Our Sabres seem to have hit a major roadblock

[Wraith]

Obviously you haven't been a fan for to long if your posting this. Remember last years little 8-10 game skid at the end of the year? People in Buffalo should've been worried but they weren't. Relax man they'll be fine.

 

Best post of this entire thread. Looking back I'm surprised the Niagara river wasn't clogged with Sabres fans throwing themselves over the Falls. People have glorified last year's team so much that they gloss over all the downs that came along with the ups. The same ups and downs that have occured to every team in every season in the history of every professional sports team ever! From March 18th to April 1st last year, the Sabres lost EIGHT OF NINE GAMES, including SEVEN IN A ROW and losses of 0 - 5 to Atlanta and 0 - 7 to Toronto, two teams that MISSED THE PLAYOFFS. I do not want to know what would be said if something similar happened this year.

 

It's the same type of glorification of the 1999 Stanley Cup finals team lead by Hasek. The supposed "Hardest Working Team in Hockey" that, if you ask some of the people on this board, never played a game with less than 110% effort all season. Bullsh%t!

 

I understand living and dying with a team over the course of a season but this panic that seems to grip the fans every time the Sabres lose a game is pathetic. It honestly feels like some of these fans have never followed a professional sports team before. That's to be expected from guys like LSI who have clearly jumped on the bandwagon but from others who claim to followed the team for thirty years it's surprising and annoying. To me it's pretty clear that Buffalo sports fans have an extremely difficult time following and rooting for the leader of the pack.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

To me it's pretty clear that Buffalo sports fans have an extremely difficult time following and rooting for the leader of the pack.

 

Can you blame them? It's not like it happens too often and when it does, there's no trophy at the end.

[Wraith]

Can you blame them? It's not like it happens too often and when it does, there's no trophy at the end.

 

In this particular case there is a trophy. And the fact that it doesn't happen too often is what should make it enjoyable and special, not difficult to enjoy. I understand that "In the lead" is not exactly a comfort zone for Buffalonians but for heavens sake some of these people should take the time to enjoy the regular season on it's own merits and leave the post-season for the post-season.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

In this particular case there is a trophy. And the fact that it doesn't happen too often is what should make it enjoyable and special, not difficult to enjoy. I understand that "In the lead" is not exactly a comfort zone for Buffalonians but for heavens sake some of these people should take the time to enjoy the regular season on it's own merits and leave the post-season for the post-season.

 

Uh, which major sports franchise has this city had that's won a championship? (And don't give me the AFL championship, either.)

 

Not to be a smartass or anything, but the post-season is the ONLY thing that matters.

 

That's what most Buffalonians are thinking, I'd bet.

[Wraith]

Uh, which major sports franchise has this city had that's won a championship? (And don't give me the AFL championship, either.)

 

Not to be a smartass or anything, but the post-season is the ONLY thing that matters.

 

That's what most Buffalonians are thinking, I'd bet.

 

Where did I say Buffalo had won a chamionship?

 

I didn't say the post-season didn't matter. I said start worrying about the post-season on April 11th and enjoy the regular season for what it is: an enjoyable season.

 

If the post-season was the only thing that was important to me I might as well hand in my Sabres stuff and start rooting for the Carolina Hurricanes. I'd fit in better with their fans. Hell, why did I sit through all those Bills games for the last decade? I haven't expected a Super Bowl appearance in over ten years yet I still watched almost every minute of every game in that time span. I did so because as a sports fans who isn't gripped by some irrational panic get enjoyment from more than those 15 minutes of happiness following a championship.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Where did I say Buffalo had won a chamionship?

 

I didn't say the post-season didn't matter. I said start worrying about the post-season on April 11th and enjoy the regular season for what it is: an enjoyable season.

 

If the post-season was the only thing that was important to me I might as well hand in my Sabres stuff and start rooting for the Carolina Hurricanes. I'd fit in better with their fans. Hell, why did I sit through all those Bills games for the last decade? I haven't expected a Super Bowl appearance in over ten years yet I still watched almost every minute of every game in that time span. I did so because as a sports fans who isn't gripped by some irrational panic get enjoyment from more than those 15 minutes of happiness following a championship.

 

There you go. Now that wasn't hard, was it?

 

I hear ya. I think it is the ANTICIPATION on what could be that has people in a twist.

[Cornerville]

Best post of this entire thread. Looking back I'm surprised the Niagara river wasn't clogged with Sabres fans throwing themselves over the Falls. People have glorified last year's team so much that they gloss over all the downs that came along with the ups. The same ups and downs that have occured to every team in every season in the history of every professional sports team ever! From March 18th to April 1st last year, the Sabres lost EIGHT OF NINE GAMES, including SEVEN IN A ROW and losses of 0 - 5 to Atlanta and 0 - 7 to Toronto, two teams that MISSED THE PLAYOFFS. I do not want to know what would be said if something similar happened this year.

 

It's the same type of glorification of the 1999 Stanley Cup finals team lead by Hasek. The supposed "Hardest Working Team in Hockey" that, if you ask some of the people on this board, never played a game with less than 110% effort all season. Bullsh%t!

 

I understand living and dying with a team over the course of a season but this panic that seems to grip the fans every time the Sabres lose a game is pathetic. It honestly feels like some of these fans have never followed a professional sports team before. That's to be expected from guys like LSI who have clearly jumped on the bandwagon but from others who claim to followed the team for thirty years it's surprising and annoying. To me it's pretty clear that Buffalo sports fans have an extremely difficult time following and rooting for the leader of the pack.

 

You make some very good points, but here are some other factors that make this team feel different this year then last year:

 

1. Last year the Sabres started out 8-9-0-1 and were in last place. Then the Sabres were basically on FIRE the rest of the season, exclusing that 2 week stretch, they were the best team in the NHL after Thanksgiving, and arguably, the entire year, until the injury big killed the Sabres chances of advancing to the SC Finals.

 

2. This year, the Sabres were the best team in the NHL bar none BEFORE Thanksgiving. The Sabres were 20-3-1 at one point. If you do the math from that point on, yes the Sabres still have an above average record since the 20-3-1 start, but the Sabres clearly have not been as dominant consistently this year over the same stretch as to compared to last year.

 

3. The Sabres defence IMO was better last year, I really do believe the Sabres defence misses a physical and shot blocking presence like a Jay McKee.

 

4. Expectations: Last year was a magical ride, a almost care-free run in a sense. This year the expectations have been stanley cup or bust from the onset. Especially when you consider that Drury and Briere are UFA's. This might be our best chance ever.

 

Can the Sabres win it all?

 

No question about it!!

 

But, right or wrong on my part, I felt slightly more confident last year. Maybe it is because we are now more the hunted then the hunter, who knows.

[Alaska Darin]

You just made 95% of your posts in PPP look silly. So it isn't the principle, it's whether you win or lose? That doesn't sound like you.

Read the post again. Then figure out how wrong YOU are.

I say this team has faulty character which will lead to never winning the cup. I've been yelling it since day 1 and mad that Regeir didn't do a thing about it. This team worked hard last year and caught people by surprise. They are doing neither the past 3 months.

You mean like the faulty character they showed the other night in Pittsburgh when they made up 2 goals with under 10 minutes to go? Or last night in Atlanta? They worked no harder last season. It's a long year and every team goes through spells.

I was one of the few that didn't buy into Donahoe after seeing him for a few years. That doesn't mean I hate the Bills. I hate when something I cherish is being manhandled by someone who doesn't understand why that thing is so important, and who makes a mockery out of it for that very reason. Once we lost Donahoe, I felt 100 times better about this team, potential senility and all. I can now go to The Ralph without feeling "dirty". I don't think Regeir is a snake oil man....but I think we got lucky the NHL tried going NBA in it's marketing until they realised that was even worse than the Old NHL. As for pain.....I've lived through the Ruutu,Hougue,Turgeon era. That's enough pain to make me not touch the hot stove again.

So now you're comparing a team that has been in contention for the President's Trophy all year to a team that never sniffed the playoffs?

 

As for your comparison to the NBA, you couldn't be more wrong. That's OK, it looks like your it's your "thing". Congrats on not buying into Donahoe after seeing him for a few "years". Of course, that's about how long he was actually in Buffalo. But I'm sure you also understand the NHL much better than Lindy does. WTF would he know about it?

 

Typical Buffalonian. Always fixated on the brass ring and just can't enjoy the journey.

[Dwight Drane]

Read the post again. Then figure out how wrong YOU are.

 

You mean like the faulty character they showed the other night in Pittsburgh when they made up 2 goals with under 10 minutes to go? Or last night in Atlanta? They worked no harder last season. It's a long year and every team goes through spells.

 

So now you're comparing a team that has been in contention for the President's Trophy all year to a team that never sniffed the playoffs?

 

As for your comparison to the NBA, you couldn't be more wrong. That's OK, it looks like your it's your "thing". Congrats on not buying into Donahoe after seeing him for a few "years". Of course, that's about how long he was actually in Buffalo. But I'm sure you also understand the NHL much better than Lindy does. WTF would he know about it?

 

Typical Buffalonian. Always fixated on the brass ring and just can't enjoy the journey.

 

A) My whole point is that it is about the journey and not the ring. If we are to win a Stanley Cup then we are only 2/3 through the season. 70 gone and roughly 35 to go. What has happened so far means JACK! I was begging for a physical foreward and a physical defenseman to help us down the stretch. We don't have a leader in that department. Peters,Mair, and to an extent Stafford, Drury, and Spacek are the only guys who will hunt people out. When you have no hunters...you are the hunted. It's been going on since December, and it has worked for opposing teams.

 

B) You must not follow hockey much, as the team I mentioned would go to the playoffs every year. Much like Peters and Mair, we had Hartman and Maguire. When it came to the playoffs, all the skill in the world gets you nowhere without grit. The 2006-07 Sabres who will be on the ice during the playoffs haven't shown me grit.

 

C) Bandwagon Fan......I've lived in Florida for years and have kept my Sabres tickets. For whatever reason, when you go to a game at the HSBC this year, it is more like the Depew Roller Rink circa 1988. I enjoyed it much more with 13,000 educated true fans than 18,000 "fans" who boo their team, chant constant obscenities, and claw each others' eyes out for a free T-shirt with a logo on it that everyone said was an atrocity just 6 months earlier. When the Bills were at their prime, this community knew football inside and out. There were almost 80,000 people who were all on the same wavelength come Sunday, and another million at home. This little Sabres thing is far short from that, and I will stubbornly stand alone and call it what I see it to be. Do I hope I am wrong....yes. Do I feel I will be wrong....No.

[Alaska Darin]

A) My whole point is that it is about the journey and not the ring. If we are to win a Stanley Cup then we are only 2/3 through the season. 70 gone and roughly 35 to go. What has happened so far means JACK! I was begging for a physical foreward and a physical defenseman to help us down the stretch. We don't have a leader in that department. Peters,Mair, and to an extent Stafford, Drury, and Spacek are the only guys who will hunt people out. When you have no hunters...you are the hunted. It's been going on since December, and it has worked for opposing teams.

Let me know when one of the 32 hires you to GM. They're obviously missing the boat. I'm sorry you're not enjoying the journey. That's your loss.

B) You must not follow hockey much, as the team I mentioned would go to the playoffs every year. Much like Peters and Mair, we had Hartman and Maguire. When it came to the playoffs, all the skill in the world gets you nowhere without grit. The 2006-07 Sabres who will be on the ice during the playoffs haven't shown me grit.

Nah, you're just the bestest fan ever. You're wrong when you say "all the skill in the world gets you nowhere." You have to have a combination of both PLUS some luck to win it all. No one I've ever met in hockey has consistantly been able to pick a SC champion before the playoffs started. Gee, I wonder why that is.

C) Bandwagon Fan......I've lived in Florida for years and have kept my Sabres tickets. For whatever reason, when you go to a game at the HSBC this year, it is more like the Depew Roller Rink circa 1988. I enjoyed it much more with 13,000 educated true fans than 18,000 "fans" who boo their team, chant constant obscenities, and claw each others' eyes out for a free T-shirt with a logo on it that everyone said was an atrocity just 6 months earlier. When the Bills were at their prime, this community knew football inside and out. There were almost 80,000 people who were all on the same wavelength come Sunday, and another million at home. This little Sabres thing is far short from that, and I will stubbornly stand alone and call it what I see it to be. Do I hope I am wrong....yes. Do I feel I will be wrong....No.

Welcome to being a fan in modern day America. It's only going to get worse the more money it costs to get in the barn. You want to find real fans? Go to minor league sporting events.

 

If you are right, it won't be because you're actually right. Figure that one out.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

You make some very good points, but here are some other factors that make this team feel different this year then last year:

 

1. Last year the Sabres started out 8-9-0-1 and were in last place. Then the Sabres were basically on FIRE the rest of the season, exclusing that 2 week stretch, they were the best team in the NHL after Thanksgiving, and arguably, the entire year, until the injury big killed the Sabres chances of advancing to the SC Finals.

 

2. This year, the Sabres were the best team in the NHL bar none BEFORE Thanksgiving. The Sabres were 20-3-1 at one point. If you do the math from that point on, yes the Sabres still have an above average record since the 20-3-1 start, but the Sabres clearly have not been as dominant consistently this year over the same stretch as to compared to last year.

Point #2 relates to the last part of point #1. Injuries since Thanksgiving have hurt the Sabres, but they're still just a point out of the overall lead, with a game less played.

[X. Benedict]

You just made 95% of your posts in PPP look silly. So it isn't the principle, it's whether you win or lose? That doesn't sound like you.

 

I say this team has faulty character which will lead to never winning the cup. I've been yelling it since day 1 and mad that Regeir didn't do a thing about it. This team worked hard last year and caught people by surprise. They are doing neither the past 3 months.

 

I was one of the few that didn't buy into Donahoe after seeing him for a few years. That doesn't mean I hate the Bills. I hate when something I cherish is being manhandled by someone who doesn't understand why that thing is so important, and who makes a mockery out of it for that very reason. Once we lost Donahoe, I felt 100 times better about this team, potential senility and all. I can now go to The Ralph without feeling "dirty". I don't think Regeir is a snake oil man....but I think we got lucky the NHL tried going NBA in it's marketing until they realised that was even worse than the Old NHL. As for pain.....I've lived through the Ruutu,Hougue,Turgeon era. That's enough pain to make me not touch the hot stove again.

You make it sound like you were chased out of and

Misunderstood on the Sabres board. Nah, you just kept hitting winners.

Like:

 

I'll take a any $20 bet that Miller is out of the league in 4 yrs. because he has very little interest in hockey.

 

Jason Pominville is Dixon Ward and will never score 30 goals.

 

Danny Briere is gutless and suffers from little man syndrome.

 

I can't stand these bandwagon fans - we used to eat oatmeal and have sucky teams with heart and liked it.

 

 

The truth is you have never really liked the composition of the team Darcy has assembled. That's fine.

Most people disagreed with you on that.

But teams like this attract fans because they are a hell of a lot of fun to watch most nights.

They may never win a cup. But years from now I think we'll remember this team fondly.

[Dwight Drane]

You make it sound like you were chased out of and

Misunderstood on the Sabres board. Nah, you just kept hitting winners.

Like:

 

I'll take a any $20 bet that Miller is out of the league in 4 yrs. because he has very little interest in hockey.

 

Jason Pominville is Dixon Ward and will never score 30 goals.

 

Danny Briere is gutless and suffers from little man syndrome.

 

I can't stand these bandwagon fans - we used to eat oatmeal and have sucky teams with heart and liked it.

The truth is you have never really liked the composition of the team Darcy has assembled. That's fine.

Most people disagreed with you on that.

But teams like this attract fans because they are a hell of a lot of fun to watch most nights.

They may never win a cup. But years from now I think we'll remember this team fondly.

 

I never said I was chased away.....I still stick to my Miller hypothesis. He will go AWOL someday. I collected some cash from Dolphin fans with Ricky Williams and I felt I should double down. Same personalities...Ricky used the ganga as an excuse to get out. Briere is diving and whining as much as Roy these days, and I also had to walk uphill...both ways to school!

 

Pominville has surprised me, but he still isn't much more than a Ward in my head.

 

I left because I was too negative for a hometown board. At least you see that I am half full of it. The only reason I chimed in here is because the Lynchmob was going after someone else who didn't deserve it.

[KD in CA]

I understand living and dying with a team over the course of a season but this panic that seems to grip the fans every time the Sabres lose a game is pathetic. It honestly feels like some of these fans have never followed a professional sports team before. That's to be expected from guys like LSI who have clearly jumped on the bandwagon but from others who claim to followed the team for thirty years it's surprising and annoying. To me it's pretty clear that Buffalo sports fans have an extremely difficult time following and rooting for the leader of the pack.

 

Well said. Pretty sad when people can't even enjoy rooting for the best team in the league.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

I never said I was chased away.....I still stick to my Miller hypothesis. He will go AWOL someday. I collected some cash from Dolphin fans with Ricky Williams and I felt I should double down. Same personalities...Ricky used the ganga as an excuse to get out.

Wait, Miller has a drug problem? He's got some personality disorder? He's on a bad team? He hates his coach?

 

Sorry but comparing Miller to Williams is WACKED!

 

Briere is diving and whining as much as Roy these days, and I also had to walk uphill...both ways to school!

Diving yes, but whining with reason.

Pominville has surprised me, but he still isn't much more than a Ward in my head.

Another head-scratcher.

[Oneonta Buffalo Fan]

When is Afiniganov due to return? I thought he was only out for 6 weeks.

 

Also, anything new on Connely?

Afiniganov is hoping to make a return with 2 games left in the season. For Connelly, nothing has changed, I think.

 

Maxim

 

Connolly

[MadBuffaloDisease]

Afiniganov is hoping to make a return with 2 games left in the season. For Connel, nothing has changed.

Not true. Connolly back on ice.

[Oneonta Buffalo Fan]

Not true. Connolly back on ice.

Well, he can skate, but when can he practice. They say this week, but I say next week. They won't rush him back

[Wraith]

Afiniganov is hoping to make a return with 2 games left in the season. For Connel, nothing has changed.

 

Maxim

 

Connolly

 

Not true about Connolly:

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=573311

[Oneonta Buffalo Fan]

Not true about Connolly:

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=573311

OK. OK. I did see this.