No playoffs for you!

I am really not going to get much into it tonight, I just can't. My levels of anger are usually high right after a situation, and the whole thing your parents taught you about if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all, will apply. Because there will be nothing nice coming from me right now, so I will choose to stay silent. Maybe in a few days I will be able to hash this out and talk about things, but right now, it's hurting a bit too much and I am not happy. So yep, that's it for now.

MSG and Time Warner better get their acts together...and quick

because not seeing Sabres games is pretty shitty, and options are limited for a lot of people it would seem. Yeah you can go to a sports bar, or maybe a friend's house who has Direct TV or something, but come on. It's winter in Buffalo, a lot of people don't even want to leave the house, I know I don't. Get home, eat dinner and watch the Sabres game...too much to ask? Seems like it. MSG can take their 53% increase and shove it, and Time Warner can stop being cheap asses and shove it also, this is not fair. All the black out restrictions along with it on Center Ice and all that is also ridiculous. Listening on the radio it is. UGH.

In other hockey related news, the Winter Classic was today from Citizens Bank Park in Philly. I am not a fan of either team really, but it was a good game and it seemed like the weather was pretty good for the people that went. I still think the Buffalo one was the best (even though we didn't win), it still started it all off again, and it was just...magical. Haha, sounds lame, but it was.

Until next time...game on!

Locker room renovations? Really?

Granted, I always thought the locker room was pretty shabby, but come on. Is that really going to help? Is the morale going to be so boosted by that, that a guy will come in and be like "oh wow, awesome new room! lemme score a goal tonight!"...no. It will not really matter. It might help a little I guess, but it should be bottom of the barrel priorities. How about WHO'S INSIDE the locker room first? I'm sure that will have to be worked on in the summer also. Whatever effort was put in by this team this season was just not enough to advance, same story as last year.

I commend this man for trying to make the place better for the guys, really. It does deserve to be up there with other teams in terms of how nice it is and blah blah, but the team also has to show it's the caliber to actually deserve it. Things are getting better, but they are far from there yet. I hope this summer with new ownership can shed some light on some things, like getting us some new faces, as we have quite a bit of free agents, and signing some of these same guys would make for no advantage come October. Some should stay, but more should probably go. I understand people being proud of the fact the team even MADE the playoffs when we were counted out wayyy before that for any type of post season run. More needs to happen though, it needs to build season by season. The season after you should make the 2nd round, and go up from there, not stay stagnant. If that is happening, something needs a shake up, whether it be coaching, players, etc.

Do you see teams keeping a coach year after year after failed attempts at playoff runs or if they were cut short? No. A lot of times that coach is out of there before the team even cleans out their lockers. I don't think Lindy Ruff is necessarily a BAD coach, but maybe his style or coaching is not working for this core of guys, or maybe just some of them. From the looks of the press conference this morning though, it seems Lindy will be here to stay for some time longer, so who knows. I just feel something must change before October, and something more than the adding of a guy like a Brad Boyes or the like. It seems to be just a patch on a situation, then the guy ends up gone sooner or later anyway. We have had some guys here for forever it seems, and the results seem to stay the same. It gets me frustrated to no end how no one ever seems to want to stir the pot with this team ever. Make a move that will be like "wow, this team is really looking to do something" yeah, how bout that? Pominville, Vanek, Connolly, Stafford, etc. are not rookies anymore. There is no growth and development for them to hit, they are where they are probably going to be for the rest of their careers, they are not like Ennis and Gerbe. What you are going to see at the highest (and lowest) is what you can expect if you keep them on the roster. The big men in the suits will have to figure out if this is the core they want, is that what they think will make this team get somewhere someday. Granted, a lot of guys are signed for a bit and will probably not be moved, but regardless, in my opinion, Connolly would need to go. Lalime also, and maybe even Montador, Grier and especially Niedermayer. Some of those spots need to be filled in with new guys, and then if next year takes a nosedive because of it, you work from there. But it seems like they want to stay wayyy too safe just because these guys have been here for so long. Come on, mix it up will ya? Geez.

Ok, that was super long. But yeah, that's what I had to say about all that.

Sabres vs. Flyers--Game 6

Ok, so I will just say this game ended in a complete disaster for me, complete with tears, maybe related to the fact I had been up since 6:30am, and maybe not. Probably just all the promise I (and a lot of other people) put behind this game. -sigh- It is not over yet though, nope, it's not.

Tim Connolly got injured in the game and who knows how long he will be out and what the extent of the injuries are. We already are without Jason Pominville and this kind of stuff can just wear down a team. Injuries suck, a lot. This time of year they are the worst though. Ugh.

It was close right up until the end obviously, and we went into OT. OT always makes me nervous, but in the regular season, at least you know you will get SOMETHING out of the deal. Nada in the playoffs however, as we all know.

Sooo, game 7 is back in Philly and I really wish it hadn't come to this. Just wanted to end this series here at home and wave bye bye to the Flyers and have them go far far away until next season. But back to the Wells Fargo Center the boys must go and we have to hope and pray for something big. Please guys, please.

Oh and the Blackhawks also forced a game 7 tonight and it was pretty awesome, seeing as they were right on the elimination doorstep. Rookie Ben Smith scored the winning goal in OT and it was glorious. They are going back to Vancouver and can hopefully win that series and send the Canucks packing. We shall see. Game on!!

Oh and for the record, I really dislike Daniel Briere. Sorry. Didn't care one way or another when he played here, and same goes for now that he is in Philly. Yep.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, butttt.....

...we play the Flyers tomorrow and that is kind of scary. Then again though, there have been some pretty cruddy teams I thought they would completely kill, and they lost. Not saying we are completely cruddy, but we aren't doing as well as them, that's for sure. The game is at 1, which is completely crappy for someone who usually works Saturdays (ex. me), so I will have to find a way to see or hear some updates somehow.

I'm watching the Blackhawks/Canes game, and hoping for many reasons the Hawks whoop the Canes asses. I do have somewhat of a soft spot for the Canes, but at this rate, it is priorities...lol. The Blackhawks are my boys, so seeing them win would be good anyway, just cause. That would help us in the standings as well, but the Sabres would have to also help themselves and win tomorrow, and then on Sunday would be nifty as well. So, let's see if this can happen shall we?

I also hear that Jhonas Enroth is traveling to Philly with the team, but no word on if he will start or not. That would be pretty cool though, give Miller a rest for Sunday, and then maybe they can each win one. Let's all hope. Game on!!

-thumbs up-

I would like to take a moment to talk about my love of empty net goals.

Ok, so I know that the Sabres don't make them very often (or EVER, but that's a different story, unless you count that BEAUTIFUL diving one by Tyler Ennis last season, I'm pretty sure in the playoffs or sometime in that area, which was amazing) so yeah, maybe that is why I love to see them.

Patrick Sharp scored one tonight for the Blackhawks with something like 2 seconds left with them being up by one anyway, and it was glorious. I know they don't happen too often because most teams can keep things under control for the last minute or so when the goalie is pulled, but they are fun to see. Some are dramatic, some are just a matter of how precise a shot certain players have. I love when they come from halfway down the ice too, ahhhh. So pretty.

Ok, that was all I had to say.

So besides winning anything...

I guess there is some other "news" going on in Sabresland:

1.) Jason Pominville has been medically cleared to play again. Thank goodness, because we need someone out there who knows what he's doing. Hey Pominville, can you help us win something again, please??? But yeah, I'm glad he's better for the most part and is coming back, because we need him, and I know the team needs him.

2.) Craig Rivet with not resign as captain. Dammit, couldn't get him to do it himself now it will probably never get done because I swear Lindy is too afraid of these guys to do anything. So yeah, less than stellar captain forever it seems.
-Dreams of Jonathan Toews as our captain, is snapped out of it by brick to the face- Yeah right, like that would ever happen.

3.) Nathan Gerbe has a broken jaw and has to wear one of those hideous cages that Thomas Vanek wore not that long ago if I'm not mistaken. I think it was him anyway. I don't think it was hideous though, I KNOW it was. Poor Gerbs. Get better soon.

4.) Luke Adam was named AHL Rookie of the Month, yeahhhh. I wish he could play more up here, but with more guys coming back, I guess that won't be happening, but I'm happy for him. All the promise for this team lately seems to be in the younger guys and the guys waiting in the wings to play. Hmmm, lack of spark, lack of giving a crap, lack of energy maybe? All the vets are too busy worrying about paychecks and diapers to give a crap about their jobs. Ya know, when that happens, I'm sure somebody would tell you to retire, so maybe some of you should. Yeah, I'm passed pissed on a lot of this stuff.

On an unrelated note, it looks like just as it was promising for Jordan Staal to come back to the Penguins lineup after his summer long battle with a foot injury of some sort, it looks like he got some sort of other injury in practice. My gosh is that rough. I know a lot of hardcore Pittsburgh fans have been awaiting his return for awhile, as have I, and now this. I just hope it isn't too serious, and he will actually be able to play like he was supposed to soon.

So yeah, that's the news for now. We play back home Wed. against the Bruins I think it is (have I been so uninterested I have yet to look, or care? maybe), so yeah, that should be really dandy. As images of this past spring's playoffs replay through people's heads, the rest of us will just sit and pray to the hockey gods we can win one, because the Sabres are getting down to the Bills level, and that is just scary. Please send help. Game on!!

I don't want to talk about it.

Ok, maybe a little.

I'm sure one day we will win again, but at this moment it seems like it's far off in the distance, or maybe everyone on the team lost their mind, thought it was opposite day, and thought it was really cool to just lose and look really bad while doing so.

I don't even want to go into it about Darcy Regier, because my dad tells me an ear full everyday about how he feels, and I'm starting to agree with him about a lot of things regarding him. Blah.

It is still early yeah, but a lot of teams would believe that there is no good reason to lose a game ever, regardless of if it's game 1 or game 63, you just have to go out there and give it your all, and I really believe more than half the team is just NOT at this point. I don't really think a lot of the movement done over the summer was to any great advantage, but only time will tell if all that clicks eventually. It seems the defense was quite shaken, and now just seems really...off. Some people who should have been traded away weren't, some that should have stayed left, and now it's just taking longer for it all to click it seems.

We have a couple of away games coming up, but it doesn't really matter because we seem to being sucking majorly at home, so staying on the road isn't really too bad right now. Back in Atlanta tomorrow, and hopefully that will be just as easy to win as last time. I just could not believe the crappy attendance in Atlanta, it seems really sad. I know they wouldn't be classified as a "hockey town" by any means, but geez, there were almost whole sections that looked more than half empty. Just need to fill it with more Sabres fans I guess. haha.

Now come on guys, someone give a pep talk, someone give an ass kicking, DO SOMETHING! SOMEONE GET YOU GUYS IN GEAR, YOU'RE KILLIN' US! PLEASE? Thank you.

Let's back this up a bit shall we?

So, I'm going to go back a little bit here and go over the game I went to which was Sabres vs. Blackhawks on Oct. 11th. It was the first game I went to this season excluding the Toronto pre-season game (which as it turns out, was a lot better then any other game that has been played so far), because I did not attend the home opener. Not like it matters, we have lost all of them at home. I don't really know what's going on. -shrug-

In true creep fashion, I wore a Jonathan Toews shirt to HSBC (yeah, you can yell at me later, I love the man, whaddya want?) and yeah, maybe it was a bad omen. Not only did we NOT win, but I was almost in tears at the whole Pominville thing. I have never seen anything like that happen at a game I was actually in attendance for, and it scared the living crap out of me. Then I felt bad wearing the other teams colors, then it was all downhill for me from there. There were a ton of Blackhawks fans in attendance as it was, which was kind of weird, and then Patrick Kane scored a goal on top of it. I was waiting for Patrick Kaleta to come out of somewhere, anywhere, and kill him right then and there. Oh boy. My dad was just pissed off we lost again, and I was just kind of shaken up by the whole thing, and pissed that Pominville's streak of consecutive games was taken away. Non-intentional and all, doesn't matter, he won't be able to get that back. Total bummer if you ask me.

I do however like the new video opening on the jumbotron for the 40th anniversary, it makes me all smiley and just...yeah, I really like it. Makes me cheese out like crazy and I love it, sue me. Going back over all the decades is really cool and I'm sure has a nostalgic feel for a lot of fans.

So let's go over this:

-Pre-season was pretty ok, not too bad.

-Regular season has been eh, won against Ottawa (which was WEIRD) and have lost since (which would also be really weird seeing as we may never win again???!)

-People that did eh last year are still doing eh, while some are a lot better, while some who were pretty good are doing eh.

-Still too early to say really, I'm sure things will pick up soon, but of course we are all antsy and want to win just one to make sure it can still happen. We also want to make sure that this team isn't full of hockey game losing zombies.

-Jason Pominville being out has put Nathan Gerbe back in the lineup for sure which is awesome, but Shaone Morrisonn being out with a groin injury has also but Chris Butler back in the lineup. Pros and cons people, you figure out which is which.

Ok, guess that's it.

Recaps galore!

So I never got a chance to write about any of the pre-season games it seems, shame on me. I went to the game vs. Toronto last Saturday, and I have to be honest, it was so awesome just to be back at a game again. The energy level wasn't the highest in the arena, but hey, people were still up on their feet and stuff, even though it's usually a lot of kids dancing around and stuff...haha. We won, and it was great being back in HSBC and knowing the regular season is just around the corner, what we've all been waiting for! Yeahhh.

Now I have to talk about this because it irked me pretty badly the other day. It was actually said by some friend of a friend on facebook whom I do not know, but it still pissed me off. Something to the extent of Gerbe and Ennis being too small and not powerful enough to play for the Sabres and how they will just get thrown around out there.

OK OK WAIT WHOA, BACK THE ZAMBONI UP HERE DUDE. 1st off, I don't think either one of them back down from anything. I've seen Gerbe, all 5 foot somethin of him, go out there and get right in guys faces, he is pretty fearless it would seem. They are both also very fast, where some of the bigger guys might not be as fast. They are both very skilled also, a lot of talk this year has been about the two of them and how they will benefit the team a lot with how hard they work also. They could both also probably take the joker who said it, so yeah, I laughed pretty hard when I read that. Guy obviously isn't paying too much attention to them, too bad for him.

Most of the games have been blacked out in the area, except for the (yawn inducing) Hockeyville game. It was so damn boring, geez. I know some people feel pre-season hockey in general is, but I have been seeing some pretty hard hitting games from other teams, so that is not always the case. I have just been listening to WGR, too lazy to find streams on the internet or whatever. I'm just glad pre-season is wrapping up and we can say that the regular season is less than a week away, woooo. I have tickets to the Sabres vs. Blackhawks game on the 11th (kickass!) and I was kind of bummed I couldn't get tickets for the home opener also. Oh well, the Chicago game was my main goal for the beginning of the season, then I will work from there with what other games to get tickets for.

Tonight we play against Philly back at home (not in the awesome newly named Wells Fargo Center...hahahahaha) and we might lose. Oh well, doesn't count, but it gives you an idea of how well you have to play against the -almost- Stanley Cup champions. Now it is time to break out my old school radio (whoa) and listen. Game on!!

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.

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.

So I've been thinking...

that this will be a really, REALLY good Stanley Cup Final. The Flyers have been the so called "underdogs" the whole time, and the Blackhawks, well, they of course came primed to win it all. That's what pisses me off about how the Sabres were. I know this is reopening a can of worms all over again, but hear me out. Those dudes DID NOT look like Chicago out there. Of course the talent is way different, but aside from that. There is something about the Blackhawks. The spark, the wanting of the cup, wanting it more than any other team. The Sabres I don't think ever had that. It was like, you know what, I'm ready for vacation now. It's sad to think that they could be in this very same spot at this very same time if they just gave a crap, which they didn't. I will miss the team all summer long, and that makes me nuts probably, but it is what it is. Next year we will probably have the same team altogether, and we'll have to see what can be done with it. Mean time dudes, have fun doing whatever, golf or some junk.

I loved watching Ryan Miller last night during the intermissions on NBC. Like, do you remember how it was to face Dustin Byfuglien, like when he was in front of you in the net? He probably has vague memories seeing as the Sabres took them on like twice this year if that, and how can anyone remember? Geez. Ask some more stupid questions guys. My dad couldn't stop remarking on his ugly tie. I couldn't stop feeling happy just to see a Sabre on tv. -sigh-

I also can't get over the weird pronounciations of players names on the Blackhawks. Byfuglien looks like BYE-FUG-LEEAN and it pronounced BUFF-LIN. Ok then. Also, Toews. Looks like TOES, but is pronounced TAVES. Right, and people have trouble with Gaustad? Ummm, there is no way to pronounce it GOOS-TAD unless you failed a couple years of elementary school...there is an A. Oh boy. (This is all just for amusement if you can not tell...lol).

So until then, go Blackhawks! Patrick Kane can bring the cup on a little journey to Buffalo and maybe Darcy will cry into it and we can try to throw it at Tim Connolly. Oh, and I hope we are still thinking of maybe trying some maneuvering to get Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to Buffalo? Probably couldn't do both, so maybe just Toews. Yeahhh, that would work quite well. A trade of a 19 for a 19? Oh you KNOW that would work out great. Just like trading 9's to New Jersey. (I like living in a hockey fantasy land if you couldn't tell). :)

Aces & Blades 2010

Last night was the 5th annual aces & blades function at the hsbc arena. It was a lot of fun, quite expensive to go, but it's an experience for fans.

I didn't do any gambling because I don't usually anyway, and the fact that people planted themselves at players tables and never got up, so it wouldn't have mattered. It was a 21+ event with the Sabres (current and alumni) acting as the dealers for games like blackjack, and also an open bar. I don't drink (much) either, so it was cokes and sprites for me for the night. The food was pretty good, some of it was like hmmm, I'll pass, but for the most part it was nice. The chinese auction of the player made baskets was what I was really looking forward to. I got a sheet of tickets and so did my fiancé, but we didn't win anything :( I put a ton in the Kaleta and Gaustad ones too dammit! haha. He took notes to write an article for buffalo.com and took pictures and things. I got Jason Pominville and Tyler Myers to sign my program while they were walking around, and some pics of some of the guys at the tables:









It was a good time just to go around and see all the players, eat good food, listen to live music, etc. They also had some silent auctions for some signed items and other memorabilia, and even some that wasn't from the sabres like a signed Sidney Crosby jersey. I don't know how much it actually went for, but I'm sure it was a good penny.

Of course the olympians were not in attendance, but they did have the olympic hockey game on the tv's in the harbour club, so that was cool. Team USA vs. Team Canada tomorrow?? On my birthday????! Oh my goodness, this is going to be crazyyyy. I can not wait, I will be planted in front of my tv, cause it's gonna be a good one. Go USA!!!

-whistles-

I have managed to miss pretty much anything going on with team USA men's hockey. I must be getting the schedules messed up, or I'm not home when it's on or something. I did manage to see Henrik Tallinder on team Sweden beat Jochen Hecht on team Germany. Everytime they said "plays for the Buffalo Sabres" I got all :D for them...hehe. I didn't realize they were changing Jochen's number for the olympics and couldn't find him when I started watching the game for a good ten minutes...ughh. Go me.

I think it's too early to be going through the withdrawl of no sabres hockey, but it's happening...sorta. I'm just missing getting all settled in and having it to watch and look forward to after work. I am going to aces and blades next Friday, so maybe that will help with some of this. I have never been to it, but it seems like a lot of fun. My fiancé is covering it as "media" for buffalo.com, so I will be tagging along with him. He tells me "I will be having to take pictures and notes and maybe do interviewing and stuff, so you will be on your own for some parts of the night" I was thinking "hmmm, oh boy, does he know what this might mean??" lol But, I will just be a big dork anyway, so it won't matter. He will probably find me sitting on a chair in a corner drinking coke and doing nothing at all exciting...haha.

I also got tickets to the March 10th game vs. Dallas. I have three games coming up in March, and my fiancé wants to get tickets to the game against Philly (his hometown team) so we will probably be doing that on the 5th as well. Four games in two weeks? Wowzas...hehe. I can't wait though. :)

On a side note, I watched a show on Sidney Crosby and the Stanley Cup on the NHL network. I watched him parade it around his hometown, wash it with dish soap (they allow that I guess??) and his family and friends just being overall proud. Makes me want a Stanley Cup here more than ever. Maybe someday...

Ok, so, March get here now please, thanks.

This picture is relevant to my interests.

Ok, so 1. this photo is old and 2. I drew on it like I am in 4th grade. But come on, Ryan gets the square because the goal is square and he is always there....

and Paul gets a heart cause...well, cause I said so.

Derek Roy gets the "x" because...he just does. I also dislike his suit.

So, this is what Sabres-less nights do to me, it's pretty pathetic. The team is getting all amped up to play on the road for awhile, and I sit here on paint like I have some sort of weird problem. -sigh-

But, in other relevant news, there is a Paul Gaustad signing at Dave and Adam's tomorrow, and well, I'm going. Or maybe going might be better to say. I might chicken out at the last minute for reasons only a shy person like me can understand. I know that autograph signings are nothin', it's get your photo signed, move along, not a really long process to have to go through, but I still get all dfdkfjdfkj. If I can mutter a "can you please sign this?" before almost passing out/something else embarassing, I guess all will be good for the night. I will come back with pictures at least. Gah.

Don't freak out!

I was just going through a bunch of my stuff to find an old Sabres ticket stub (it's like if it's in my mind to find something, I have to asap or I go all crazy) and I found it to try and remember the last Sabres game I went to:

Sabres vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Tue. Oct. 22nd
2002!!!??!

Wowzas, long time no see eh? I am officially an awful fan, I know this. But yeah I dunno why it's been so long. I went to one of those Powerplay Luncheons and other stuff, but no game. Tickets were real hard to come by for awhile, then there were some times of suckage on their part (hey, it's true). Then there was a whole season where there was no hockey (oh please never let that happen again), so yeah. I have some games to attend to make up for this.

But, onto other Sabres news today:

http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=512324

Ok, yeah, we know what this means, happened to Adam Mair not very long ago. So, maybe somebody will pick him up, maybe they won't. Maybe he will stay and play really well and we can all be like "wow Paetsch, look at him go". So there is no reason to flip out, because some people think this means traded, thrown away, left in a dumpster somewhere, not the case friends. It will all be ok, promise!

I feel some sort of a hockey drought from not seeing any for the next two days, it just seems odd to me. Like what to do, what to do. Here are some ideas for those who, like me, wonder on a given hockey-less night, what they can do to occupy their time:

1. Make clay bust of Paul Gaustad's head (although, I would not suggest a. telling anyone you are doing this and b. never bringing it up in public...as a matter of fact, this might be just a CREEPY idea, but hey...)

2. Count the number of dumbass penalties Toni Lydman has gotten over the years (I dare you, it will be highhh)

3. Talk about comparisions between Patrick Kaleta and Matthew Barnaby for like, 2 hours.

4. Daydream about the "better days" when we had Pat LaFontaine as captain (oh, sorry, that just might be my dad's job)

5. Wonder how many times in a given game Kevin Slyvester would like to yell "shut it!" to both Robi and Rob Ray. I bet it's a lot.

6. Admire photos of Harry Neale in his awesome sweaters and wish he was your grandpa.

So, those are some ideas for ya. If those things do not work, I'm sorry. You will just have to wait until the Sabres are back on and all can be right again. Game on!!