Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-20-2019
I had an interesting little twitter exchange with a Leafs fan the other day after the Buffalo Sabres lost 5-3 at Toronto. It started with this tweet from Steve Kournianos of The Draft Analysis:
"All I heard on the radio today was how Jack Eichel's better than Auston Matthews and he (Matthews) doesn't dominate games etc.
Two goals against a surging division rival (Buffalo) and (now) one point out of 2nd place. Huge win. Huge Performance.
You should try to give the kid some credit every now and again."
Showing posts with label milan lucic/ryan miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label milan lucic/ryan miller. Show all posts
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Does Casey Nelson deserve to get benched?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-12-2019
A flood of Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller memories came back to haunt Sabreland on Saturday as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov took a run at Eichel with a late hit along the boards that many felt was a cheap shot. In case you had somehow forgotten about the Lucic/Miller incident that occurred in Boston over seven years ago, here's a quick rundown of what transpired:
--Boston Bruins Cro-Magnon winger Milan Lucic bowled over Sabres franchise goalie Ryan Miller as the two were going after a puck at the right faceoff dot without trying to avoid him
--Miller was knocked a little silly and the Sabres players on the ice half-heartedly, at best, tried to show that the were coming to Miller's defense, which is customary when the opposition violates a team mate
--the Sabres on the ice back in November, 2011 were captain Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Paul Gaustad, Andrej Sekera and Tyler Myers
--all of the aforementioned Buffalo players were known more for their skills than their physicality, save for Gaustad and all feigned anger in response to the hit
--nothing happened, Lucic got his minor penalty and the Bruins went on to defeat the Sabres 6-2.
A flood of Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller memories came back to haunt Sabreland on Saturday as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov took a run at Eichel with a late hit along the boards that many felt was a cheap shot. In case you had somehow forgotten about the Lucic/Miller incident that occurred in Boston over seven years ago, here's a quick rundown of what transpired:
--Boston Bruins Cro-Magnon winger Milan Lucic bowled over Sabres franchise goalie Ryan Miller as the two were going after a puck at the right faceoff dot without trying to avoid him
--Miller was knocked a little silly and the Sabres players on the ice half-heartedly, at best, tried to show that the were coming to Miller's defense, which is customary when the opposition violates a team mate
--the Sabres on the ice back in November, 2011 were captain Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Paul Gaustad, Andrej Sekera and Tyler Myers
--all of the aforementioned Buffalo players were known more for their skills than their physicality, save for Gaustad and all feigned anger in response to the hit
--nothing happened, Lucic got his minor penalty and the Bruins went on to defeat the Sabres 6-2.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Two Big Bodies Stick With the Sabres, A Huge Body Gets His NHL Contract
Of the five youngin's who were with the team in Saturday's 5-1 win vs. the no-show Washington Capitals, two are still with the team--Brayden McNabb and Zack Kassian--while RW Corey Tropp (10 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, minus-2,) TJ Brennan (3 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, zero plus/minus,) and Paul Szczechura (1 game, 0 goals, 2 assists, plus-two) were sent back to Rochester.
They were sent down because a trio of walking wounded--Robyn Regehr, Drew Stafford and Patrick Kaleta--will all get back into action tonight vs. the NY Islanders.
A quick note on the Capitals. The players, led by Alexander Ovechkin, were successful in ousting their coach, Bruce Boudreau, as he was fired yesterday. GM George McPhee had this to say, "The reason for the change was we weren't winning obviously, This wasn't a slump. You can ride out slumps. This was simply a case of the players no longer responding to Bruce.
"When you see that, as much as you don't want to make a change, you have to make a change." (for more, click here.)
Boudreau was replaced by Dale Hunter.
Another note (part 2): The Carolina Hurricanes fired Paul Maurice (for the second time) replacing him with Kirk Muller the same day.
OK. Back to the Sabres.
We all know what happened with Milan Lucic and Ryan Miller. We also know about the rematch. As Sabres fans we've also seen a parade of smaller, skilled players in the 2000/2010's and the transition to a bigger team seems to be gaining traction.
The decision to keep McNabb (6'4", 205 lbs.) and Kassian (6'3", 215 lbs.) is based, in large part, upon size and, to an extent, attitude. Both used their size and showed glimpses of ferocity on Saturday and will have the opportunity to get more of a taste of the NHL.
They join 2007 draftee Luke Adam (6'2", 203 lbs,) and 2008 draftee Tyler Myers (6'8", 227 lbs.) on a Sabres team intent upon getting bigger.
Yesterday, the team announced that they signed defenseman Joe Finley to a three-year, two-way contract worth $1.575M.
Ironically enough, Finley was drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 27th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He left high school after his junior year and played in the USHL in 2004/05, the year before the draft. Finley attended the University of North Dakota afterwards playing for the Fighting Sioux. In his four years there he played in 154 games scoring seven goals, adding 28 assists and finishing his career plus-66.
For Finely, though, injuries started to creep in. He played in only 27 games his senior year at North Dakota due to concussion. He played in a mere 15 games in 2009/10 for Washington's ECHL affiliate in South Carolina due to a deep hand bruise. Last season he ruptured an artery in his hand and appeared in only 26 games for the Stingrays.
The Capitals opted not to resign Finley after his two year entry-level contract was up. Darcy Regier and the Buffalo Sabres invited him to camp and he was eventually signed to an AHL contract.
You can't teach size, nor can you teach work ethic and Finley has both. Hockey's Future had this to say about him, "Finley has an enormous frame with tremendous focus and a strong work ethic."
The size is obvious, but when he was injured kingsofleonis.com pointed out that he "took a positive approach regarding the time missed due to his injury." Finley put it this way, “Looking back I am just thankful that it wasn’t a lower body injury that would have kept me from skating and doing lower body exercises. It just means that I’ve had more time to work hard and get better at specific areas of my game."
That's where Ron Rolston, Jay McKee and "Sabres University" comes into play.
Finley had acquitted himself well in the previous pro seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays and the AHL's Hershey Bears. In fact only once was he a minus-player. But it's a big jump from the ECHL to the AHL, and there's an even bigger jump to the NHL.
Surprisingly, for a player that big, skating isn't the issue. He can play the role of defensive-defenseman using his size and girth, he's not afraid of hitting people, nor is he afraid of dropping the gloves. Injuries and opportunity were his biggest hurdles up until this point. Being big and tough, as well as being able to skate, and play top-pairing minutes in the AHL is a big advantage for Finley with the way the NHL has changed over the last decade and a half.
And it worked for a little while, that was until Milan Lucic took out Ryan Miller.
That hit may have changed the whole thought-process of the organization. It showed that Regier's "soft-but-skilled" players are still easy to push around in the post-"New-NHL" era.
So it's not surprising that the Sabres signed big Joe Finley to a three-year NHL contract.
And he's doing his part by putting in the work and playing his game. Letsgoameriks.dom did a piece on Finley. The author of the article, Keith Wozniak, asked Rolston about Finley during the Sabres training camp. Here's what Rolston had to say, “Joe came in and really impressed a lot of people there (in Buffalo). The way he moves, his size, it’s the first thing you see.” He continued, “Watch him skate and his hands, he has a lot of things there. He wasn’t put into any game situations, playing will give him that opportunity to show this is the place to play.” (this Wozniak piece is a great read)
From there to the Amerks where he is paired in a shutdown role with with Shaone Morrisonn. His plus-10 rating, which is consistent with his hockey career, is tops on the team and proves he can play the pro game.
Can he eventually bring his size and brawn to the Sabres? He's definitely out to prove it. The Sabres organization is loaded with puck-movers on the back-end, so Finley stands out. "A guy like (Sabres defenseman) Robyn Regehr, he's obviously someone you want to pattern your game after," Finley said. "But there really isn't any other defenseman that really fits that mold."
If he could get himself into a #6 role playing 10-12 minutes on the NHL level, I'm pretty sure the Sabres would be ecstatic. But he still has some work to do.
For now, Finley is a project that could pay big dividends should he continue to thrive in Rochester. Former Bears coach, Bob Woods, mentioned his sheer size but also mentioned his desire to learn, "His stick's taller than I am," he joked. "He's a big boy, great kid. You can tell he really wants to learn. He's looked good. He moves well for a big boy."
With his size and desire to grow as a player, as well as Rolston's player development acumen and McKee's NHL insight on defense, Joe Finley could be the guy that brings the organization's vision of a "Sabres University" to life.
They were sent down because a trio of walking wounded--Robyn Regehr, Drew Stafford and Patrick Kaleta--will all get back into action tonight vs. the NY Islanders.
A quick note on the Capitals. The players, led by Alexander Ovechkin, were successful in ousting their coach, Bruce Boudreau, as he was fired yesterday. GM George McPhee had this to say, "The reason for the change was we weren't winning obviously, This wasn't a slump. You can ride out slumps. This was simply a case of the players no longer responding to Bruce.
"When you see that, as much as you don't want to make a change, you have to make a change." (for more, click here.)
Boudreau was replaced by Dale Hunter.
Another note (part 2): The Carolina Hurricanes fired Paul Maurice (for the second time) replacing him with Kirk Muller the same day.
OK. Back to the Sabres.
We all know what happened with Milan Lucic and Ryan Miller. We also know about the rematch. As Sabres fans we've also seen a parade of smaller, skilled players in the 2000/2010's and the transition to a bigger team seems to be gaining traction.
The decision to keep McNabb (6'4", 205 lbs.) and Kassian (6'3", 215 lbs.) is based, in large part, upon size and, to an extent, attitude. Both used their size and showed glimpses of ferocity on Saturday and will have the opportunity to get more of a taste of the NHL.
They join 2007 draftee Luke Adam (6'2", 203 lbs,) and 2008 draftee Tyler Myers (6'8", 227 lbs.) on a Sabres team intent upon getting bigger.
Yesterday, the team announced that they signed defenseman Joe Finley to a three-year, two-way contract worth $1.575M.
 |
| Recent-signee, Joe Finley may be on hisway to bringing that snarl, not to mention his size, to the Buffalo Sabres |
Finley is a huge specimen at 6'8", 260 lbs, and adds even more size to the Sabres organization, an organization who has the Boston Bruins to look at six times per year. Lindy Ruff on the Howard Simon Show today, while talking about the Sabres/Bruins rematch last week, talked about matching up with the Bruins in the physicality department saying, "It's gonna be a war when we play 'em." (12:51-mark)
Ironically enough, Finley was drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 27th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He left high school after his junior year and played in the USHL in 2004/05, the year before the draft. Finley attended the University of North Dakota afterwards playing for the Fighting Sioux. In his four years there he played in 154 games scoring seven goals, adding 28 assists and finishing his career plus-66.
For Finely, though, injuries started to creep in. He played in only 27 games his senior year at North Dakota due to concussion. He played in a mere 15 games in 2009/10 for Washington's ECHL affiliate in South Carolina due to a deep hand bruise. Last season he ruptured an artery in his hand and appeared in only 26 games for the Stingrays.
The Capitals opted not to resign Finley after his two year entry-level contract was up. Darcy Regier and the Buffalo Sabres invited him to camp and he was eventually signed to an AHL contract.
You can't teach size, nor can you teach work ethic and Finley has both. Hockey's Future had this to say about him, "Finley has an enormous frame with tremendous focus and a strong work ethic."
The size is obvious, but when he was injured kingsofleonis.com pointed out that he "took a positive approach regarding the time missed due to his injury." Finley put it this way, “Looking back I am just thankful that it wasn’t a lower body injury that would have kept me from skating and doing lower body exercises. It just means that I’ve had more time to work hard and get better at specific areas of my game."
That's where Ron Rolston, Jay McKee and "Sabres University" comes into play.
Finley had acquitted himself well in the previous pro seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays and the AHL's Hershey Bears. In fact only once was he a minus-player. But it's a big jump from the ECHL to the AHL, and there's an even bigger jump to the NHL.
Surprisingly, for a player that big, skating isn't the issue. He can play the role of defensive-defenseman using his size and girth, he's not afraid of hitting people, nor is he afraid of dropping the gloves. Injuries and opportunity were his biggest hurdles up until this point. Being big and tough, as well as being able to skate, and play top-pairing minutes in the AHL is a big advantage for Finley with the way the NHL has changed over the last decade and a half.
 |
| Joe Finley (L) goes at it with Paul Bissonette |
The days of Dave Semenko protecting Wayne Gretzky or the late Bob Probert protecting Steve Yzerman are fading away. Any enforcer-type needs to be able to play solid minutes. The latest enforcer for the Sabres was Andrew Peters. The organization rid themselves of his 2 minutes per game preferring an "enforcer by committee
" approach.And it worked for a little while, that was until Milan Lucic took out Ryan Miller.
So it's not surprising that the Sabres signed big Joe Finley to a three-year NHL contract.
And he's doing his part by putting in the work and playing his game. Letsgoameriks.dom did a piece on Finley. The author of the article, Keith Wozniak, asked Rolston about Finley during the Sabres training camp. Here's what Rolston had to say, “Joe came in and really impressed a lot of people there (in Buffalo). The way he moves, his size, it’s the first thing you see.” He continued, “Watch him skate and his hands, he has a lot of things there. He wasn’t put into any game situations, playing will give him that opportunity to show this is the place to play.” (this Wozniak piece is a great read)
From there to the Amerks where he is paired in a shutdown role with with Shaone Morrisonn. His plus-10 rating, which is consistent with his hockey career, is tops on the team and proves he can play the pro game.
Can he eventually bring his size and brawn to the Sabres? He's definitely out to prove it. The Sabres organization is loaded with puck-movers on the back-end, so Finley stands out. "A guy like (Sabres defenseman) Robyn Regehr, he's obviously someone you want to pattern your game after," Finley said. "But there really isn't any other defenseman that really fits that mold."
If he could get himself into a #6 role playing 10-12 minutes on the NHL level, I'm pretty sure the Sabres would be ecstatic. But he still has some work to do.
For now, Finley is a project that could pay big dividends should he continue to thrive in Rochester. Former Bears coach, Bob Woods, mentioned his sheer size but also mentioned his desire to learn, "His stick's taller than I am," he joked. "He's a big boy, great kid. You can tell he really wants to learn. He's looked good. He moves well for a big boy."
With his size and desire to grow as a player, as well as Rolston's player development acumen and McKee's NHL insight on defense, Joe Finley could be the guy that brings the organization's vision of a "Sabres University" to life.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
A Valiant Effort
Gaustad and the team earned back the respect of their fans as well. The 18,690 in attendance and those of us watching loved it, even though they knew the outcome of the Goose/Looch fight. As John Vogl of the Buffalo News put it, "What mattered was their team was back from the land of kittens and custard."
Goose also came in mid-way through the first to pound Brad Marchand into the boards after Marchand nailed Nathan Gerbe with a check. The B's descended upon Goose and Corey Tropp like a pack of wolves with fists flying. Amongst the Bruins on the ice were some pretty tough customers like Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk.
Out of the melee' came Zdeno Chara and Robyn Regehr. Regehr, who's not the greatest fighter took some lumps from the 6'9" Chara, but managed to sneak in a punch or two himself.
Regehr has always been well respected throughout the league, and it's a good thing he was out there.
The Sabres as a team acquitted themselves very well in what turned out to be an old-school, Adams Division-type rumble for a period and a half. The played some pretty inspired hockey and they didn't back down despite the fact that they were clearly outnumbered in the manly-man category.
Gerbe, the shortest player in the ice, had eight hits on the game, which isn't all that surprising considering that's the game he plays, "That's fun to play, I'll tell you that much," said the Sabres forward. "Those games are awesome. It's fun to play. It's fun to compete."
That attitude, along with Gaustad manning up early, got their blood pumping to the point where they lead the game by two goals twice, 2-0 and 3-1, but just couldn't bury the defending Stanley Cup Champions with that third one.
Nor could they protect a one-goal lead in the third. Nor could they score in overtime or the shootout.
But all-in-all they played one of their best games of the season, especially in the first period.
For all the purported skill Darcy Regier was supposed to have stocked the team with, they're still not quite as skilled as he believes them to be.
Thomas Vanek scored on a wicked wrist shot to put the Sabres up 2-0. He's got mad skills, although he'd love to have the shot that Chara blocked back. Maybe put some air under it.
Christian Ehrhoff showed why the Sabres went after him. His game-opening goal was a blast from the point through a thick screen in front of Tim Thomas.
Other than that, lack of finish still seems to haunt this team.
The Bruins are a tough match-up for the Sabres. The B's beat them the first time with intimidation and the second time with just a little more skill and finish.
It's not an egregious mismatch, by any stretch, but a tweak or two may be in order if they want to match up with the champs.
The Sabres should in no way hang their heads after their defeat. They gave it all they had, and now need to find it within themselves to sustain that level of play they showed in the first period and a half throughout an entire game.
There's no better team than the Boston Bruins to emulate now. They had their Lucic/Ryan Miller moment when Marc Savard was nailed by Matt Cooke and there was no response. Eventually they did with Shawn Thorton going after Cooke. And from then on they built themselves into a Stanley Cup Champion.
It's a long way to Tipperary, and these two games with the Bruins showed just how far the Sabres need to go. The team has some really solid pieces, strong goaltending and some skill up-front. They proved last night, as they've proven on more than one occasion before, that they can play a physical game.
They just need a piece or two to be able to come out on top in an Adams Division-type rumble.
Jochen Hecht made his debut last night and showed his savvy. He had Mike Grier-like moments last night where he somehow got in on Thomas only to be denied.
TJ Brennan got thrown into the fire and played a real strong game. He was strong on the puck in his own end and moved the puck out of trouble on a number of occasions. His goal, in his first NHL game, was a combination of savvy and skill as he jumped into an opening and buried his shot from the slot.
From bostonherald.com:
If Lucic-Miller was the big story of the previous Bruins-Sabres meeting in Boston, Brad Marchand’s interactions with Sabres forward Derek Roy was an interesting sub-plot. Throughout that game, Marchand pestered Roy with little shoves and hooks before and after the whistle, and non-stop trash talk.
“He does a good job at it,” said Roy. “There are only a few guys in the league who can do what he does.
“It doesn’t bother me. People have being doing that stuff to me since was a kid. You’re used to it and you just shrug it off. You can’t worry about what he’s doing on the ice, just what you’re trying to do.”
It should be interesting to note that with the Sabres up 3-2 early in the third period, Roy was called for hooking behind the Buffalo net. Zdeno Chara scored on the ensuing powerplay to tie up the game.
Paul Gaustad knew what needed to be done. Or felt that he needed to challenge Milan Lucic. And he did on their first shift. And he took a pretty good beating. Good thing it was real early, Lucic wasn't warmed up yet, “It was my first shift, you know,’’ he said. “It’s kinda tough to get angry.’’
 |
| The girls' reaction in the second row says it all. Everyone knew what Gaustad was in for tangling with Milan Lucic, but it didn't matter. The effort was appreciated througout Buffalo. |
Gaustad earned some respect, though. As did the Sabres even though they eventually dropped a 4-3 decision to Boston in a shootout.
After the game, Lucic was asked about Gaustad and the fight, "It was straight to the point," he said. Teammate Chara gave props to Goose, "You have to give Gaustad credit," Chara said. "He's a stand-up guy and he did a good job for his team. So did Looch."
Gaustad and the team earned back the respect of their fans as well. The 18,690 in attendance and those of us watching loved it, even though they knew the outcome of the Goose/Looch fight. As John Vogl of the Buffalo News put it, "What mattered was their team was back from the land of kittens and custard."
Goose also came in mid-way through the first to pound Brad Marchand into the boards after Marchand nailed Nathan Gerbe with a check. The B's descended upon Goose and Corey Tropp like a pack of wolves with fists flying. Amongst the Bruins on the ice were some pretty tough customers like Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk.
Out of the melee' came Zdeno Chara and Robyn Regehr. Regehr, who's not the greatest fighter took some lumps from the 6'9" Chara, but managed to sneak in a punch or two himself.
Regehr has always been well respected throughout the league, and it's a good thing he was out there.
The Sabres as a team acquitted themselves very well in what turned out to be an old-school, Adams Division-type rumble for a period and a half. The played some pretty inspired hockey and they didn't back down despite the fact that they were clearly outnumbered in the manly-man category.
 |
| For as small as he is, Nathan Gerbe's heart can fill the entire F'N Center. |
That attitude, along with Gaustad manning up early, got their blood pumping to the point where they lead the game by two goals twice, 2-0 and 3-1, but just couldn't bury the defending Stanley Cup Champions with that third one.
Nor could they protect a one-goal lead in the third. Nor could they score in overtime or the shootout.
But all-in-all they played one of their best games of the season, especially in the first period.
For all the purported skill Darcy Regier was supposed to have stocked the team with, they're still not quite as skilled as he believes them to be.
Thomas Vanek scored on a wicked wrist shot to put the Sabres up 2-0. He's got mad skills, although he'd love to have the shot that Chara blocked back. Maybe put some air under it.
Christian Ehrhoff showed why the Sabres went after him. His game-opening goal was a blast from the point through a thick screen in front of Tim Thomas.
Other than that, lack of finish still seems to haunt this team.
The Bruins are a tough match-up for the Sabres. The B's beat them the first time with intimidation and the second time with just a little more skill and finish.
It's not an egregious mismatch, by any stretch, but a tweak or two may be in order if they want to match up with the champs.
The Sabres should in no way hang their heads after their defeat. They gave it all they had, and now need to find it within themselves to sustain that level of play they showed in the first period and a half throughout an entire game.
 |
| Although Brad Marchand got leveled by Thomas Vanek on this play, he got up and scored seconds later. The mark of a champion. |
There's no better team than the Boston Bruins to emulate now. They had their Lucic/Ryan Miller moment when Marc Savard was nailed by Matt Cooke and there was no response. Eventually they did with Shawn Thorton going after Cooke. And from then on they built themselves into a Stanley Cup Champion.
It's a long way to Tipperary, and these two games with the Bruins showed just how far the Sabres need to go. The team has some really solid pieces, strong goaltending and some skill up-front. They proved last night, as they've proven on more than one occasion before, that they can play a physical game.
They just need a piece or two to be able to come out on top in an Adams Division-type rumble.
~~~~~~~~~~
 |
| Sabres d-man TJ Brennan celebrates his first goal in his first NHL game. |
~~~~~~~~~~
From bostonherald.com:
If Lucic-Miller was the big story of the previous Bruins-Sabres meeting in Boston, Brad Marchand’s interactions with Sabres forward Derek Roy was an interesting sub-plot. Throughout that game, Marchand pestered Roy with little shoves and hooks before and after the whistle, and non-stop trash talk.
“He does a good job at it,” said Roy. “There are only a few guys in the league who can do what he does.
“It doesn’t bother me. People have being doing that stuff to me since was a kid. You’re used to it and you just shrug it off. You can’t worry about what he’s doing on the ice, just what you’re trying to do.”
It should be interesting to note that with the Sabres up 3-2 early in the third period, Roy was called for hooking behind the Buffalo net. Zdeno Chara scored on the ensuing powerplay to tie up the game.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Hype-Machine Is Starting To Get Cranked Up
The 2011 version of the Big Bad Boston Bruins comes rolling into the F'N Center tonight.
The spoked B's are red-hot having won nine in a row and they're looking to make it 10 vs. a team that they smoked less than two weeks ago.
We all remember the game, we all remember the Milan Lucic hit on Ryan Miller. We also remember how the Sabres reacted, or more precisely, failed to react. Every team in the NHL knows that the Sabres can be thrown off of their game. They know that they can get inside of Miller's head, and the collective Sabres head, with some old-school intimidation.
In defense of Lindy Ruffs club, they're not total pantie-waists. They've managed, on a few occasions, to stand up for themselves to various degrees. But the epic fail in the first Bruins/Sabres meeting furthers the point that the Sabres are merely a soft-but-skilled team lacking the proper amount of testosterone to be anything more than a pretender.
So how do the Sabres approach this game?
Quite the quandary for Ruff. He does not have the tools with which to pull off a UFC-style grudge match. The closest thing he has to an enforcer would be Cody McCormick, and he's out with an injury as is another no-nonsense guy, Mike Weber.
There's mention of Paul Gaustad. He, like the team, shows up on occasion to drop the gloves and basically take one for the team. He was disappointed with his own reaction to the events that occurred previously and surely would like to show that he actually has a set.
With all due respect to "Goose," I'm not sure that he has enough internal fury to look at Lucic with shear hatred and embark on a "knock-down-drag 'em-out" with one of the toughest customers in the league. Being infuriated and fighting Lucic would probably mean a sound ass-kicking for Gaustad, but fans would give him props for the effort.
Patrick Kaleta might engage. But, Lucic would like nothing more than to put a severe beating on a player like Kaleta who's universally hated outside of Buffalo for his style of play.
Let's face it, the Sabres can't even come close to matching what Lucic, Shawn Thorton, Adam McQuaid and even Zdeno Chara bring to the cage-match.
So if you can't beat them down, what's the next approach?
How about trying to play your game? How about going for the two points playing an up-tempo game in attack-mode?
That could work. But the Sabres would need to show that they can beat a hot goalie. And Tim Thomas is red-hot with three shutouts in his last five starts.
Even so. Let's say the Sabres do manage to pot a few goals early. There's always the original premise of the Lucic hit: the Sabres can be thrown off of their game with some brute physicality.
To say the Bruins are a tough team would be putting it mildly. And not only that, they are the king of the hill, the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They have all the tools to repeat and the confidence that goes along with being champion.
The Sabres, on the other hand, have 13 playoff games to their resume' in the last four years.
It's a daunting task in front of the Sabres, so maybe it would be best if they forget the hype, forget about the token fight to start the game, and just lay the body on the B's when the opportunity arises.
Physicality has a way of bringing out a fire within that normally lays dormant in passive play. It also has a way of getting the adrenaline pumping which is a good thing on both ends of the ice.
A player that has gotten little print in this whole thing, Robyn Regehr, put it this way, "There's certain things that happen spontaneously and so be it. It happens when you're playing a good hard physical aggressive game. I don't think there's going to be any sort of premeditated stuff."
Regehr is not a fighter, per se, but he's never backed down from fisticuffs. And although he doesn't have a letter stitched to his jersey in Buffalo, he is a leader and will do what's necessary for the team.
Even though the hype-machine will be cranking, and the call will be for Buffalo to go old-school and show their manhood, in the end the Sabres need to score one more goal than the Bruins.
After all, that's what it comes down to. It's a four-point game for the division lead tonight, and a victory against a red-hot division rival can only be a good thing.
Eventually, the opportunity for redemption will reveal itself. Whether it's tonight or in any of the remaining games between the clubs the rest of the season.
One can only hope that when the opportunity arises, the team will show it has the courage to stand up for themselves and their teammates. They're not going to wipe the collective smirk off of the Bruins face tonight, but a hard-fought win will at least garner them some respect and give a boost to their confidence.
The spoked B's are red-hot having won nine in a row and they're looking to make it 10 vs. a team that they smoked less than two weeks ago.
We all remember the game, we all remember the Milan Lucic hit on Ryan Miller. We also remember how the Sabres reacted, or more precisely, failed to react. Every team in the NHL knows that the Sabres can be thrown off of their game. They know that they can get inside of Miller's head, and the collective Sabres head, with some old-school intimidation.
In defense of Lindy Ruffs club, they're not total pantie-waists. They've managed, on a few occasions, to stand up for themselves to various degrees. But the epic fail in the first Bruins/Sabres meeting furthers the point that the Sabres are merely a soft-but-skilled team lacking the proper amount of testosterone to be anything more than a pretender.
So how do the Sabres approach this game?
Quite the quandary for Ruff. He does not have the tools with which to pull off a UFC-style grudge match. The closest thing he has to an enforcer would be Cody McCormick, and he's out with an injury as is another no-nonsense guy, Mike Weber.
There's mention of Paul Gaustad. He, like the team, shows up on occasion to drop the gloves and basically take one for the team. He was disappointed with his own reaction to the events that occurred previously and surely would like to show that he actually has a set.
With all due respect to "Goose," I'm not sure that he has enough internal fury to look at Lucic with shear hatred and embark on a "knock-down-drag 'em-out" with one of the toughest customers in the league. Being infuriated and fighting Lucic would probably mean a sound ass-kicking for Gaustad, but fans would give him props for the effort.
Patrick Kaleta might engage. But, Lucic would like nothing more than to put a severe beating on a player like Kaleta who's universally hated outside of Buffalo for his style of play.
Let's face it, the Sabres can't even come close to matching what Lucic, Shawn Thorton, Adam McQuaid and even Zdeno Chara bring to the cage-match.
So if you can't beat them down, what's the next approach?
How about trying to play your game? How about going for the two points playing an up-tempo game in attack-mode?
That could work. But the Sabres would need to show that they can beat a hot goalie. And Tim Thomas is red-hot with three shutouts in his last five starts.
Even so. Let's say the Sabres do manage to pot a few goals early. There's always the original premise of the Lucic hit: the Sabres can be thrown off of their game with some brute physicality.
To say the Bruins are a tough team would be putting it mildly. And not only that, they are the king of the hill, the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They have all the tools to repeat and the confidence that goes along with being champion.
The Sabres, on the other hand, have 13 playoff games to their resume' in the last four years.
It's a daunting task in front of the Sabres, so maybe it would be best if they forget the hype, forget about the token fight to start the game, and just lay the body on the B's when the opportunity arises.
Physicality has a way of bringing out a fire within that normally lays dormant in passive play. It also has a way of getting the adrenaline pumping which is a good thing on both ends of the ice.
A player that has gotten little print in this whole thing, Robyn Regehr, put it this way, "There's certain things that happen spontaneously and so be it. It happens when you're playing a good hard physical aggressive game. I don't think there's going to be any sort of premeditated stuff."
Regehr is not a fighter, per se, but he's never backed down from fisticuffs. And although he doesn't have a letter stitched to his jersey in Buffalo, he is a leader and will do what's necessary for the team.
Even though the hype-machine will be cranking, and the call will be for Buffalo to go old-school and show their manhood, in the end the Sabres need to score one more goal than the Bruins.
After all, that's what it comes down to. It's a four-point game for the division lead tonight, and a victory against a red-hot division rival can only be a good thing.
Eventually, the opportunity for redemption will reveal itself. Whether it's tonight or in any of the remaining games between the clubs the rest of the season.
One can only hope that when the opportunity arises, the team will show it has the courage to stand up for themselves and their teammates. They're not going to wipe the collective smirk off of the Bruins face tonight, but a hard-fought win will at least garner them some respect and give a boost to their confidence.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Lucic and Shanahan, Two "Original-Six-Style" Players Expose the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres fans should thank Milan Lucic and Brendan Shanahan for what has transpired over the course of the last few days.
With all due respect to Ryan Miller, who I hope is not seriously injured, the pair exposed the Sabres for what they are--a very talented, very soft team.
It's been that way for years as the John Muckler era gave way to the Darcy Regier era for Buffalo.
The Boston Bruins are one of the Original Six teams in the NHL, as a team they've been through all of the NHL-era's. In the 70's they were the Big Bad Bruins. A donnybrook was common place in that "Slapshot" era where benches cleared, you grabbed a partner and danced amidst the gloves, sticks, sweaters and wild punches being thrown.
As an Original Six team, the Bruins still have that old-school intimidation factor ingrained deep within their psyche. Lucic embraces that. As do teammates, Zdeno Chara, Shawn Thorton and Adam McQuaid. Even diminutive Brad Marchand has a serious edge to his game.
This edition of the Buffaol Sabres? Meh. The Lucic hit proved that they do not.
The 2011/12 Sabres are eerily similar to another Sabres team that played in a different era, that of the Scotty Bowman years.
Bowman took over the team and proceed to move aging vets for high draft picks.
The team he built was high on skill, or supposedly highly skilled, with a few "tough guys" throw in for backbone. But that team proved that they didn't have Original Six sensibilities.
The Detroit Red Wings are another Original Six team who had of one of the greatest hockey players ever, Gordie Howe. Howe was as old-school as they came and he's immortalized with "the Gordie Howe Hat Trick": a goal, and assist and a fight.
During the 80's the Wings were slowly coming out of the "Dead Wings" era of the previous decade with the Steve Yzerman leading the way. Yzerman, by the way was drafted 4th overall in 1983, one spot ahead of Buffalo Sabres goalie, Tom Barrasso. Those two would be a part of a melee four years later as Yzerman would define himself as a leader.
Another quick note on Yzerman, he took over the captaincy of the Wings from former Sabre Danny Gare. The diminutive Gare hit the 50-goal mark twice for the Sabres and once jumped out of the penalty box to join a melee, was in the mold of Wings legend "Terrible Ted" Lindsay who was also small, but old-school tough with a mean-streak.
Bowman had loaded his team with highly touted, skill players taken in the first round. Players like Norm Lacombe, Adam Creighton, Paul Cyr and Phil Housley.
In 1987, those players along with the likes of rookie #1 overall pick Pierre Turgeon, Christian Ruutu, Dave Andreychuk, John Tucker and Uwe Krupp formed "the core" of Scotty Bowman's Buffalo Sabres. That "soft-but-skilled" core was balanced by "tough-guys" Lindy Ruff and waiver acquisition, Kevin Macguire.
Yzerman, Barrasso, Macguire and legendary Wings tough-guy Bob Probert, all came together in a game between the Wings and the Sabres back in 1987. And it starts with this hit.
Bob Probert nails Sabres goaltender Tom Barrasso behind the net. Sabres color-commentator Mike Robitaille sheds light on the subject when he says "Somebody's got to jump in there...it happened the other night with [Jacques] Cloutier when everybody looked the other way."
"When everybody looked the other way." Sound familiar?
Unlike the recent Lucic-on-Miller hit, one Sabre came back and pulled a little old-school payback on Red Wings goalie Greg Stephan. Kevin Macguire proceeded to run Stephan:
Four Red Wings jump Macguire behind the net for his "payback."
One of the defining moments was Steve Yzerman, a player not known for fighting, goes after Macguire in defense of his teammates. This from NHL.com fan blog: "A big melee ensues on the ice. Battles with goalies going head to head. Bob Probert being restrained by the referees, all the players are tied up except Stevie Y and Kevin Maguire; the Sabres heavyweight (aka Buffalo's answer to Probert). Not to be outdone and give Maguire a chance of hurting one of his players, the selfless Yzerman charges Maguire and starts a fight; a fight Maguire clearly finishes. But kudos to Yzerman because he wasn't about to let Maguire contribute to a gang up on one of his teammates. Team first."
Probert knew his role as well. He was the enforcer, there to protect his teammates, especially his captain, Steve Yzerman. The reckless abandon with which he pursues Macguire from start to finish is something to be seen. The cheap-shot he delivered to the restrained Macguire was a payback for running his goalie and fighting his ill-equipped captain. He would not be denied and no Sabres player denied him.
The NHL is different these days. But there are still players who eschew personal safety in defense of their players, especially their goaltenders. It's woven into the fabric of their hockey existence.
Nearly every team, it seems, has these moments where another team exerts their will through intimidation, and dominates them. A moment where they realize they aren't as tough as they thought they might be and/or they'll need to dig deeper in order to beat the big kid on the block.
Take the Red Wings.
In a most unusual rivalry, the Wings and the Colorado Avalanche, two teams with no history and no proximity to speak of, grew to hate each other to the point where it was the toughest, meanest rivalry in hockey during the mid to late 90's and into the 2000's.
In 1996, the Avs, who had just been relocated from Quebec, played the Wings, the President's Trophy winner for best record in the NHL, in the Western Conference Finals.
The Avs boasted some highly skilled players like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Valerie Kamensky and Sandis Ozolinsh. But they also tough-players like Adam Foote and Mike Keane along with legendary uber-pest (and recognized cheap-shot artist) Claude Lemieux.
The 1996 Western Conference Finals between the Red Wings and the Avalanche represented the Avs casting the Wings aside to claim king of the hill. In game six, Claude Lemieux took a cheap shot on the Wings Kris Draper that sent him to the hospital with a broken jaw (1:20-mark):
With that hit the rivalry was on.
It took a little while for the Wings to establish their machismo vs. the Avalanche. They had played three times prior to March 26, 1997, but not much happened. With the playoffs on the horizon, and an eventual Wings/Avs playoff series pretty much a formality, two unlikely candidates, the Wings Igor Larionov and the Avs Peter Forsberg, started what has become and NHL classic brawl (interesting to note that former Sabres coach and GM, Scotty Bowman was behind the Wings bench):
Wings enforcer Darren McCarty saw the opportunity to exact some revenge upon Claude Lemieux for his cheap-shot on Draper. And Brendan Shanahan provided one of the all-time great goalie checks as the Avs Patrick Roy came flying up ice to defend his teammate only to be hit by a full-speed Shanahan.
Shanahan, not known for his fighting, dropped the gloves with Foote, a player who has held his own on many occasions, four seconds after play resumed.
So what does this all mean? Well we do know one thing. The Red Wings ended a 42-year cup drought that year by sweeping Philadelphia in the Finals. They repeated the next season sweeping the Washington Capitals in the Finals as well.
Hockey is the only of the four major professional sports in America where your manhood can be challenged and you can answer the bell immediately as part of "the code." Or, in some cases, injustices and stupidity can be addressed further down the road. But you have the opportunity to answer it.
The Boston Briuns were challenged by the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010. Milan Lucic was on the ice when the Pens' Matt Cooke flatten unsuspecting Bruins center Mark Savard with an elbow to the head. The Bruins did nothing immediately after the hit, much like the Sabres after the Lucic hit on Miller:
Over the course of the last two post-seasons after the Cooke/Savard incident, the Boston Bruins have developed an "Original Six" mentality in that they play that old-school, intimidating brand of "man-hockey." Hockey that Gordie Howe and Terry O'Reilly would be proud of. A sense of team is more important than self-preservation. Hockey that would eventually end a 39-year Stanley Cup drought in 2011.
After his hit on Miller, Lucic summed up where the Bruins mentality was when saying, "Definitely," when asked if the response would have been different if Thomas had been hit like that. "We wouldn't accept anything like that. We would have taken care of business, but we're a different team than they are."
They are a different team than they once were only a year and a half ago.
Looking back on history, it's no wonder that Shanahan did not suspend Lucic. He's seen enough to know that it should have been taken care of on the ice (or eventually will be) and he's smart enough to know the there was no iron-clad case for a suspension. In fact, I could probably see those two talking more about old-school hockey than the hit.
The fact that there was no suspension is a good thing for the Sabres and even though the NHL GM's are in their annual meetings with goalie protection in the forefront, not too much will happen except some more definition. So, in reality, this Sabres team will need to fend for themselves. And if the desired goal is the Stanley Cup, they'll need much more than NHL-intervention to protect their manhood.
For the Sabres, or any Eastern Conference team, the road to the Stanley Cup Finals will probably go through either Boston or Philadelphia, both of whom know how to intimidate. And if they even want a chance to make it there, much less win the Cup itself, they need to reach deep down to find that intestinal fire. That's if they even have it.
The bullying of Lucic is nothing new, and the only way the victim will get any respect is to fight back. What it takes to bring out that inner fury is something only the individual knows. But there comes a time where you say enough is enough and the inner warrior comes out with a vengeance. The pain of humiliation is much worse than a punch to the face. And usually good things follow.
Darcy Regier and other GM's of his ilk are having their Tipper Gore/PMRC-moment trying to protect their players (children.) Go ahead. But bullies will always remain and be a threat until the players themselves--individually--man-up and do something about it.
With all due respect to Ryan Miller, who I hope is not seriously injured, the pair exposed the Sabres for what they are--a very talented, very soft team.
It's been that way for years as the John Muckler era gave way to the Darcy Regier era for Buffalo.
The Boston Bruins are one of the Original Six teams in the NHL, as a team they've been through all of the NHL-era's. In the 70's they were the Big Bad Bruins. A donnybrook was common place in that "Slapshot" era where benches cleared, you grabbed a partner and danced amidst the gloves, sticks, sweaters and wild punches being thrown.
As an Original Six team, the Bruins still have that old-school intimidation factor ingrained deep within their psyche. Lucic embraces that. As do teammates, Zdeno Chara, Shawn Thorton and Adam McQuaid. Even diminutive Brad Marchand has a serious edge to his game.
This edition of the Buffaol Sabres? Meh. The Lucic hit proved that they do not.
The 2011/12 Sabres are eerily similar to another Sabres team that played in a different era, that of the Scotty Bowman years.
Bowman took over the team and proceed to move aging vets for high draft picks.
The team he built was high on skill, or supposedly highly skilled, with a few "tough guys" throw in for backbone. But that team proved that they didn't have Original Six sensibilities.
The Detroit Red Wings are another Original Six team who had of one of the greatest hockey players ever, Gordie Howe. Howe was as old-school as they came and he's immortalized with "the Gordie Howe Hat Trick": a goal, and assist and a fight.
During the 80's the Wings were slowly coming out of the "Dead Wings" era of the previous decade with the Steve Yzerman leading the way. Yzerman, by the way was drafted 4th overall in 1983, one spot ahead of Buffalo Sabres goalie, Tom Barrasso. Those two would be a part of a melee four years later as Yzerman would define himself as a leader.
Another quick note on Yzerman, he took over the captaincy of the Wings from former Sabre Danny Gare. The diminutive Gare hit the 50-goal mark twice for the Sabres and once jumped out of the penalty box to join a melee, was in the mold of Wings legend "Terrible Ted" Lindsay who was also small, but old-school tough with a mean-streak.
Bowman had loaded his team with highly touted, skill players taken in the first round. Players like Norm Lacombe, Adam Creighton, Paul Cyr and Phil Housley.
In 1987, those players along with the likes of rookie #1 overall pick Pierre Turgeon, Christian Ruutu, Dave Andreychuk, John Tucker and Uwe Krupp formed "the core" of Scotty Bowman's Buffalo Sabres. That "soft-but-skilled" core was balanced by "tough-guys" Lindy Ruff and waiver acquisition, Kevin Macguire.
Yzerman, Barrasso, Macguire and legendary Wings tough-guy Bob Probert, all came together in a game between the Wings and the Sabres back in 1987. And it starts with this hit.
Bob Probert nails Sabres goaltender Tom Barrasso behind the net. Sabres color-commentator Mike Robitaille sheds light on the subject when he says "Somebody's got to jump in there...it happened the other night with [Jacques] Cloutier when everybody looked the other way."
"When everybody looked the other way." Sound familiar?
Unlike the recent Lucic-on-Miller hit, one Sabre came back and pulled a little old-school payback on Red Wings goalie Greg Stephan. Kevin Macguire proceeded to run Stephan:
Four Red Wings jump Macguire behind the net for his "payback."
One of the defining moments was Steve Yzerman, a player not known for fighting, goes after Macguire in defense of his teammates. This from NHL.com fan blog: "A big melee ensues on the ice. Battles with goalies going head to head. Bob Probert being restrained by the referees, all the players are tied up except Stevie Y and Kevin Maguire; the Sabres heavyweight (aka Buffalo's answer to Probert). Not to be outdone and give Maguire a chance of hurting one of his players, the selfless Yzerman charges Maguire and starts a fight; a fight Maguire clearly finishes. But kudos to Yzerman because he wasn't about to let Maguire contribute to a gang up on one of his teammates. Team first."
Probert knew his role as well. He was the enforcer, there to protect his teammates, especially his captain, Steve Yzerman. The reckless abandon with which he pursues Macguire from start to finish is something to be seen. The cheap-shot he delivered to the restrained Macguire was a payback for running his goalie and fighting his ill-equipped captain. He would not be denied and no Sabres player denied him.
The NHL is different these days. But there are still players who eschew personal safety in defense of their players, especially their goaltenders. It's woven into the fabric of their hockey existence.
Nearly every team, it seems, has these moments where another team exerts their will through intimidation, and dominates them. A moment where they realize they aren't as tough as they thought they might be and/or they'll need to dig deeper in order to beat the big kid on the block.
Take the Red Wings.
In a most unusual rivalry, the Wings and the Colorado Avalanche, two teams with no history and no proximity to speak of, grew to hate each other to the point where it was the toughest, meanest rivalry in hockey during the mid to late 90's and into the 2000's.
In 1996, the Avs, who had just been relocated from Quebec, played the Wings, the President's Trophy winner for best record in the NHL, in the Western Conference Finals.
The Avs boasted some highly skilled players like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Valerie Kamensky and Sandis Ozolinsh. But they also tough-players like Adam Foote and Mike Keane along with legendary uber-pest (and recognized cheap-shot artist) Claude Lemieux.
The 1996 Western Conference Finals between the Red Wings and the Avalanche represented the Avs casting the Wings aside to claim king of the hill. In game six, Claude Lemieux took a cheap shot on the Wings Kris Draper that sent him to the hospital with a broken jaw (1:20-mark):
With that hit the rivalry was on.
It took a little while for the Wings to establish their machismo vs. the Avalanche. They had played three times prior to March 26, 1997, but not much happened. With the playoffs on the horizon, and an eventual Wings/Avs playoff series pretty much a formality, two unlikely candidates, the Wings Igor Larionov and the Avs Peter Forsberg, started what has become and NHL classic brawl (interesting to note that former Sabres coach and GM, Scotty Bowman was behind the Wings bench):
Wings enforcer Darren McCarty saw the opportunity to exact some revenge upon Claude Lemieux for his cheap-shot on Draper. And Brendan Shanahan provided one of the all-time great goalie checks as the Avs Patrick Roy came flying up ice to defend his teammate only to be hit by a full-speed Shanahan.
Shanahan, not known for his fighting, dropped the gloves with Foote, a player who has held his own on many occasions, four seconds after play resumed.
So what does this all mean? Well we do know one thing. The Red Wings ended a 42-year cup drought that year by sweeping Philadelphia in the Finals. They repeated the next season sweeping the Washington Capitals in the Finals as well.
Hockey is the only of the four major professional sports in America where your manhood can be challenged and you can answer the bell immediately as part of "the code." Or, in some cases, injustices and stupidity can be addressed further down the road. But you have the opportunity to answer it.
The Boston Briuns were challenged by the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010. Milan Lucic was on the ice when the Pens' Matt Cooke flatten unsuspecting Bruins center Mark Savard with an elbow to the head. The Bruins did nothing immediately after the hit, much like the Sabres after the Lucic hit on Miller:
Over the course of the last two post-seasons after the Cooke/Savard incident, the Boston Bruins have developed an "Original Six" mentality in that they play that old-school, intimidating brand of "man-hockey." Hockey that Gordie Howe and Terry O'Reilly would be proud of. A sense of team is more important than self-preservation. Hockey that would eventually end a 39-year Stanley Cup drought in 2011.
After his hit on Miller, Lucic summed up where the Bruins mentality was when saying, "Definitely," when asked if the response would have been different if Thomas had been hit like that. "We wouldn't accept anything like that. We would have taken care of business, but we're a different team than they are."
They are a different team than they once were only a year and a half ago.
Looking back on history, it's no wonder that Shanahan did not suspend Lucic. He's seen enough to know that it should have been taken care of on the ice (or eventually will be) and he's smart enough to know the there was no iron-clad case for a suspension. In fact, I could probably see those two talking more about old-school hockey than the hit.
The fact that there was no suspension is a good thing for the Sabres and even though the NHL GM's are in their annual meetings with goalie protection in the forefront, not too much will happen except some more definition. So, in reality, this Sabres team will need to fend for themselves. And if the desired goal is the Stanley Cup, they'll need much more than NHL-intervention to protect their manhood.
For the Sabres, or any Eastern Conference team, the road to the Stanley Cup Finals will probably go through either Boston or Philadelphia, both of whom know how to intimidate. And if they even want a chance to make it there, much less win the Cup itself, they need to reach deep down to find that intestinal fire. That's if they even have it.
The bullying of Lucic is nothing new, and the only way the victim will get any respect is to fight back. What it takes to bring out that inner fury is something only the individual knows. But there comes a time where you say enough is enough and the inner warrior comes out with a vengeance. The pain of humiliation is much worse than a punch to the face. And usually good things follow.
Darcy Regier and other GM's of his ilk are having their Tipper Gore/PMRC-moment trying to protect their players (children.) Go ahead. But bullies will always remain and be a threat until the players themselves--individually--man-up and do something about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)