my non-existent hats and tell me how much they love Jonathan Papelbon yet not know who Keith Foulke is. I've had to put up with my fair share of pink hats and people who just think that "B" has nice font. At the same time, I know someone who fills one of those hats and can give you the scouting report of every player we have in our farm system, as well as his own personal opinion of him. I guess you take the good with the bad.

It is a stupid quote, and one meant to do exactly what it has: stir some people up. Most people know, especially those from Buffalo, that a team's fanbase will show up in a surprising number of places to form the "Nation" moniker Hank takes offense to. People shuffle across this country from place to place but very rarely do they forget their home. What resonates with a displaced citizen more then a city's food and sports teams?

There is no merit to an argument of which team has better fans in better places. You can tally up anything you'd like, any generalities and stereotypes you can remember and you still don't have real proof. Somewhere out there is a nice Flyers fan, a skinny Packers fan, and even a Marlins fan. I'd make the same guess for a Yankee fan from Cambridge and a Sox fan from Brooklyn.

Whether Hank wants to admit it or not, it happens and the numbers are there for both sides.

I guess it just goes to show you that the old saying is true: the apple doesn't fall far from the douchebag.

The Remedy?

by Ryan

Hey, what did you think of tonight's game?



Oh... that.... that's too bad. Well... there's gotta be something on tomorrow that can make it better. Let's see here... hey!



What about this?



Eek.

Something in the Air

by Ryan

Tonight the Sabres take on the Montreal Canadiens in downtown Buffalo. Hopefully it won't be one of those nights down there.

The Habs are an interesting opponent for Buffalo. They've been near the top of the division all year and we haven't played them since November. Things have changed since then.

For Montreal it is the trading of their starting goaltender, Cristobal Huet, to Washington. The popular theory is that they moved Huet to make room for a trade with Atlanta, receiving Marian Hossa and a goaltender in return, most likely the favored son of Fire Wagon Hockey. Now we all know how that that turned out.

What Montreal is left with is a 20 year old starter in Carey Price and a 22 year old backup in Jaroslav Halak, who was starting in Hamilton when I visited in November. He was shaky in the comeback, but both are supposed to be the real deal. While many question Montreal's chances with goalies this young, I have liked what Price has done so far and am really interested in how he handles the stretch run.

What has changed for Buffalo? Well, they are winning some games here and there and suddenly there is a new face in town.


Big Bear loves the classics.

Tonight is a huge test for a retooled team that is starting to get healthy. We'll see if Max and Stafford play, as well as how Montreal's Price handles a few shots. According to Montreal's website they have been scoring goals lately...



Now there's a webmaster with some talent.

Habs @ Slugs
7:30 from the Arena

Don't make me use the Green logo again.

NFL Free Agency: Day One

by Rich

Two pieces of Bills free-agent news from the guys over at Buffalo Rumblings:

Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell is expected to sign with the Bills later today. The linebacker started all 16 games for the Giants last year, and would likely play the strong side in Buffalo, freeing up Angelo Crowell to return to his natural position at weak-side linebacker.

Also, there are reports that former Jags defensive tackle Marcus Stroud will be in town today to meet with the team. The thought of a guy like Stroud in the middle of Buffalo's defensive line makes me happy.

UPDATE: The Bills have announced the release of DT Larry Tripplett (or so my text updates tell me).

So How'd That Scoreboard Watching Go?

by Ryan

Crap


Crap


Crap


Crap

Uh... not so good, then? I guess it's back to 9th and we'll have to do it ourselves tonight.

10-7-1, boys and girls.

Some thoughts on the Habs and another two big points to come.

Click to Enlarge

What a picture. I don't think I've ever seen Kalinin's "No. Freaking. Way." face before.

Even the two guys on the Preds' bench don't believe it.

Peters reminds me of this classic uni:



VICTORY!!!

Was This Really Necessary?

by Rich

I know that I'm asking for it by reading one of the "blogs" on The Worldwide Leader's website, but this is a bit much. With apologies to the gentlemen at Fire Joe Morgan, there are some things here that need to be addressed.


If there is one thing I can stress, it is to not read too much into Steve Bernier's first night as a Sabre. That doesn't mean to dismiss it out of hand either.


Well-hedged, sir. No need to actually offer an opinion on a player's performance when you can say that it might be significant. Or it might not. The important thing is that Sean Allen successfully dodged the question.


Bernier played the entire night on a line with two of Buffalo's most dynamic players -- Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy and it resulted in two goals and an assist in the Sabres' 8-4 win over the Predators. A grinder by nature, Bernier had benefited from playing with talent way above his head in the past (Joe Thornton), so as long as he remains with that unit he can keep his production in the fantasy-useful realm. However, Bernier's value is tied 100 percent to his linemates, and a move of [sic] the top line would mean his value crashes and burns.

So those three points that Bear put up last night were solely the result of being on the ice with Vanek and Roy. It's true; if you look closely, Bernier never actually touched the puck on any of those plays. The combined awesomeness of his linemates propelled the puck into the net, and the scorekeeper simply took pity on Steve, awarding him some points so that we, the foolish fans, would feel better about the truly devastating loss of perennial Norris trophy-winner Brian Campbell.

Little Known Fact: Steve Bernier did accomplish something of note last night, tying Don Luce's team record for "Most Points Awarded to a Player Due Solely To His Teammates." The record had stood since a 1975 game against the Flyers, when Luce was credited with a natural hat trick simply for sharing ice time with the French Connection.

Anyhow, skipping down a bit in the article we find this gem:


Speaking of Campbell, he led all Sharks in ice time as they dominated the Blue Jackets 4-2. Campbell chipped in an assist and would have had the third assist on the first goal (if such a thing existed).

Okay, this one just hurts my brain. I'm going to need to go one sentence at a time here.

Speaking of Campbell, he led all Sharks in ice time as they dominated the Blue Jackets 4-2.

Just so we're clear, the Sabres "won" 8-4. The Sharks "dominated" 4-2. I'm not trying to argue that the Sabres did dominate the Preds, but it's just silly to say that a 4-2 win is any more impressive than an 8-4 win. You know what? Screw it. While we're randomly qualifying and disqualifying stats, let's just have the two goals that Jocelyn "The Human Empty Net" Thibault allowed stricken from the record. I'd say the Sabres' 8-2 win was at least as "dominating" as SJ's 4-2 final.


Campbell chipped in an assist and would have had the third assist on the first goal (if such a thing existed).

As my Texan roommate said after reading this line, "If my grandmother had balls, she'd be my grandfather."

While we're on the topic of the "third assist," since when is it useful to create stats to describe events that didn't actually happen? I'm all for stats, but only if they actually have some meaning. A "Third Assist" stat would give 4 of the 5 players on the ice when a goal is scored a point. You're telling me that it's statistically significant to keep track of the guy who passes to the guy who passes to the guy who passes to the guy who scores? That...would do nothing but artificially inflate the offensive statistics of mediocre players and completely skew perceptions on the actual value of an offensive player. As far as I know, the purpose of statistics as they pertain to sports is to make the evaluation of players easier, not more difficult.

Also, I notice that there's no disclaimer about Soup's abilities. For those of you keeping track at home, the Sabres got a guy with 15 goals (13 at the time of the trade) whose scoring is apparently completely dependent on his linemates, and the Sharks got MVP candidate, Hall-of-Fame defenseman, and Nobel Prize nominee Brian Campbell (who has 5 goals credited to him and 44 more that would have been if not for his charitable nature and insistence that those goals be credited to his less awesome teammates). Does this guy know Bucky Gleason?

Something to Consider...

by Ryan

I didn't realize it until today, but the trade deadline actually moved two very important players in Sabres history. Yeah, Brian Campbell was traded to San Jose and Colby Armstrong got shipped to Atlanta in the Hossa deal. The connection: they scored the only goals of the Winter Classic. Did anyone think at the time that everyone on the score sheet would be off the rosters by the end of February? (keep in mind Sid's still on IR at the moment...)

This brings up an interesting question: what does this do to your memory of the Winter Classic? Campbell and Armstrong are gone, wearing different sweaters and in different cities. Does this change what you think about the game, or even what you will remember about that game as time passes?

For me, I don't think it does. Even with such a huge pressure to canonize games as Instant History, Soupy getting traded doesn't change what that goal did. I don't think I'll ever forget that slap shot hitting twine and that stadium exploding. It's a moment that gives me chills today and I don't think contract negotiations will change it.

On a much larger extent, maybe the players moving and my feelings remaining the same says a lot about what that game was really about. Just recently I was looking through some of my photos of the game and this one stood out:



There is something about those two fists in the air that gets to me every time. I don't remember the exact moment, or why they are cheering, but just being able to see the size of that crowd and still pick out a single person is just a stunning visual. I think it really shows the sheer volume of that event. Maybe it wasn't about the players, but more about the fans and the magic of that environment.

Years later, maybe we won't remember Miller's toque or Colby's quick goal, but instead how much fun that day was. The crowd, the atmosphere, and feeling that warm together on such a cold day.

Then again maybe that's just me. Does it change anything for you?

A View From the Roost: Big Bear in the Blue House

by Ryan


Well that one sure ran the gauntlet, didn't it? But first, a story:

As we were walking to the arena some guy pulls out a whistle and blows into it, then quickly put it away. Most people would think that was quite awkward but dismiss it. Instead, I'm the goofball that goes:

"Is that a Jordin Tootoo whistle?"

"Yeah, it is," the guy responds, pulling it out to show me.

"How did you know that?" his friend asks, deservedly so.

So I quickly explain to him that I saw the auction online and remembered the name. He tells me that he is from Jordin's hometown, actually coaching him in Pee Wee hockey. It was his first time in Buffalo and he wasn't really a Preds fan as much as a fan of Jordin's. In fact, he went down to see him play in Nashville last year and was impressed with how nice the people were.

We talked the rest of the walk from Pearl to the front doors, discussing the Aud, the ACC, and the city itself. His friend was a Sabres fan and we talked about Bernier and where he fit in the lines. While we never exchanged names or even shook hands, as we parted I really felt like I had made a good impression on the both of them.

After that Mair fight and the last few minutes, I hope it was enough.


---

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk a little about Steve Bernier. Actually, let's roll the next picture if you will.



That's Steve Bernier, and I'm pretty happy with that photo. He doesn't go after Tootoo because he's sticking up for his fellow Frenchman, he goes after him because Roy is wearing the same sweater as he is, even if for just a few hours.

Now Bernier says anyone would do that, but that's exactly what I wanted to hear out of him. In his mind, everyone should go after a guy who jobs someone, and I love that sentiment. Think back to that game against the Sharks when Joe Thornton went nuts and no one stepped up. Tonight every single player on ice would have jumped in no questions asked, and I think that has a lot to do with guys like Pratt, Kaleta, and Bernier playing on this team.



Bernier showed up tonight, plain and simple. I really, really hope it continues but who knows at this point? Again, one night does not tell the tale of the trade. Think back to the trade deadline before the lockout. We play the Caps in Washington, Grier has a few points and Brad Brown gets into a fight and has a few big hits. Where has Brad Brown been the past few years? We went 1/2 on that deadline even though both had big first games with the club. Having a good first game is a classic deadline reaction, so let's see how he does for the duration. As far as tonight: consider me impressed.

Some other thoughts:

- Miller going down completely took the air out of the building. Thibault coming in made me absolutely catatonic, and those two goals were pretty much guaranteed. To be fair, that Arnott goal was an outstanding shot. Still, TBO starting equals a 13th place finish.

-A big "GOOOOOOOOOOSE" was well deserved when Gaustad went after Nichol off the faceoff late. How anyone could be inches away from him in the faceoff dot and not drop the gloves is beyond me. Piece of trash.

- Peters had a good fight. There, I said it. And what a pass on that goal by Kaleta. Since when did we have a serviceable 4th line? Even when Hecht, Max, Stafford, and Ryan come back we are still going to need a good 4th line to bang bodies and crack some skulls. Seeing it come together, even for a brief time, is good news. We can't make any serious playoff noise without it.

- The D was pretty shaky in their first game without Soup. The offensive flow out of the zone was put into the hands of the forwards with relative ease but responsibility in our end was mediocre. I didn't mind the pairs, and the Five and Dime were very solid for the first time in a while. We are going to need them to step up big and they answered tonight.

- Wasn't it fun to see Tim Connolly make a move that worked? He's been playing great lately and taking him off the top line didn't affect any of the three. If BRV (short for "brevity"?) stays together we may have a decent lineup when the reserves come in.

- Chris Mason was AWFUL tonight. His 5-hole was weak all night, and his positioning looked shaky at best. What happened to that bald guy who beat out Vokoun last year?

and finally...

- What the hell is wrong with some people? Booing Erat when he took a puck to the face is unacceptable. Who cares if we had a 2 on 1 going the other way? Anyone who has ever taken a puck to anywhere knows how much it hurts. He went down for a reason, and if you think he turtled that's your call. Boo the refs the first time if you want, but don't boo the guy for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, Timmy scores on the same play a minute later. Weren't we the fans crying foul when the Philly faithful cheered Dumont getting hurt in the playoffs a few years back? Get it together, people.

Once again, two big points on Friday. Who's ready for Montreal?

Soup, Balls, and Dumont

by Ryan

Before we talk about Nashville I should probably address yesterday's trade. I actually was pretty sad to see Campbell go, although I'm glad it was San Jose. Different conference, good player in return, and a good chance for Soupy to play well out there and earn his money.

Should we have gotten more for him? Yeah, maybe, but once again we weren't in a position of power. Every team out there knew we had to move Soup, and so I doubt anyone was willing to throw the bathroom fixtures at us for him. It seems like we are never in the seat of power with these things, so I've gotten used to not being blown away by deals. As I've said before, time will tell us the true value of yesterday's trade. The good news is that Campbell's red hair matches very nicely with the orange accent on the Sharks jerseys. UniWatch will be proud.

One thing that is important to consider is the picture below.


I know it has been used before, but this is the reality of yesterday's trade. Suddenly all three of the players in this picture are our property, and more than likely in the starting lineup next fall. By not picking up a D yesterday we are making the statement that we trust our young talent, Paetsch and Sekera, and that they will have a significant role on the team come next year.

Keep in mind that with Soupy leaving we still have three D set to become UFAs this summer. (Pratt, Teppo, Kalinin) Who fills those roles if Teppo retires and we throw Kalinin under the bus? I don't know about you, but just thinking of Balls Sekera in the top six come October is enough to make me dry heave.

Anyways, tonight the Nashville Predators come to town. It's been... a while since we've seen these guys. Actually, it's been over a month since we've seen anyone from the West at all. Gotta love the scheduling gods.

Anyone else miss this guy?


Okay, maybe not that face, but the player in general...

Tonight is yet again another chance at "two huge points." I'm going to keep calling them that because each time I don't we lose in such a catastrophic manner I'm too devastated to take a picture of The Stress Buffalo.

I will have my eyes on the blue line for sure tonight, as it will be interesting to see how we carry the puck out of our own end. Personal feelings about Soupy aside, he was a major, major part of our offensive game plan and we will struggle without him. Again, time will tell.

We'll see you up in the Roost tonight.

Sufferin’ Succotash!

by Ryan

Looks like Sylvester J. Pussycat Bryan Murray will be back on the bench for Ottawa.



Yeah, because it's Paddock's fault they didn't trade for Hossa...

Meet Steve Bernier

by Rich

Well, the NHL trade deadline has come and gone. Brian Campbell is on his way to San Jose, and in exchange the Sabres acquired a certified pre-owned Steve Bernier. So who is this guy, anyhow?


Steve Bernier was the 16th overall pick in the 2003 draft (by the Sharks). A 22-year old native of Quebec, the 6 foot-2, 225-pound winger has 13 goals and 23 total points this season in about 13:00 of ice time per game. He also led the Sharks in hits last year, and in his spare time he enjoys poutine, body-checking, and holding linesmen ever so gently.

Steve Bernier battles Andrej "Balls" Sekera on the boards

Essentially, this is a kid who can score and hit, and isn't afraid to drop the gloves. Looks like his fighting technique could use some work, though. We'll see where Lindy puts him tonight against the Preds (against whom he has a goal and two assists in three games so far this year). Oh, and he likes blood donors, too:



...That's gotta be good, right?

Pintastic!

Oh boy I can't wait to get my Brian Campbell pin! It'll go so well with my Dainius Zubrus medallion!

Goodbye Soupy

Gentleman, Start Your Engines

Will Soupy be racing off to another team or is Darcy ready to give him Phaneuf Boyle money?

The Poetry That Is

How come I end up where I started?
How come I end up where I went wrong?
Won't take my eyes off the ball again
You reel me out then you cut the string
Radiohead, "15 Step"

Much like a Radiohead song, there is something hauntingly beautiful about Deadline Day. Sure at the time everything is frantic and mixed together, seemingly no rhyme or rhythm to the entire day. If you get too deeply involved you will only come out of it with a headache and more questions then you started with.

But even so, there is an excitement about today that is unmatched by any single event during the season. Today is the day you can get something new, players, picks, hopes and expectations. While we may say goodbye to a player or two, we could see a new wave of players come in, or even a distinct message that a run will be made this season. Right now. Who knows what will happen before 3pm? Isn't that why we lock on to radio stations, websites, and rumor blogs all day?

The great thing about today is that no matter what happens at the end of the day nothing is decided. The team that makes the big splash doesn't win the Stanley Cup at 3:01 pm EST, and only time will tell who wins and loses after all. Trades that look great in the immediate have been awful deals the next year, and when draft picks are involved, it could be almost a decade until the real value of things is decided upon.

Just like that Radiohead song you don't understand until one day it just hits you, every line and lyric clicks and suddenly everything is right with the world. Trade deadline day may be the first time you hear that song, but winning down the road is when it all clicks. That feeling of euphoria is built on days like today when the air is full of potential and the uneven sounds of piano and bass.

So while we all anxiously watch the clock and track the deals, keep in mind that hindsight is the ultimate decider of today's proceedings. If you can, try to keep a straight head, sit back, and have fun on one of the most nerve wracking days of the year. I'm not saying I can follow my own advice, but I'd rather attempt to do so and be mentally stable enough to discuss the day's events then not try at all.

Let's hope Darcy doesn't take his eyes off the ball.

Expletive

If I hear the phrase "poetic justice" one more time I'm going to shoot myself in the face.

Between tonight, Saturday, and the last Bruins game that is four points we have lost and six points we've given to teams ahead of us in the playoffs. But let's forget about that for now and instead look to the clock on the right side of this page.

Your move, Darcy.

Monday Musings: Deck Chairs and Deadlines

by Ryan

Mirtle says 12-8 makes the playoffs for the Sabres. Not that any of us have been counting this down for weeks...

Also, one last thing about Saturday night. Barry Melrose Rocks has one of the best photos I've seen this season. Even two days after that game I still think that's the most measured and rational response any of us can come up with to describe our feelings for Sean Avery.

In any event, we play Philadelphia tonight, and I hear they haven't been doing too well recently.

Fun fact: Mike Richards will make $8.4 million in 2012/13.





Word is that Flyers GM Paul Holmgren will arrange some deck chairs tomorrow before 3pm. How exciting.

Speaking of the deadline...


Will Soupy be leaving on a jet plane?

Serious analysis:

- Soul sucking loss aside, the Sabres still have been playing well of late. Hecht's injury caused the lines to be shuffled and the dynamo that is Vanek/Roy/Connolly to be broken up. Although all three played well on Saturday, the team is much better off with them together as the #1 line. Hopefully Hecht skates in today's practice and is good to go by tonight. Only time will tell.

- Maxim Afinogenov skated yesterday, proving that he actually does have a pulse. No word on whether he still has a groin.

- Clarke MacArthur has been terrible the past few games. It's almost as if he has a shelf life of five games when he is called up, after those games he expires and just takes up room in the fridge.

- Marc-Andre Gragnani was not NHL-ready on Saturday. Chris and I still think Mike Mancari or Marek Zagrapan should have gotten the call over him, but maybe Lindy's hunch will pay off tonight. Or maybe he will be back in Rochester by the time you read this. Either or.

Hopefully we'll know more about the projected lineup after practice.

So Who Do We Play Today?

Oh yeah... I... I forgot.

For the Record...

0-2 in the green shirt, with both losses coming against the Rangers. It's safe to say this shirt won't see the light of day for at least a few weeks. Why does this always happen to the really nice shirts I own?

Also, if you feel like watching some hockey this afternoon, Yahoo will have the Pens/Sharks online live at 3pm.

I'd also keep a lookout for the Rangers/Panthers game tonight at 7. Since we can't do the job ourselves, let's see if Florida can get us a game back. After tonight the Rangers will have two more games played then us, it would be nice to have only two points be the difference.

Guess who we play tomorrow?

Sunday Morning Inquiry

Ales Kotalik: Dead to you, or back to where he was last Sunday when you forgot he wasn't playing at all?

Discuss.

February 22nd, 2007

by Ryan

I don't know how to start talking about that day, but once I get there I know exactly what to say. Eventually some of my thoughts will fade, a few of those memories will shift a bit over time, and I may even forget the year it all went down, but that date isn't ever going to go away.

February 22nd will always mean this to me.

Everyone has their own take on what happened, so I will save you the trouble of hearing mine. I'll link to this one last time and leave it at that; I still believe every word of it. What struck me about today is that I wasn't alone in thinking about the anniversary. I brought it up to someone who was there with me and we were just shocked that it had been a year already. Everything was so vivid, it felt like we just saw it days ago.

Then we started talking. The playoffs, free agency, the frantic conversations when Kevin Lowe tried to steal Vanek. Planning the mini pack for this year and how the season had played out as of yet. It was as if suddenly it was a new year all over again, we were recapping the twelve months since The Chris Neil Incident like it was a timestamp of sorts on our hockey lives.

After a while we stopped talking hockey and just started... talking. A lot had happened in the last twelve months for the both of us, and somehow the aniversary of that game signified an important change in our lives. Girlfriends, new jobs, friends and family all suddenly came up. People had changed and moved on while some aquaintances had stayed exactly the same. We laughed about the stupid things we did since that night and realized that, on some levels, nothing had changed at all.

What got to me then and still gets to me at this moment is that we both looked at that game the exact same way. It was the best game either of us ever saw in person, one of the most important events of our lives, and something neither of us will ever, ever forget. That game flat out changed our lives.

How important are sports when they act as a callender for your own life? Do you remember what year you went to so-and-so's house for Thanksgiving or do you remember the Vikings destroying the Cowboys during dinner? Do you have future dates memorized or do you know that March 7th is a Friday because you are going to the Capitals game on the 5th? I know my mental day planner revolved around sports, so I guess it's only logical that this day represents so much to me.

On New Year's Eve we didn't talk about "the year that was". In fact, we don't talk about serious things often. But somehow February 22nd was something worth reminicing about. In this sporting world of instant history and super-hype, that game still stands above all others as the best. Sabres v. Senators 2/22/07 stands the test of time, and I think it will continue to do so.

So while Ottawa prevailed in five, Chris Drury is a Ranger, and hundreds of games have been played since; the feelings from that night are still there and they are not going away. That Thursday night will always be the Chris Neil Incident to me, the night that season became more then just about hockey. Because if there's one thing we all know it's this:

You always defend your captain.

Mythology, Standings, and Bears, oh my!

Not shown: Giant globe resting on Vanek's shoulders. He's Atlas from now on, folks.

We'll get to some thoughts on the death of the Leafs later, but let's go around the bottom of the Eastern first, eh?



If Vanek is Atlas, then the Flyers are definitely Icarus. Actualy that's giving them too much credit; they're more like those Red Bull Flugtag contraptions. Let's just say after last night they've officially left the platform and there's nowhere to go but down.




Freaking Panthers. They blow a two goal lead twice and let Boston win in the shootout, tying us at 68 points with the Bruins holding a game in hand.(Literally, Chara is holding the whole game in his fist right now...) The Bruins just won't go away, and should be on all of your threat lists at this point.

Isles win, blah blah.

So here's what you need to know:

1) Standings. I'd bookmark some form of these if I were you.

2) No one in the East plays tonight, so take a break from scoreboard watching if you need it. It's going to wear on you down the stretch.

We'll talk some Sabres later.

Rejected

We'll let TSN.ca do the talking:

The Buffalo Sabres and defenceman Brian Campbell are still a ways apart on a new contract, as the veteran defenceman and his agent Larry Kelly are expected to turn down the team's latest multi-year offer.

Sources told TSN that the deal, offered Wednesday, is a three-year contract averaging less than $6 million a season.

Campbell, who will become an unrestricted free agent on July, is making $1.75 million this year and is among several big names rumoured to be on the move going into Tuesday's trade deadline.

Campbell is fourth on the team with 41 points (four goals, 37 assists) and ranks ninth among NHL defencemen in scoring.

In his eighth year with the Sabres, Campbell is coming off a career season, when he had 48 points (six goals, 42 assists) in 82 games last year

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=230260&hubname=

And from Sportsnet.ca:

Sportsnet.ca -- Sportsnet has learned the Buffalo Sabres recently made a formal offer to Brian Campbell that the all-star defenceman rejected.

Sources said the Sabres were set to make Brian Campbell among the top-paid defenceman in the league but the stumbling block remained the length of the deal which was believed to be only in the three-year range.

Campbell, who will become an unrestricted free agent on July, has recorded four goals and 37 assists this season.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2008/02/21/campbell_sabres/

If the Sabres really wanted to keep him, they would offer more than three years. Like they did with Briere, this looks like a "We offered him a contract. We tried. He rejected it, what else do you want us to do?"-type situation just to save face. And to justify trading him in the public's eye.

It's been fun, Soupy. but it looks like you'll be in another city by next Wednesday.

The Titan

Let's see if Atlas Vanek can keep it up against Toronto.

On Kaleta

by Ryan

So a point was brought up in the comments on Sunday about Pat Kaleta. I'll let "anon" do the talking for me:

What exactly is the problem with Kaleta playing by the rules? The worst that can happen is that he gets a bad rep. Right now all he's doing is frustrating people...which leads to retaliation penalties. If it comes down to it, the kid isn't going to run. Pointless fighting is stupid. When he needs to, he will.

I think the overall opinion of Kaleta has been very positive, but the concept of a bad reputation hasn't been addressed often. So I asked some people what they thought of the kid. Here's what I got:

Steve Downie:
I'll punch anything.

Chris: Kaleta needs to step up eventually and fight someone at the NHL-level. It's great that he draws penalties and frustrates the heck out of his opponents, but he's earning a very bad reputation. He's going to need to drop the gloves soon, even if it's just once, to prove that he's not a complete turtle.

The Stress Buffalo:
Wuss.

Rich: I mean, honestly I'd still rather have Kaleta skating around like a cruise missile for 7 minutes a game hitting people than Petey spending 52 minutes on the bench, 3 minutes on the ice, 5 minutes in the box and 90 seconds in between attacking someone's hand with his face.

Sean Avery:
I bet he has cancer.

Jon: I have no problem with Kaleta's lack of fighting. He's not an enforcer so much as he is an agitator. He's out there to hit everything in sight, to inject some energy into his team and the crowd, and the draw penalties -- not to fight. He isn't Andrew Peters. Fighting is all but dead in the "new" NHL as it is, so Kaleta can back down all he wants as far as I'm concerned.

Kimbo Slice:
I'll teach him to fight.

Whoa, whoa Kimbo, we don't want him to kill someone, just drop the gloves.

Kimbo Slice:

You sure?

Yeah... we... we're good.


The general consensus I got is that Kaleta is doing his job at the moment, and eventually he will have to step up and fight. It's not really a choice, but an eventuality that will come to fruition when the time is right. In the meantime we may hear words like "turtle" or "nancyboy" tossed about.

I'm sure the kid can take it, but the fact of the matter is that reputation is important in this league, even in the "New NHL". It is better to have a reputation built out of fear rather then embarrassment, so it is only a matter of time before we see what this kid is made of.

A View From the Roost: The Natural

by Ryan


It was over.

At 6:48 of the third period, Vaclav Prospal put our season on the brink. Sitting in 9th place, on the verge of a three game losing streak, there we sat just thinking things over as the clock ticked towards null.

Our star defenseman was a mess, someone actually screaming "GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME, CAMPBELL!" loud enough for him to hear. He was visibly shaken by the process of renegotiation, the eyes of an entire city on his every move. Hesitation in shooting, unwillingness to work the play up ice, and a defensive liability in his own zone, we were watching Brian Campbell crumble in the face of mounting pressure.

Then out of nowhere Toni Lydman puts a puck on net. What seemed like 30 seconds later, it was in the net and there was hope. Someone got a piece of it, I had thought Timmy made a great tip for his 7th of the year, a nice little bonus for some nice work on the night. It turned out to be so much more then that.

There was an interesting feeling before the puck dropped. They took an extra second to review it, and you realized that this line wasn't coming off the ice. All night Vanek/Roy/Connolly had been our strongest group, even in those goofy shifts where Mair was out in Timmy's place.

The wheels started turning, and just before you could think "If we could just get one more..." Tim Connolly makes the pass of his life to an Austrian blur and the game was tied.

Wow, did that just happen? Did Tim just get that pass through? Are we going to steal a point?!? No. More.

As the clock ticked to zero and the third ended, you just had to laugh at yourself. They were dead, no question about it. We were six minutes away from this being the "Cloverfield" game. Yeah, the effort was there, but the play was a little shaky and there was just no ending to speak of. Suddenly we still didn't have an ending, but there was a whole lot of life in this team.

The shifts in overtime went as you expected. The Vanek line was out first, then Hecht and Pominville, then back to the Vanek line. You were glad Clarke didn't see ice time because he was garbage again, and you could just feel it coming. You were waiting for the hammer to fall. This time it wasn't going to be on us, though.

Dan Boyle takes that penalty and you knew it was just a matter of time.

Before the face off they announce a change in the Connolly goal. Vanek got a piece, so it was his. The signal flare in your head explodes as you realize he was on the ice again. He was always on the ice, everywhere for what seemed like every shift. This was it.

The puck drops and you start to think about things again. The guarantee, where things stood just twenty minutes ago. A friend texts you: "Vanek wanted to stay out there. Where was the turning point for him?"

Pominville breaks free from the pile in front.

cmon...

Timmy to Jaro to Pommy again, jumps over his stick. Vanek sets up in front.

cmon...

Pominville works it along the boards as Vanek slides to the side of the net. The pass moves across to Jaro...

"PULL THE TRIGGER!!!"

BOOM

I don't remember what happened after that. You knew it was coming, but even when it happened it hit you like a ton of bricks. Just a half hour ago this team was dead, and now we were right back in it. Vanek had "The Natural", and you were jumping and screaming and high fiving anyone in sight.

It's the complete reversal of emotions we live for as sports fans. That amazing swing of adrenaline, the feeling that you want to run out of that arena and take on the world. Forget 7:30 tomorrow, let's play 'em right now. Heck, let's grab some skates and we'll find a patch of ice in a field somewhere. Now, 12:49 am, let's play some hockey.

It is something so rare in sports, and we saw it tonight. The equivalent of sitting motionless and suddenly being rocketed into space, breaking the sound barrier as you go. All you wanted to do was stand around and cheer and try to comprehend what just happened. Did we really just see Thomas Vanek take over? And what about Tim Connolly? Why was Mike Ryan out? What about Brian Campbell?

Yes, even after all that the reality of the race came back to get you. Yet for just a brief second you forgot about all those questions and stood witness to something remarkable. Amazingly, stunningly, and with no hesitation, Thomas Vanek took up the call and took over this game. And while all those questions came to mind there was one thing you knew for sure:



It was over.

Frozen in Time

This is the exact moment when everything changed.

Gameday Antennae

Screw you, Thunderbug.

Tonight may be the kind of game that is a lot of fun or makes you want to choke somebody. Tampa is a garbage team, a top heavy, goalie-weak single line dependant group with a head coach that loooooves to suck his team's popsicles while subsequently punching them in the face.

Seriously, have you ever heard of a coach pumping his own players up more than John Tortorella? Every time Tampa plays the Penguins he screams that Vincent Lecavalier is the best player on the planet to anyone that will hear. Did you watch the last Sabres@Tampa Versus broadcast? All that stuff about Dan Boyle being the best D man on the continent didn't come from, well, fact, it came from John praising him so much his hair gel disintegrated.

Even so, he's the coach most likely to throw his players under the bus. He's had a sketchy past with the media as well.

The above doesn't imply he's to blame for Tampa's suckitude, however. Tampa is a bad team with too much money tied up in one line, with a nice little $7.8 million going to Brad Richards and his 49 points (not to mention a league worst -25). Rumors are swirling about trades for both the big three and Boyle, who could very well be distracted by the talk. Or anything, it seems.

What does this mean for Buffalo? Well, they flat out have to win this game. Dropping a game like this to such a weak opponent not only kills confidence, but it puts another big dent in our hopes of chasing down NYR, Philly, and Boston. All three are less than four points away, meaning the next two games against the cellar dwellers are absolutely essential.

Nothing has been reported about Brian Campbell as of yet, but who really comes here for breaking news stories? Let's just hope Vanek continues to live up to "the Namath" and we have something positive to talk about tonight.

If not, that green slug may be getting some more play...

So I talked to Barry Melrose yesterday...

I did an interview with the Golden Mullet himself yesterday afternoon for The Spectrum, the University at Buffalo's student newspaper.

Here's a link to the article (the typos never made it through to the print copy, thank God):
http://spectrum.buffalo.edu/article.php?id=35500

And here's the full Q&A (five pages on Microsoft Word):
http://spectrum.buffalo.edu/article.php?id=35490



Some highlights from the Q&A:

TS: What do you think the Sabres will do with Brian Campbell?

BM: I think they'll trade him. I don't think they can sign him, or they'd have him signed by now. I think they can't risk losing him for nothing like [former Sabres co-captains Daniel] Briere and [Chris] Drury and even if they're in the playoff hunt I think you'll see Brian Campbell traded. They have to. You can't lose an asset like Brian Campbell for nothing. And you saw that happened last year. They weren't able to sign Drury and Briere and they lose both of those great players for nothing. [Sabres General Manager] Darcy [Regier] can't let that happen again.

TS: Will the Sabres make the playoffs if they trade Campbell?

BM: I think they should. I think the Sabres are one of the best eight teams in the East. With Ryan Miller in net, he looks like he's got his game going. They've got a lot of talent. Unfortunately, a lot of that talent hasn't scored much this year. There's been a lot of guys slumping for the Buffalo Sabres. Connolly, Afinogenov, Kotalik...Vanek, although Vanek's starting to score now, he had 40 some goals last year. He's going to be lucky to get 30 this year. I think they're one of the best eight teams in the east.

TS: Are the New York Rangers a trade away or do they have so many problems they're going to have to go with what they've got?

BM: The Rangers really have a lot of issues. When your most talented player isn't playing very well, like [Rangers captain Jaromir] Jagr, last time I looked he was like 30th in scoring, [or maybe] 40th...I think he has 49 points or something. For a guy making that much money, it's just not enough. [Scott] Gomez and Drury have not been great. They've been OK. But they've got a lot of issues and a lot of decisions to make. They'll make the playoffs because they are so talented. I think it might be like last year where they might lose in one round, but they're not that good of a team right now.

TS: Why isn't anyone talking about the Montreal Canadiens?

BM: I like Montreal. I think right now they're the best team in the East. I like this team a lot. They're one of the fastest teams in the NHL, [and] they've had one of the best special teams all year long. Goaltending with [Carey] Price and [Christobal] Huet is as good as anybody. This is a very good hockey team, very fast, very skilled and yet still pretty good defensively. Montreal is for real. To me, right now, they're the best team in the East.

TS: Do you think Toronto's Mats Sundin will get traded?

BM: I think he should. I think that if Toronto doesn't trade him that shows why Toronto's terrible. They can always re-sign him like St. Louis did with [Keith] Tkachuk [last year], but they've got to get something for him. The thing with Toronto is that they have no young players. You look at Washington - great young players. L.A. - great young players. Chicago - great young players. Toronto has missed the playoffs three years in a row and they don't have any young stars. They don't have any Patrick Kanes or Jonathan Toews [of the Blackhwaks], players like that. So, move Sundin. You'll get a lot for him. He's probably the premier player out there now. Trade him, get draft picks and prospects for him and then re-sign him if you want next season.

TS: With the surge of hockey bloggers, especially now in the press boxes of teams like the Islanders, what's your take on that kind of journalism?

BM: The Internet's great for everything but there still needs to be truth in journalism. The more people that talk about hockey the better, but I see in other area where you can just write whatever you want on the Internet. And I don't think that's right. I think there has to be fact. I think there has to be truth. I think there has to be accountability. I don't think it's good that you can anonymously put anything up there to be read. I still think there has to be accountability. If you can back it up, that's good. That's what journalism is. But I'm afraid there's a lot of stuff being written that has no basis of fact. And I don't think that's good for our sport. But I'm all for hockey fans talking about hockey on the Internet. I think that's great.

TS: What's your favorite part about broadcasting?

BM: I love watching the game. I'm still a hockey fan. I love everything but I just love watching hockey. I'm a sports fan. I love watching all sports but still when I sit down I love watching the game. I think that's still the greatest thing about our sport is our game and I still love watching it.

TS: Barry, final question, what's the secret behind your hair?

BM: Good genes. My father and grandfather both had a full head of hair so hopefully I've been blessed with that also.

Yes, I went there with the mullet.

Good Morning, Here's What You Missed

by Ryan

Let's get to some news and notes before we talk about Tampa.

First of all, the Ottawa Sun is a joke. The Goose's Roost has reported Brian Campbell may have slept in footsie pajamas last night and is on the verge of hankering down some corn flakes this morning. Which one's more credible?

Let's go around the Conference, shall we?


The New York Rangers Chernobyl-ed a five goal lead away to lose 6-5 in the shootout against Montreal. Chris Drury was clutch in getting stoned as the second shooter, but he did pick up his 20th goal of the season in regulation, helping my fantasy comeback in the process. Priorities, people, priorities.


The Flyers have been showing us their hindquarters all season, but those cheeks have been getting closer and closer amid a seven game losing streak. Last night they traded for D Jaroslav Modry, giving them some crappy depth in lieu of their other crappy defenseman getting hurt. They then went out and finally gained a point, losing to the Sens 3-2 in the shootout. Danny Briere kinda sorta tried to throw Marty Biron under the bus:

"Marty (Biron) was key and we need him to step up. It's been a tough time for our goalies, not that they're playing bad, but the wins are hard to come by."

Interesting side note: The good people from Dell came yesterday to fix my laptop free of charge. Over the past few weeks I've been posting in places across WNY; it's almost amazing I got anything done. One place I haven't posted from? Briere's +/-. Nothing positive could come out of that.

-

Boston won again last night. Is that really a surprise to anyone? They beat the Canes in a shootout, moving them into 7th place with 66 points. Kessel had the SO winner and Tim Thomas was solid in net. They aren't going anywhere, boys and girls, so get ready to scoreboard watch with us over the next two months.

-

The Pens beat the Panthers last night, finally putting them into "who gives a crap" territory. Good luck shipping Olli Jokinen out somewhere. Try to get more back for him then Luongo, eh?

-

Also, the Leafs beat the Jackets last night, but you don't care about that because they both suck. Also, the latest TSN.ca poll says over half their readers think Mats Sundin will be a Leaf after next Tuesday. We'll see what Barry Melrose thinks about that later today.

?

...

NAH




Here's a look at the big board we'll be tracking the playoffs with. Last year that slug magnet got pretty dusty from staying in the top spot all season. Let's just say that hasn't been the case so far.

More on tonight's game later.