Way to be awesome in the post-season!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/After-Game-7-loss-Capitals-Laich-fixes-tire-fo?urn=nhl,237745&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

This man is not only an awesome human being it would seem, but he also plays hockey. Wow. Most people would (and did) pass this poor mother and daughter on the road, and he stopped and helped, in his dress clothes no less, and actually changed the tire for them. He could have just stopped to see if they were ok and went on his way. I like this story not even just because he is a hockey player, but it is a nice story of humanity as well. Not to mention he was leaving the game that put him and his team out of the playoffs, and goes up to them and says "sorry we didn't win". Oh my my. What an awesome human being.

He isn't too bad to look at either, just had to put that out there. :)

I already have post-season depression.

This is going to be super tough on me, I can tell. I don't know if it's that I wasn't expecting it to be over so soon or what, but geez, it's been not even a full day yet, my gosh. I guess I was just thinking the boys would be around for awhile longer to watch them play. -sigh-

But, I listened to WGR for a bit today (probably more than I should have) and Marty Biron was on again, and I really love him. He isn't going to come on the radio and talk about what went wrong and blame people, he is just going to give you the positives because it's the kind of guy he is. He isn't going to tell us Tim Connolly blew it, or that Derek Roy should be traded, or that maybe Darcy Regier should pack his bags now, no. None of that stuff with Marty. He is neutral, and it's cool. He is a player also and he also doesn't play for Buffalo (at the moment), so he is just giving what he can from what he saw. He also still has the cute accent I love, so that's nice. :)

I'm just glad that I have this little blog and that there are a bunch of others that I'm sure will be updated all throughout the off season so that I don't feel too much withdrawl. It's gonna be rough for the time being though. Maybe at some time I will get pissed and just be like "hell with hockey for now", but not at the moment. I think I was supposed to feel that yesterday, but I never really did. Though I didn't feel that every player on the team gave their all in these playoffs, I can't really say I was mad. I just want to see the bums play more, is that so wrong? Who knows. Guess I will have to pick a 2nd favorite team for now and see who gets the cup. Chicago maybe? Sounds good for now.

Sabres vs. Bruins--Game 6, I'm not too bitter really

I really feel kind of ehhh at the moment. Half feels like "how could you do this??" and the other half feels sad I won't see the bums until Sept. at the earliest. The breakdown of tonight's game is pretty unimportant at this rate, but the young guys were the ones out there busting their butts for this team. Not just tonight, but pretty much the whole series. There were also a lot of goals (well, actually, pretty much all of them) scored by "underdog" players on the team. Guys that don't usually necessarily do it, but stepped up and helped out when it mattered. Guys like Adam Mair, Steve Montador, Mike Grier, Patrick Kaleta, etc. The "top 6" might as well have been on vacation starting from the beginning, because that's how (what was left of them) played. Couple things:

-Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe: I love you both. You are both great. Please come to the Sabres for good and never leave us. You can bring Cody McCormick with you.

-Derek Roy, Toni Lydman, Tim Connolly and Raffi Torres: Don't be here when I get back.

-Ryan Miller: what else can we say bud? You gave us all you had, and that's all we can ask for. Everyone loves you, and yeah maybe Tuuka outplayed you, but you needed the help of the rest of the team, and you didn't get it as much as you should have. But you could do us a favor and stay in position more often. Thank you. See ya next year.

-Paul Gaustad: You better have a big, bright "C" on that jersey next year, that's all I'm saying. You are also to not be touched at all, you stay right here. Let Craig Rivet sit and cry it out when his "C" is taken away, he could use a burst of reality.

-PK and Tim Kennedy: you are both RFA's, and that's a lil bit scary, but I don't see either of you going anywhere. If anything, you both need a raise. You can take some of Tim Connolly's money if you want, it's cool.

-Tyler Myers: You are pretty damn great. You and Tallinder make a pretty awesome duo out there. Please be here for a long time, and try not to grow too much over the summer...haha.

-I'm not sure where Matt Ellis, Chris Butler and Raffi Torres went, but I guess it doesn't really matter too much.

-The rest of you are just, I dunno, I don't have much to say about you either way I guess.

So, it's a wrap for another season dudes. Disappointing yes, but we made some progress. Might not be enough to save some people's jobs, but that will all be worked out this summer (hopefully). It's just a little weird to think that the guys we saw all together on the ice tonight will probably not be the big family we see in October. So fill up on everything else, watch the NHL draft (like I decided to do in a Tully's a bunch of years ago when they were trying to draft some nobody named Patrick Kane...I dunno...), watch the NHL awards, see if Myers and Miller win those awards, and we'll all be back to this in a few months. I know I will be depressed sometime soon, just wondering when it will start to set in...

Sabres vs. Bruins--Game 5

WE DID IT! Well, we won one game in the right direction, but I reserve the right to be excited! ha. It was a great game after all, and the Sabres showed that they can actually PLAY and aren't big stinky brats just skating around in circles.

Adam Mair's goal was just awesome to start it all off, and he was pumped about it. It's always good to see someone who doesn't score do it, and in the playoffs no less. Pominville's goal made me think that maybe he isn't the weakest in the top 6, but he still needs to keep up his work. He isn't on as low a level as Connolly at least.

The Gaustad pass to Grier to GOAL! was just awesome. Gaustad's "we just scored!" smile also makes the world look like it's full of sunshine and kittens and I love it a lot.

Tyler Ennis is the greatest and we are keeping him forever and ever and never letting go. His empty netter was probably only the 3rd of forever for the Sabres, and it was a very dramatic one complete with a dive. Very nice.

I still hate Chara by the way, and when you start stuff, don't think these guys will just sit back and take it. You throw Satan in there also, and you add an old Sabre thing, and it gets weird I guess. You even pissed off Miller, what have you done??!! (Maybe it's the eyebrows, yikes!) He came all the way out of the goal ready to kick ass. Lalime was even on the bench giving his two cents verbally. It pretty much consisted of Z&^^))&^%$%!! from what I could lip read. I wish I was better at lip reading, but I'm sure I can fill in the blanks quite well. Then after a little verbal abuse, and a player pileup to end the game, all the guys come out to celebrate and Patty Lalime shows off his killer dance moves again. I am always happy to see that, it's just awesome.

The place was pumped, all the people outside were pumped, and I'm just glad I get to see Sabres hockey for another game. I was getting down about it today, about how this might be the last Sabres game I see till sometime in Sept. or something, and I was just trying to stay positive that the guys could come out with a win. I want to see more of this, I want to see it for a lot longer too. The summer is just too long without it.

Now the guys head to Boston (ackk) and have to fight for their playoff lives there. I just hope that what they did today can be done again, twice actually. Come on, it's been done, you guys have it, let's do this! Game on!!

Sabres vs. Bruins--Game 4

Well, a loss in a 2nd overtime wasn't EXACTLY what I was expecting, but my pessimistic father foreshadowed some kind of loss for the Sabres. I think he might just be somewhat bitter after all these years, but I (try) to not count anything out until it is all said and done.

Now that game 4 IS said and done, I guess I can complain, but I will leave that to a minimum. The guys knew what they had to do, they started to, and then they let the lead fall from their grasp...again. I don't want to say we need our injured players back, because that can't solve anything completely, but it sure as hell can't hurt. Unless one of them put it past Miller on us (sorry Dan Boyle, I said I wouldn't bring it up again...). A couple things here:

Ryan Miller really seems to be putting his best effort in, but even he is slipping up here and there, along with the major slippage of the top men we have left. Tim Connolly checked out as soon as the playoffs started (even before that actually), Derek Roy is still trying to make pretty plays all by himself and wanting to be a star, and Jason Pominville is just ehhh at the moment.

The young guys, Ennis and Kennedy, continue to fuel this team, which should turn the heads of the "veteran" players to maybe work a little harder, but all it seems to be doing is letting them put all the work on the young guys instead. Geez. Kennedy and Ennis, you can stay on the team when everyone else is FIRED.

Steve Montador has been delivering hits and scored a goal tonight as well, along with Kennedy. I think he steps up when he needs to.

Cody McCormick was like the new little big toy, and it was good to see someone new out there to rough up the Bruins. He did make his name heard tonight in some ways, and it went pretty well on his part.

I won't go into all the flaws and what needs to happen, because I have been listening to so much WGR lately, I might just explode. I really do like Nick Mendola's powerplay show in the morning though. I listen every morning from 10-noon and I like his point of view and agree with a lot of what he has to say. I also like that he takes calls and takes the caller's opinion into account and doesn't just bash them right away, even if he doesn't agree with what they have to say. He had Marty Biron on his show this morning, and I also really like Marty Biron. Would you like to come back to Buffalo Marty? Maybe? You could, it's cool. hehe. I also just went googling, and found out Nick Mendola graduated from the same high school I did 2 years before me. Weirdddd. I also like Marty Biron's cute accent, I can't help it. He seems like a really cool dude.

So that's that. The guys come back to Buffalo Friday and well, we all know what they have to do. Oh boy. Game on!!

Sabres vs. Bruins--Game 3

I thought I was frustrated at the last game, but this one tops that for sure. Our one little goal by Mike Grier could have been enough if these guys cared enough to want to keep a lead, or win for that matter. I really think that heart is just not in it for these guys, the way they looked out there was just pathetic. The first period may have been more of a back and forth, but after that, it was like they all checked out mentally for this game. I thought I was watching Timbits players out there or something, guys falling all over, guys getting checked, just overall blah. It makes Boston look like they can take us over physically and the Sabres are like little frail men or something. NEWS: YOU AREN'T! You are big strong men like them! I mean, there were hits all over the place, but the ones that were big and rattled guys all the way through were thrown by Boston. That Johnny Boychuk hit on Matt Ellis was just horrible, I was afraid Ellis wouldn't get back up. It seems like there should have been some kind of penalty on it, but what can you do when a guy is looking down and not at what's coming at him? Nothing really. Tell that guy to watch himself next time. It sucks, but it's hockey 101.

Rask was just right on his game and has been. He is very calm in the net, and even with 3 or 4 guys crowding or getting in there with him, he keeps it all under control. That helps a lot in these high pressure situations when every game is on the line. Miller can have just as much, but he sometimes doesn't get the support in front of the net he needs. There were always a bunch of Boston guys in front of Rask, guarding him, and they didn't leave Buffalo any room to score. If only our guys could give Miller that, it would help out a lot. A whole, whole lot really.

Random notes:

-Even after our loss tonight, no one team (or guy) can feel worse today than Dan Boyle and the San Jose Sharks. Yikes, that was just bad. I feel awful for that guy. I didn't know it was an OT goal too, damn. He will have trouble living that one down for sure. How horrible. :(

-Stafford came back tonight, and Vanek is in some kind of walking cast from what I heard. I don't know how soon that means he will be back, but hopefully it will be soon.

-Gaustad was fiesty tonight, he wanted to get in some guy's faces, Chara included. Him and that stupid cage over his face. He needs to get rid of that thing and let Gaustad just give him one right in the face. I mean, someone did it in the first place. Besides, seeing Paul do it would be so cool. I also see Gaustad's "A" is back, which I like. I still think he should be wearing Craig Rivet's "C", but maybe that's just me...

So, the series is now 2-1 in favor of Boston. We play another game in Boston Wed., before returning to Buffalo for a game Friday. Please win the next one guys, it would be good for the series to be tied. It would be even better to win this series and be done with the Bruins for good wouldn't it? Game on!!

Sabres vs. Bruins--Game 2

As an after thought, I am frustrated at this game. I know it's so early, but I guess that's what happens when you amp yourself up for something great and it turns out...less than great.

It started off innocent enough. NBC wet their collective pants over Ryan Miller and Tyler Myers (in true national network fashion, the rest of us Buffaloians are used to it all pretty much...haha). Ryan Miller played in the olympics and was awesome. Tyler Myers is young, tall and also awesome, but we all know that already. Let's get on with this hmmm?

Matt Ellis scored a goal, which I'm sure made him feel pretty damn awesome, seeing as his are pretty few and far in between. Pominville scored after my dad yelled at him through the tv for about 15 mins. straight (he probably did it just to shut him up...haha), and Tyler Myers scored and did a cute little jump for joy. Then that big idiot Chara (mature, I know) must have gotten all mad about something and scored twice at some point, and before we know it, we are down by one (these are all out of order, I realize this, ha). We were leading going into the 2nd, which is usually always a sign of a win, but not today. We were one upped in the 3rd until the very last minutes, when an empty net was scored and we end up losing by 2, therefore breaking our leading in the 2nd record. What a downer.

The whole thing with Thomas Vanek just made me so frustrated and sad. It's like, how much more in the injury dept. can this team take? We already have two forwards out, and now a third. I don't know if he will play Monday, as no details are available other than it's a lower body injury. It looked like it hurt like hell is all I can say. WGR was saying that if Drew Stafford is ready Monday, he can go in if needed, but who knows at this point. According to my father, Nathan Gerbe can not be called back up because he was just sent back, and there is a time period to wait or something, so I don't know. Random notes:

-I didn't even know/notice Tim Connolly was playing today. I don't know what his problem is lately, but he needs to step up, especially if Vanek ends up out for awhile.

-Tim Kennedy has been kicking ass lately, setting up plays, getting all over the place, just doing everything he needs to and being a great team player in general. For not playing in the NHL that long, he is doing an amazing job.

-NBC seemed to get some lovely scenic shots of Buffalo for the game today, it was pretty cool.

-There was an NHL/some car company commercial with Pat LaFontaine in it and I almost jumped for joy, it was so awesome. I wasn't paying close attention to the people in the commercial until I saw him put a jersey on with his name on the back and I yelled to my dad. It was so cool to see him, it made me want him to just come back on our team and play, I don't care how old he is. If Mark Recchi and Chris Chelios can do it, he can too, he is right in the middle of the two in age. Think about it Patty huh? hehe.

So, game 3 goes to Boston, and we just keep going along. Hopefully Vanek will be able to play, because we really need him and he just came off injury, so I'm sure he is just as bummed out about this as the fans and the rest of the team are. Here's sending get well wishes your way Tommy! Game on!!