Rangers and ex-Sabres

by Ryan

Whenever the Rangers come up on the schedule, I think of Chris Drury.

I can't help it. He's still one of my favorite hockey players to this day, and I've thought about his style of hockey a lot over the past few years. I'm not filled with obsessive thoughts; I don't scan his box scores or look for articles about him, and you wouldn't catch me dead in a Rangers #23 shirsey. Still, when the Rangers highlights come on it's no longer Jagr, Leetch, and Richter that come to mind. It's Chris Drury.

That being said, I don't feel the attachment to Chris I used to. I like his game, I like what he brings to a hockey team, but he's a Ranger and that's fine. It's pretty obvious that the further we get away from that summer the more we understand what happened. To be quite honest, I'm completely okay with it. The Sabres were decidedly moving in a certain direction, and unfortunately they got burned. Then the Vanek thing happened. But whatever. The team is fine, and everyone involved is okay.

But why am I talking about that now? This is a huge game for the Sabres, who sit in 8th with quite a few teams on their heels. The Rangers are currently in 5th, six points ahead of the Sabres. You can throw in the "four point game" moniker if you'd like, but that's your call. Buffalo's been on a roll lately, and this is the last home game for quite some time. Many are already considering tomorrow's trip to Detroit in the loss column, so a good showing tonight is important before the long road trip.

Kevin sets it up much better than I did, so I'd take a look at that and get a good read on the Rangers. Chris is going to the game and will handle the View post, and I'll have a few ramblings up in a bit, including where to watch the game with us tomorrow.

Obligitory Horse Post

by Ryan



No, this isn't a pile of horsehocky. In fact, some people say this pile of... used manufacture stuff... could save horses' lives. Some people. However, that isn't the issue anymore, is it? The issue is suddenly about all horses and how awfully they are treated. Horse racing kills horses, and that's unethical and an abhorrent faction of our society that must be stopped. All of a sudden.

Now that last part isn't quite true, but it sure seems that way doesn't it? It is an interesting thing, the way news spreads and issues become important in our society. Groups like PETA have been around for decades, but suddenly Mike Vick fights dogs and that is their focal point, or Barbaro and Eight Bells die within two years of each other and horse racing is evil.

The way our society works is this: something happens and people overreact to it accordingly. Just look at the way we cover politics, sports, and entertainment. At this point, is there anything else? When the Red Sox play the Yankees the Four Letter runs around like Michael Jackson filming a Pepsi commercial. Indiana has a Democratic Primary and some guy is showing me a pool in someone's backyard outside of Gary.

It sucks, but this is the world we live in. The fact of the matter is that although there is a huge buildup and overreaction to things, there are some issues up for debate at the root of it all. Even though PETA is a bunch of crazies and horse people are... horse people, the issue they both take sides in is at the very least important.

Horse racing is a dangerous and delicate sport. Animals are taken to the brink of their ability at the expense of humans, and while there is a history and beauty in it all, some aspects are inhumane to those that protest. It is unfortunate that it takes the horse to die to bring the issues to the forefront, but it is a rally event that will bring the respective sides to the public.

What is important to remember is that there are things to think about hidden between all the crazy. As with anything, you have to evaluate both sides and try to step back from it. Preferably, try not to wear a horse costume or compose a manifesto based on the evil of KFC while you do it.

The same should be said for a lot of things in the sporting world. Why is it only when Richard Zednik gets his throat slashed that suddenly neck guards should be mandatory? What about when a player that doesn't wear a visor is struck in the face by a puck? It is only then that the issues of neck guards and visors are brought up, and even then there is some bias.

Why was there no concern that Chris Drury's visor made his cut from Sunday worse than if he had worn only a helmet? What about all the concussions or other injuries suffered when a shield gets caught on the ledge of end boards? Things like this are ignored, but the next time Tim Connolly takes a check fighting for the puck the calls for shields and masks and inflatable air bags come from all sides.

These rally events, while creating quite the noisy ruckus, are actually very important. They are handpicked to bring attention to a cause, and I guess that's the point. The ones that people want to matter will matter. So while many horses are put down throughout the course of a year, and countless injuries are both created and prevented with visors, you are only going to be taken aback by the ones that get people what they want.

So I think that's the reason Marvin Harrison wielding a .50 caliber handgun isn't major news: there is nothing outrageous to attach to it other than the mantra that you never know someone based on their public persona. The allegations attached to the wideout are only unexpected based on his demeanor, and there is no strip club or prior trouble making to attach to it and condemn.

Amazingly, .50 caliber handguns don't fit the bill of shock and outrage, but a little strip of leather does. I guess it's how you use it after all...

One Year Ago

All the Pain Money Can Buy

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.

Drury's Choice

by Ryan

"I compare it to a kid from Rochester, a kid from Batavia wanting to be a Sabre," Drury said today. "I'd have no problem explaining that to a Sabres fan at Cobblestone [the bar adjacent to HSBC Arena] or wherever. Since I knew what a Ranger was, I wanted to be one."

-Chris Drury

Sometimes, you just have to appreciate the thought.

Since the blog's inception I haven't hidden my admiration for Chris Drury. I think he is just one of those players anyone would love to have on their team. There is nothing flashy about him, no swagger or toe drag he brings out in warm ups to get the crowd moving. However, come game time there is something about him that brings up the very best of hockey characteristics.

Maybe it is pure talent, maybe it is the uncanny knack to lead, or maybe it is just blind luck. Either way, since the moment Chris Drury left Calgary I have been excited about where this team was going. Over that summer I kept telling people how close this team was. Even through that long, hockey-less winter, I knew the team had the chance to be something special when it came time to lace up the skates again.

Chris Drury was a big part of that, and when hockey started back up on 10/5/05 there wasn't a doubt in my mind this team was going somewhere. What followed is arguably the most exciting two year span in Sabres history, and some games that I will never forget.

Then summer came.

I'm not going to go into the blame game, and I'm not going to cry over what happened. However, about a week before the UFA market opened I started kicking around an idea in my head. What resulted was a post I called "The Case for Chris Drury."

Here's the thing about that post: I still believe every word of it.

I'm never going to be a Rangers fan, but I still like Chris Drury. I never want to see him score a goal against us, and him winning a Stanley Cup with the Rangers may force me to break the nice china, but I still like Chris Drury as a player, and I'm not ashamed to say it at all.

Yeah, he choose another team, but can you really blame him? His logic is the same logic each and every one of us used when playing street hockey so many years ago, or what many of us do when we play videogames today. When you get the chance, you play for the hometown team. Put yourself in that position and tell me you don't leave {insert small market town} for your Sabres in a heartbeat if that scenario comes up.

Yeah, it may be unfair to us, but what if Tim Connolly uses that same logic when his UFA status comes up next year? He was born in Baldwinsville, just outside of Syracuse. Do you think he wants to pick up and move across country to Phoenix or St. Louis or stay at home playing hockey just down the 90?

It may not be the most logical of arguments, but since when does hockey involve much logic? So many of us take the emotions from the game and translate them to real life. Games affect my entire outlook on the day, or even just my mood for days afterwords. Why can't players do the same thing?

Chris Drury made a business decision based on an emotional tie to a childhood dream, and when it boils down to it I'm okay with that. It sure as hell isn't what I wanted, but a player in that position does what is best for him and his family, I can't help but respect that.

Tomorrow the Chris Drury talk will be insufferable, and will probably continue ad nausem until his return to Buffalo on February 23nd, exactly one year and one day after the Chris Neil incident.

What will happen with the crowd I have no idea. I would like to say I will be a part of that group, but there is too much going through my head at the moment to make a ticket purchase.

I do know, however, that I still have a "Salute to Captains" Parkhurst with Chris Drury's stoic face on it. It's sitting proudly next to a few Jim Kelly cards, and an over sized Beehive Drury card I overpaid for a few weeks before UFA day. Those cards aren't going down anytime soon, and I don't regret buying either of them.

Chris Drury may not be my captain anymore, but he's still "my guy."

Soup's Off

By Chris

Brian Campbell is done. The Sabres had their chance to re-sign him and they couldn't agree on a number. Now they'll have to wait until the end of the season, whenever that may come form Buffalo.

Today, Campbell announced today that he and his agent have broken off talks with the Sabres and that he would wait to talk again at season's end. Potentially, it's very bad news for both the team and its fans. Once he hits free agency, it's pretty much a given that he signs the biggest contract. And that contract won't come from Buffalo.

If Campbell walks, the Sabres look like fools again. After the Briere-Drury debacle (well-documented), letting another great player leave for nothing will kill any good will fans still have towards the team.

So if the Sabres have no intention of signing Campbell (which they had the opportunity to do this past off season before he was named to his second All-Star game), whether it's because they don't feel he's worth the money or if they just don't want him on the team anymore, then there's only one way to make sure they get something for him.

Trade Brian Campbell.

The Sabres is struggling to say the least. While Brian Campbell may be the best defenseman right now, it's not saying much compared to the way the rest of the corps is playing.

Henrik Tallinder looks like he's playing hurt every game and it's seriously hurting Toni Lydman's game. Jaro Spacek has been very good while paired with Campbell, but he's hurt right now. Nathan Paetsch has been underwhelming following a strong rookie campaign. Dmitri Kalinin is a train wreck. Nolan Pratt is doing his job, as a six/seven grinder. And who knows if we'll ever see Teppo Numminen in a game again?

With the offense struggling even more so at this point (after finishing last season with an average of 3.63 goals for per game, they're scoring 2.88 goals so far this year), the playoffs are quickly fading out of the picture. Going into Monday night's games, the Sabres were in 11th place and four points out of the playoffs.

In the midst of a nine-game losing streak, things might actually have to get worse before they get better.

And for the team to make a run, things need to change. Darcy Regier has always been hesitant to make an in-season trade, but bringing in some fresh blood is what the team needs right now.

While it may seem like they're waving the white flag and telling everyone, "Yes, we're rebuilding," they'll be better off getting a return on good players now rather than let them walk for nothing later. And with Regier's track record, a trade will virtually guarantee good players coming back in.

So if Campbell gets moved after the All-Star break, the Sabres might as well clean house. Afinogenov, Kalinin, hell maybe Connolly too. Bring in players who Lindy Ruff won't have to call out while they're injured and hesitates putting back in the lineup after they've been cleared to play.

While that extreme is unlikely to occur, bringing new hungry players in who will buy into Ruff's message is what the team needs if they want to make the playoffs.

How many times do we all have to listen to Campbell or Jason Pominville or Ryan Miller talk about how the whole team needs to give a better effort? While they've played better in the last few games, this team needs finishers and guys who might actually fear getting benched.

Maybe just trading a few guys, or just Campbell will provide a spark for the guys in the locker room to play a little harder.

For now, Campbell just wants to focus on hockey, and with the way the team has been playing, that may be for the best.

Out in the Cold

by Ryan

When I can, I like to get a skate or two in a week.

It's nothing major, I'm not going to sit here and tell you how great a hockey player I am, but I've been trying to get back into pickup shape and an open skate or two is good to get your legs going.

So last Friday I'm skating and a group of little kids comes in with a guardian or two. This usually means trouble. First of all, the kids will take over the ice and play some crazy hockey-esque game with a glove until a skate guard comes in and yells at them. Also, there is a distinct chance that one of those little kids will be a better skater than I am, which is just plain depressing.

Of course, curiosity took over and I spent the majority of the time watching these little kids. It's amazing to see what little humans can do, especially if they do it better than you. There is a reason people marvel at Sidney Crosby, and it's because he's winning scoring titles while other kids his age finish Bio labs.

As I continue to circle, I notice one little kid in his replica #48 Sabres jersey. Of course it's a Briere jersey, which makes me feel bad for him. I have many a jersey of a now defunct player, and it really is a letdown when your favorite sweater is suddenly unwearable. (little kids can't be blamed for an "expired" uniform, so he gets a pass...)

Then something happens that gets me thinking. All of a sudden he streaks towards the empty crease, pretends to roof it with an imaginary stick, and goes down on one knee to do the fist pump.

You all know the fist pump. Today it's a standard goal celebration. Score a goal, down on one knee, pump fist, accept congratulations from teammates. There are probably dozens of players that do that move when they score, but what player do you think that little boy learned it from?

I'm going to guess it was from the guy on his back. It's a sobering thing to see, because a kid that age doesn't always understand why Briere isn't playing for Buffalo this year. I wouldn't even begin to try explaining how Darcy low balled Briere in an attempt to appease the fans, because it is even more of a headache than it sounds.

Still, seeing things like that make me wonder what kind of legacy Briere and Drury are going to leave on the next generation of Sabres fans. Fans above the age of suffrage know and understand what happened this past summer, but how long will it be until a player takes over where Briere and Drury left off with the little hockey fans among us?

I'm curious to see what you guys out there think; I'm just the one thinking about this while skating in circles. Maybe those of you with children have better insight into this than I.

This Conversation Happened

by Ryan

06-07: Better Days
Act Two, Scene Four: Boston 11/7

(Just after Marc Savard scores for the 3,000th time against the Sabres)

Gamber: This is what happens when you don't go out and sign Joe Torre.
Me: (Sarcastically) Yeah, gotta make a free agency splash.

(thinking)

(thinking)

(Campbell sends a lead pass to no one. Bobby Orr gently weeps.)

(thinking)

Me: Wait. That's brilliant!

Gamber: What?

Me: To sign Torre. That's brilliant.

Gamber: Why?

Me: Because Bowa and Mattingly would come with him.

Gamber: So?

Me: Don Mattingly. He's Chris Drury's favorite athlete of all time.

Gamber: ...and?

Me: How could Drury pass up the chance to play for his boyhood idol? He would have to force a trade back!

(Sekera is in a giving mood. Turnover)

Gamber: Uh... okay.

Guy Behind Me: Does that sign say "Max Boobs"?

(Scene)

Yes, both of us were completely sober at the time. It just goes to show you what happens when the product on the ice is less entertaining than the hypothetical time warp scenarios in the crowd.

If not for that Max Boobs sign, we may have made a run at A-Rod.

Ramblings...

by Ryan

A few thoughts on today's events:


--Ron Mexico. When I get text messages from people telling me news, I usually ask where they heard it. When I got "Mike Vick tested positive for pot" today, I didn't think twice. These are the things that happen when you are convicted of dogfighting. (Is anyone else waiting for the next Mike Vick episode at KSK?


--I drafted for my fantasy hockey league tonight. I'm okay with my picks, especially that I drafted Chris Drury pretty late. I figure now when he scores I won't openly weep.


--The Sabres killed the Leafs tonight, keeping that preseason tradition alive. I know it means nothing, but it's good to hear Roy and Vanek still know how to light the lamp after their off season windfall. Has anyone noticed the tan on Roy? He looks like he spent a month in Cabo or something...


--Matthew Barnaby did color with RJ tonight. He started slow and stumbled a bit, but he was much more comfortable than I expected. His catch phrase seems to be "he made no mistake" when speaking of a goal scorer. I'm not sure how I feel about that, although it still beats Darren Pang's "HOLY JUMPIN!" Actually, just about anything beats that.


--Why do I even bother going to espn.com anymore? Seriously. I haven't stopped dry heaving. Does anyone know when that will fade?

Halloweenhead

by Ryan


People say there is nothing to write about these days. To them I say "bah!" and "bah!" again.

Consider the following: we are on the cusp of a football season that will be at the very least ridiculously entertaining. Considering the youth in our defensive core we may be leaping off the Peace Bridge by week three, but at least we have a starting running back with Grills. These things do matter.

To match that we have a brand new Sabres season around the bend; a season that may be a bit less magnified now that we are currently captainless. For those of you keeping score at home, however, we did not suddenly transform into the worst team in the league. Anyone feeling an 0-82 season coming on may leave now. Same goes for your clowns who bought discounted Flyers gear off NHL.com this summer. You can cuddle with Marty on your own time.


The point is this: we have a good chance at having two entertaining teams playing alongside each other this fall, and that makes me all warm and fuzzy. In fact, October is the beginning of the "sweet spot" of the Buffalo sports season. Both Buffalo teams play from then until at least January; with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years in between. I'm giddy just thinking about the snow.


To illustrate how sweet this fall will be, I'm posting some killer Halloween decorations I saw today. Yes, I know it's early, but this is the blog that went to Sabres rookie camp to see our boy Drew Schiestel in action. We're early risers on this kind of thing.

This is by far the coolest funhouse I've ever seen. There are three points of entry, bats hanging inside, and a skeleton knight and the grim reaper are guarding the door. Although the $300 price tag is a bit much today, you have to consider the UFA market and what it will cost for one of these in two years. You know what, Mr. Lowe, give Sam's Club $500 for it and call it Dustin Penner. The kids will love it.

This one is a bit cheaper, but in all honesty, price doesn't matter with this. If you can't tell, that's a hearse driven by the Grim Reaper. Not only do the lanterns actually work, but the horses' eyes gleam as well. I know Christmas has sort of cornered the market with these inflatable lawn ornaments, but judging from that terrified child running away on the right, I think that is no longer the case. That hearse is going to show up on some rich kid's front lawn, and he'll be so preoccupied with all the other cool stuff he has he won't even notice. Meanwhile, you are stuck with those freaking plastic pumpkins and a hanging cardboard skeleton.

God I hate the Rangers.

Sabres get their man in Drury

By Chris

See that headline? That was on the top of the sports section of the Buffalo News four years ago today. In a rare case of optimism, Jerry Sullivan's column lauded the move. It "could be the best deal Darcy Regier has made since becoming the GM, and it might wind up saving his job." It probably was, and it did.

I was hoping that this anniversary would be a happy one, but unfortunately, we all know what has happend since Black Sunday. I'm ready to move on and as Ryan Miller put it, "keep (Drury and Briere) in our rear-view mirror."

So we look to the future now. There are many important dates ahead, including tomorrow's 5 p.m. arbitration deadlines for Derek Roy, Nathan Paetsch, and Andrew Peters, and the actual arbitration hearings that we all dread begin on July 20.

And oh yeah, Bills training camp opens in 22 days. Only better days can come, right? Right?

Oh now WHO do you believe?

By Chris

Well this is certainly shocking.

From the Buffalo News this morning:

Chris Drury, now a Ranger, says he had agreed to a Sabres pact last fall, Team management failed to follow up

The Buffalo Sabres had co-captain Chris Drury locked up for four more years. Then they drove him away with their inaction.

Drury and the Sabres agreed on terms of a new contract last fall, but the team suddenly went silent and never formally presented the offer. The co-captain, after weeks of uncertainty, had his agent withdraw the deal and started thinking about a new organization, an industry source with knowledge of the negotiations has told The Buffalo News.

The result of the incomplete talks was Drury signing with the New York Rangers and Sabres fans bemoaning what has become of their team.

Drury and the Sabres decided early last season to meet in Boston, where Drury’s agent, Mark Witkin, is based. They discussed an extension for the pending free agent, the source said. The Sabres started the talks with a four-year, $20 million offer. Drury’s camp countered with $23 million over four years. The parties agreed to meet in the middle, the source said, on a four-year deal worth $21.5 million.

Then nothing happened.

Drury waited for the Sabres to present the contract, but they didn’t bring it up again. Drury withdrew the deal after a couple of weeks, the source said, because it was “bad business” not to officially finish the talks.

The Sabres on Monday, at their post-mortem news conference to address Sunday’s loss of Drury and fellow co-captain Daniel Briere, acknowledged having contract talks with Drury
in the fall.

Bucky Gleason's statement at the press conference yesterday of " With all due respect, is it possible I know something that you don't?" now rings pretty clear.


For a complete transcript of yesterday's Press Conference with Darcy Regier, Larry Quinn, and the media, click here.

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

By Ryan

Some of my favorite quotes from the 2pm news conference:

"The sky is not falling"

"it was more a personal choice" (refering to Drury's departure to New York)

"we were very competitive"

Buuuuuuuuuuut. Then we see this.

In short, Darcy and company openly said they wanted to sign Drury, and pursued him to the end. Fine, good for you. I'm glad you admitted to completely burning the Danny Briere bridge and went after just one player. But here's where you screwed up, and why we want answers: it didn't work.

If Drury didn't want to come back, you better know what he's thinking before you cut ties with Daniel Briere. You didn't, and now they are both gone.

So now what? Where's the Plan B? Did you even have one?

It's not just about the players we lost, either. Look what other teams did, the ones we will have to play 4 or more times a year. Philledelphia will be good. Right now. Briere, Hartnell, Timonen, Gagne, Upshall. That is not a rebuilding year, that's a rebuilt team.

Toronto got better. The Rangers, unquestionably, got much better. Even the Penguins got better. And we lost both captains and get a deadpanned "Sorry" from the boys who let it happen.

Thanks Larry, you always put us down gently.

At 4pm Chris Drury is going to be introduced by the Rangers on MSG NY. Later on tonight, the same channel will show Chris Drury scoring his first career hat trick against the Rangers on October 14th, that magical night when hockey changed the mood of the entire region. While the sky was falling, a hockey team made it all okay, if only for a few hours.

Sure, Darcy, the sky may not be falling today. But our hopes sure are.

Oh NOW do you believe?

By Chris

NEWS UPDATE:
SABRES PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR 2 pm TODAY

Four years ago I bought an old car. The old owner abused it but I was able to buy it dirt cheap and make it run again. I kept the previous owner's mechanic and even the driver. The car just had some new tires put on and seemed like it was heading in the right direction. But I still went out and had my mechanic put a new engine in, and it put a new drive in my car, a new sense of determination.

Yesterday at noon, the warranty on my engine and tires ran out. I had a chance to have my mechanic renew those contracts before the warranty ended, but it's against our philopsophy. Why should the engine and tires get special treatment over the brakes or the interior? No part is greater than the whole, not even the most important parts that make the car work.

Now it turns out that my warranty has expired and now I can't afford the parts I could have had for a lesser sum of money a year ago. So I have to say good bye to my motor, Chris Drury, the heart and soul of my team, and Daniel Briere, the wheels that made my offense go.

I'm Buffalo Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano, and I'm looking to make a profit above all else.

***

So what did the lockout and the new CBA solve? Pretty much nothing. The way the salary cap is structured to grow, the big market teams are favored once again and there seems to be nothing impeding that trend. The Rangers and Maple Leafs got better by spending money on big name free agents. The Sabres and Predators got worse by being forced to let those players go because they couldn't afford to pay them. Go figure.

Thank you, Mr. Bettman, for instituting a system that was supposed to help keep our team financially competitive. But you screwed that up too. Who would've thunk it?

***

Right now, this is what we're looking at:

Vanek-Connolly-Afinogenov
Hecht-Roy-Pominville
Kotalik-Gaustad-Stafford
Peters-Mair-Paille
MacArthur

It's a playoff team for sure in my opinion, a 6th seed in the worst scenario. But on paper, there's no way I see that team winning a Stanley Cup. Which is a huge step backward from back-to-back apperances in the Eastern Conference Finals...and the blame for that falls on the shoulders of Golisano, Larry Quinn, and Darcy Regier. It's going to be a long summer...

Here Lies the Wreckage

By Ryan

It spread like a plague today. Slowly it crept along from mouth to mouth like a disease, everyone within earshot hearing the news come like a hurricane. Then television picked it up. Then radio. Soon phones were ringing, and text messages were exchanging the stories like carrier pigeons.

I don't know who to blame. Most people think Darcy screwed the pooch today. Some blame the players and the Almighty Dollar. I, however, blame myself mostly.

Actually, I blame us all.

We all deserve the burden of guilt for thinking it could be any different. To live that terrible sham, thinking this "New NHL" will help keep us in the game. How many people championed the lockout as necessary to help smaller franchises stay competitive with rising player salaries?

And yet, here we sit, captainless once again.

In reality it's not fair. But who questions the system but the ones deprived because of it? Say what you will in hindsight, but we were the ones stamping our feet for a salary cap because of the Red Wings and Rangers of the world. It doesn't surprise me one bit that two years later we blame those same teams for our misfortune once again.

I think it is time we as Sabres fans face the reality of the situation: we may never compete on July 1st with anyone. The system just isn't put in place to work for us, no matter what the intention is.

A salary cap is intended to keep a limit on team payrolls, yes, but who was to guess that it would increase dramatically in consecutive years? What GM would know that signing Daniel Briere at arbitration rate last year for 3 years would be a brilliant move?

So when the salary cap is raised due mostly to revenue from increased ticket costs, who has the money to go after players? Can Buffalo get away with raising ticket prices to sign anyone? No, but the Rangers would fill the Garden if they only accepted gold bricks at the gate. Buffalo cannot and will not spend to the cap this year, and won't be able to next year either. It is a cold, hard fact; and no calculator work on any fan's part will change that.

So what's a boy to do? As a fan, there is nothing to do but watch. It will be interesting to see how many fans react to losing a few major pieces to the puzzle. This area has been so transfixed by the Sabres the last two years, and Danny and Dru were a major reason for that. There will be some fans that fade away, some in disgust, some in protest, and many in despair.

Today being Canada Day, I went to downtown Niagara Falls to watch the fireworks display. I wasn't sure what we were celebrating, but sitting in the darkness watching someone else's party summed up everything that happened today. While "the other half" celebrated and lit up the night sky, we sat in despair, only catching the reflections of another's happiness.

This is not an aberration, this is our first day of reality. We are not special here in Buffalo, no matter how quaint our love of hockey is. Any one city can create a hockey atmosphere when winning is involved, and when dollar signs and weather patterns come into play, we sure do drop down the list quick. It's a hard truth to take, but nothing comes easy in a city like this.

Just another day in Buffalo.

Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo.

It's a sentence alright, but not always a good one.

Free Agency Insomnia

By Ryan

Things I do while not sleeping before Free Agency:

Make a Mii that looks like Chris Drury.

Talk myself into Adam Mair as a second line centerman.

Refresh TSN.ca every 16 seconds.

Read articles such as this, this, and this.

Study the salary cap like lines of code from "The Matrix."

Ponder the emptiness of a President's Trophy banner raising without a captain.

Wish evil on whomever decided Free Agency should start on Canada Day.

Pray that Darcy isn't sleeping, either.

Pray that lowballing Danny was intentional.

Pray.

Realize that by noon tomorrow, nothing will ever be the same.



Oh, wonder. Oh, brave new world.

Hipchecking in

By Chris

How much do I care?

Today is D-Day for the Sabres when it comes to re-signing the captains so of course I'll go to any means to make sure I'm wired to the latest news. Or in this case wireless. I've been in beautiful Orlando for the last week, away from what I'm sure has been the insanity of the local Buffalo sports scene. Soup has been keeping me updated on some of the contract talk (including the 5-year $25 million deal Briere recently turned down) but it's not the same.

So where am I? Pool-side at the resort in 90 degree weather, typing on my dad's laprop. That's how much it means.

The break has been nice, but it's painful to not be connected all the time during one of the most crucial weeks in Sabres history. If neither is re-signed by midnight, it looks like we can kiss them both good-bye.

I'll be on the road, heading back home tomorrow morning. But at the same time tomorrow morning, both Chris Drury and Daniel Briere may very well be on the road to their new homes, wherever they may be.

The Case for Chris Drury

Who could have guessed the first day in July has become one of the most important in recent franchise history?

And yet here we are, a few dozen hours before that fateful Sunday, with nothing yet decided. Sure, we've seen articles such as this and this, but nothing yet is certain. As fans we have no real part in this, which is what makes free agency both menacing and strangely enticing. The prospect of picking up a big name comes with the potential to lose one, or in our case, two.

Here is what I do know right now, and have known since February 22nd, 2007. I want Chris Drury on my team.

Of course, there is very little logic in my belief. Sure, people will show highlights of the Drury and Briere's clutch playoff goals (Game 5 ECS, Game 2 ECF, respectively) , and of course people are going to look at Drury's uncanny ability to score big goals when it counts, or Danny's career high points production. Yet when it comes to who I want leading my team, I am going solely on personal feelings, all of which stem from that fateful Thursday night in February.

You all know the story. Drury lets a shot go gliding in near the hashmarks, Neil comes across at full speed. Boom. Helmet off. Blood. Mayhem. Hillarity ensues with Marty Biron.

But lost in all that, both in the media and the general fanbase, is what really happened on that ice. The Sabres were in a stretch in which they had lost five players to injury in the last five games. Each time the injurys hit hard, but none was as shocking as when Dru went down. Trust me, I was there.

I remember following the shot and seraching for a rebound, and the next thing I knew Drury was on the ground in a heap and Drew Stafford was flipping out on Chris Neil. Or course, the kid got his lunch handed to him, but that moment signalized so much to me in hindsight. In one swift decision Drew Stafford went from a kid grinning ear to ear after getting his first NHL goal into a hockey player willing to do anything to stick up for his captain. Drew Stafford became a man that night.

We all did, really. Everyone in that building responded to that hit. Every player on that team knew who went down, and acted accordingly. It wasn't about the fight, it wasn't about Ray Emery, it was about that group of men deciding that enough was enough, and sticking up for their captain.

Our captain. That was all I kept thinking. That was our captain. Everyone was reapeating those four words over and over, trying to make sense out of the wave of emotions that followed. As a fanbase, we collectively lost our minds after that. Once you get even a taste of that passion, you're hooked. Without Chris Neil, there would have not been 10,000 people outside HSBC Arena come June.

But therein lies the difference between Danny Briere and Chris Drury for me. When Danny was cheapshotted by Alexander Ovechkin on December 2nd, we cried foul. But I wasn't thinking "That's our captain," I was thinking "That's Danny Briere." The same statement can be said for any other player on the laundry list of injuries throughout the season. "That's Max", or "That's Goose."

The feeling of shock when Drury went down was completely different from anything I've felt as a fan in some time. The same can be said for when he came back to action against Colorado. The sense of pride in the "C", that single representative of your team; it's something that hasn't been felt here in Buffalo for some time. (No offense to any Captains of the Month)

Now maybe it's a personal opinion. There are probably dozens of people who feel the same way about Danny Briere, and at least a few that can be more eloquent that I. But I felt that building swell with pride when the boys came back swinging, and I know what was going through everyone's mind when it was all said and done.

You always defend your captain. Even after the first of the month.

It's Not Exactly Crossing the Rubicon...

By Ryan


No one in here in the Roost will be claiming "the die is cast" but any news is good news at this point.

Issuing qualifying offers for five players is important but in the grand scheme of things only shows a progression towards the most significant day in recent Sabres history: July 1st.

Briere and Drury are the two most important players on this team, and there is still a chance we will have neither come September. So with this in mind, any piece of news about this team becomes that much more important. I know every time my homepage loads I tense up when scrolling over the NHL news.

The good news is that today it showed progress and not rumors of LA or God knows where. Next time I may not be so lucky.

10 days, folks.