It's almost October??!

Yes it is. I have waited a long, humid summer for this time, and it is almost here! I am very happy about this.

I didn't get to attend puck drop today because of the whole being an adult and having a job thing, but I do at least like the new away jersey. The other one kinda sucks. Maybe it will grow on me though, I don't know. I own a slug one, and I'm still going to wear it of course, so yeah. Jerseys cost a darn good penny and I buy them to have them for the long haul. So I will have to think really hard about which player I would want to get on a new one. Maybe Ennis? I don't know. We shall see about that.

I must comment on the biggest puckbunny of puckbunnies...Harry Neale. Harry, your whole thing about the "attractive sweaters" and how you hope the "guys wearing them would be just as attractive"...wow man. You are Mr. Puckbunny numero uno, congrats. haha. You have an 11:30am jersey reveal and things just get out of hand sometimes I guess. I love you Mr. Neale, I really do.

I do however have tickets to the pre-season game in exactly one week vs. Toronto. It will be nice to get this blog back up and running on a regular basis again. There will be new players to talk about and hopefully other good things as the season goes on. October here we come!

Tomorrow is September!

I am excited about this for various other reasons unrelated to hockey (the fact that I hate heat and summer itself are also factors) but we can officially say August is over. Wooooo. Some things have been going down in Sabresland also it seems. Let's explore this:

Matt Ellis will be a Sabre again. I think that's pretty cool. He's solid and a hard worker. Not the best, but not the worst. Just a solid guy. I keep using that word. Matt Ellis=solid. The end.

Tim Kennedy went to the NY Rangers. Ok. So, I have been hearing all sorts of things and all sorts of opinions from people on this. People think he is stupid to go there because it is expensive to live and a lot more so than Buffalo (as most places are anyway). He is going to make money from both ends, so I don't think he really has that to worry about. Was it stupid? I don't know, I guess not to him. Maybe he wanted some big city excitement. Maybe he wanted a new team, I have no clue. I am not going to be bitter. I will not protest outside a Rangers/Sabres game. I will not buy a Kennedy clearance jersey or something. I was never a huge fan anyway. He was just ok to me. It was cool he was from Buffalo like Kaleta, but hey, what can you do? He will play there and maybe it will be really good for him, who knows. People get so wrapped up in it like it is effecting their lives in some way. Unless you were the biggest TK fan in the universe, I doubt it will be a big deal. Oh and if you were/are, sorry he left.

I don't think I will be able to attend the puckdrop 2010 thing because of work, and I still need to get my tickets for the Blackhawks/Sabres game. It is the one game I HAVE to go to and get fairly decent seats, even if I have to pay a little too much, it's ok. I already have pre-season tickets for the Toronto game on the 25th, so at least I have that for now. I was trying to get to the home opener plus a Devils game, but they are all so close together with the Hawks game I don't think I will be able to. Oh well.

I'm happy we are getting into September and pre-season and training camps and cooler weather and then before we all know it, October will be here and it will be great! I can't wait to see a couple hockey games a week and just get back into hockey mode. The summer seems to drag on forever and it's just too much already. I'm ready for it to be over thanks. Hockey here we come!

This doesn't seem too good.

I agree with Bucky Gleason's latest Buffalo News column. Oh boy. Yeah I don't see how all this adds up, but I do know that we lost a pretty hard worker in Tim Kennedy. He is young, he hasn't had that much time in the NHL, but it seems like it really didn't matter about his skills (or lack thereof, or whatever) it was over a minuscule amount of money in NHL standards. They get rid of TK and turn around and get this Shaone Morrisonn guy (ok, there are WAY too many unnecessary letters in his name) that I have never heard of. That's the thing though, the Sabres always want to spend money on these guys that you are like "huh, who?" or who are kind of washed up already. They also let go of anyone with any promise, and hold on to guys who are just dragging the team down.

I could go on and on about the Tim Connolly's and Drew Stafford's and all that, but I seriously don't know what to think at this point with this management team. Maybe Tim Kennedy wasn't the player you wanted to hang on to the very most, but was there really a BIG reason to get rid of him? Just let him sit there and not play? You guys are making no sense with this one. It's just business until we all turn around and see Tim Connolly or Derek Roy signed until the end of time (which I think will be the case because, maybe sounds childish, but some of the big guys play favorites it seems). If you tell me that Tim Connolly will be gone after his contract is up, and that maybe you will think about letting some of these other guys explore greener pastures before they are too old to do so, then maybe I will cut you some slack. The thing is, I doubt that will happen. Will we have the same "core" forever and just tread water for the next 10 years? I don't want to say yes, but I feel that is correct. The management makes these little crappy moves like this will help us, but will it? Will saving $200,000 on Kennedy help us bring in someone to turn the whole team around? Of course not. Is this just some silly little thing because they are pissed off Timmy wanted a little more money? Probably. Don't get so defensive dudes, it is afterall "business" like you said.

I don't want to be not even in Sept. yet and feeling like the upcoming season is a bust, so I will just hang out and see what happens. We do have some new guys that could help out, could change the dynamics a little bit, hopefully for the better. I just get very frustrated by the dumb moves that are made here sometimes. I really wonder sometimes if anyone in this organization wants a stanley cup. They need to start looking at the bigger picture here, or it will be a long off season, again.

Sooo...yeah.

What's been going down?

Not a whole lot, or a whole lot, depending on how you look at it.

Resigned:

Lalime--I don't think I gave the dude enough credit. I sometimes was like ehhh why are you doing this??? But you know what? The dude tries, he really does, and he has heart. I'm going to look forward to seeing what he can do for the team this season. Welcome back Patty!

Cody McCormick--Don't know a whole lot about the guy, but I do remember he did pretty well when he was up here for the short time this past season. It's one of those things where you have to see him play more to see what he's really about. More grit is needed in certain areas, so I think that's what the Sabres were going with in signing him. Also I hear rumors it may be because Adam Mair is on the way out (but I don't know this, the rumor mill is mighty vicious if you ask me...).

Mike Weber signed a one year qualifying offer and Corey Tropp signed a 3-year entry level contract. Mike Weber has been floating around camp forever it seems, but I still know little to nothing about him. I'm sure (maybe?) all this will lead up to something in the future, but for now, it is what it is.

We also signed Rob Niedermayer a couple days back and that was the big talk. He is the younger brother of Scott Niedermayer (which confused me that day...lol) and he won a stanley cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. I don't have much say on the situation because it is always hard to tell how a player will mesh with a team and what will end up happening until the season actually starts and the players all play together. Hopefully this will bring good things to the team and something more of a stable leadership, because I really think the Sabres lack that at times.

Went to development camp yesterday to check out some of the younger talent and see how they play. Gerbe, Ennis and Myers were the ones with a little bit more experience than the others obviously, but they all seemed to get along really well and play well together. A bunch of kids came in to sit in on the practice yesterday, and they were amped, it was so funny. They were screaming and stomping their feet, I'm sure it made the guys on the ice feel like it was a real game...haha. Pretty fun times.

I don't know if the Sabres are looking to make more moves (I would HOPE so), but who ever knows. The management makes me nuts half the time (like they do for a lot of people it seems) because they are often scared of testing waters. Maybe the moves they did make will be the right ones and things will go really, REALLY well this season. Cause that big, shiny, silver cup seems pretty damn cool to me.

July 1st is kind of scary to me.

People are talking it's like the Christmas of the NHL, but to me, it's scary. I mean, you get used to a set of guys making up your team, and then it is broken up and new people are added and it's weird.

Toni Lydman is off to Anaheim (I'm not sad, sorry) and Hank the tank is going to New Jersey (but he gets to play with Parise and Brodeur on his team, come on, that is awesome) so we say goodbye to some. We got a man by the name of Jordan Leopold, and I don't know much about him. I read he has been prone to concussions (hmmm) and really doesn't have any big, good stats to talk about. So we shall see. It's 3 years, so I just hope he doesn't end up the Raffi Torres of defense, because that will suck for 3 whole years. Oh well, time will tell.

Nothing really big happening with the Sabres camp though. I mean signing that one dude is just, eh. I want big action, but I have to realize I am a fan of the wrong team if I'm looking for that type of thing. I just can't believe that like 5 Blackhawks are gone, and I think 3 of them went to Atlanta or something like that, with Kris Versteeg going to Toronto and Adam Burish off to Dallas. That team was all shook up, geez. Their cap was crazy tight though, and with Kane and Toews needing to be under lock for a long time, there was just NO wiggle room for them. Sucks, but at least those guys got the cup and the love from the city before they left. Atlanta is going to have a brand new team come October, that's for sure.

The rumor mill goes crazy out of control during times like these though. I've heard that they are in talks with Torres to sign him for like 3 more years or something (hope this is FALSE) and that Lalime isn't going anywhere and that the Flyers want Kaleta. I also heard the Flyers wanted Tallinder and Lydman before they went to those other teams though, so it's all so crazy. No use in getting all nutty about it until it's finalized, so we'll have to see what else happens for the Sabres. Hopefully something good....maybe? Eh.

Is it October yet?

Yeah, I miss our team of buttheads right about now, but I also miss hockey in general. July 1st can also be a pretty fun day, but I want the actual PLAYING of hockey back please. Having to start one of those cross off the days calendars in June is pretty pathetic, but hey, I'm not above it, and I did it. So hmpfffff.

I was also trying to figure out what games this season are games I just HAVE to be at, like can not miss ones, and have come to the conclusion that I will need to have money for the home opener plus money for tickets to see the Blackhawks the one time they come here, which just happens to be a few days later. So yeah, I will be a ticket buying machine it would seem. I would also like to see them play a few other teams, but they are teams they will play at least twice I think, so that's ok.

Development camp starts for the newbies next week, and that can be fun too I guess. I'm thinking of going up to NU maybe Thurs. because it's in the evening, or Friday morning if I can maybe get some people to go with me. I really want to see this Mark Pysyk in action and see what he's all about. Plus another 40 some guys getting their skills on. Or something like that...lol.

The draft party at the arena was pretty cool, it was nice to be back in HSBC again, and the locker room tour was pretty awesome as well. I can't believe Robi is still in that neck brace though :( I hope he gets better over summer and can be 100% once the season starts back up. It was cool to be on the floor and sit on the players bench and all that other stuff. No ice makes it kind of ehhh, but still cool. I still don't understand how they hop over those boards though, geez. I mean, my dad kept saying "there is ice, which is higher than this floor, and they wear skates which makes them taller, and they are taller than you to begin with" lol. All of which is true, BUT I am taller than Nathan Gerbe, so what about that huh? He must literally have to hop over the boards. Or, as my dad noted "they can just use the door sometimes" which is also true...haha. So yeah, that was a fun night for sure.

Hockey, just come on, come back. This summer time crap is bull. I want my cold weather back (or at least COOLER weather) and the sound of the fans in the arena, and the pucks hitting the boards and the chill in the arena and the goal horn and blahhh. Now I'm really sad. Booo. :(

I hate you summer.

It's been awhile eh?

We have a new team of Stanley Cup champions (congrats dudes, you deserve it!) and a new 2010-11 NHL schedule to break down.

First off, the Chicago Blackhawks seem like an awesome bunch of dudes to hang out with, and then the cup gets thrown in there with them, and it's like MAJOR PARTY TIME. I'm sure it has been like that for every team that has won in the history of winning, but they are a pretty young team, so they just seem so energetic and...sparky. I want to hang with that team and that cup (sigh) for a day and just get into major shenanigans. Yep.

The NHL Awards are tomorrow, and we have two guys there to represent us, and two that will hopefully bring these trophies back with them. Myers is pretty much the talk of the Calder, so I think that is pretty much a sweep, but you can never get too over sure about these things. Ryan Miller is also high up for the Vezina, but, we shall see. I hope for both of them though that they win.

Then the draft party is Friday at the arena which I am pretty excited about. Hell, I'm just excited to go to the arena again. It's been a long 2+ months since I saw my last game there, and I just need to go back. Should be a fun night.

The 2010-11 NHL schedule was announced today, and all I have to say is that I need to see the Sabres play the Blackhawks. That just has to happen this season. I would also like to see them play the Devils, Penguins, Flyers (heh, gotta take the boy to this one) and the Kings. I already printed out the schedule and highlighted "games of importance" so that I will know what I need to get tickets for. Yes, I am some sort of nerd.

So in these 100+ days until regular season starts up again (ughh, really? doesn't count pre-season though...) I will take hockey fixes where I can get them, like in these type of things. It's even come down to me missing that stupid Geico commercial with the caveman zamboni driver and Mike Green. Oh boy.