Buffalo/Florida Round 3, plus some background on the Cats rebuild

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-27-2017


The Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres are both coming off of decisive wins on Saturday. Despite both teams being out of the playoffs and playing for pride, the Panthers laid a 7-0 shellacking on the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks while the Sabres beat down the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 5-2 score. Tonight the Panthers and the Sabres will meet for the third time this season with a little spring in their step.

Florida will step on to the KeyBank Center ice with 77 points and in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, three points ahead of Buffalo who are in seventh. The teams have split the season series thus far with the home team winning each time--Buffalo 3-0 and Florida 4-3 in the shootout. Last year when the Panthers were on their way to 103 points atop the division Florida took both games in Buffalo and going 3-1 vs. the Sabres while outscoring them by a combined 17-10 margin.

This year has been disappointing for both clubs as both will be out of the playoffs with the Panthers taking a major step backwards. Injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad early in the season left the team struggling and was said to be the impetus for the ouster of head coach Gerard Gallant who had a 11-10-1 record when he was fired. That said, philosophical differences were said to be the real reason.

After a somewhat disappointing first-round exit in last year's playoffs, the Panthers moved in earnest towards a more analytics-based philosophy. Old-school GM Dale Tallon who built much of the Chicago Blackhawks three time Stanley Cup winning teams and who was also responsible for the progress of Florida since his hire in 2010 was kicked up to the front office to make room for an analytics oriented GM in Tom Rowe.

The analytics focus had been in swing for months dating back to the prior season and continued came in a Draft-day trade with the Buffalo Sabres when they traded gritty defenseman Dmitry Kulikov for "analytics darling" Mark Pysyk. The two clubs got what they wanted but the team results have been disastrous with the Cats taking a major step back and the Sabres struggling to surpass their points-total from last season.

Then again, the injuries to key players early in the season--Huberdeau and Bjugstad for Florida, Jack Eichel, Kulikov and Evander Kane for Buffalo--really put a crimp in their respective seasons.

So with both teams all but mathematically eliminated from the post season, they'll meet tonight with minimal history but similar rebuild stories.

The Panthers perennial rebuild gained traction with the hiring of Tallon in May, 2010. Kulikov was already in the fold as a 2009, 14th overall pick and at the 2010 draft Tallon took defenseman Eric Gudbranson (3rd) and Bjugstad (19th) in the first round. Huberdeau was selected third-overall the following season and after a brief taste of success coupled with a playoff birth in 2011-12, it was back to the high picks. Alexsander Barkov was selected second-overall in 2013 and in 2014 the Panthers won the lottery over the Sabres and selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad with first overall choice.

Adding Barkov and Ekblad, as well as some key free agent signings like Brian Campbell and Jaromir Jagr, to a strong core got the team from 66 points in 2013-14 to 91 points the following season to 103 points last year and their second playoff birth in five seasons.

Gudbranson was traded away as part of their analytics movement and Campbell was allowed to walk but they still have a ton of talent. However, like the Sabres, the Panthers were unable to put it all together this season.

For Sabres fans who were looking for a quick jump to a playoff birth after years of futility, as shown with the Panthers climb, it doesn't happen overnight.

Tonight's Round-3 between two clubs with different philosophies. Granted, hockey is hockey, but ownership and management dictate how they'll approach their team-building. Buffalo GM Tim Murray began his rebuild in 2014 seemingly with a LA Kings "heavy" philosophy then began altering his views more towards speed as the league got faster. The Panthers moved towards analytics after Tallon built a team with some bigger, grittier hockey players.

It will be a couple years or more before we find out where this all leads, but for tonight we have two teams coming off of impressive wins with similar skill-sets, at least up front, who don't have much to play for.

Hopefully it will be an entertaining game.


*****

Congratulations to Sabres captain Brian Gionta who will be playing in his 1000th NHL game tonight. The 38 yr. old has a 48-goal season under his belt, a Stanley Cup ring (NJD) and can lay claim to being the first American-born player to wear the lone 'C' for the storied Montreal Canadiens franchise.

At 5'7" 178 lbs. Gionta was a longshot to make it but he's managed 585 points (288+297) in his 999 games thus far and looks as if he's got plenty more gas in the tank.


*****

And congratulations to Kulikov who unknowingly played his 500th game on Saturday in Buffalo's 5-2 win over Toronto. The former Panthers pick had a goal and an assist in his first game back from a concussion.

Kulikov has had a brutal season for the Sabres so far this year. He missed most of camp while playing in the World Cup of Hockey then suffered a tough tail-bone/back injury after getting checked into an open bench door in the preseason. He never could get it together as the injury to his back lingered and he suffered under the weight of playing a lot of competitive hockey prior to the season. Perhaps the concussion was a blessing in disguise as he remained away from the ice for nine games which may have finally allowed his body to catch up.

His last game was easily his best game as a Sabre.


*****

Sabres should have the 'For Sale' sign up headed towards the trade deadline

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-27-2017


To rehash the events of the last couple of weeks, the Sabres started out a three-game winning streak with a sweet 3-2 win at Ottawa with one game left to go before their bye week. At the time they were enjoying a productive month going 6-3-1 to that point and were two points behind the Florida Panthers for third place in the division and only two points out of the second wild-card spot as well.

Unfortunately the teams around them had games in hand that were mostly made up during the Sabres bye week . After getting shellacked 5-2 by the Chicago Blackhawks before their hockey hiatus Buffalo sat on the sidelines and watched as deficit swelled to six points in both races.

On tap for the Sabres was a back-to-back roadie beginning Saturday against the two worst teams in the league--the Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes. Teams coming our of their bye weeks had struggled mightily combining for a meager 4-12-4 combined record and when Buffalo fell behind 3-0 in the first period against the last place Avalanche, it looked as if they were going down in flames as well. The Sabres did claw their way back in a game that most had them losing and made it interesting but couldn't overcome a number of factors, including some egregious non-calls very late in the game, and went on to lose.

For a follow up the Sabres travelled to Arizona to take on the 29th place Coyotes who just traded away top-six center Martin Hanzal. A displeased and somewhat disjointed Coyotes club entered the third period down 2-0 against the Sabres but proceeded to score three unanswered goals to come away with the win.

With that loss, and the three-game losing streak the Sabres are on right now, their playoff hopes are about as slim as can be as they're seven points out of the second wild card spot and eight points out of third place in the division. It would take a herculean winning streak for Buffalo to get into the playoffs and we're pretty sure they don't have the horses to get there as they're longest winning streak of the season is three games.

The post-mortem on the season may simply read that this just wasn't going to be their year. From the injury to Jack Eichel the day before opening night which to an injury to Evander Kane on opening night, to Ryan O'Reilly's back-spasms and Dmitry Kulikov's unlucky fall into an open bench door, the Sabres barely clung to their senses early in the season. With Jack back and Kane on a tear, the team rose from the ashes but could never put together a sustainable run to get them to the top of a clump of teams in the middle of the conference.

It was also a season that clearly exposed some glaring weaknesses on the team. We'll never know what could've been with Kulikov healthy to start the season and playing in the World Cup of Hockey didn't help his transition to Buffalo either, but we do know that he's one of four defensemen on Buffalo that have looked below average.

This season also exposed problems between coach and players. Last night's loss was yet another where the Sabres tried to protect a lead only to give it up. This is a fragile Sabres team at times and last night after Rasmus Ristolainen's turnover lead to Arizona's first goal, Buffalo went into a shell and from there it was all down hill.

GM Tim Murray has a couple of problems on his hands right now, most notably the defense-corps. With his team too far out of a playoff spot and very little defensive help to be had at the trade deadline, he's more apt to unload what free agent contracts he has on hand and be a seller at this year's trade deadline. Kulikov and Cody Franson are both rentals that could add defensive depth for playoff teams at a very reasonable rate. There's no need to keep them as they don't look to be part of the future for Buffalo. If Murray could land a third or fourth rounder for either player, he'll have done well.

Another player the Sabres might be interested in moving is backup goalie Anders Nilsson who's having the best season of his career. Nilsson is 9-8-4 with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Perhaps he could fetch a fourth or fifth rounder.

The player that teams may want most is the one that doesn't want to be traded. Sabres captain Brian Gionta is a 38 yr. old veteran with a Stanley Cup to his resume. With 12 goals and 15 assists, Gionta is on pace to have his best season since signing in Buffalo back in 2014. He has publicly stated his desire to stay with the club and it's assumed that the Sabres would respect his wishes by not trading him.

Those were the pending UFA's but Kane's name keeps cropping up. Kane will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and has been on a tear lately. There have been rumors linking him to the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild, the latter of which has a strong, deep defense pool from which to tap into.

Buffalo has one more game left before the trade deadline as they kick off a three-game home stand against the Nashville Predators tomorrow night. Between now and then we'll see just how fixated on the future Murray is.

No answers

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-10-2016


There were a few bright spots for the Buffalo Sabres last night, but they were few and far between. In the end the Sabres had no answer for what the Washington Capitals threw at them. No answer for Washington's speed and tenacity in all three zones. No answer on the penalty kill. No answer for a back-up goalie.

The Sabres will into a three-day hiatus between games with plenty to think about and plenty to work on as a splotchy effort in front of a home crowd where boos could be heard lead to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Capitals.

Washington ratcheted up the speed and tenacity last night and after hanging with them through 20 minutes, Buffalo couldn't keep pace. Special teams played a huge role in the loss as Buffalo's powerplay was anything but and their penalty kill is drifting towards life support. The Sabres went 1-5 on the powerplay mustering a measly two shots on goal through the first four before finally breaking through with a goal from Kyle Okposo on the fifth to make the score 2-1. Unlike the game at Washington on Monday where they were constantly around the net, Buffalo didn't get any real net-front presence until that goal with 7:57 left in the third period as both Okposo and Sam Reinhart were parked right on the door step for the rebound.

For as much trouble as the Sabres were having throughout the game to this point, Okposo's goal still left them down by only one. The morgue that was KeyBank Center came to life and the Sabres rode that burst of energy for all of 1:25 before Sabres captain Brian Gionta was whistled for interference. Although Washington's Evgeny Kuznetzov gave an Oscar-worthy performance on the play, the ref felt there was enough to send Gionta to the box. Less than a minute later the Capitals regained their two-goal advantage on their second powerplay goal of the game off the stick of defenseman John Carlson. It was Carlson's first goal since April of last season.

As was the case on Monday, the veteran Capitals team took advantage of the opportunities the Sabres gave them. On their first goal a defensive lapse by Buffalo's Dmitry Kulikov allowed TJ Oshie to waltz to the front of the net and bury a wrister top-shelf from five feet. On Washington's second goal Kuznetzov squeezed by a check from Buffalo's Jake McCabe in the Buffalo zone and from the goal line fed rookie Jakub Vrana who had sneaked past Ryan O'Reilly for the tap-in. And a seemingly confused Buffalo PK unit allowed Carlson plenty of space for his Phil Niekro-type knuckle ball from the slot to sail through a partial screen.

And so it went.

The litany of transgressions for this performance wasn't limited to the players on the ice and may actually begin at the top with the decision to bring in three players off of the injured list. Kulikov was back in the lineup after 13 games on injured reserve. Fellow defenseman Josh Gorges returned after missing three games and forward Nicolas Deslauriers returned after spending 19 games on IR.

Cap considerations could be at the crux of the decision to bring all three back at the same time as the Sabres have been tight against the NHL cap ceiling due to the rash of injuries. For the last month Buffalo has been bringing players up from Rochester for games and sending them back down as quickly as possible trying to save every penny they could against the cap.

Or they could have just wanted to see what the team would be like with nearly a complete lineup and if that's the case, it wasn't a pretty picture. Kulikov had a particularly brutal night. He was on the ice for three of Washington's four goals (including the empty netter) and looked completely out of sorts for stretches. The team speed and skating ability we saw when rookies Brendan Guhle and Eric Burgdoerfer were on the back end dissipated as Kulikov's confusion and Gorges' slower style bogged down the transition game. Deslauriers, who was not having a very good season even before his injury, saw 5:48 of ice-time and was a non-factor.

Having all three of them back in the line up may have been too much of an adjustment for a team that was playing very well during a 5-2-2 stretch.

Yet there were others who had plenty of trouble in this one. Reinhart had a disconnect between his brain and his stick again, McCabe was spastic all night and Zemgus Girgensons is still in his downward spiral trying desperately to gain control. Defenseman Cody Franson had one good hit early in the first but still lacks conviction and Jack Eichel's trying to do too much. Props to O'Reilly in the offensive zone as his line applied tons of pressure but he was also on the ice for three of Washington's four goals.

Not good enough. And that goes for the coaching staff as well.

Assistant coach Bob Woods came on board this summer to replace Dan Lambert who is at the helm in Rochester. Throughout Sabres broadcasts this season we hear analyst Rob Ray mention his talks with Woods and how the coach wants more out of his players from a possession and/or transition perspective, among other things. What coach wouldn't? But when your team is stifled through two powerplays mustering only one shot, adjustments need to be made and that didn't happen last night as evidenced by only two shots on goal through the first four powerplays.

And lest we forget, prior to Eichel returning from injury, the Sabres were averaging a league-low 1.81 goals per game, an output that rivaled the tank years for futility.

That said, head coach Dan Bylsma did shift his system to the defensive side when the team at one point was icing five AHL'ers but with the return of Eichel, as well as the inclusion of Guhle, they kicked it in gear. However, he'll need to adjust again as Eichel is not 100% and Guhle's been sent back to Prince George of the WHL.

And then there's the penalty kill. Assistant Terry Murray needs to find an answer. Should they be passive? Should they be aggressive? Should they be passive-aggressive? Whatever the solution, they need to start figuring it out. The Sabres are at 50% on the kill through the last six games having given up nine goals on 18 opportunities and have given up two powerplay goals in four of the last six. They managed to cheat death and pull out wins the previous three times but against Washington last night it finally got to them.

There aren't many teams that can overcome an inept penalty kill and the Sabres are not one of them.

Answers. That's what we're looking for. It's what will keep the home crowd in their seats for the entire game instead of heading for the exit when the opposition scores three goals.

Answers. It's what a good team has when facing difficult situations.

Answers. It's what coaches provide when the team is struggling.

Last night they had none, but they'll have three days to come up with some before the LA Kings come to town.

On Florida, Pysyk/Kulikov and Kevin Oklobzija

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-29-2016


“Every time they got [the puck on a turnover], they put it in the back of the net. Transition is a big part of the game and three of the last four goals we've given up were in transition. We've made some bad decisions at the blue line and gave them Grade-A scoring chances. They score and that's it.

"I would be lying if I thought that (injuries) didn't have a little bit to do with it, but I think we're playing good hockey, guys are buying in and competing. Sometimes they try to do too much. We have a lot of new bodies in our lineup, guys are feeling their way with new partners, linemates>"

That was Florida head coach Gerard Gallant talking to the gathered media (via the Miami Herald) about his Panthers team after practice at KeyBank Center. Florida has a matinee game against the Buffalo Sabres this afternoon and the young team is struggling a bit early in the season.

Florida is coming to Buffalo on a two-game losing streak but for Gallant it's not that they lost both, but it's how they lost. “We were leading and then gave up two on turnovers," said Gallant of their most recent loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. "Overall, I liked our game, thought we were good enough to win them. We just made some bad mistakes.”

Kinda sounds familiar, doesn't it, Sabres fans?

Unacceptable

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-26-2016


If it was the 90's and "Iron Mike" Keeanan was the coach of the Buffalo Sabres, a third period performance like the one last night it would be bag-skate day at practice this morning. It wouldn't matter if the team had a three-game in four night stretch coming up with back-to-back day games, the latter of which is in Winnipeg. A third period collapse like the one last night where the Sabres gave up a three-goal lead then proceeded to lose the game in the shootout is unacceptable, especially when Philadelphia was coming off of a 3-1 loss in Montreal the prior night.

Playoff teams don't blow a three-goal, third period lead in a game like that.

The Sabres fell into some bad habits last night that cost them dearly and it began with a fourth line that was disjointed on their first shift of the third period. Rookie Hudson Fasching took a hooking call and the Sabres almost killed off the penalty. But with less than :30 seconds left, 19 yr. old Travis Konecny redirected a shot from 19 yr. old Ivan Provorov and just like that the Flyers found some life.

The Sabres played smart hockey until Buffalo defenseman Dmitry Kulikov caught Philly's Jakub Voracek with a bone-jarring late hit at the Sabres blueline. Kulikov was called for charging by te referee as they found that the head was not the initial point of contact. Although Kulikov got the penalty it was set up by Buffalo forward Johan  Larsson who got a little too cute in his own zone and coughed up the puck.

The penalty came with 3:20 left in the game and just :24 seconds into the powerplay, the Flyers caught the Sabres out of position and a cross ice pass to Brayden Schenn was in the back of the Sabres net.

A poor decision by Marcus Foligno lead to Sam Reinhart eventually being called for a high stick. Reinhart blocked a shot in his own zone then headed up ice. Foligno picked up his drop pass and hit the Flyers blueline but instead of making the smart play and getting the puck deep, he tried to get too cute and sent an ill-advised pass back to Reinhart who had a man right on him. The puck was intercepted, Reinhart went to the box for the high stick and :36 seconds later the game was tied.

As much as you can fault the players in this one, they're an extension of coaching and management. Head coach Dan Bylsma's decision to move Reinhart to center between Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons did pay off as Ennis deflected a Girgensons shot to get the Sabres the 1-0 lead. But Bylsma, who's known for juggling lines as much as, if not moreso than former Sarbes head coach Lindy "The Tinkerer" Ruff also mixed up his defensive pairings.

Bylsma broke up his most solid d-pairing dating back to last season in Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe. The idea was to ramp up Kulkiov's playing time but it backfired. There was very little chemistry between Bogosian and Kulikov, and it showed on the Flyers first powerplay goal, while McCabe was sent to the great outpost known as the Isle of Franson and hopefully returns unscathed for the next game.

Buffalo's fourth line fell apart in the third period. Even though they did manage a scoring opportunity, having rookie Hudson Fasching play with a checking-line/depth player like Nicolas Deslauriers and an NHL/AHL tweener like Derek Grant. Fasching himself doesn't look ready for prime time as he's still having some trouble catching up to the NHL game. There are more and better options in Rochester, like Cole Schneider or Cal O'Reilly and this fixation with Fasching caught up to the team.

One player who's been in Bylsma's doghouse for over a year is Girgensons. Often times last year Girgensons was part of an "out-line" that came on the ice after a penalty kill to stabilize things when restoring order to the lines, but he's been used very little in that role so far this year. He was also used extensively on the penalty kill before Bylsma's arrival and lead the team with three shorthanded goals in the 2014-15 season. Sometimes X's and O's are overrated.

What it comes down to is this--it was a team/organizational collapse last night from the decisions to bring up certain players, to the use of players and the construction of the defense pairings to the players themselves. We know about "Iron Mike" and his tough approach to players but when it comes to coaching and management, had this been the George Steinbrenner/Billy Martin NY Yankees, "The Boss" would have been all over Martin for a collapse like that.

For the second time in three games the Sabres coughed up a point after blowing leads in the third period--at Calgary and at Philadelphia. Those are two points that may be desperately needed during the stretch-drive if their in the running for a playoff spot.

Some may write this one off, but fact is, what transpired last night is totally unacceptable.

Building the 2016-17 Buffalo Sabres roster--LHD, Dmitry Kulikov

While some fans of Buffalo and Florida may find it a rather curious move placing recently acquired defenseman Dmitry Kulikov atop the left side of the Sabres blueline, the former Panther may have a number of things working in his favor this season towards that placement.

At Day-2 of the NHL Entry Draft held in Buffalo, Sabres GM Tim Murray once again landed a player that fits his ideal for building this team--a quality young-vet. Kulikov is in his prime at the age of 25 and already has 460 regular season games under his belt plus another 13 in the playoffs. He has great size at 6'1" 204 size, skates very well and has a definitive edge to his game. "He'll hit you. He'll submarine you. He'll make you pay the price if your head's down," said Murray to the gathered media at the post-trade presser.

He also has a "great first pass," said Murray, to help transition the puck up ice. "We certainly like guys who make a tape-to-tape pass and with our forwards, if you can make a tape-to-tape pass, good things are going to happen in transition. [Kulikov's] just a great fit."

NHL.com's 30-In-30: "This current group of Sabres in uncharted territory.”

Every year NHL.com gives hockey fans something to digest during the precipitous lull that is the off season--30 Teams in 30 Days. Today it was Buffalo's turn as the NHL.com staff moves their way up from the bottom to the top giving an overview of each team.

Simply put, NHL.com's Dan Rosen said the bar has already been set and expectations have risen, so said head coach Dan Bylsma through an interview with Rosen back in July. The Sabres had been a doormat two years running but made great strides going from 54 points in 2014-15 to 81 points in 2015-16. In the last of his five questions from that interview Rosen posed this, "Nobody had any expectations for the Sabres last season, but I don't think we can say the same thing now. What can you do to manage the expectations? Or do you even want to manage them? What do you think about having expectations to potentially be a playoff team?"

"I think it's a really valid point and it's one we're going to be dealing with right from the start of training camp," began Bylsma's reply. "We're going to have that and we're going to want that expectation for our group.

"When we talked about our plan starting last year, we thought we were going to be an 80- to 85-point team last season even though we were obviously trying to make the playoffs right from the start. Prior to getting Kyle [Okposo] and the possibility of getting Jimmy Vesey, we thought we could be a 90- to 95-point team this year. Now Kyle and Dmitry Kulikov, and if we can add Jimmy Vesey into our top six, we should expect to be 95 points or higher than that. We think we're better on defense. We think we're stronger. We're deeper. If you're looking at expectations from within, we should be above 95 points at the end of the season. It took 95 points to get into the playoffs in the East last season."

The many facets of the Dmitry Kulikov trade and the player himself

Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com


Recently acquired Buffalo Sabres defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was coming off of a strong playoff performance in a top-four, shutdown role for the Florida Panthers last year so he was a little surprised when he was traded to the Sabres. “When the draft came I thought that something might go down," said Kulikov on conference call yesterday. "I was comfortable in Florida. I didn't think that something like that was going to happen, but it did. It's part of the business."

He wasn't the only one that was surprised. Fans in Sabreland were accustomed to hearing names of defensemen like Anaheim's Cam Fowler, St. Louis' Kevin Shattenkirk and even Montreal's PK Subban being bantered about prior to the 2016 NHL Draft. Sabres GM Tim Murray had been talking about bringing in a top-four/top-two left-handed defenseman for months and the hockey world knew it, but Kulikov never entered into the conversation. At least here in Buffalo.

The Boston Bruins, who seem to be ready to do a significant overhaul on the back-end, were rumored to be in the market for Kulikov the week before the NHL Draft. CSNNE.com's Joe Haggerty reported that the B's were kicking the tires on the edgy Kulikov even though the Russian-born defenseman wasn't said to be on the block. There were some sticking points to the potential deal as well which included  his impending free agency and the cost as Haggerty's source had the Cats asking for which, according to Haggerty, was "something in the neighborhood of Boston’s 29th pick in the first round and a Frank Vatrano-level prospect."

2016 Draft Weekend Recap--Picks, Trades and Stamkos

Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com


Before we get into a busy weekend at the First Niagara Center as the NHL descended upon the First Niagara Center for the Entry Draft, big props to the Pegula's and their charges at Pegula Sports and Entertainment. Simply put, they put on a good show.

The centerpiece of the rejuvenation of downtown Buffalo is HARBORCENTER, a $190 million multi-faceted building conceived of and built by Kim and Terry Pegula, owners of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. The original idea designed around building a dual-rink complex complete with parking garage as a magnet for hockey, but once Kim got her hands on it the idea turned into a mult-faceted building complete with a Marriott hotel, sports bar and other amenities that make it a downtown destination.

Details of how the Pegula's helped kick in the rejuvenation of downtown Buffalo can be found in a wonderful piece from Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronical. Kim Pegula states in the article how her husband wanted grass planted in the area that is now HARBORCENTER and the adjoining area known as Canalside. Maiorana aptly described it as "the depressingly unkempt space underneath the Skyway between the arena and the river." Terry was quoted by his wife at the time as saying of the area, "If they could just plant some grass. You know, at least make it look somewhat like you care," and thus it was born.

From grass to the NHL Draft and more to come.

I had the pleasure of striking up a conversation with a number of credentialed out-of-towners who were thoroughly impressed with everything in and around the F'N Center and HARBORCENTER, which is a good thing. Hopefully we won't be waiting another 18 years before the city of Buffalo hosts another NHL Draft but until then the Pegula's and Buffalo will be hosting their third consecutive NHL Combine in 2017 as well as the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Not bad for an idea that was as simple as planting grass. "We’re talking grass," said Kim in the article, "that’s all it was.”