Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
--President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who, upon signing the Cullen-Harrison Act which ended Prohibition exclaimed, "I think this would be a good time for a beer," and for Sabres fans as well. As long as we're not caught up in the draft lottery and/or the millions of what-if's that have penetrated deep into the Buffalo sports consciousness, there's plenty to raise a glass to.
It's April 7th and there are two games remaining on the Sabres schedule--two very winnable games on the schedule that could very well net the team 83 points on the season. For those in the front office and behind the bench and on the ice, it's about as rewarding a season as one could get outside of making the playoffs. Indubitably, a toast with Southern Tier's One Buffalo is in order.
Showing posts with label john scott. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john scott. Show all posts
Friday, April 8, 2016
Thursday, February 4, 2016
McDavid serves Calder notice. Of Montreal, Robin Lehner and John Scott.
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
It's too bad that those who subscribed to NHL GameCenter Live (like myself) couldn't watch the "Triumphant Return," as was NHL.com's headline this morning, of Connor McDavid to the ice. The rookie phenom had been sidelined by a broken clavicle that cost him 37 games and it would have been great to be able to watch him dazzle on the heels of an impressive NHL All-Star Weekend. But, the note from the website was: Media Error. Video not available.
So, we're left with the highlights and if you haven't seen it, McDavid's goal last night was the stuff of legend. With the game tied at 1-1, McDavid took the puck in the neutral zone and hit the blueline as two Columbus Blue Jackets players converged on him. He left Jackets' d-man Jack Johnson looking for his jockstrap, had defenseman Justin Faulk literally tripping over himself as he fell to the ice while he whizzed past him and made Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo look like the 21 year old rookie he is.
It's too bad that those who subscribed to NHL GameCenter Live (like myself) couldn't watch the "Triumphant Return," as was NHL.com's headline this morning, of Connor McDavid to the ice. The rookie phenom had been sidelined by a broken clavicle that cost him 37 games and it would have been great to be able to watch him dazzle on the heels of an impressive NHL All-Star Weekend. But, the note from the website was: Media Error. Video not available.
So, we're left with the highlights and if you haven't seen it, McDavid's goal last night was the stuff of legend. With the game tied at 1-1, McDavid took the puck in the neutral zone and hit the blueline as two Columbus Blue Jackets players converged on him. He left Jackets' d-man Jack Johnson looking for his jockstrap, had defenseman Justin Faulk literally tripping over himself as he fell to the ice while he whizzed past him and made Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo look like the 21 year old rookie he is.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Darcy Regier and his seeds scattered in the wind
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Former Sabres GM Darcy Regier signing on with the Arizona Coyotes, and like seeds flying in the wind, he and his former core landed all over the place the last few days.
Regier signed a multi year deal to become Senior Vice President and Assistant GM in Arizona. He'll have his hands in every aspect of the hockey operations department.
'Yotes GM Don Maloney has known Regier for a long time and considers him "his closest friend on the management side of the NHL" according to Sarah McClellan of azcentral.com.
Said Maloney of the hire, "He's done it all. If you think about the experience he's had over the last 17 years in Buffalo, everything from great success, Stanley Cup final, bankruptcy, coming out of that. There was a point at the end where there were limited resources. So there's nothing he hasn't seen or done or tried."
Former Sabres GM Darcy Regier signing on with the Arizona Coyotes, and like seeds flying in the wind, he and his former core landed all over the place the last few days.
Regier signed a multi year deal to become Senior Vice President and Assistant GM in Arizona. He'll have his hands in every aspect of the hockey operations department.
'Yotes GM Don Maloney has known Regier for a long time and considers him "his closest friend on the management side of the NHL" according to Sarah McClellan of azcentral.com.
Said Maloney of the hire, "He's done it all. If you think about the experience he's had over the last 17 years in Buffalo, everything from great success, Stanley Cup final, bankruptcy, coming out of that. There was a point at the end where there were limited resources. So there's nothing he hasn't seen or done or tried."
Thursday, April 10, 2014
On John Scott's desire to re-sign in Buffalo and the diminishing enforcer role
Buffalo Hockey Beat's Bill Hoppe penned an article today about enforcer John Scott's desire to return to the Sabres for a third season, “I love it here,” said Scott, “I don’t see myself playing anywhere else, hopefully.”
Which opens up the retort coming from many Sabres fans, "Yeah, buddy. Neither can any NHL team."
Scott was brought in by former GM Darcy Regier to police the ice. The Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident was a blow to the organization and showed just how fragile and soft this team was.
In a way, it worked. That was until Scott mopped up the ice with Bruins "master pugilist" Shawn Thornton then taunted the Bruins bench with a "you're next" finger pointed at the entire team.
(thx Fred Murtz)
Which opens up the retort coming from many Sabres fans, "Yeah, buddy. Neither can any NHL team."
Scott was brought in by former GM Darcy Regier to police the ice. The Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident was a blow to the organization and showed just how fragile and soft this team was.
In a way, it worked. That was until Scott mopped up the ice with Bruins "master pugilist" Shawn Thornton then taunted the Bruins bench with a "you're next" finger pointed at the entire team.
(thx Fred Murtz)
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The week in review: Tales from Christmas week, 2013
The Sabres are preparing for a 5PM game with the Washington Capitals today. At 4PM the Buffalo Bills will be finishing off their 2013 campaign with a visit to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots.
Just a quick note on the Bills/Pats, the Bills have not won in Foxborough in the last 13 years which includes the last 11 which were played at Gillette. For a quick synopsis of the agony of Buffalo at New England, the Buffalo News' Jerry Sullivan ranks the past 11 games.
As for the Buffalo Sabres, it's been an interesting week. And one might say that the team may have finally bottomed out and are on the upswing. How can you not think that while taking in the following two events.
Buttgoal
Heading into the Christmas hiatus, the Sabres faced off against the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
And in a scene out of Rudolph where Sam the Snowman says, "And then it hit," four Sabres players were hit by the flu. Marcus Foligno, Alexander Sulzer, Ville Leino and the recently acquired Linus Omark were all scratches for Monday's tilt. In addition, center Cody Hodgson was still sidlined by injury.
The Sabres fell behind in the opening seconds of the second period, before tying it up on a goal by Tyler Ennis at 14:01 of the third period.
And then came one of the weirdest finishes in NHL history, a score in overtime that's simply known as "Buttgoal."
Here's the video from NBCBreaking:
Props to Sabres on-ice commentator Rob Ray for being right one with the telestrator.
And big props to Pysyk whom Buffalo recalled earlier and who charged hard to the net to follow his own rebound.
Celestial Events: John Scott scores a goal.
More frequent than Haley's Comet (once every 64 years) and less frequent than a solar eclipse (five happen per year around the globe, Sabres enforcer John Scott scored the second goal of his career on Saturday night at Toronto.
It was Scott's 200th game of his career, one which started in the 2008-09 season with Minnesota. "I've got a lot of healthy scratches," deadpanned Scott.
Sabres forward Matt Ellis took a Toronto turnover in the Buffalo zone up ice and flung a shot on the Leaves Jonathan Bernier. Bernier fumbled the puck, Ellis whiffed on the rebound and Scott pounced on the puck rocketing a shot high, glove-side into a gaping net.
The Sabres bench erupted in jubilation, “It’s obviously not every day I score, so they were pretty excited,” Scott said. “They were kind of hoping I’d get one the next few games."
It's been a long time since he's scored his first NHL goal against Carolina on November 15, 2009. "I was with the Wild, on defence, pinched in, got a rebound over (Cam) Ward," Scott recalled. "When you only score two, you remember them all."
How could the Sabres not be on the upswing with Buttgoal and Scott scoring.
It's a harmonic convergence.
Just a quick note on the Bills/Pats, the Bills have not won in Foxborough in the last 13 years which includes the last 11 which were played at Gillette. For a quick synopsis of the agony of Buffalo at New England, the Buffalo News' Jerry Sullivan ranks the past 11 games.
As for the Buffalo Sabres, it's been an interesting week. And one might say that the team may have finally bottomed out and are on the upswing. How can you not think that while taking in the following two events.
Buttgoal
Heading into the Christmas hiatus, the Sabres faced off against the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
And in a scene out of Rudolph where Sam the Snowman says, "And then it hit," four Sabres players were hit by the flu. Marcus Foligno, Alexander Sulzer, Ville Leino and the recently acquired Linus Omark were all scratches for Monday's tilt. In addition, center Cody Hodgson was still sidlined by injury.
 |
| The Buffalo Sabres Tyler Ennis does his best Bobby Orr impersonation as he ties the game at one vs. Phoenix. |
Even with calling up Johan Larsson and Mark Pysyk, the Sabres dressed only 16 skaters. It was the first time they'd done that since January 7, 1981 (they beat the Quebec Nordiques 5-1.)
Interim Coach Ted Nolan rolled with three forward lines and seven defensemen. That was until winger Drew Stafford was ejected for an elbow.
Sabres tough-guy John Scott, who dressed as the seventh d-man, was switched back to forward and even had some time on the powerplay.
And then came one of the weirdest finishes in NHL history, a score in overtime that's simply known as "Buttgoal."
Here's the video from NBCBreaking:
Props to Sabres on-ice commentator Rob Ray for being right one with the telestrator.
And big props to Pysyk whom Buffalo recalled earlier and who charged hard to the net to follow his own rebound.
Celestial Events: John Scott scores a goal.
More frequent than Haley's Comet (once every 64 years) and less frequent than a solar eclipse (five happen per year around the globe, Sabres enforcer John Scott scored the second goal of his career on Saturday night at Toronto.
It was Scott's 200th game of his career, one which started in the 2008-09 season with Minnesota. "I've got a lot of healthy scratches," deadpanned Scott.
Sabres forward Matt Ellis took a Toronto turnover in the Buffalo zone up ice and flung a shot on the Leaves Jonathan Bernier. Bernier fumbled the puck, Ellis whiffed on the rebound and Scott pounced on the puck rocketing a shot high, glove-side into a gaping net.
The Sabres bench erupted in jubilation, “It’s obviously not every day I score, so they were pretty excited,” Scott said. “They were kind of hoping I’d get one the next few games."
It's been a long time since he's scored his first NHL goal against Carolina on November 15, 2009. "I was with the Wild, on defence, pinched in, got a rebound over (Cam) Ward," Scott recalled. "When you only score two, you remember them all."
How could the Sabres not be on the upswing with Buttgoal and Scott scoring.
It's a harmonic convergence.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sabres fall in Beantown, net one goal. John Scott is probably to blame
When the Buffalo Sabres were rolling four lines the last two games without John Scott in the line-up they had back-to-back four-goal games that wound up being back-to-back wins.
To the anti-Scott contingency, those two games were proof that the Sabres didn't need a talentless goon/enforcer wasting a precious spot on the ice even against a tough team like the Boston Bruins, a team who the Sabres had beaten 4-2 two nights earlier. They have legitimate fourth-liners like Matt "Freakin" Ellis, Kevin Porter, Matt D'Agostini and now Linus Omark to skate a regular shift.
What was that?
Oh, he didn't play last night in their 4-1 loss against Boston?
Hmmm. So that's why the Bruins Zdeno Chara used Steve Ott as a tree stump to hack at. Oh yeah, and that's why the Bruins Johnny Boychuk was flying around the ice laying to waste any Sabre he wanted. (How's your hip, Porter?)
Even the Bruins Patrice Bergeron had his chest full last night, slashing away at Tyler Myers before both dropped the gloves. It was Bergeron's first NHL fight (and Myers' second.)
In anti-Scott circles (mostly outside of Buffalo) the common refrain is that Scott is totally worthless.
In Buffalo, the following from a Sabres fan in a Sabres thread who calls himself (or herself) sbroads24, sums up the local anti-Scott contingency: "John Scott has 0 points and is a -9 in his career as a Sabre, also being by far the worst possession forward on the team, maybe even the league. Most of his shifts start in the offensive zone and end in the defensive zone. He's not a good player, Nolan can try all he want that won't change. Waive him, no one will take him, let him play in Rochester until someone cheap shots us again. He's wasting a spot that could be occupied by a young player."
He (or she) continues in a later post: "The numbers prove he's an awful player, our record proves him being here does nothing to help the team. People like him because they like fighting, that's it. I'm pretty confident Scott will not be here next year when a new GM is here, and wouldn't be surprised to see him waived at some point. The last 2 games proved he literally makes no difference and they are better with other guys in his place."
The Sabres would be better this year with other guys in his place, if the other guys were, say, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, etc...
But, unfortunately on this edition of the Sabres, the team only has a bunch of borderline NHL'ers ready to take his spot. A handful of players who are a dime a dozen, who do skate a regular shift, but whose contributions are so scarce that a win or two because of them will probably not make much of a difference when all's said and done.
What we do have, though, at this point in the season are black and white numbers that can help frame the Great John Scott Debate because the Sabres have played 36 games this season and Scott has played in 18 (drum roll please):
The record with Scott in the lineup--4-11-3, 11 pts. Without Scott--5-13-0, 10 pts.
Goals-for with Scott in the lineup--25, 1.38/gm. Without Scott--39, 2.16/gm.
Goals-against with Scott in the lineup--48, 2.67/gm. Without Scott--56, 3.11/gm.
Goal differential with Scott in the lineup--minus-23. Without Scott--minus--17.
It's pretty simple. Obviously Scott really doesn't have any skill to speak of, and he certainly isn't helping the team on offense.
Defensively, though, the team is a bit better when he's in the lineup.
Overall, things balance out to the point where this year the team snagged one more point with Scott in the lineup.
So speak the numbers.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about Scott taking away time from the likes of Ellis or Porter or even a young borderline NHL'er like Luke Adam this season. What I do worry about is the burden of protecting teammates falling on the shoulders of Steve Ott, Cody McCormick and Mike Weber.
They should not be tangling with the heavyweights of the league and/or getting their heads bashed in ala Corey Tropp. At least not on a regular basis.
Overusing tough, gritty players to stand up for their teammates in an enforcer role put a hurtin' on former Sabres like Craig Rivet and Robyn Regehr. The goal should be to keep tough and gritty players then add to the lot, not hasten their demise by having them play an enforcer role.
In this year of transition, where more of an emphasis is on tougher and grittier, the Ott's and McCormick's as well as youngin's like Marcus Foligno and even Zemgus Girgensons need Scott. Methinks that the rest of the team like having him around as well.
*******
Tyler Myers drops the gloves with Patrice Bergeron.
Umm, Tyler? You might want to bring that swing a little lower when the guy is that much shorter and, ummm, an upper-cut coulda really done some damage.
Just a thought.
To the anti-Scott contingency, those two games were proof that the Sabres didn't need a talentless goon/enforcer wasting a precious spot on the ice even against a tough team like the Boston Bruins, a team who the Sabres had beaten 4-2 two nights earlier. They have legitimate fourth-liners like Matt "Freakin" Ellis, Kevin Porter, Matt D'Agostini and now Linus Omark to skate a regular shift.
What was that?
Oh, he didn't play last night in their 4-1 loss against Boston?
Hmmm. So that's why the Bruins Zdeno Chara used Steve Ott as a tree stump to hack at. Oh yeah, and that's why the Bruins Johnny Boychuk was flying around the ice laying to waste any Sabre he wanted. (How's your hip, Porter?)
Even the Bruins Patrice Bergeron had his chest full last night, slashing away at Tyler Myers before both dropped the gloves. It was Bergeron's first NHL fight (and Myers' second.)
In anti-Scott circles (mostly outside of Buffalo) the common refrain is that Scott is totally worthless.
In Buffalo, the following from a Sabres fan in a Sabres thread who calls himself (or herself) sbroads24, sums up the local anti-Scott contingency: "John Scott has 0 points and is a -9 in his career as a Sabre, also being by far the worst possession forward on the team, maybe even the league. Most of his shifts start in the offensive zone and end in the defensive zone. He's not a good player, Nolan can try all he want that won't change. Waive him, no one will take him, let him play in Rochester until someone cheap shots us again. He's wasting a spot that could be occupied by a young player."
He (or she) continues in a later post: "The numbers prove he's an awful player, our record proves him being here does nothing to help the team. People like him because they like fighting, that's it. I'm pretty confident Scott will not be here next year when a new GM is here, and wouldn't be surprised to see him waived at some point. The last 2 games proved he literally makes no difference and they are better with other guys in his place."
The Sabres would be better this year with other guys in his place, if the other guys were, say, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, etc...
But, unfortunately on this edition of the Sabres, the team only has a bunch of borderline NHL'ers ready to take his spot. A handful of players who are a dime a dozen, who do skate a regular shift, but whose contributions are so scarce that a win or two because of them will probably not make much of a difference when all's said and done.
What we do have, though, at this point in the season are black and white numbers that can help frame the Great John Scott Debate because the Sabres have played 36 games this season and Scott has played in 18 (drum roll please):
The record with Scott in the lineup--4-11-3, 11 pts. Without Scott--5-13-0, 10 pts.
Goals-for with Scott in the lineup--25, 1.38/gm. Without Scott--39, 2.16/gm.
Goals-against with Scott in the lineup--48, 2.67/gm. Without Scott--56, 3.11/gm.
Goal differential with Scott in the lineup--minus-23. Without Scott--minus--17.
It's pretty simple. Obviously Scott really doesn't have any skill to speak of, and he certainly isn't helping the team on offense.
Defensively, though, the team is a bit better when he's in the lineup.
Overall, things balance out to the point where this year the team snagged one more point with Scott in the lineup.
So speak the numbers.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about Scott taking away time from the likes of Ellis or Porter or even a young borderline NHL'er like Luke Adam this season. What I do worry about is the burden of protecting teammates falling on the shoulders of Steve Ott, Cody McCormick and Mike Weber.
They should not be tangling with the heavyweights of the league and/or getting their heads bashed in ala Corey Tropp. At least not on a regular basis.
Overusing tough, gritty players to stand up for their teammates in an enforcer role put a hurtin' on former Sabres like Craig Rivet and Robyn Regehr. The goal should be to keep tough and gritty players then add to the lot, not hasten their demise by having them play an enforcer role.
In this year of transition, where more of an emphasis is on tougher and grittier, the Ott's and McCormick's as well as youngin's like Marcus Foligno and even Zemgus Girgensons need Scott. Methinks that the rest of the team like having him around as well.
*******
Tyler Myers drops the gloves with Patrice Bergeron.
Umm, Tyler? You might want to bring that swing a little lower when the guy is that much shorter and, ummm, an upper-cut coulda really done some damage.
Just a thought.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Buffalo wins 6th game of the season
Unfortunately (or fortunately if you're looking for a top-2 pick in the 2014 draft) it has taken the team nearly two months and 27 games to achieve that feat.
And two of those wins have come against arch rival Toronto, including the 3-2 OT decision last night.
Although he didn't hit the scoresheet he was a plus-1 in 15:39 of ice-time and made a key play with less than a minute to go in the third period.
With the game tied at two and the Sabres on the powerplay, D'Agostini hauled ass on the back-check and flung himself at James van Riemsdyk who was going in all alone on Ryan Miller.
D'Agostini took out van Riemsdyk on the play but the ref who was right on the play ruled that D'Agostini had touched the puck first nullifying any penalty.
After seeing many questionable calls against the team the past few games (at least) Miller was pretty happy that the team finally got a (non) call go their way, "It came around," said Miller. "[D'Agostini] got back hard and he [forced] the ref to make a decision. The ref decided he got the puck."
Miller said that this game may have been the best game the team has played all season. And he's probably right.
After a somewhat slow first period, the Sabres skated like a real hockey team, took checks, dished out checks and maintained composure throughout the game.
Interim coach Ted Nolan had been ticked at the number of penalties the team has had over the course of his short tenure and has been imploring his team to play more disciplined.
The result this game was only one penalty to Henrik Tallinder for a stupid high-stick early in the third period. The Leaves got only one shot on goal during the ensuing power play.
No parade to the box allowed the team to roll their lines and they looked good.
D'Agostini was on a line with Steve Ott and Ville Leino. That line was very strong and it may have been Leino's best game yet.
Zemgus Girgensons was with Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam. That line provided a strong forecheck and ample opportunities for Adam who finally got a goal. He was the recipient of a fortuitous bounce that left him with a gaping net. He blasted it home.
Enforcer John Scott may have finally found himself a home. No, not in the penalty box tending to his knuckles but in front of the net in the offensive zone. And he looked ecstatic.
As soon as the puck was secured in the zone by his teammates, Scott would head to the front of the net. And with some better shots from the point, they may have scored. It looked as if he may have even tipped a shot.
Scott played a real strong game (relatively speaking.) The guy plays hard and he really wants to play. He knows his skill level is what it is and kudos to Nolan for getting the most out of that very limited skill set.
The top-line of Cody Hodgson centering Matt Moulson and Drew Stafford took the brunt of the Leaves checking unit. They worked hard. In fact, for the second game in a row Stafford has been a bull. We've seen him use his body in the past, sporadically, but it would seem as if Nolan's got him finally playing the game the way he can--as a power forward.
Staff logged 22 minutes of ice-time last night and most of it was quality.
As for Moulson, he now has goals in two straight games after going 11 without. As has been mentioned here before, the guy can finish. The Sabres should seriously entertain re-signing him long-term even at an inflated salary.
And finally, Ted Nolan has been doing an outstanding job thus far.
His coaching hasn't translated into wins yet because the team is devoid of depth and talent, as evidenced by scoring no more than one goal in the previous four losses.
The more he gets a feel for individual players, the more he's finding ways to put them in a position to succeed.
The team is getting better and it seems as if they're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Sure, it took them 27 games to win six, but if they keep playing the way they did last night, that win total will increase significantly in less games.
**********
One of areas that Nolan and Director of Hockey Ops, Pat LaFontaine need to direct their attention to is upgrading personnel. And although they might not be able to add sheer talent from outside the organization at this point, they can add players who play a certain style.
D'Agostini appealed to Nolan and LaFontaine because of certain attributes like speed and defensive awareness, both of which were on display last night. And he seems to think the game very well.
After D'Agostini made that defensive play to eliminate van Riemsdyk's opportunity late, he provided the screen that allowed Christian Ehrhoff to win the game off a shot from the point in OT.
In somewhat of a shot at the previous regime, Nolan was asked if it surprised him that D'Agostini made those plays, "You know," he said, "players that come from the St. Louis' and Pittsburgh's (both teams that D'Agostini played for, most recently Pittsburgh) know how to play the game right."
Little by little, one by one, the Sabres are starting to "play the game right."
And two of those wins have come against arch rival Toronto, including the 3-2 OT decision last night.
 |
| Matt D'Agostini in his first game as a Buffalo Sabre. (photo Bill Wippert, Getty Images) |
The Sabres welcomed waiver pickup Matt D'Agostini to the lineup last night and he played a real strong game.
With the game tied at two and the Sabres on the powerplay, D'Agostini hauled ass on the back-check and flung himself at James van Riemsdyk who was going in all alone on Ryan Miller.
D'Agostini took out van Riemsdyk on the play but the ref who was right on the play ruled that D'Agostini had touched the puck first nullifying any penalty.
After seeing many questionable calls against the team the past few games (at least) Miller was pretty happy that the team finally got a (non) call go their way, "It came around," said Miller. "[D'Agostini] got back hard and he [forced] the ref to make a decision. The ref decided he got the puck."
Miller said that this game may have been the best game the team has played all season. And he's probably right.
After a somewhat slow first period, the Sabres skated like a real hockey team, took checks, dished out checks and maintained composure throughout the game.
Interim coach Ted Nolan had been ticked at the number of penalties the team has had over the course of his short tenure and has been imploring his team to play more disciplined.
The result this game was only one penalty to Henrik Tallinder for a stupid high-stick early in the third period. The Leaves got only one shot on goal during the ensuing power play.
No parade to the box allowed the team to roll their lines and they looked good.
D'Agostini was on a line with Steve Ott and Ville Leino. That line was very strong and it may have been Leino's best game yet.
Zemgus Girgensons was with Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam. That line provided a strong forecheck and ample opportunities for Adam who finally got a goal. He was the recipient of a fortuitous bounce that left him with a gaping net. He blasted it home.
Enforcer John Scott may have finally found himself a home. No, not in the penalty box tending to his knuckles but in front of the net in the offensive zone. And he looked ecstatic.
As soon as the puck was secured in the zone by his teammates, Scott would head to the front of the net. And with some better shots from the point, they may have scored. It looked as if he may have even tipped a shot.
Scott played a real strong game (relatively speaking.) The guy plays hard and he really wants to play. He knows his skill level is what it is and kudos to Nolan for getting the most out of that very limited skill set.
The top-line of Cody Hodgson centering Matt Moulson and Drew Stafford took the brunt of the Leaves checking unit. They worked hard. In fact, for the second game in a row Stafford has been a bull. We've seen him use his body in the past, sporadically, but it would seem as if Nolan's got him finally playing the game the way he can--as a power forward.
Staff logged 22 minutes of ice-time last night and most of it was quality.
As for Moulson, he now has goals in two straight games after going 11 without. As has been mentioned here before, the guy can finish. The Sabres should seriously entertain re-signing him long-term even at an inflated salary.
And finally, Ted Nolan has been doing an outstanding job thus far.
His coaching hasn't translated into wins yet because the team is devoid of depth and talent, as evidenced by scoring no more than one goal in the previous four losses.
The more he gets a feel for individual players, the more he's finding ways to put them in a position to succeed.
The team is getting better and it seems as if they're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Sure, it took them 27 games to win six, but if they keep playing the way they did last night, that win total will increase significantly in less games.
**********
One of areas that Nolan and Director of Hockey Ops, Pat LaFontaine need to direct their attention to is upgrading personnel. And although they might not be able to add sheer talent from outside the organization at this point, they can add players who play a certain style.
D'Agostini appealed to Nolan and LaFontaine because of certain attributes like speed and defensive awareness, both of which were on display last night. And he seems to think the game very well.
After D'Agostini made that defensive play to eliminate van Riemsdyk's opportunity late, he provided the screen that allowed Christian Ehrhoff to win the game off a shot from the point in OT.
In somewhat of a shot at the previous regime, Nolan was asked if it surprised him that D'Agostini made those plays, "You know," he said, "players that come from the St. Louis' and Pittsburgh's (both teams that D'Agostini played for, most recently Pittsburgh) know how to play the game right."
Little by little, one by one, the Sabres are starting to "play the game right."
Friday, November 1, 2013
Quick hit on the John Scott ruling
The NHL's Department of Player Safety really showed John Scott and the Buffalo Sabres who's boss.
Scott who has never been suspended by the league, nor has he ever been fined, went before Brendan Shanahan for his hit to the head on Loui Eriksson.
Seven games was the verdict.
Really?
Scott's past doesn't matter. Nor do the other (lesser) suspensions matter. It just doesn't matter.
The Sabres are at the bottom of the league, so no one really cares. It's like hauling someone off from the ghetto as opposed to someon from the suburbs. Dude from the ghetto will get a much stiffer sentence for a lesser crime.
So it goes.
BTW, Georges Laraque is said to be entertaining the notion of coming back. Would love to see the look on Gary Bettman's face if the Sabres announced signing the former NHL pugilist.
Scott who has never been suspended by the league, nor has he ever been fined, went before Brendan Shanahan for his hit to the head on Loui Eriksson.
Seven games was the verdict.
Really?
Scott's past doesn't matter. Nor do the other (lesser) suspensions matter. It just doesn't matter.
The Sabres are at the bottom of the league, so no one really cares. It's like hauling someone off from the ghetto as opposed to someon from the suburbs. Dude from the ghetto will get a much stiffer sentence for a lesser crime.
So it goes.
BTW, Georges Laraque is said to be entertaining the notion of coming back. Would love to see the look on Gary Bettman's face if the Sabres announced signing the former NHL pugilist.
Friday, October 25, 2013
How long should John Scott be suspended?
Georges Laraque was one of the great heavyweights in hockey.
At the 2007 trade deadline, Penguins GM Ray Shero traded for Laraque to protect the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, among others.
One year later, Laraque laid this elbow on Sabres defenseman Nathan Paetsch:
Laraque received a five-minute major, and game misconduct for knocking Paetsch unconscious. He then received a three game suspension for the hit to the head.
This might be something to look at when trying to figure out the length of suspension for the Sabres John Scott's hit to the head on the Bruins' Loui Eriksson.
The Laraque incident was early in the process of the NHL cracking down on hits like that. Three games seems minimal considering it looked as if he was trying to take Paetsch's head off.
Fast forward to 2013, Alexander Edler went cross-ice and landed a shoulder-to-head hit on Sharks' rookie Tomas Hertl knocking off his helmet:
Edler was considered a repeat offender, which Scott is not, and received a three game suspension.
Regardless of what the league and fans think of Scott's "skill-level" and regardless of how the 1-9-1 Buffalo Sabres are perceived, the hit is the hit.
If Scott receives more than three game for the hit it would be wrong.
Scott should receive three games for the hit, one game for being frustrated that none of the Bruins tough-guys would fight him and one game for trying to take on the role of Patrick Kaleta.
At the 2007 trade deadline, Penguins GM Ray Shero traded for Laraque to protect the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, among others.
One year later, Laraque laid this elbow on Sabres defenseman Nathan Paetsch:
Laraque received a five-minute major, and game misconduct for knocking Paetsch unconscious. He then received a three game suspension for the hit to the head.
This might be something to look at when trying to figure out the length of suspension for the Sabres John Scott's hit to the head on the Bruins' Loui Eriksson.
The Laraque incident was early in the process of the NHL cracking down on hits like that. Three games seems minimal considering it looked as if he was trying to take Paetsch's head off.
Fast forward to 2013, Alexander Edler went cross-ice and landed a shoulder-to-head hit on Sharks' rookie Tomas Hertl knocking off his helmet:
Edler was considered a repeat offender, which Scott is not, and received a three game suspension.
Regardless of what the league and fans think of Scott's "skill-level" and regardless of how the 1-9-1 Buffalo Sabres are perceived, the hit is the hit.
If Scott receives more than three game for the hit it would be wrong.
Scott should receive three games for the hit, one game for being frustrated that none of the Bruins tough-guys would fight him and one game for trying to take on the role of Patrick Kaleta.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The John Scott hit--why he's on the Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have the youngest team in the league.
Last night they dressed four teenagers: Mikhail Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov.
In addition, Mark Pysyk and Johan Larsson are 21-yr. old rookies.
John Scott is hated throughout the league. He is also hated by a good portion of the Buffalo fan-base. The haters say he has can't skate and has no skill, which is true.
Bruins coach Claude Julien said this about Scott after the game last night in which Scott threw a hit to Loui Eriksson (and his head,) "He's here to do two things, fight and hurt. He did both of those things."
There's a huge contingency who think John Scott should not be in the NHL and they want him out of the league.
In light of the Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident, or going back further to the head-shot Chris Neil laid on Chris Drury, and with the full backdrop of the Rivalry piece NBCSN did on the Sabres and Bruins, the question is this:
Do those six youngins, as well as skill players like Thomas Vanek and Cody Hodgson, not to mention Miller, think Scott is totally useless and should not be on the team?
The feeling here is that Scott has a role to fill. And it's not about scoring, it's about allowing the skill players to play the game with minimal fear.
You can click here as I defend Scott.
Or here for how he changed the post-Lucic/Miller, Boston/Buffalo relationship in his very first game against the B's.
For everything John Scott, click here.
Scott is not a goon, persay, he's an enforcer. And although last night wasn't very smart, this is why Sabres GM Darcy Regier re-signed him, "[Scott] created a safe work environment."
And he should continue that role with the Buffalo Sabres.
From my bud, Cisco:
"It was a bad hit, I think anyone should be able to recognize that. Generally, Scott doesn't pull that stuff, however. Overall, I don't have a problem with Scott taking up a roster spot on this team, he has a job that is still more or less needed in the NHL. What I dislike is having him play every game, and get a semi-regular shift. He's the NHL equivalent of a punter, he gets a shift when his very limited skill set is needed. The fact that he was out there just in case Grigorenko decided to wake up is bad management.
Scott will be suspended, though it shouldn't be 10 games - he simply doesn't have a suspension history to justify him getting more than Lapierre or as much as Kaleta. He definitely should be used with far more discretion than Rolston has shown, however."
Last night they dressed four teenagers: Mikhail Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov.
In addition, Mark Pysyk and Johan Larsson are 21-yr. old rookies.
John Scott is hated throughout the league. He is also hated by a good portion of the Buffalo fan-base. The haters say he has can't skate and has no skill, which is true.
Bruins coach Claude Julien said this about Scott after the game last night in which Scott threw a hit to Loui Eriksson (and his head,) "He's here to do two things, fight and hurt. He did both of those things."
There's a huge contingency who think John Scott should not be in the NHL and they want him out of the league.
In light of the Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident, or going back further to the head-shot Chris Neil laid on Chris Drury, and with the full backdrop of the Rivalry piece NBCSN did on the Sabres and Bruins, the question is this:
Do those six youngins, as well as skill players like Thomas Vanek and Cody Hodgson, not to mention Miller, think Scott is totally useless and should not be on the team?
The feeling here is that Scott has a role to fill. And it's not about scoring, it's about allowing the skill players to play the game with minimal fear.
You can click here as I defend Scott.
Or here for how he changed the post-Lucic/Miller, Boston/Buffalo relationship in his very first game against the B's.
For everything John Scott, click here.
Scott is not a goon, persay, he's an enforcer. And although last night wasn't very smart, this is why Sabres GM Darcy Regier re-signed him, "[Scott] created a safe work environment."
And he should continue that role with the Buffalo Sabres.
From my bud, Cisco:
"It was a bad hit, I think anyone should be able to recognize that. Generally, Scott doesn't pull that stuff, however. Overall, I don't have a problem with Scott taking up a roster spot on this team, he has a job that is still more or less needed in the NHL. What I dislike is having him play every game, and get a semi-regular shift. He's the NHL equivalent of a punter, he gets a shift when his very limited skill set is needed. The fact that he was out there just in case Grigorenko decided to wake up is bad management.
Scott will be suspended, though it shouldn't be 10 games - he simply doesn't have a suspension history to justify him getting more than Lapierre or as much as Kaleta. He definitely should be used with far more discretion than Rolston has shown, however."
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
The Boston/Buffalo rivalry
Rather than talk about the 1-8-1 beginning to the Sabres season, my Ol' friend Don and I were caught up in the upcoming game with Boston and the rivalry that stretches back to the early 70's. He wasn't as cantankerous as usual, but he did become somewhat animated.
bsn: Did you watch the NBCSN Rivalries segment last night featuring Boston and Buffalo?
Don: Yup. Brought back some great memories. You know what I'd forgotten, maybe didn't even realize the significance of at the time? Brad May smoked none other than Raymond Bourque. Made him look like a rookie out there.
bsn: Yeah, that was a great piece. Do you think there's a "rivalry?"
Don: Well...in order to have a true rivalry, it's best to have two teams that are good with a lot on the line. With Buffalo stinking up the league right now...well...yeah, there's still a rivalry. Doesn't matter. There's a long history. These teams hate each other and have for decades.
bsn: I don't know. Colorado/Detroit is a rivalry. Toronto/Montreal.
Don: Colorado/Detroit is still a rivalry, but it was much better when the stakes were higher. Maybe Toronto/Montreal is the truest of rivalries, kinda like the Yanks and BoSox. Every game is for the heart and soul of Canada. There's an intensity on and off the ice. On both sides.
bsn: Yeah. It would seem as if there's a feeling of having a rivalry coming from the Buffalo fan base, but out of Boston, it's, like, whatever.
Don: Yup. Boston has had a great beginning to the century too. In all sports. Even got "The Curse of the Bambino" off of their backs.
bsn: The Bruins players said in that piece that they still get up for the game.
Don: Yup. At least there's an intensity on the ice. It'll be fun tonight. I think they have at least a little bit of respect for the Sabres. At least not to take them lightly. The Sabres have done pretty well against them over the past couple of years. And with John Scott annihilating Thorton, there might be a bit more respect there as well.
bsn: Think the Scott/Thorton thing will add to Sabres/Bruins lore?
Don: Hell yeah. He crushed Thorton and then went to the bench and started pointing fingers as to who's next. Signing Scott was one of the biggest moves for the Sabres, at least within those terms. For the life of me I'll never understand why people think that John Scott is completely useless.
bsn: Well. He can't skate very well. Has, like one goal in 8000 games. Ummm...
Don: So what? Tell me, how much of a difference does a fourth line player like, sayyyy, Kevin Porter make? He has a handful of points at the NHL-level, tries hard, works hard, spends some time on the PK. But...does do anything that really makes a difference for this team?
bsn: At least he can skate.
Don: That's not the point. As is stands right now, he's one of the many vanilla players on this team. John Scott made a difference. The Bruins may be a better team, with better players and better depth. They may have a ton of grit, but they're not gonna hit the ice and intimidate the Sabres.
bsn: They're still tougher and grittier for the 56 minutes Scott is not on the ice.
Don: Maybe. But having Scott do that has a ripple effect. I was listening to Roby on WGR today and he was talking about Jim Schoenfeld and Wayne Cashman going through the Zamboni doors. For me the greatest, coolest fight ever. Roby was on the ice and what Schony did, he said, was give his teammates a spine. From then on, said Roby, sitting in the lockeroom after the game with a bloody face was honorable. The punches didn't hurt. He said you didn't even feel them and he actually said they felt good.
bsn: Yeah. They said in the Rivalries piece, someone did anyway, that if you weren't tough, you acted tough and played tough.
Don: Absolutely. And it was because of Shony. Among others. Roby also talked about having three or four guys that could stand up to the "Big, Bad Bruins" and because of that, they took their intimidation elsewhere. Ya gotta remember, those were tough days in the NHL. They didn't pull a movie like Slapshot out of thin air. And the Sabres were a fledgling franchise at the time.
bsn: Is Mike Weber on the ice because he's one of those three or four guys?
Don: Ummm...he's not intimidated. Which is a good thing. Steve Ott is one of those guys. So is Patty Kaleta. He's another one. Sometimes the Buffalo fans drive me friggen' bonkers. Fans from another team will say Patty's useless. No he's not, he's a legit fourth-line, energy-guy. And they'll say he turtles. No he doesn't. He took on Milan Lucic. Stood toe-to-toe. And actually skated off the ice afterwards imploring the fans to get into it. The Sabres won that game handily.
bsn: What did you think of the suspension?
Don: A bunch of crap. Not the fact that he was suspended. Just the length in light of other suspensions. Yeah, he has a record. But I really think if he wanted to he could've taken off the guy's head and put him on a stretcher. Kinda like that one guy did.
bsn: You mean Max Lapierre?
Don: Yeah, that douche. No question Patty has douche-like qualities, but that hit Lapierre laid on...who was it?
bsn: Dan Boyle.
Don: Right. Drove his face right into the boards. And he got what? Five games. Shanahan doesn't like Patty. Probably reminds him too much of Claude Lemieux. Probably could care less about the Sabres as well.
bsn: You think the league has a vendetta against Kaleta?
Don: Yeah. Well, kinda. They choose to throw the book at him whenever possible, while others they'll give the benefit of the doubt to. By the way, the guy he hit scored a goal in the next game.
bsn: Well, if he wants to play in the NHL, perhaps he should take Matt Cooke's advice.
Don: Really? Matt Cooke is a changed man? You watch. When the stakes get higher, his natural instincts will come through. Like a drink in front of a recovering alcoholic.
Listen. Having this shit happen to Patty K. makes me like him all the more. Having John Scott on the team makes me like them more. I'm really tired of Darcy Regier's soccer-mom team that he iced the last 10 years. You want a standard? Place any of those Buffalo Sabres players back in the 70's. If that guy could play back then, not necessarily be a Shony or King Kong Korab, but a player with a spine who could play his game; that should be the standard by which all present and future Buffalo Sabres should be judged.
bsn: So who amongst this team do you think could make it back then?
Don: The obvious gritty ones like Ott, Patty, Scott, Weber. McCormick could've made it back then if there were 30 teams like there are now. Vanek could score in any style NHL. Foligno. Maybe Stafford.
bsn: How about the youngsters?
Don: It'll be interesting to see how Nikita Zadorov plays tonight. I think he's one of those guys. Love his demeanor. And I think it's genuine. He gets a gleam in his eye when it comes to hitting. Tonight is a great test for him. Larry Robinson. Did you see the top-10 defenseman spot afterwards? Great piece on Robinson. He didn't necessarily look for trouble, but if you came in looking for trouble, he'd beat ya down to size. It's too early, but I'm wondering if Zadorov has a little Robinson in him.
bsn: That would be cool...
Don: Speaking of Robinson. If Pegula wants to really turn his hockey operations around, he should go after Robinson after the season is over. I think the Sharks have a golden opportunity to win the Cup this year. After that I'd offer him a VP of hockey ops position and let him work with the incoming group of youngsters.
bsn: You think he'd come to Buffalo?
Don: Money talks. And Pegula's got it. And Robinson deserves it. And he has the hockey knowledge and winning attitude. Bring him in. Let him decide who the GM is and then get themselves a coaching staff.
bsn: You think Regier's gone?
Don: Not now. At the end of the year. The knucklehead fan-base is calling for his head. Sheesh. Regier is doing a fine job tearing down his core and getting usefull assets in return. There's no reason to think that he can't add another two or three top-60 picks over the next two drafts as well as maybe a prospect or two for dealing Vanek and Miller. Maybe even Stafford as well. What's the difference if this crappy team has him as GM for the year. It won't affect the product on the ice this season.
bsn: Yeah, but the fans hate him.
Don: So what? They're overreacting. Look. The way they should view him is as a journeyman quarterback with a weak offensive line. And no running game. That QB should take all the lumps while the team rebuilds the line. The QB of the future can stay on the sidelines without getting hurt, without getting thrown into a toxic situation. Next year, it's all his.
bsn: Hmmm. Interesting. But do you trust him?
Don: Darcy has two things to do collecting his paycheck--continue getting assets for his "core" and take the heat from the fans. That's it. Assistant GM Kevin Devine seems to be in charge of personnel. At least with the drafting part. Not sure how much input he had into the likes of Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett.
bsn: Who wins tonight?
Don: *shrugs* Sabres? I guess? How about 3-2? Might even be a shoot-out. I see two, maybe three fights, with Foligno dropping them, maybe Scott. Maybe Weber and probably someone unexpected. Maybe Zadorov?
bsn: You really think so? That they'll beat the Bruins?
Don: I don't know. Look. If Rolston really wants to motivate his team, they should skate, dress and spend the next half hour watching the Rivalries piece, then follow it up with the Roby audio. That's the Buffalo Sabres and how they can rise again.
An all-time classic: Shony and Cashman
Patty K. takes one on the chin for the team
bsn: Did you watch the NBCSN Rivalries segment last night featuring Boston and Buffalo?
Don: Yup. Brought back some great memories. You know what I'd forgotten, maybe didn't even realize the significance of at the time? Brad May smoked none other than Raymond Bourque. Made him look like a rookie out there.
bsn: Yeah, that was a great piece. Do you think there's a "rivalry?"
Don: Well...in order to have a true rivalry, it's best to have two teams that are good with a lot on the line. With Buffalo stinking up the league right now...well...yeah, there's still a rivalry. Doesn't matter. There's a long history. These teams hate each other and have for decades.
bsn: I don't know. Colorado/Detroit is a rivalry. Toronto/Montreal.
Don: Colorado/Detroit is still a rivalry, but it was much better when the stakes were higher. Maybe Toronto/Montreal is the truest of rivalries, kinda like the Yanks and BoSox. Every game is for the heart and soul of Canada. There's an intensity on and off the ice. On both sides.
bsn: Yeah. It would seem as if there's a feeling of having a rivalry coming from the Buffalo fan base, but out of Boston, it's, like, whatever.
Don: Yup. Boston has had a great beginning to the century too. In all sports. Even got "The Curse of the Bambino" off of their backs.
bsn: The Bruins players said in that piece that they still get up for the game.
Don: Yup. At least there's an intensity on the ice. It'll be fun tonight. I think they have at least a little bit of respect for the Sabres. At least not to take them lightly. The Sabres have done pretty well against them over the past couple of years. And with John Scott annihilating Thorton, there might be a bit more respect there as well.
bsn: Think the Scott/Thorton thing will add to Sabres/Bruins lore?
Don: Hell yeah. He crushed Thorton and then went to the bench and started pointing fingers as to who's next. Signing Scott was one of the biggest moves for the Sabres, at least within those terms. For the life of me I'll never understand why people think that John Scott is completely useless.
bsn: Well. He can't skate very well. Has, like one goal in 8000 games. Ummm...
Don: So what? Tell me, how much of a difference does a fourth line player like, sayyyy, Kevin Porter make? He has a handful of points at the NHL-level, tries hard, works hard, spends some time on the PK. But...does do anything that really makes a difference for this team?
bsn: At least he can skate.
Don: That's not the point. As is stands right now, he's one of the many vanilla players on this team. John Scott made a difference. The Bruins may be a better team, with better players and better depth. They may have a ton of grit, but they're not gonna hit the ice and intimidate the Sabres.
bsn: They're still tougher and grittier for the 56 minutes Scott is not on the ice.
Don: Maybe. But having Scott do that has a ripple effect. I was listening to Roby on WGR today and he was talking about Jim Schoenfeld and Wayne Cashman going through the Zamboni doors. For me the greatest, coolest fight ever. Roby was on the ice and what Schony did, he said, was give his teammates a spine. From then on, said Roby, sitting in the lockeroom after the game with a bloody face was honorable. The punches didn't hurt. He said you didn't even feel them and he actually said they felt good.
bsn: Yeah. They said in the Rivalries piece, someone did anyway, that if you weren't tough, you acted tough and played tough.
Don: Absolutely. And it was because of Shony. Among others. Roby also talked about having three or four guys that could stand up to the "Big, Bad Bruins" and because of that, they took their intimidation elsewhere. Ya gotta remember, those were tough days in the NHL. They didn't pull a movie like Slapshot out of thin air. And the Sabres were a fledgling franchise at the time.
bsn: Is Mike Weber on the ice because he's one of those three or four guys?
Don: Ummm...he's not intimidated. Which is a good thing. Steve Ott is one of those guys. So is Patty Kaleta. He's another one. Sometimes the Buffalo fans drive me friggen' bonkers. Fans from another team will say Patty's useless. No he's not, he's a legit fourth-line, energy-guy. And they'll say he turtles. No he doesn't. He took on Milan Lucic. Stood toe-to-toe. And actually skated off the ice afterwards imploring the fans to get into it. The Sabres won that game handily.
bsn: What did you think of the suspension?
Don: A bunch of crap. Not the fact that he was suspended. Just the length in light of other suspensions. Yeah, he has a record. But I really think if he wanted to he could've taken off the guy's head and put him on a stretcher. Kinda like that one guy did.
bsn: You mean Max Lapierre?
Don: Yeah, that douche. No question Patty has douche-like qualities, but that hit Lapierre laid on...who was it?
bsn: Dan Boyle.
Don: Right. Drove his face right into the boards. And he got what? Five games. Shanahan doesn't like Patty. Probably reminds him too much of Claude Lemieux. Probably could care less about the Sabres as well.
bsn: You think the league has a vendetta against Kaleta?
Don: Yeah. Well, kinda. They choose to throw the book at him whenever possible, while others they'll give the benefit of the doubt to. By the way, the guy he hit scored a goal in the next game.
bsn: Well, if he wants to play in the NHL, perhaps he should take Matt Cooke's advice.
Don: Really? Matt Cooke is a changed man? You watch. When the stakes get higher, his natural instincts will come through. Like a drink in front of a recovering alcoholic.
Listen. Having this shit happen to Patty K. makes me like him all the more. Having John Scott on the team makes me like them more. I'm really tired of Darcy Regier's soccer-mom team that he iced the last 10 years. You want a standard? Place any of those Buffalo Sabres players back in the 70's. If that guy could play back then, not necessarily be a Shony or King Kong Korab, but a player with a spine who could play his game; that should be the standard by which all present and future Buffalo Sabres should be judged.
bsn: So who amongst this team do you think could make it back then?
Don: The obvious gritty ones like Ott, Patty, Scott, Weber. McCormick could've made it back then if there were 30 teams like there are now. Vanek could score in any style NHL. Foligno. Maybe Stafford.
bsn: How about the youngsters?
Don: It'll be interesting to see how Nikita Zadorov plays tonight. I think he's one of those guys. Love his demeanor. And I think it's genuine. He gets a gleam in his eye when it comes to hitting. Tonight is a great test for him. Larry Robinson. Did you see the top-10 defenseman spot afterwards? Great piece on Robinson. He didn't necessarily look for trouble, but if you came in looking for trouble, he'd beat ya down to size. It's too early, but I'm wondering if Zadorov has a little Robinson in him.
bsn: That would be cool...
Don: Speaking of Robinson. If Pegula wants to really turn his hockey operations around, he should go after Robinson after the season is over. I think the Sharks have a golden opportunity to win the Cup this year. After that I'd offer him a VP of hockey ops position and let him work with the incoming group of youngsters.
bsn: You think he'd come to Buffalo?
Don: Money talks. And Pegula's got it. And Robinson deserves it. And he has the hockey knowledge and winning attitude. Bring him in. Let him decide who the GM is and then get themselves a coaching staff.
bsn: You think Regier's gone?
Don: Not now. At the end of the year. The knucklehead fan-base is calling for his head. Sheesh. Regier is doing a fine job tearing down his core and getting usefull assets in return. There's no reason to think that he can't add another two or three top-60 picks over the next two drafts as well as maybe a prospect or two for dealing Vanek and Miller. Maybe even Stafford as well. What's the difference if this crappy team has him as GM for the year. It won't affect the product on the ice this season.
bsn: Yeah, but the fans hate him.
Don: So what? They're overreacting. Look. The way they should view him is as a journeyman quarterback with a weak offensive line. And no running game. That QB should take all the lumps while the team rebuilds the line. The QB of the future can stay on the sidelines without getting hurt, without getting thrown into a toxic situation. Next year, it's all his.
bsn: Hmmm. Interesting. But do you trust him?
Don: Darcy has two things to do collecting his paycheck--continue getting assets for his "core" and take the heat from the fans. That's it. Assistant GM Kevin Devine seems to be in charge of personnel. At least with the drafting part. Not sure how much input he had into the likes of Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett.
bsn: Who wins tonight?
Don: *shrugs* Sabres? I guess? How about 3-2? Might even be a shoot-out. I see two, maybe three fights, with Foligno dropping them, maybe Scott. Maybe Weber and probably someone unexpected. Maybe Zadorov?
bsn: You really think so? That they'll beat the Bruins?
Don: I don't know. Look. If Rolston really wants to motivate his team, they should skate, dress and spend the next half hour watching the Rivalries piece, then follow it up with the Roby audio. That's the Buffalo Sabres and how they can rise again.
An all-time classic: Shony and Cashman
Patty K. takes one on the chin for the team
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Strong reactions from "The Center of the Hockey Universe"
Uh. That would be Toronto.
My oh my.
The Buffalo Sabres apparently broke some sort of code when their enforcer, John Scott, went after the Maple Leafs "star" Phil Kessel Sunday night.
And the Toronto media, as well as Leaf-nation, has been beside themselves ever since.
Buffalo, the bastard child of the red-headed step-child of North American cities, and their ghetto hockey team had the nerve to come to the hallowed grounds of hockey--Toronto--with total disregard for proper etiquette, according to Torontonians.
Some sort of "code" was broken when enforcer John Scott tried to muzzle the Leafs annoying little Schnauzer that is Phil Kessel.
It's not like Scott was going to "kill" Kessel or anything although Kessel's still cleaning out his drawers at the very thought.
Scott just wanted to pull a Hulk, slap Kessel around like the yapping little on-ice bitch he is, then skate away, "Puny little god."
Meh.
The Sabres took it all in stride.
It was simple. Although they wouldn't come out and say it, they did not like the way the fight ended between Leafs "tough guy" Jamie Devane and the Sabres Corey Tropp.
Devane looked as if he slammed Tropp's head to the ice with his forearm as both went down.
Sabres goalie Ryan Miller who dropped the glove and flipper for the first time in his pro career said, "from our side we felt that the fight prior with Tropper didn't end in a very classy way. We just felt it was poor taste definitely at the end."
Whoa! What does anyone in Buffalo know about taste?
Damien Cox of the Toronto Star blasted the whole shebang, hockey's "twisted view of manhood," ie: fighting, called the goalie fight "the most comical sight of all" and proceeded to pshaw Leafs TV for promoting the melee' as if "the Leafs had really accomplished something special on this night."
But what's comical is how high-brow and ill-conceived Cox's article is.
His whole premise is that Sabres bench boss Ron Rolston, whom he slights as a "U.S. college guy no less," was the root of the problem.
After seeing Tropp go down, Rolston, "sent out Scott, because he is six-foot-eight and a fighter of moderate ability," wrote Cox. "It was the classic tap on the shoulder, the 'and don’t dance' wordless missive from the coach.
Rolston wanted revenge, and if [he] hadn’t sent out Scott, nothing would likely have happened. Or perhaps Scott, in the way it’s supposed to work, would have challenged Devane after he left the penalty box, " he concluded.
The only problem with Cox's misguided theory is that Scott was already on the ice. After Tropp scored at 9:57, Scott and Mike Zigomanis hit the ice for the faceoff. The Devane/Tropp fight went down four seconds after that puck drop. The line brawl commenced at 10:01, before the next faceoff.
My oh my.
The Buffalo Sabres apparently broke some sort of code when their enforcer, John Scott, went after the Maple Leafs "star" Phil Kessel Sunday night.
And the Toronto media, as well as Leaf-nation, has been beside themselves ever since.
Buffalo, the bastard child of the red-headed step-child of North American cities, and their ghetto hockey team had the nerve to come to the hallowed grounds of hockey--Toronto--with total disregard for proper etiquette, according to Torontonians.
Some sort of "code" was broken when enforcer John Scott tried to muzzle the Leafs annoying little Schnauzer that is Phil Kessel.
It's not like Scott was going to "kill" Kessel or anything although Kessel's still cleaning out his drawers at the very thought.
Scott just wanted to pull a Hulk, slap Kessel around like the yapping little on-ice bitch he is, then skate away, "Puny little god."
Meh.
The Sabres took it all in stride.
It was simple. Although they wouldn't come out and say it, they did not like the way the fight ended between Leafs "tough guy" Jamie Devane and the Sabres Corey Tropp.
Devane looked as if he slammed Tropp's head to the ice with his forearm as both went down.
Sabres goalie Ryan Miller who dropped the glove and flipper for the first time in his pro career said, "from our side we felt that the fight prior with Tropper didn't end in a very classy way. We just felt it was poor taste definitely at the end."
Whoa! What does anyone in Buffalo know about taste?
Damien Cox of the Toronto Star blasted the whole shebang, hockey's "twisted view of manhood," ie: fighting, called the goalie fight "the most comical sight of all" and proceeded to pshaw Leafs TV for promoting the melee' as if "the Leafs had really accomplished something special on this night."
But what's comical is how high-brow and ill-conceived Cox's article is.
His whole premise is that Sabres bench boss Ron Rolston, whom he slights as a "U.S. college guy no less," was the root of the problem.
After seeing Tropp go down, Rolston, "sent out Scott, because he is six-foot-eight and a fighter of moderate ability," wrote Cox. "It was the classic tap on the shoulder, the 'and don’t dance' wordless missive from the coach.
Rolston wanted revenge, and if [he] hadn’t sent out Scott, nothing would likely have happened. Or perhaps Scott, in the way it’s supposed to work, would have challenged Devane after he left the penalty box, " he concluded.
The only problem with Cox's misguided theory is that Scott was already on the ice. After Tropp scored at 9:57, Scott and Mike Zigomanis hit the ice for the faceoff. The Devane/Tropp fight went down four seconds after that puck drop. The line brawl commenced at 10:01, before the next faceoff.
Oh, and sorry, Damien there's also the point about Scott not challenging Devane, whom Cox calls the Leafs "apprentice tough-guy," before the 10-minute mark of the third period.
Devane was on the ice with Scott eight times before the Devane/Tropp fight. In fact Scott was on the ice opposite Devane and Tropp at the time.
The "apprentice tough guy" was out to prove himself against the smaller Tropp? After cowering away from numerous opportunities with Scott?
It's Toronto, the "almighty Leafs" are always in the right. Just ask them.
Which brings us to another gem from The Leafs page at the star.com, Buffalo’s not important enough to hate.
Author Cathal Kelly, he of the unisex name, metrosexual flair and flaming hubris, writes, "on the long list of teams Toronto hates, Buffalo's buried beneath 50 feet of compacted garbage."
 |
| Cathal Kelly of TheLeafsPage |
Kelly is cute in this piece. He defends David Clarkson for jumping over the boards (not mentioning Clarkson holding Sabres d-man Drew Bagnall while teammate Carter Ashton sucker-punches him) and Kessel for using his stick "like a boning knife" (in the back of Scott who's engaged with Clarkson and a linesman at the time.)
He knocks Scott: "He spends his Saturday mornings turning to people in the lineup at the grocery store and saying “Wanna go?” He can’t help himself.'
Kelly then proceeds to take shots at the Bills and the Bisons as well.
Buffalo's not worthy of any sort of recognition taunts Kelly, "[the city] is like the kid who won’t stop pinching you in the recess line, Buffalo keeps trying to start something."
Kelly is lucky he was top poodle at an all girls school. His lunch money would've made some South Buffalonians pretty rich.
It's a fun read and Kelly has a way with words, but it's not really a piece about hockey and rivalries. Nor is it about the line brawl because of one glorious, universal truth, "Toronto’s only natural rival is itself," he says.
Having dismissed all sports rivalries including Montreal and Ottawa, Kelly, with the smack of perfectly placed lip gloss, says Toronto has only one recourse while standing alone atop Mount Maple Leaf, "we go back to trying to catch the attention of the only people whose opinion we really care about – ourselves."
Uh, sweetie, when you're done admiring yourself, head to the Outlet Mall and find Kessel matching lip gloss for his purse.
OK?
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Darcy Regier on team-building plus John Scott and other tidbits
It took a while.
Sabres GM Darcy Regier is finally of the mind-set that his group of soft-but-skilled, New-NHL core players can't compete in today's NHL.
Better late than never, I guess.
"I think what we're seeing in the game is it's shifting again to a bigger man's game," said Regier on WGR's Hockey Hotline. "I do generally think the game is getting bigger and you [need] to have people who are willing to compete and you [need] to have size in your lineup. There's a shift in that general direction over what we saw coming out of the [2004-05] lockout."
"We're headed to a very hard-working team and a very hard-working-game being," Regier continued in the interview, "I still think you need a blend. First of all you need competitors, but you need a blend of skill and you need a blend of work and the signature for us is to revolve around work."
It took Regier years to realize that the New-NHL came and went. He's been talking about "tougher to play against" for years and now he would like everyone to believe that the man who dismantled the hardest working team in hockey will rebuild a bigger version of that.
I'll believe it when I see it.
This off-season will give Sabres fans a clue as to whether Regier's really intent upon building like that or if it's lip service.
Looking back at past drafts, one must wonder if he's even capable of finding a player with those assets. When faced with a choice of skill or compete, he nearly always goes with the skill aspect:
Mike Weber (#57, 2006,) Corey Tropp (#89, 2007,) Brayden McNabb (#66, 2009,) and Zemgus Girgensons (#14, 2012) are the only ones in the top 100 picks during Regier's tenure that fit the compete aspect of the equation.
Does Regier have it within him to find those types of players?
He may recognize the need for bringing in players with size, grit and compete, but based upon his history, it's doubtful.
************
John Scott was re-signed for another year this week.
The knock on Scott has been that, outside of his enforcer/protector role, he was not worthy of playing a regular shift.
The big guy did his job as enforcer. Regier summed it up rather nicely on GR saying, "[Scott] created a safe work environment" for the team.
What surprised the organization, though, was his ability to log fourth-line minutes without being a detriment to the team.
Coach Ron Rolston used Scott up to 10 minutes for a few games later in the year based upon the solid work the he did when he played a regular shift.
That's a good thing for Buffalo.
Scott is also good in the locker room and his goofy antics have lightened things up a bit.
************
With the NY Rangers down 3-0 in their playoff series with Boston, head coach John Tortorella benched C Brad Richards for tonight's do or die game at the Garden.
Richards is having a horrendous playoff with only one goal. His play has been so bad in the eyes of "Torts" that before his scratch he was relegated to fourth-line duties.
Two years ago, Richards was the premier free agent on the market and Buffalo was amongst the teams ready to pony up the cash and term to sign the former Conn Smythe winner.
The Olean-Times Herald's Bill Hoppe briefly recounts that time.
"Not surprisingly," Hoppe writes, "the Sabres, then at the height of their spending frenzy, wanted Richards. The brain trust planned to go up and meet with Richards as free agency opened."
Regier and Co. decided they didn't have a chance and turned their attention to FA Ville Leino, whom they signed to a 6 yr./$27M contract.
Safe to say that neither of those two signings have worked out all that well and Hoppe surmises that both may end up being an amnesty buyout this off-season.
It should be noted, though, that Leino may not be an amnesty buyout candidate due to his injury which caused him to miss the final 13 games of this shortened season.
Perhaps that's part of the reason why the Rags scratched Richards rather then use him on the fourth line. He's healthy and eligible for the buyout, which would remove his $6.66M cap-hit from their books.
If he is bought out, some team will be able to land a quality center at a very reasonable price.
His precipitous drop from franchise-like #1 center to healthy scratch is curious to say the least. Teams will need to decide if his skill-level is in serious decline or if there were mitigating factors like Torts and/or possibly the addition of Rick Nash.
Something's not right.
I've often felt Richards was overrated and that he was able to ride that playoff MVP for far too long and for far too much money.
But, he's not that bad, is he?
He's still a top-line center and if he's available this summer, the Sabres might want to take a look at signing him.
I don't care what this year's playoff numbers say.
*************
Sabres back-up goaltender Jhonas Enroth is full of confidence after leading Team Sweden to the gold medal in the IIHF World Championship.
"I'm ready [to start]," he told Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News. "I've been growing a lot," he continued. "I learned a lot from this season. And last season too. My goal is to be a starter one year in the NHL."
That one full year is, presumably, to prove that he can be a full-time #1 goalie.
There seems to be a pretty good chance that he'll have that opportunity this coming season.
Ryan Miller is in the last year of his contract. The team has Enroth on the big club already, and their trade-deadline acquisition, Matt Hackett, is out of waiver options.
*************
Speaking of Miller, if he is on the move, no one knows where he might end up.
He has a limited no-trade clause where he can list eight teams that he doesn't want to be traded to. Unfortunately for the Sabres, teams like the NY Islanders, Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, all of whom could use a #1 goalie, are probably on his no-trade list.
There are other teams who would make for an interesting trade partner, most notably the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and possibly the Washington Capitals or the Colorado Avalanche.
This could be a defining moment for the Sabres organization.
I have no idea what Regier is thinking or what the return would be, but one would guess that he'd love to be able to use Miller as a spring-board to a top-3 pick this season--read a trade with Colorado, Florida or Tampa Bay.
It's highly doubtful that the 'Lanche, who have the #1 overall pick in the draft, would trade that for Miller or even some package from the Sabres.
************
Colorado has a new head coach and VP of hockey operations in Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy.
Roy is a legend in Colorado after leading the team to two Stanley Cups. He was brought in by another Avalanche legend, Joe Sakic, who was also a key cog on those Cup winning teams.
Colorado and Buffalo should not be dismissed as trade partners this summer.
Miller is in a similar situation in Buffalo that Roy was in Montreal before the latter demanded a trade. The Sabres #1 goalie has been derided in Buffalo for sub-par performances over the last couple of seasons and he even gave a booing home crowd a mock-wave.
Roy was humiliated in Montreal by his coach in an 11-1 loss. After finally getting pulled by Mario Trembley he said it would be his last game in Montreal.
He was traded to Colorado, won the Cup that same season and the rest is history.
When Miller was asked about similarities between his game and Roy's he said, "It doesn't mean I want to leave, but if that's what you're getting at, the guy won two Stanley Cups. So, hey, why not?"
The guy he's talking about is now in Colorado with questionable goaltending in Semion Varlamov and one would think that he'd rather have a true #1 goalie manning the crease.
Another connection with Roy and the Sabres is that concerning Mikhail Grigorenko.
Grigorenko played under Roy for the Quebec Remparts and had a stellar season before joining the Sabres after the lockout ended.
I'd asked Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com about the possibility of Roy being highly interested in Grigorenko but Bakes said that the Russian center wasn't a good fit in the locker room after his return to junior.
Even so, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the Sabres an Avalanche hooked up. What the pieces would be is the interesting part.
Sabres GM Darcy Regier is finally of the mind-set that his group of soft-but-skilled, New-NHL core players can't compete in today's NHL.
Better late than never, I guess.
"I think what we're seeing in the game is it's shifting again to a bigger man's game," said Regier on WGR's Hockey Hotline. "I do generally think the game is getting bigger and you [need] to have people who are willing to compete and you [need] to have size in your lineup. There's a shift in that general direction over what we saw coming out of the [2004-05] lockout."
"We're headed to a very hard-working team and a very hard-working-game being," Regier continued in the interview, "I still think you need a blend. First of all you need competitors, but you need a blend of skill and you need a blend of work and the signature for us is to revolve around work."
It took Regier years to realize that the New-NHL came and went. He's been talking about "tougher to play against" for years and now he would like everyone to believe that the man who dismantled the hardest working team in hockey will rebuild a bigger version of that.
I'll believe it when I see it.
This off-season will give Sabres fans a clue as to whether Regier's really intent upon building like that or if it's lip service.
Looking back at past drafts, one must wonder if he's even capable of finding a player with those assets. When faced with a choice of skill or compete, he nearly always goes with the skill aspect:
- 1998--D Dmitri Kalinin (#18 overall) over D Robyn Regehr (#19)
- Slick forwards Artem Kryukov (#15, 2000,) Jiri Novotny (#22, 2001,) Marek Zagrapan (#13, 2005,) Joel Armia (#16, 2011) and Mikhail Grigorenko (#12, 2012.)
- Puck-moving defensemen--Henrik Tallinder (#48, 1998,) Keith Ballard (#11, 2002,) Dennis Persson, (#24, 2006) TJ Brennan (#31, 2007,) Tyler Myers (#12, 2008) and Mark Pysyk (#23, 2010) plus Brian Campbell, Doug Janik, Andrej Sekera, Drew Schiestel, and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc.
- Small, but skilled forwards--Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Tyler Ennis and Daniel Catenacci
- Big forwards and defensemen who play/played small--Ales Kotalik, Drew Stafford, Michael Funk, Mike Card, Luke Adam and Zack Kassian.
Mike Weber (#57, 2006,) Corey Tropp (#89, 2007,) Brayden McNabb (#66, 2009,) and Zemgus Girgensons (#14, 2012) are the only ones in the top 100 picks during Regier's tenure that fit the compete aspect of the equation.
Does Regier have it within him to find those types of players?
He may recognize the need for bringing in players with size, grit and compete, but based upon his history, it's doubtful.
************
John Scott was re-signed for another year this week.
The knock on Scott has been that, outside of his enforcer/protector role, he was not worthy of playing a regular shift.
The big guy did his job as enforcer. Regier summed it up rather nicely on GR saying, "[Scott] created a safe work environment" for the team.
What surprised the organization, though, was his ability to log fourth-line minutes without being a detriment to the team.
Coach Ron Rolston used Scott up to 10 minutes for a few games later in the year based upon the solid work the he did when he played a regular shift.
That's a good thing for Buffalo.
Scott is also good in the locker room and his goofy antics have lightened things up a bit.
************
With the NY Rangers down 3-0 in their playoff series with Boston, head coach John Tortorella benched C Brad Richards for tonight's do or die game at the Garden.
Richards is having a horrendous playoff with only one goal. His play has been so bad in the eyes of "Torts" that before his scratch he was relegated to fourth-line duties.
Two years ago, Richards was the premier free agent on the market and Buffalo was amongst the teams ready to pony up the cash and term to sign the former Conn Smythe winner.
The Olean-Times Herald's Bill Hoppe briefly recounts that time.
"Not surprisingly," Hoppe writes, "the Sabres, then at the height of their spending frenzy, wanted Richards. The brain trust planned to go up and meet with Richards as free agency opened."
Regier and Co. decided they didn't have a chance and turned their attention to FA Ville Leino, whom they signed to a 6 yr./$27M contract.
Safe to say that neither of those two signings have worked out all that well and Hoppe surmises that both may end up being an amnesty buyout this off-season.
It should be noted, though, that Leino may not be an amnesty buyout candidate due to his injury which caused him to miss the final 13 games of this shortened season.
Perhaps that's part of the reason why the Rags scratched Richards rather then use him on the fourth line. He's healthy and eligible for the buyout, which would remove his $6.66M cap-hit from their books.
If he is bought out, some team will be able to land a quality center at a very reasonable price.
His precipitous drop from franchise-like #1 center to healthy scratch is curious to say the least. Teams will need to decide if his skill-level is in serious decline or if there were mitigating factors like Torts and/or possibly the addition of Rick Nash.
Something's not right.
I've often felt Richards was overrated and that he was able to ride that playoff MVP for far too long and for far too much money.
But, he's not that bad, is he?
He's still a top-line center and if he's available this summer, the Sabres might want to take a look at signing him.
I don't care what this year's playoff numbers say.
*************
Sabres back-up goaltender Jhonas Enroth is full of confidence after leading Team Sweden to the gold medal in the IIHF World Championship.
"I'm ready [to start]," he told Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News. "I've been growing a lot," he continued. "I learned a lot from this season. And last season too. My goal is to be a starter one year in the NHL."
That one full year is, presumably, to prove that he can be a full-time #1 goalie.
There seems to be a pretty good chance that he'll have that opportunity this coming season.
Ryan Miller is in the last year of his contract. The team has Enroth on the big club already, and their trade-deadline acquisition, Matt Hackett, is out of waiver options.
*************
Speaking of Miller, if he is on the move, no one knows where he might end up.
He has a limited no-trade clause where he can list eight teams that he doesn't want to be traded to. Unfortunately for the Sabres, teams like the NY Islanders, Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, all of whom could use a #1 goalie, are probably on his no-trade list.
There are other teams who would make for an interesting trade partner, most notably the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and possibly the Washington Capitals or the Colorado Avalanche.
This could be a defining moment for the Sabres organization.
I have no idea what Regier is thinking or what the return would be, but one would guess that he'd love to be able to use Miller as a spring-board to a top-3 pick this season--read a trade with Colorado, Florida or Tampa Bay.
It's highly doubtful that the 'Lanche, who have the #1 overall pick in the draft, would trade that for Miller or even some package from the Sabres.
************
Colorado has a new head coach and VP of hockey operations in Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy.
Roy is a legend in Colorado after leading the team to two Stanley Cups. He was brought in by another Avalanche legend, Joe Sakic, who was also a key cog on those Cup winning teams.
Colorado and Buffalo should not be dismissed as trade partners this summer.
Miller is in a similar situation in Buffalo that Roy was in Montreal before the latter demanded a trade. The Sabres #1 goalie has been derided in Buffalo for sub-par performances over the last couple of seasons and he even gave a booing home crowd a mock-wave.
Roy was humiliated in Montreal by his coach in an 11-1 loss. After finally getting pulled by Mario Trembley he said it would be his last game in Montreal.
He was traded to Colorado, won the Cup that same season and the rest is history.
When Miller was asked about similarities between his game and Roy's he said, "It doesn't mean I want to leave, but if that's what you're getting at, the guy won two Stanley Cups. So, hey, why not?"
The guy he's talking about is now in Colorado with questionable goaltending in Semion Varlamov and one would think that he'd rather have a true #1 goalie manning the crease.
Another connection with Roy and the Sabres is that concerning Mikhail Grigorenko.
Grigorenko played under Roy for the Quebec Remparts and had a stellar season before joining the Sabres after the lockout ended.
I'd asked Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com about the possibility of Roy being highly interested in Grigorenko but Bakes said that the Russian center wasn't a good fit in the locker room after his return to junior.
Even so, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the Sabres an Avalanche hooked up. What the pieces would be is the interesting part.
Monday, April 15, 2013
News and notes from the weekend
It was a real good weekend for the Sabres.
Two games, only one goal against, four of four points, a rise to 10th place in the standings.
That's the good news.
Unfortunately they have only five games left, they're four points back of the Rangers having played two more games and still only have a slim chance to make the playoffs. What's worse, they've gone from 27th in the league to 21st, which means they'd be picking 10th or 11th (dependent upon who wins the lottery) if the draft were today.
There's a vocal minority of fans who are booing this move up the standings. Their cry, "They even suck at sucking!" Their goal: Tank for a top-three pick.
They have a point. Why win now?
There were three opportunities throughout this shortened season to gain valuable points. Three times they went on four-game winless streaks.
The first one straddled the end of the Lindy Ruff era and the beginning of the Ron Rolston era. Four games, no points.
After a three-game winning streak, they proceeded to go four games without a win. Four games, this time two points.
With the team on the rise late in the month of March, they headed to the Sunshine State on a three-game winning streak, then proceeded to lose both games. They followed that up with two more losses at home. Four games, one point.
That pretty much sealed their fate for this season--out of the playoffs.
In addition, that pretty much brought to an end the era of Darcy Regier's "core."
*************
I've often felt that Rolston's time behind the bench was more of an evaluation period to see who could do what moving forward. Regier pretty much conceded the season at the deadline when he moved captain Jason Pominville for picks and prospects. No "build for the future while adding for the present" like he did the previous year with the trade for Cody Hodgson.
The roster shuffle brought in more youngins from the trade deadline through this weekend including two young defenseman, Mark Pysyk and Chad Ruhwedel.
Pysyk, a 2010 first round pick (#23 overall,) was brought in after Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr were traded and Alexander Sulzer was lost for the season.
He is a defensive defenseman who plays a simple game. A first year pro, Pysyk has shown immense poise in his own end and seems to always be in position.
Not bad for a 21 yr. old.
When Tyler Myers went down with a season-ending injury, the Sabres did not bring up a young d-man from Rochester.
They signed one of the better prospects out of college in Ruhwedel.
"Rudy" spent three seasons with U-Mass Lowell and his team just lost in the Frozen Four. He sat down with his coach before deciding to make the jump to the NHL a mere two days later.
In a perfect storm for the first team All-American, the Sabres needed a defenseman, while he was looking to sign with a team that would give him a shot in the NHL immediately. With the Sabres down to five defenseman, in he went for the afternoon game vs. Philly.
At 5" 11" 188 lbs., "Rudy" is on the smaller side for a defenseman, but he seems to play much bigger. He has two games under his belt and has acquitted himself very well with an even plus/minus rating in 24 total minutes of ice time.
For some nice background on the 22 yr. old and his whirlwind weekend, visit Bill Hoppe.
*************
In addition to the new bodies on defense, Luke Adam also got another shot with the big club.
He played in four games and scored a goal, but was a healthy scratch--in favor of John Scott-- the last two, which is not a good sign for him.
Scott has been playing really well for the team and has been earning his minutes. He played a season-high 10:43 vs Tampa yesterday.
He's doing a lot of things well on the ice in addition to his enforcer role. He seems to be skating real well (for him,) his positioning has been real sound, and he's leveling some players in the open ice.
This is not to say that he's a top-six or even a top-nine player, but he is showing signs that he might be able to stay in his enforcer role while playing fourth-line minutes.
Oh, and he's pretty funny too, adding a bit of levity to a bleak Sabres season by punkin' the youngins.
*************
Scott was on a line with Drew Stafford and Marcus Foligno over the weekend forming a pretty beefy line.
Interesting to note that Foligno centered the trio.
The Sabres have a lot of skill up the middle, but lack size (Adam was to have addressed that,) and Foligno at center certainly would address that.
In two games at center he's done very well on the dot winning 15 of 19 draws.
Obviously there's more to the center position than just faceoffs (just ask Paul Gaustad,) but it's an intriguing stat none the less.
Also, playing the center position forces a player to be fully engaged on the ice. At 21 Foligno has had his up moments where he's a power forward causing havoc in front of the net and along the boards and he's had his down moments where he doesn't move his feet.
Not sure what will happen, but in a year like this, why not see what he has at center?
I mean, they're already using a defenseman who's fresh out of college in their top-six.
What can it hurt at this point of the season?
Two games, only one goal against, four of four points, a rise to 10th place in the standings.
That's the good news.
Unfortunately they have only five games left, they're four points back of the Rangers having played two more games and still only have a slim chance to make the playoffs. What's worse, they've gone from 27th in the league to 21st, which means they'd be picking 10th or 11th (dependent upon who wins the lottery) if the draft were today.
There's a vocal minority of fans who are booing this move up the standings. Their cry, "They even suck at sucking!" Their goal: Tank for a top-three pick.
They have a point. Why win now?
There were three opportunities throughout this shortened season to gain valuable points. Three times they went on four-game winless streaks.
The first one straddled the end of the Lindy Ruff era and the beginning of the Ron Rolston era. Four games, no points.
After a three-game winning streak, they proceeded to go four games without a win. Four games, this time two points.
With the team on the rise late in the month of March, they headed to the Sunshine State on a three-game winning streak, then proceeded to lose both games. They followed that up with two more losses at home. Four games, one point.
That pretty much sealed their fate for this season--out of the playoffs.
In addition, that pretty much brought to an end the era of Darcy Regier's "core."
*************
I've often felt that Rolston's time behind the bench was more of an evaluation period to see who could do what moving forward. Regier pretty much conceded the season at the deadline when he moved captain Jason Pominville for picks and prospects. No "build for the future while adding for the present" like he did the previous year with the trade for Cody Hodgson.
The roster shuffle brought in more youngins from the trade deadline through this weekend including two young defenseman, Mark Pysyk and Chad Ruhwedel.
Pysyk, a 2010 first round pick (#23 overall,) was brought in after Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr were traded and Alexander Sulzer was lost for the season.
He is a defensive defenseman who plays a simple game. A first year pro, Pysyk has shown immense poise in his own end and seems to always be in position.
Not bad for a 21 yr. old.
When Tyler Myers went down with a season-ending injury, the Sabres did not bring up a young d-man from Rochester.
They signed one of the better prospects out of college in Ruhwedel.
"Rudy" spent three seasons with U-Mass Lowell and his team just lost in the Frozen Four. He sat down with his coach before deciding to make the jump to the NHL a mere two days later.
In a perfect storm for the first team All-American, the Sabres needed a defenseman, while he was looking to sign with a team that would give him a shot in the NHL immediately. With the Sabres down to five defenseman, in he went for the afternoon game vs. Philly.
At 5" 11" 188 lbs., "Rudy" is on the smaller side for a defenseman, but he seems to play much bigger. He has two games under his belt and has acquitted himself very well with an even plus/minus rating in 24 total minutes of ice time.
For some nice background on the 22 yr. old and his whirlwind weekend, visit Bill Hoppe.
*************
In addition to the new bodies on defense, Luke Adam also got another shot with the big club.
He played in four games and scored a goal, but was a healthy scratch--in favor of John Scott-- the last two, which is not a good sign for him.
Scott has been playing really well for the team and has been earning his minutes. He played a season-high 10:43 vs Tampa yesterday.
He's doing a lot of things well on the ice in addition to his enforcer role. He seems to be skating real well (for him,) his positioning has been real sound, and he's leveling some players in the open ice.
This is not to say that he's a top-six or even a top-nine player, but he is showing signs that he might be able to stay in his enforcer role while playing fourth-line minutes.
Oh, and he's pretty funny too, adding a bit of levity to a bleak Sabres season by punkin' the youngins.
*************
Scott was on a line with Drew Stafford and Marcus Foligno over the weekend forming a pretty beefy line.
Interesting to note that Foligno centered the trio.
The Sabres have a lot of skill up the middle, but lack size (Adam was to have addressed that,) and Foligno at center certainly would address that.
In two games at center he's done very well on the dot winning 15 of 19 draws.
Obviously there's more to the center position than just faceoffs (just ask Paul Gaustad,) but it's an intriguing stat none the less.
Also, playing the center position forces a player to be fully engaged on the ice. At 21 Foligno has had his up moments where he's a power forward causing havoc in front of the net and along the boards and he's had his down moments where he doesn't move his feet.
Not sure what will happen, but in a year like this, why not see what he has at center?
I mean, they're already using a defenseman who's fresh out of college in their top-six.
What can it hurt at this point of the season?
Friday, February 1, 2013
Now you know why
Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk took out Thomas Vanek in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs and why Milan Lucic took out Ryan Miller in November, 2011.
And we now have evidence as to why the Sabres signed Big John Scott.
Buffalo left TD Garden last night with a 7-4 win, but maybe more importantly, they left with their lunch money. They went in, Scott "poked the Bear," and the team smoked the B's.
It's not that the Sabres haven't beaten the Bruins over the last few seasons, they have. And it's not like the win was some magical panacea.
What last night's game showed was that when their two best players can focus upon their game, they can be dominant.
Vanek had the hattie, showing three different ways to score--one-time slapper, re-direct in the slot and a backhand after some nifty front-door moves. He also made a beautiful pass to Tyler Ennis while getting cross-checked to the ice and banked a pass to himself in the neutral zone, skated in on the right wing on a two-on-one and fed a streaking Cody Hodgson for a one-timer that put the Sabres up for good. Three goals, two assists (both primary,) the game's first star, two five-point games this season and, now, a spot atop the NHL leaderboard in points (15.) Two words--en fuego.
Despite giving up four goals, Miller was outstanding.
Thanks to a Keystone Cops defense, Miller was standing on his head with Bruins in his face, but in the end he still managed to stop 38 of 42 shots (.905 sv%) on his way to being named 3rd star of the game.
As for Scott?
That's why they brought him in.
With the game nary three minutes old, Boston's enforcer Shawn Thorton said, "let's go." The two, who have a history, were said to have been jawing at each other pregame and it down went the gloves.
Scott was so dominant in the fight that all he could really do was express his concern that Thorton wasn't hurt too bad. Thorton would head to the locker room after serving his penalty and would not see the ice the rest of the game.
"I was asking our trainers how he’s doing. You never want to hurt somebody,” Scott said. “I was kind of concerned after the first period we never saw him again. So I still don’t know how he’s doing, hopefully he’s doing well. You hate to see someone leave the game like that.”
He also stared down the Bruins bench on the way to the box and told 'em, "that's one."
CBS Boston's Michael Hurley wrote a pretty sullen article on the incident, and the underlying current is that of concern.
Hurley called it "somewhat stunning" witnessing Thorton "decidedly lose a bout," while his teammates came to his defense. Forward Tyler Seguin stated the obvious by saying that "Thorty" took one for the team while goaltender Tuuka Rask augmented that by saying, "It takes some balls to fight a guy like that that’s two heads taller than you."
Yes, Tuuka, it sure does. Just ask the Sabres Patrick Kaleta.
Last year he took on Lucic, got pummeled and was ridiculed by Bahhhhstonians. But, he took one for the team, Boston got thrown off it's game and the Sabres went on to win.
The Sabres always could beat the Bruins on occasion, it just never seemed as if it was decisive.
Last night was decisive.
Just goes to show that when the Sabres two best players are allowed the luxury of focusing--thanks to Scott--they can do it in a convincing fashion, even against one of the toughest--if not THE toughest--team in the league.
Note:
Lindy Ruff called a timeout with 14 seconds left and the Sabres up by three goals.
Why?
Bruins coach Claude Julien decided to put a goon out there against Vanek, Jason Pominville and Jochen Hecht. Apparently Ruff thought Julien was up to something.
After the time out, Ruff trotted out Scott and Marcus Foligno.
Oh my, how the Big, Bad Bruins can whine.
Said Brad Marchant, “Yeah, [Ruff] wants to be a big shot, and that’s not the best play to do. “That’s pretty disrespectful. If he wants to be like that, that’s fine. We just have to move on.”
Really? Disrespectful?
Sheesh. If Ruff would've said something like this all of Bahhhhhston would've been mocking him.
Visit Puckdaddy for a nice encapsulation.
Nice work from WGR's Paul Hamilton noticing "a big difference in the Bruins" after Scott KO'd Thorton, 6:47-mark.
And we now have evidence as to why the Sabres signed Big John Scott.
Buffalo left TD Garden last night with a 7-4 win, but maybe more importantly, they left with their lunch money. They went in, Scott "poked the Bear," and the team smoked the B's.
It's not that the Sabres haven't beaten the Bruins over the last few seasons, they have. And it's not like the win was some magical panacea.
What last night's game showed was that when their two best players can focus upon their game, they can be dominant.
Vanek had the hattie, showing three different ways to score--one-time slapper, re-direct in the slot and a backhand after some nifty front-door moves. He also made a beautiful pass to Tyler Ennis while getting cross-checked to the ice and banked a pass to himself in the neutral zone, skated in on the right wing on a two-on-one and fed a streaking Cody Hodgson for a one-timer that put the Sabres up for good. Three goals, two assists (both primary,) the game's first star, two five-point games this season and, now, a spot atop the NHL leaderboard in points (15.) Two words--en fuego.
Despite giving up four goals, Miller was outstanding.
Thanks to a Keystone Cops defense, Miller was standing on his head with Bruins in his face, but in the end he still managed to stop 38 of 42 shots (.905 sv%) on his way to being named 3rd star of the game.
As for Scott?
That's why they brought him in.
With the game nary three minutes old, Boston's enforcer Shawn Thorton said, "let's go." The two, who have a history, were said to have been jawing at each other pregame and it down went the gloves.
Scott was so dominant in the fight that all he could really do was express his concern that Thorton wasn't hurt too bad. Thorton would head to the locker room after serving his penalty and would not see the ice the rest of the game.
"I was asking our trainers how he’s doing. You never want to hurt somebody,” Scott said. “I was kind of concerned after the first period we never saw him again. So I still don’t know how he’s doing, hopefully he’s doing well. You hate to see someone leave the game like that.”
He also stared down the Bruins bench on the way to the box and told 'em, "that's one."
CBS Boston's Michael Hurley wrote a pretty sullen article on the incident, and the underlying current is that of concern.
Hurley called it "somewhat stunning" witnessing Thorton "decidedly lose a bout," while his teammates came to his defense. Forward Tyler Seguin stated the obvious by saying that "Thorty" took one for the team while goaltender Tuuka Rask augmented that by saying, "It takes some balls to fight a guy like that that’s two heads taller than you."
Yes, Tuuka, it sure does. Just ask the Sabres Patrick Kaleta.
Last year he took on Lucic, got pummeled and was ridiculed by Bahhhhstonians. But, he took one for the team, Boston got thrown off it's game and the Sabres went on to win.
The Sabres always could beat the Bruins on occasion, it just never seemed as if it was decisive.
Last night was decisive.
Just goes to show that when the Sabres two best players are allowed the luxury of focusing--thanks to Scott--they can do it in a convincing fashion, even against one of the toughest--if not THE toughest--team in the league.
Note:
Lindy Ruff called a timeout with 14 seconds left and the Sabres up by three goals.
Why?
Bruins coach Claude Julien decided to put a goon out there against Vanek, Jason Pominville and Jochen Hecht. Apparently Ruff thought Julien was up to something.
After the time out, Ruff trotted out Scott and Marcus Foligno.
Oh my, how the Big, Bad Bruins can whine.
Said Brad Marchant, “Yeah, [Ruff] wants to be a big shot, and that’s not the best play to do. “That’s pretty disrespectful. If he wants to be like that, that’s fine. We just have to move on.”
Really? Disrespectful?
Sheesh. If Ruff would've said something like this all of Bahhhhhston would've been mocking him.
Visit Puckdaddy for a nice encapsulation.
Nice work from WGR's Paul Hamilton noticing "a big difference in the Bruins" after Scott KO'd Thorton, 6:47-mark.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
In defense of John Scott
Everybody in the hockey world knows just why 6'8" 270lb John Scott was signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Sabres--his Bobby Orr-like end-to-end rushes, his Sidney Crosby goal-scoring savvy, his Bobby Hull-like slapshot and his Wayne Gretzky-like ice presence.
Right?
OK.
Now that I have your attention, despite the fact skating, scoring and stickwork aren't really his strong points, Scott is a good addition to the Sabres.
Yeah, everyone knows that he'll rival former enforcer, Andrew Peters, for the least amount of playing time by a Buffalo player in the last 15 years. But, please, spare me the stats, the Peters comparison and analogies concerning the "enforcer" going the way of the dodo.
And while you're at it, get over yourself and your delusions of a clean, wide-open, free-flowing NHL. Intimidation is still a factor in the NHL.
There are still a number of overage adolescents with anger management issues flying around in an enclosed area. They're armed with sticks and a desire to stay in the NHL by doing whatever's necessary--including, but not limited to, taking out the opposition's best player.
The Sabres have skilled players on their team. But can they really let loose knowing that, at any given moment, Chris Neil is drawing a bead on them or a Milan Lucic is looking to run them over?
Sabres owner Terry Pegula saw this, as did the rest of the Sabres front office, and they decided to do something about it. Enter, arguably, the best heavyweight/enforcer in the game--John Scott.
WGR's Paul Hamilton, was on the radio yesterday and he laid out just exactly what the role of Scott is--he will sit on the bench for most of the game and act as a deterrent.
He wasn't brought in for skill and probably won't find a dancing partner most of the time, but should an opposing player get out of line, he will hunt him down and make him pay, penalty be damned. And, at the very least, every Sabres player will know--from Pat Kaleta to Tyler Ennis, from Robyn Regehr to Ryan Miller--that Scott has their back.
That is his job.
If you don't believe Scott as a deterrent will work, allow nesn.com's Douglas Flynn to chime in. The day after the Sabres signed Scott, he wrote a piece entitled [Steve Ott,] John Scott have the Sabres loaded for bear.
Flynn knows that Scott will be ready for Boston this season and points to a tweet from the Buffalo News' Jon Vogl concerning the infamous Lucic/Ryan Miller incident. Said Scott, "Hopefully, with me next year, that doesn’t happen. If it does happen, there’s a different outcome."
We'll let Flynn continue with that train of thought:
The Sabres have five meetings with the Bruins this season, which constitutes about 10% of their schedule. And this is not to imply that a mere Scott appearance will somehow magically allow the Sabres to dominate their nemesis.
But they should be playing with a little more confidence knowing that someone has their collective backs. And that includes pests like Patrick Kaleta and Steve Ott. Kaleta got under the skin of Lucic last season totally throwing him and the Boston team off of their game. The comfort-level, trickle-down effect works.
Case in point: the 2011/12 Ottawa Senators.
The 2011 Stanley Cup was awarded to the Boston Bruins who employed an old-school style of grit and intimidation that completely handcuffed the Vancouver Canucks. (of note: 'Nucks GM Mike Gillis traded for the Sabres Zack Kassian in 2012, in part to address "softness" issues exposed during their Stanley Cup Final match with the B's.)
During that 2011 off-season, the Sens, seeing the success of their division rival, augmented their line up when they added a tough and gritty bottom-six center in Zenon Konopka. He joined Chris Neil, Zack Smith and Matt Carkner to possibly rank the Sens as the NHL's toughest team.
Don Brennan, the author of the linked article above, saw it playing out like this, "The young, prized prospects in the Senators family grew a little Tuesday morning [with the Konopka signing]. A little taller. A little stronger. A little braver."
The result that season?
The Sens finished second in the Northeast Division and qualified for the playoffs in a rebuilding season when many of the "experts" had them near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Rookie defensman Erik Karlsson roamed freely on his way to a 19 goal, 78 point Norris Trophy winning season.
Konopka, Neil, Carkner and Smith allowed the Sens' skill players to play a bit more freely knowing that someone always had their backs. Just like in Boston with Lucic, Thorton, Zdeno Chara and Adam McQuaid backing their players.
Said Konopka at the time of the signing, “It’s going to be good for the young players, our skilled guys ... definitely make them more comfortable."
Granted, those aforementioned players can actually play a regular shift in the NHL without being a complete liability, but until the Sabres can add more of that, having an enforcer will have to do. Looking back, the Sabres could have used more bulk last season, and it took the Lucic/Miller embarrassment for them to finally get with the program.
The additions of Scott and Ott to go along with the likes of Kaleta, Cody McCormick, Regehr and Mike Weber, all of whom will drop the gloves while playing a regular shift, will go a long way towards making the younger skilled players like Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson, Tyler Myers and maybe even Mikhail Grigorenko feel a bit more comfortable.
Hell, it will probably make Miller feel more comfortable, more able to focus. Same with Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford, maybe even Ville Leino as well.
And that's why John Scott is on the team.
Of note: Today marks the birthday of Frank Zamboni, who would have turned 112 today.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/0116/Remembering-Frank-Zamboni-the-original-Iceman
Right?
OK.
Now that I have your attention, despite the fact skating, scoring and stickwork aren't really his strong points, Scott is a good addition to the Sabres.
Yeah, everyone knows that he'll rival former enforcer, Andrew Peters, for the least amount of playing time by a Buffalo player in the last 15 years. But, please, spare me the stats, the Peters comparison and analogies concerning the "enforcer" going the way of the dodo.
And while you're at it, get over yourself and your delusions of a clean, wide-open, free-flowing NHL. Intimidation is still a factor in the NHL.
There are still a number of overage adolescents with anger management issues flying around in an enclosed area. They're armed with sticks and a desire to stay in the NHL by doing whatever's necessary--including, but not limited to, taking out the opposition's best player.
The Sabres have skilled players on their team. But can they really let loose knowing that, at any given moment, Chris Neil is drawing a bead on them or a Milan Lucic is looking to run them over?
Sabres owner Terry Pegula saw this, as did the rest of the Sabres front office, and they decided to do something about it. Enter, arguably, the best heavyweight/enforcer in the game--John Scott.
WGR's Paul Hamilton, was on the radio yesterday and he laid out just exactly what the role of Scott is--he will sit on the bench for most of the game and act as a deterrent.
He wasn't brought in for skill and probably won't find a dancing partner most of the time, but should an opposing player get out of line, he will hunt him down and make him pay, penalty be damned. And, at the very least, every Sabres player will know--from Pat Kaleta to Tyler Ennis, from Robyn Regehr to Ryan Miller--that Scott has their back.
That is his job.
If you don't believe Scott as a deterrent will work, allow nesn.com's Douglas Flynn to chime in. The day after the Sabres signed Scott, he wrote a piece entitled [Steve Ott,] John Scott have the Sabres loaded for bear.
Flynn knows that Scott will be ready for Boston this season and points to a tweet from the Buffalo News' Jon Vogl concerning the infamous Lucic/Ryan Miller incident. Said Scott, "Hopefully, with me next year, that doesn’t happen. If it does happen, there’s a different outcome."
We'll let Flynn continue with that train of thought:
Scott is no stranger to making threats against Bruins. Back in the 2010-11 season, Shawn Thornton suffered a 40-stitch gash on his forehead when accidentally kicked by a skate in a game against the Blackhawks. Thornton didn't take kindly to being chirped by an unidentified player from the Chicago bench as he skating off the ice bleeding. After the game, he vowed, "If I ever find out who it was I'll deal with it in my own way."
Scott, then with the Blackhawks but not dressed for that game, warned Thornton that if he tried, "I'll kick the [expletive] out of him." Scott was dressed when the Bruins visited Chicago last Oct. 15, but did not tangle with Thornton.
The Sabres have five meetings with the Bruins this season, which constitutes about 10% of their schedule. And this is not to imply that a mere Scott appearance will somehow magically allow the Sabres to dominate their nemesis.
But they should be playing with a little more confidence knowing that someone has their collective backs. And that includes pests like Patrick Kaleta and Steve Ott. Kaleta got under the skin of Lucic last season totally throwing him and the Boston team off of their game. The comfort-level, trickle-down effect works.
Case in point: the 2011/12 Ottawa Senators.
The 2011 Stanley Cup was awarded to the Boston Bruins who employed an old-school style of grit and intimidation that completely handcuffed the Vancouver Canucks. (of note: 'Nucks GM Mike Gillis traded for the Sabres Zack Kassian in 2012, in part to address "softness" issues exposed during their Stanley Cup Final match with the B's.)
During that 2011 off-season, the Sens, seeing the success of their division rival, augmented their line up when they added a tough and gritty bottom-six center in Zenon Konopka. He joined Chris Neil, Zack Smith and Matt Carkner to possibly rank the Sens as the NHL's toughest team.
Don Brennan, the author of the linked article above, saw it playing out like this, "The young, prized prospects in the Senators family grew a little Tuesday morning [with the Konopka signing]. A little taller. A little stronger. A little braver."
The result that season?
The Sens finished second in the Northeast Division and qualified for the playoffs in a rebuilding season when many of the "experts" had them near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Rookie defensman Erik Karlsson roamed freely on his way to a 19 goal, 78 point Norris Trophy winning season.
Konopka, Neil, Carkner and Smith allowed the Sens' skill players to play a bit more freely knowing that someone always had their backs. Just like in Boston with Lucic, Thorton, Zdeno Chara and Adam McQuaid backing their players.
Said Konopka at the time of the signing, “It’s going to be good for the young players, our skilled guys ... definitely make them more comfortable."
Granted, those aforementioned players can actually play a regular shift in the NHL without being a complete liability, but until the Sabres can add more of that, having an enforcer will have to do. Looking back, the Sabres could have used more bulk last season, and it took the Lucic/Miller embarrassment for them to finally get with the program.
The additions of Scott and Ott to go along with the likes of Kaleta, Cody McCormick, Regehr and Mike Weber, all of whom will drop the gloves while playing a regular shift, will go a long way towards making the younger skilled players like Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson, Tyler Myers and maybe even Mikhail Grigorenko feel a bit more comfortable.
Hell, it will probably make Miller feel more comfortable, more able to focus. Same with Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford, maybe even Ville Leino as well.
And that's why John Scott is on the team.
Of note: Today marks the birthday of Frank Zamboni, who would have turned 112 today.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/0116/Remembering-Frank-Zamboni-the-original-Iceman
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