Your Sabres Schedule Preview

Let the countdown begin.

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that the team’s 39th season of operation will begin on Friday, October 10 when the Montreal Canadiens visit HSBC Arena.

Two of the Sabres home “at large” games will be against the past two Stanley Cup Champions. The Sabres will battle the defending champion Detroit Red Wings on Monday, April 6. The 2006-07 champion Anaheim Ducks will head into HSBC Arena on February 24. The remaining “at large” game will see the return of Head Coach Wayne Gretzky and the Phoenix Coyotes in Buffalo on March 3.

via Sabres.com

Slow Clap

by Ryan


Say what you will about the Anaheim Ducks fans, mascot, arena, or even the state of California itself, but don't you dare question their General Manager.

Brian Burke has got to be the best GM in hockey, right? Now maybe you wouldn't have said something like that in August when they lost Dustin Penner, but after reading this you can't help but be impressed with what he has done with the team.

Here are a few clips if you don't feel like skimming:

Sources tell TSN that Selanne signed a one-year deal with an annual base salary of $1.5 million, which means Selanne will receive just under $600,000 for the balance of this season. But as a player older than 35, Selanne is entitled to performance bonuses and he will almost certainly earn another $1.35 million from the Ducks this season. That performance bonus is achieved by simply playing 10 games, so, barring injury, Selanne will actually receive close to $2 million in base salary plus performance bonus for the balance of this season.

Not too bad, but what about overall cap space? They were over the cap to start the season, right?

And if the Ducks should add a player at the deadline, they have plenty of cap room this year to do it. As of today, they could add a player making an annual salary of $5 million. By the time the Feb. 26th trade deadline arrives, that player could be making closer to $6 million. If they sign a player of that level, it would mean they would have to carry forward Selanne's bonuses to next year, but there clearly is a lot of flexibility in terms of what the Ducks can do now and in the off-season.

Wow, flexibility indeed. That's swinging a trade for Brian Campbell and Ales Kotalik and still having some room to wiggle come next year. (Soup's a UFA and Ales has one year left at $2.5 mil)

Now maybe this is me, but isn't what just happened here the direct opposite of what we have going on in Buffalo? Think about it: both Anaheim and Buffalo had Kevin Lowe swoop in and try to nab an RFA this off season (Penner and Vanek, respectively), as well as some big name players hit the free agent market or contemplate retirement.(Neidermayer, Selanne and Briere, Zubris, Drury)

So what happened? Anaheim doesn't know what Selanne or Niedermayer is doing. They go out and sign Bertuzzi and Schnieder as well as resigning some key young players. Then Penner gets nabbed and they are suddenly down a winger. Things look pretty grim at the time.

Grim was the operative word in Buffalo as well. All three big UFAs walk and Vanek gets tossed a $10 million offer sheet for this year. Darcy and Co. have to do damage control and match while complaining about how unfair life in the NHL. The major off season acquisition is Jocelyn Thibault, and the phrase "we will be less competitive" is actually uttered by management.

So... what happens next?

For Buffalo it's an easy one: nothing. It is not fiscally sound to spend to the current cap, and so Buffalo stands pat all year and has rolled to a 21-21-6 record, currently 13th in the East.

Anaheim is a completely different story. Both Neidermayer had Selanne have returned and Burke had made that more then possible. Gone are Bryzgalov, Andy McDonald and Shane Hnidy while Branden Bochenski, Doug Weight, and Mark Mowers come in. The results are a 27-20-6 Ducks team that suddenly looks more than capable of defending their Stanley Cup reign with room to spare at the deadline.

Of course there are differences in each team's situation. The Ducks have proven they are willing to spend to the cap, while Darcy has blatantly said that Buffalo will not. However, that is not the main difference between the two clubs. For while Sabres management has stood pat and complained about the likes of Kevin Lowe, Nathan Horton, and ticket prices; Brian Burke stepped up and overcame the loss of Dustin Penner and some veteran leadership with shrewed management and the willingness to work within the system in place.

There was a time the Ducks were over the cap limit this year, but they made the right moves to both get that number down and still stay competitive. The same certainly cannot be said for Buffalo, and while that is not the only reason this team has underachieved it cannot be overlooked as one of the main problems this season.

I'm not asking to be in the situation Anaheim is in, and I'm not saying I want Brian Burke as my GM. All I ask is that our front office shows they have the "commitment to winning" that was talked about so much last summer. No more emergency "We're not trading Campbell" press briefings, no more "We're sorry" speeches, no more complaints about the system. Show me you believe in this team and this city by doing everything in your power to make this team work.

Don't sign Derek Roy because Nathan Horton inflated the market value for a forward his age, don't tell me you won't negotiate in season again if Brian Campbell is a Leaf next year, and for the love of God don't whine about a GM doing something completely within his means by giving an offer sheet to Thomas Vanek.

Make the system work for you within your own means. It's possible, we used to be the "prototype for the post NHL franchise" until this summer. It can't be all that hard to get that distinction back, look at teams like New York or Toronto floundering just like us even with those huge markets.

Please, don't make the next sign I hang in HSBC Arena say "Mike Grier Was Right".

A Thought on Winning

by Ryan


Over the past few months this blog has been around I've slowly slipped into the local blogosphere. It's been a heck of a ride to say the least. Looking around I've found a lot of people have opinions that I don't agree with, or even ones that make me dislike the idea of blogging in general.

Even so, I've found that many have strong opinions that open new areas of thought for me as a hockey fan. No matter how many awful sites or mediocre posts I've stumbled across, that one comment or thought is worth scanning so many others for.

As most of you are aware, the Sabres are struggling. All of us have wondered why this is, why they can't seem to put forth a consistent effort and win the games they should. The perfect example was Monday night against Boston. The Sabres put up 45 shots against a goaltender who was 50-50 lifetime and they scored just one goal.

That game left me downright dumbstruck. Aside from the crippling defensive errors that directly resulted in goals, the Sabres didn't put forth an awful effort. One thing a commenter in the BfloBlog game thread said really got me thinking.

vtTom said: "Everybody has their “A” game on against “last years” Pres trophy winner - farm team hands pull nickles out of their butts to show they can stand up against last year’s measure."

It was something I honestly hadn't considered before. This Sabres team did win the President's Trophy last year, the best team in regular season play. So much is said of the "Stanley Cup Hangover" that plagues so many championship teams in hockey, when every team sees you on the schedule and wants to match up against the champs. I know I certainly was eager to play Anaheim for that very reason last week.

So does that same target get applied to the President's Trophy winner?

I certainly didn't think so. I really never have looked at the team with the best regular season record with any real disdain because in reality it doesn't matter. Sure, it's a heck of a nice banner, but postseason performance is what really counts. Before last year I always assumed the Red Wings or some other Western Conference team won it because they seem to finish with more points. It's just a trophy, nothing more, and it will never have the glory and legacy of the Cup and a championship.

However, his theory may hold some water after all. It would certainly explain why Alex Auld played his balls off on Monday, and why we can't seem to win games even with a solid effort.

One problem we may have is our perception of the team. Whether we realize it or not, we became a feared offensive force last season. The national media that actually covers hockey recognizes the Sabres as this machine, and I think that translates into the way other teams look at us. The Sabres are expected to score goals. Lots of goals, and in an explosive fashion.

Last night Benanati mentioned Afinogenov's "familiar skating style", which was surprising because I wasn't aware Max was really that well known. Maybe the rest of the league knows more about us then we think, and that knowledge adds a pressure to perform well against the team that was so dangerous last year.

It is only a thought, but one that is worth considering. We are playing teams that we rarely see, and they may peg their match up as a test much like the "test" we thought a game against Anaheim would be. It is more then possible that the other 29 teams and their fans place this team on a pedestal, with the goal to knock the regular season king from atop the mountain.

If that's the case, they are doing a heck of a job so far.

RoosTV: Soho to SoCal

By Chris

We know these West Coast games are late. So we here at the Goose's Roost are going to make sure you don't miss any action, just in case you happen to doze off in the middle of it all. I'll be live blogging tonight's game, trying to capture what exactly is going on and how I'm feeling (aggravated or elated) as Wednesday night's game slowly becomes Thursday's.

Pregame

-Did Kevin Sylvester have to pay for his own airfare to the West Coast? Because there's no real reason for him to be there. Players could very well throw on a headset and talk to Rick or Harry if they want to do an interview.

-Nice to see some Sabres fans behind the Ducks net. Buffalo representin'.

-As a part of Larry Quinn's brilliant marketing plan, Anaheim will wear white at home tonight to exaggerate the fact that the Sabres are, in fact, in the Eastern Conference.

-Puck drops, let's go.

-15:53 of the first period. Pominville feeds Hecht a perfect one-timer to put the Sabres up 1-0 early on. Amazingly, Hecht did not hit Giggy on that shot. A great lead pass from Connolly set that one up. Great play all around. Sounds like there's a strong Buffalo cheering section there too.

-Nice to have Mair back in the lineup. Guy's been a real presence all season. Interesting too that Ruff chose to go with Peters over Ryan tonight.

-Sabres playing a nice perimeter defense so far. Not giving the Ducks a chance to skate into the lanes on a direct path to the net, where they can use their size to be very physical.

-Harry Neale said something about moving the urinals up in reference to the Ducks' Stanley Cup hangover. I wasn't completely listening. If anyone wants to reiterate, it would be greatly appreciated and you'll get two Goose Egg Points.

-Sekera is in the words of Ryan, balls. He fell down and almost caused an odd-man rush. Luckily Parros had the puck. Wait--Parros? Now I'm glad they dressed Peters. Maybe Snoop's in attendance with his Parros paraphanalia.

-Connolly moving up with Vanek and Stafford with about 8 minutes left in the first. I wonder if we'll see more of this line tonight.

-7:10 to go. Not a lot of flow so far. Some sloppy play for the most part. Both teams are getting quick chances but aren't able to hold consistent pressure in either end. This period will probably end up just being a "feeler,"

-I hate Rachel Ray. I'm tempted to boycott Dunkin' Donuts because of her.

-Great points by Harry Neale. Ducks are struggling not only because they've been without Niedermayer and Selanne, but Penner too. That's like 200 points gone betweent he three of them.

-Almost had Parros-Peters round one.

-Now they go. Peters gets the first couple jabs in, lots of clutching and grabbing. Not a terrible fight at all, but not as great as it could have been. Mainly because Peters is overrated as a fighter. Parros really looks like the one dude from Old Country For No Men, doesn't he?

-5:10 to go. Vanek should have cashed that one. He picked his head up after the shot, too. He knew it. If Vanek plays the way he has been lately, he'll make sure he leaves SoCal with a goal.

-Deflected goal past Miller with 4:27 left in the first. Would have been nice to have that Vanek goal. Anaheim's going to have some nice momentum now. Sabres need to just continue what they've been doing by playing a tight physical road game. MacDonald gets credit for the goal. I love that guy--much more than Sekera and Rachel Ray.

-Sure as hell wasn't the most exciting of periods. Ducks really don't play a run and gun style like the Sabres like to, so it's going to be interesting to see which style prevails in the second period.

-Interesting. Can't fly into San Jose past 11:00 for the game on Saturday according to Rick.

-Sylvester interviewing Drew Miller. Sylvester totally doesn't need to be there. "They look just alike don't they?" Great analysis, Sly. Enjoy the warm weather and the California hotties. No, I'm not jealous. Nope. Not at all.

-Kind of upset there will be no Lexus Shootout tonight. Wait, no, not really.

-2nd Period Time

-Perry kind of running into Miller early in the second period.

-Seems like the Ducks strategy to beat Miller will be to get shots from the point on net with traffic in front. The Sabres aren't letting them carry the puck through so it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of Ducks shots comign in from the outside barring any major Sabres defensicve breakdown.

-Great pressure by the Ducks early on. They've flat out dominated the first five minutes of the period. They're keeping a good forecheck up and any Sabres pass up over their own blue line is easily picked off by collapsing Ducks defensemen.

-14:40 Picture just went out. Awesome MSG+Time Warner

-14:38 Picture's back. Thank the Hockey Gods.

-Miller keeping the Sabres in this one so far. Sabres can get zero pressure. 9-0 in shots in the period according to Harry. Lindy better change something.

-Gaustad and Bertuzzi chirping. Hope that continues to develop into something.

-Whew. Puck almost sneaks past Miller but he's able to recover, get his stick down behind him and recover. A great save, should end up being the save of the night.

-Ducks going on the powerplay. Spacek going for tripping. Sekera-Lydman-Gaustad-Paille to start the PK for Buffalo.

-Roy-Connolly-Pratt-Lydman for the second unit. Lydman couldn't get off the ice.

-Hecht and Campbell out there for the final twenty seconds. Penalty killed off. Nice to see the penalty kill clicking; this is one of the better defensive teams we've seen in Buffalo in a couple of years so for them to be able to effectively kill penalties is a big plus. Miller the #1 star tonight so far.

-Come onnnnn. It's Saturday.

-Harry echoes my sentiments: "If we had the three stars now Miller would be number one, eh?" Rick: "And two and three."

-Another penalty coming up to Buffalo. Amazing that the Ducks haven't taken one yet. Spacek going to the sin bin yet again, this time for hooking.

-So much for praising the penalty kill. I think I'm going to keep my mouth shut from now on. Another shot from the point beats Miller. Schneider ripped it. Bertuzzi with a very nice screen there, maybe he bumped Miller, maybe not, but Sekera has to do something to get him out of the way.

-Does Buffalo even have a real shot on goal yet this period? It's been allll Anaheim.

-5:40 Ducks are getting in front of Miller and while there might be interference, the Sabres D isn't doing a damn thing about it. It was Paetsch and Pratt on that specific play. Give them a bump and let the Ducks know you're there and not going to tolerate them standing in your goalie's crease. The D played very well in the first period, so it's weird to see them kind of passionless here in the last little stretch.

-I liked it better when the deer swore.

-Sabres forecheck is nonexistent. They need a serious kick in the arse to get them moving.

-First real opportunity for the Sabres comes seconds later. Hecht tried to jam at a semi-loose puck and guess what--he got a cross check in the back for it. Sabres need a spark.

-Wahoo! Sekera tripped by Getzlaf and the potential for a momentum shift makes itself available with a Sabres power play.

-3:42 Shots during the Poweplay: Sabres 0 Ducks 1. Not off to a flying start.

-A minute down in the penalty. No offense from the Sabres.

-Sabres are finally able to set up with about :45 seconds left on the penalty and Connolly finds Spacek for a onetime for the Sabres best opportunity of the period.

-3-1. Miller is frustrated. No help in front of him this period. MacDonald sends a great pass to Bertuzzi who just cruised in front of the net to tip it in. A perfect goal.

-More awesomeness. Sabres get some momentum out of their own end and Stafford just loses it at center ice. Comes right back down into the Buffalo end. Sabres are seriously struggling on offense. Looks like Randy Carlyle outcoached Ruff this period and the Ducks flat out outplayed the Sabres.

-Another Sabres powerplay on the way with 11 seconds to go in the period. Will have to find a way to score on it as the third period begins.

-Buffalo is lucky to only be down two goals.

-Kings are down 3-1 to Phoenix in the third. Coyotes have been re-energized since claiming Ilya Bryzgalov off of waivers from the Ducks. Sabres play Los Angeles tomorrow night.

-Third period underway. The powerplay didn't score on that first opportunity but they moved the puck well and looked like the Sabres from the first period, not the second. And that's a very good thing.

-Mair and Parros chatting. Nice to see the Sabres have a little bit of fire in them. Hope it carries through.

-Goose and Peters fighting! Pinned to the Buffalo bench. Gaustad got one decent shot in but ended up sort of dumping himself. Not so much a fight than a struggle of wills. Parros and Peters out there now. Hopefully this can spark the Sabres. Still waiting for Parros-Peters Round II.

-There we go. Parros-Peters. Couple good haymakers in that one. Great fight. Mair tried to start something but that broke up. Maybe this is the spark the Sabres need. Peters still chirping at Parros. Sabres are also still down 3-1.

-Vanek actually hit Pronger. Wow. Impressive.

-Game's really heating up. You can feel the rise in intensity. Good thing the schedule changed so these teams will play more than twice every eight years. Paetsch and Kunitz yapping, Pratt restrained by officials. This is totally going to be worth staying up for.

-Kunitz took a penalty in that last scrum. Sabres with the, in the words of Joe Beniati, the man power advantage. Rob Neidermayer stickless but it doesn't matter. Puck cleared.

-Vanek getting right up in the crease on the power play. Great to see. Again, another powerless play but it's helping switch the momentum.

-Anaheim's looking like Anaheim. Pronger goes to the box for interference. Just as one expires, another one begins.

-Kotalik just unable to fire it into a wide open net off a rebound. Tried to kick it onto his stick. I thought maybe Kotalik was skating away, Great puck movement by the Sabres. They need a goal right here with 10:30 to go.

-TV goes out again.

-Back moments later.

-Kotalik going to the box. Paaulsen did his job and drew it. Anaheim on the PP in about ten seconds.

-And just like that. Another deflected goal from the point. Off of Pominville's stick (snapped it right in half) and right to Corey Perry for an easy tap in. 4-1 Ducks. Sabres not getting any real bounces. Refs get on the phone with Toronto, looking for a kick. From the replays, it could go either way. Definitely goes off the skate, but is there enough of a kicking motion there to overturn the original call of a goal? Anaheim playing from Tommy Twotone while refs are on the phone. Very nice.

-On the "X-Mo" it went from Baeuchman to Pominville, off of Sekera and to Perry for the goal.

-Goal stands. 4-1 Ducks. Would have been nice to have that Kotalik goal, huh?

-Vanek-Roy-Stafford come right back on the next shift. Strong play, great opportunities, just can't get it in. Giggy's been tough to beat though, can't take that away from him.

-Miller stops a breakaway. Sure he let in four goals, but he's been pretty damn good tonight.

-Just four minutes to go now. Unless there's some sort of miracle it looks like the Sabres are leaving Anaheim without any points to show for their effort. A game like this though can only make the team better. Anaheim is a tough, physical team and while the Sabres won't face many other teams with their size and intensity, the experience may make them better against other teams.

-2:39 to go. Miller with another great stop. This one on Getzlaf.

-Wait...Max dressed tonight?

-One minute left. Almost time for bed...since there's no postgame show, of course.

-No time left. 4-1 final. And now Getzlaf goes after Pratt. The duck call/fog horn going off as the teams battle in the Buffalo corner. Even Timmy's got his helmet off. Pratt is showing that he can be the physical presence the Sabres need. Even at 32, he's still got a lot of gas left in him.

-Awwww...the Millers give a hug at center ice. Cute. Good to see. Drew's got even more bragging rights now.

-Well that was fun. So when are these teams scheduled to play again? Oh in ten years? Really? I thought they changed that scheduling thing....

-The night is young. Good night, everybody. Thanks for stopping in.

Secret Santa: Scott Niedermayer

by Ryan



Jesus, man, it's about time.

Load Up the Wagon

by Ryan


Amazingly it's Wednesday already. Hopefully no one got dysentery on the trip out, and the Sabres are ready to go against the Stanley Cup Champs.

A year ago this would be the premiere game on the NHL schedule, as the Ducks and Sabres were battling for the best record in the NHL. Now both teams sit in the middle of their respective divisions and are... struggling.

TBO is supposed to make one start on the West Coast, but it doesn't look like tonight is the night. That means the battle of the brothers is on, with that smarmy little freeloader Drew shooting rubber at his brother Ryan. Honestly I have no problem with Drew Miller, but it is a cruel twist of fate that he has his name on the cup and Ryan does not. It's the hockey equivalent of Joe Christ owning a really nice winery or something, it just feels funny.

This stretch of games will all feature a late start, which is interesting to say the least. It hearkens back to a time when a West Coast trip meant I wouldn't see the games because I needed a full 13 hours of sleep to function properly. (Hey, that Sesame Street doesn't watch itself)

Thankfully, I won't be missing a second of our tour of the Pacific this time around. Sending Sparky down does limit the amount of military jokes I can make about the trip, but thankfully most of the teams out there are named after animals of some sort. We will make due.

I honestly don't have much to say about Anaheim. I watched a lot of their games last year but haven't paid much attention to the West yet this year. It will be a good test for the Sabres, and I really think we need to take at least two games of this trip to feel good about where things are overall. Montreal and Ottawa have been human in recent days and we need all the points we can get to make a show of this thing.

Also, I will be watching Max very carefully tonight. I'm praying after that goal on Saturday he can go on a nice run of being a decent hockey player, but who knows. Also, I would expect Thomas Vanek to try a bit too hard here, as this will be his first time playing in Anahiem, San Jose, and LA. He's no Sid the Kid for sure, but he is one of the names people bring up when calling for a balanced schedule.

Sabres @ Ducks
10 PM

Defend the Flying V and watch for that Knuckle Puck, boys.

Wow That's A Lot Of Money, Take Two

by Ryan

Five years, 21.25 million. That's how Kevin Lowe rolls. That's how Dustin Penner now rolls as well. Whether Penner and his 45 points will be accepting that large sack of cash in Anaheim or Edmonton is yet to be determined.

The numbers are, of course, huge for a player like Penner. My personal rule is that a player barely on most fantasy teams shouldn't be making over 4 million a season. Then again, Eric Brewer is making that money for the next three years, so maybe I'm just naive.

Granted, the 24 year old Penner is a rising star and may eventually grow into contract numbers that large, especially on a good team like Anahiem. The offer sheet does put the Defending Champs in an interesting position, however. Signing Penner would put them over the cap, which would force them to make roster adjustments by October 1st. With 20 players under contract and Teemu Selanne a UFA, the Ducks may have to walk away from young Dustin and take the three compensatory picks.

Regardless of what Anahiem decides, you have to hand it to Kevin Lowe at this point. He is really making strides in this "New NHL" offseason setup, taking swipes at anyone and anything he pleases. I tend to imagine Lowe donning a cowboy hat as he works the phones in his GM Place office. Later he tips his waitress at Denny's a dozen toonies, then moves on to "make it rain" at various Dollarama locations until heading home to check in on his ebay auctions.

It's a tough life, being a rebel.

Wild Wing, Cowboy Burgers, and The Verve

By Ryan


If Applebee’s had any flair for the dramatic, it would have blasted "Bittersweet Symphony" as I watched Anaheim clinch the Stanley Cup tonight. Instead, it only played in my head as the Ducks swarmed the ice in celebration. It was an odd feeling, sitting there, watching as what I thought I wanted to happen unfolded. But still, there was a hodgepodge of emotions that I didn’t expect.

It should have been simple: the foe was vanquished. Ottawa went down in a ball of fire, their captain seen as a failure and cheapshot artist to boot. Chris Neil can’t call himself a Stanley Cup champion when he opens up a used car dealership in Kanata, and the best adjective for Ray Emery is still "reboundtastic."

But as usual, nothing is as easy as that. The Sens were the last team I wanted to see win the Cup, but Anaheim was also pretty far down that list. Wild Wing and his boys represent just about everything a traditionalist hates. The scene in the Honda Center was perfectly split by the plexiglass.

On the ice was the most wonderful thing about sports: a team celebrating its achievement. The Ducks bench was great to watch, and their dogpile around Giggy actually ripped the net off the moorings and crashed into the end boards. One of the better celebrations I can remember, and for once I wasn’t completely disgusted by it happening.

What was disgusting was the rabble that was kept off the ice. The fan reception of winning a Stanley Cup was lukewarm at best. To my count one person on camera was jumping around like a crazy person, which to my knowledge is the only acceptable form of celebration. I saw some orange towels waving, most people standing, and a handful actually sitting down. Now I don’t know about most of you, but if that were our building, and that was me inside it, I would be losing my freaking mind. But maybe I’m biased, because say what you will about Ottawa and their support, but I will never be able to get this out of my memory.

But in reality, it's not the fans that matter. A championships in nontraditional hockey markets does very little for the franchise itself. Sure, Dallas has become a growing market since 1999, but they are more the exception than Carolina and Tampa Bay are the rule. Whether Anaheim booms as a market is certainly up in the air. Personally, I think Snoop Dogg holds the key to all of this.

It really is about the players, though. They are the ones who work so hard to hold that cup, and they are the ones that deserve to celebrate. Anyone who watched that celebration had to be happy for Teemu Selanne, who openly wept on national television and thanked everyone he had ever met. Through all the boos and talks of being washed up, he did show up when it matters.

The Buffalo connections had to make some hardcore fans happy as well, even if it is bittersweet. I can't imagine the mix of emotions Ryan Miller is going through now. All that work put into an amazing season, and his brother comes away with his name on the cup. Hopefully it runs in the family.

Any Buffalonian who isn't happy for Brad May should give this a second look.

The most interesting connection to the city is the kid who's from here. Todd Marchant, the 13 year veteran, finally lifting the sweetest trophy in sports. As I watched the interviews later on CBC, they somehow got around to Marchant, who was excited to say the least. Sitting there with my girlfriend, I heard him speak of Buffalo, thanking everyone and declaring the Cup was coming home.

Then, she started to cry. The girl with hockey in her blood, one of the few people I know that love the game more than I do, is reduced to tears by a simple statement. But I knew why. This was the girl who attended Todd Marchant hockey camps years ago, the one who has played with hundreds of Kaletas and Kanes and Marchants all her life. If there was anyone who understood what Marchant meant, it was her.

Even so, I still had to ask, "Why do you like Todd Marchant so much?"

Wiping away tears, she simply replied, "Because he likes us."

Sometimes, I think that's all you need.