Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
It lasted 44 games dating back to November 1, but last night it came to an end.
Matt Moulson, a former three-time 30-goal scorer with the NY Islanders and a player who suffered through the better part of the last two seasons with a bottom-feeding Buffalo Sabres team, finally scored. Leave it to Jack Eichel and Zemgus Girgensons to get the job done and some props should be given to defenseman Jake McCabe who actually started the play by knocking down an Ottawa shoot-in at the red line.
McCabe would get the puck to Eichel at center ice who used his speed to gain the zone and ring one around the boards where McCabe was waiting at the point. McCabe shot it towards the net and Girgensons tipped it to Eichel down low. The rookie phenom gathered the puck and sent a behind the back pass to the crease to a charging Moulson who deposited the puck...finally.
We're not sure who was more excited about the goal, the entire Sabres team or Moulson himself. Or maybe it was GM Tim Murray who's been wondering all season what he's going to do with a four-goal scorer making $5m a season for the next three-plus seasons.
Showing posts with label patrick kaleta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label patrick kaleta. Show all posts
Friday, February 19, 2016
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Notes for tonight--Amerks at F'N Center, Gus gets his shot on PP
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Rochester Americans are hosting the St. Johns Sea Dogs (MTL) tonight at First Niagara Center and two local players will be hitting the ice.
For the first time ever in a pro game situation, Justin Bailey, son of former Buffalo Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey will make his debut in downtown Buffalo for the Amerks. The former 2013 second-round pick (52nd-overall) has 10 points (3+7) in 30 games for Rochester this season, but the big (6'4", 206 lb.) powerforward has been making real solid progress in his first pro season.
While on Sabres Hockey Hotline this morning he told co-host Andrew Peters that he was tentative early on in his rookie season but in the last 10 games or so he said his game has "changed a lot" and that he's been able to play his game. "I think the way I've been playing," said Bailey on the Hotline, "is the way I want to play. For me, when I'm skating and using my speed that's when I'm playing my best hockey."
That was something that wasn't lost on long-time Amerks broadcaster, Don Stevens. "For a guy his size," said Stevens, "he's got outstanding speed. Now he's going hard to the net and he's getting in front and mixing it up. He's a big boy, that's the way he's got to play, and now he's figuring out how to play that way."
Also skating on the First Niagara Ice tonight is old friend Patrick Kaleta.
The Rochester Americans are hosting the St. Johns Sea Dogs (MTL) tonight at First Niagara Center and two local players will be hitting the ice.
For the first time ever in a pro game situation, Justin Bailey, son of former Buffalo Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey will make his debut in downtown Buffalo for the Amerks. The former 2013 second-round pick (52nd-overall) has 10 points (3+7) in 30 games for Rochester this season, but the big (6'4", 206 lb.) powerforward has been making real solid progress in his first pro season.
While on Sabres Hockey Hotline this morning he told co-host Andrew Peters that he was tentative early on in his rookie season but in the last 10 games or so he said his game has "changed a lot" and that he's been able to play his game. "I think the way I've been playing," said Bailey on the Hotline, "is the way I want to play. For me, when I'm skating and using my speed that's when I'm playing my best hockey."
That was something that wasn't lost on long-time Amerks broadcaster, Don Stevens. "For a guy his size," said Stevens, "he's got outstanding speed. Now he's going hard to the net and he's getting in front and mixing it up. He's a big boy, that's the way he's got to play, and now he's figuring out how to play that way."
Also skating on the First Niagara Ice tonight is old friend Patrick Kaleta.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Catching up with Don Stevens and the Rochester Americans
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
After fits and starts to the season, the Rochester Americans finally got things rolling. Unfortunately for them the Christmas break came along. The Amerks head into the hiatus having won four of five games while outscoring their opponents by a combined 19-10 and their eight team points moved them up to 9th in the Eastern Conference.
"It's too bad that there is a break because the team has been playing very well the last two games," said long-time Amerks broadcaster, Don Stevens. "It's the kind of situation where you're winning and playing that well and you want to keep playing."
As with any team featuring a lot of new faces, plus a new coaching staff with a new system, there were plenty of struggles as the Amerks adjusted to the up-tempo pace favored in the organization. Head coach Randy Cunneyworth, who Stevens said always wanted a speed game, has them skating hard and fast while playing a 200' game. "They've learned to use their speed," said Stevens. "It seems like they're playing a whole lot faster now. Whereas before they were trying to get a little too fancy, now it's hard-nosed, go for the net and do the best you can to get there. It really starting to pay off."
Stevens pointed to the return of third year pro Tim Schaller as a spark.
Schaller was with the Sabres for a long stint before the team sent him to down to Rochester on December 3. After working out some kinks in his first two games, both of them Amerks losses, Schaller sat out the next game, a 4-3 SOL at home vs. the Utica Comets "due to an ailment that has yet to be diagnosed," as reported by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Kevin Oklobzija at the time. Oklobzija wrote that Schaller "apparently has been bothered by the problem for an unspecified period of time" with Cunneyworth saying that he'd been "playing through it."
"Exactly what it is," said the coach, "that's unclear."
Schaller came back the next game and according to Stevens was really "starting to light things up." In the five games before the Christmas break he totaled five goals and one assist and was a plus-4. His last goal against Albany was a real doozy as he went in on the Devils goalie with a d-man draped all over him. Schaller managed to get a good shot off with one knee on the ice as he was being hauled down. It was the first of four 1st period goals for the Amerks as they cruised to a 4-1 victory heading into the break.
Another contributor to the success of the Amerks as of late is veteran Patrick Kaleta, who had been out since the first game of the preseason with Buffalo. He last skated in a meaningful game back in April with the parent club. He had an inauspicious season debut on November 27 in front of the home crowd at the Blue Cross Arena and told the media of his return to the ice, "Getting into a game was fun; other than that, horrible."
Kaleta has been eased back into the lineup playing in only six of 10 games, but according to Stevens, he's had a big impact. "His presence is known," said Stevens said of Kaleta. "He's hitting like a Mack truck out there and the opposition needs to keep their heads up when he's on the ice.
"The whole team feels like it's bigger, playing like they're a taller and heavier when he's on the ice."
One player that doesn't need to be too much taller and heavier is 6'3" 210 lb. powerforward, Justin Bailey. Stevens said that Bailey has probably come the furthest this year as he's starting to learn how to use his size and strength as well as his speed. "For a guy his size," said Stevens, "he's got outstanding speed. Now he's going hard to the net and he's getting in front and mixing it up. He's a big boy, that's the way he's got to play, and now he's figuring out how to play that way."
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com told me the "figuring out" part of the equation involves the winger using the middle of the ice when it's given to him. "He has the power and the wheels," said Baker, "so he has to become more aggressive when given that space. That will come with more experience."
The team itself needs more experience with the new systems in place. They're beginning to really work the fast pace that Cunneyworth wants and it's starting to show up on the scoreboard and in the standings.
More on ironing out inconsistencies and some focus on the defense and goaltending tomorrow. Until then, Happy Christmas Eve.
After fits and starts to the season, the Rochester Americans finally got things rolling. Unfortunately for them the Christmas break came along. The Amerks head into the hiatus having won four of five games while outscoring their opponents by a combined 19-10 and their eight team points moved them up to 9th in the Eastern Conference.
"It's too bad that there is a break because the team has been playing very well the last two games," said long-time Amerks broadcaster, Don Stevens. "It's the kind of situation where you're winning and playing that well and you want to keep playing."
As with any team featuring a lot of new faces, plus a new coaching staff with a new system, there were plenty of struggles as the Amerks adjusted to the up-tempo pace favored in the organization. Head coach Randy Cunneyworth, who Stevens said always wanted a speed game, has them skating hard and fast while playing a 200' game. "They've learned to use their speed," said Stevens. "It seems like they're playing a whole lot faster now. Whereas before they were trying to get a little too fancy, now it's hard-nosed, go for the net and do the best you can to get there. It really starting to pay off."
Stevens pointed to the return of third year pro Tim Schaller as a spark.
Schaller was with the Sabres for a long stint before the team sent him to down to Rochester on December 3. After working out some kinks in his first two games, both of them Amerks losses, Schaller sat out the next game, a 4-3 SOL at home vs. the Utica Comets "due to an ailment that has yet to be diagnosed," as reported by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Kevin Oklobzija at the time. Oklobzija wrote that Schaller "apparently has been bothered by the problem for an unspecified period of time" with Cunneyworth saying that he'd been "playing through it."
"Exactly what it is," said the coach, "that's unclear."
Schaller came back the next game and according to Stevens was really "starting to light things up." In the five games before the Christmas break he totaled five goals and one assist and was a plus-4. His last goal against Albany was a real doozy as he went in on the Devils goalie with a d-man draped all over him. Schaller managed to get a good shot off with one knee on the ice as he was being hauled down. It was the first of four 1st period goals for the Amerks as they cruised to a 4-1 victory heading into the break.
Another contributor to the success of the Amerks as of late is veteran Patrick Kaleta, who had been out since the first game of the preseason with Buffalo. He last skated in a meaningful game back in April with the parent club. He had an inauspicious season debut on November 27 in front of the home crowd at the Blue Cross Arena and told the media of his return to the ice, "Getting into a game was fun; other than that, horrible."
Kaleta has been eased back into the lineup playing in only six of 10 games, but according to Stevens, he's had a big impact. "His presence is known," said Stevens said of Kaleta. "He's hitting like a Mack truck out there and the opposition needs to keep their heads up when he's on the ice.
"The whole team feels like it's bigger, playing like they're a taller and heavier when he's on the ice."
One player that doesn't need to be too much taller and heavier is 6'3" 210 lb. powerforward, Justin Bailey. Stevens said that Bailey has probably come the furthest this year as he's starting to learn how to use his size and strength as well as his speed. "For a guy his size," said Stevens, "he's got outstanding speed. Now he's going hard to the net and he's getting in front and mixing it up. He's a big boy, that's the way he's got to play, and now he's figuring out how to play that way."
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com told me the "figuring out" part of the equation involves the winger using the middle of the ice when it's given to him. "He has the power and the wheels," said Baker, "so he has to become more aggressive when given that space. That will come with more experience."
The team itself needs more experience with the new systems in place. They're beginning to really work the fast pace that Cunneyworth wants and it's starting to show up on the scoreboard and in the standings.
More on ironing out inconsistencies and some focus on the defense and goaltending tomorrow. Until then, Happy Christmas Eve.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Sabres could really be singing the blues on Black Friday
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
After hitting the .500 mark with a victory at Florida vs. the Panthers, the Sabres, according to Sabres PR Buffalo at 8-8-0 were off to their best 16-game start since beginning 10-6-0 in 2011-12 and are at .500 for the first time since the end of the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
Then they met some of the big-dogs of the Western Conference. The stretch began with an OT loss vs. the San Jose' Sharks before the Sabres alternated between the conference-leading Dallas Stars and 2nd-seed St. Louis Blues to finish both of those two-game season series in a six-game span (0-3-1.) The Nashville Predators came to town on Wednesday and pulled out 3-1 victory on First Niagara Center Ice. Of note, the Preds had been shout out the three previous games, a franchise-record 227:39 minutes without a goal before Mike "Mr. Underwood" Fisher broke the drought.
All-in-all the Sabres head into tonight's matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes on an 0-4-2 winless skid.
The 'Canes aren't exactly the Dallas Stars, as they're 6th in the Atlantic Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference, but they present a formidable foe for Buffalo. Sabres PR has 4-6-0 in their last 10 meetings with Carolina, 5-5-0 at home. Many Sabres fans may have forgotten, but on the third-last game of the 2014-15 season, with the Sabres in a battle for last place, Buffalo defeated Carolina 4-3 at home. Goalie Anders Lindback made 49 saves for Buffalo while Tyler Ennis and Brian Gionta each had a goal and an assist.
Fans were finally able to breathe easy as the Sabres lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 four days later assuring a 30th place finish for the Sabres and a shot at either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the 2015 NHL Draft.
**********
After hitting the .500 mark with a victory at Florida vs. the Panthers, the Sabres, according to Sabres PR Buffalo at 8-8-0 were off to their best 16-game start since beginning 10-6-0 in 2011-12 and are at .500 for the first time since the end of the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
Then they met some of the big-dogs of the Western Conference. The stretch began with an OT loss vs. the San Jose' Sharks before the Sabres alternated between the conference-leading Dallas Stars and 2nd-seed St. Louis Blues to finish both of those two-game season series in a six-game span (0-3-1.) The Nashville Predators came to town on Wednesday and pulled out 3-1 victory on First Niagara Center Ice. Of note, the Preds had been shout out the three previous games, a franchise-record 227:39 minutes without a goal before Mike "Mr. Underwood" Fisher broke the drought.
All-in-all the Sabres head into tonight's matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes on an 0-4-2 winless skid.
The 'Canes aren't exactly the Dallas Stars, as they're 6th in the Atlantic Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference, but they present a formidable foe for Buffalo. Sabres PR has 4-6-0 in their last 10 meetings with Carolina, 5-5-0 at home. Many Sabres fans may have forgotten, but on the third-last game of the 2014-15 season, with the Sabres in a battle for last place, Buffalo defeated Carolina 4-3 at home. Goalie Anders Lindback made 49 saves for Buffalo while Tyler Ennis and Brian Gionta each had a goal and an assist.
Fans were finally able to breathe easy as the Sabres lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 four days later assuring a 30th place finish for the Sabres and a shot at either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the 2015 NHL Draft.
**********
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
If you're gonna have a "soft night," it might as well be on the road
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Perhaps the best way for the 2014-15 regular season to ultimately unfold is for a young, inconsistent Buffalo Sabres team to have strong, entertaining home games balanced by lackluster performances on the road.
On Saturday night Buffalo entered the third period down 3-0 at home to the NY Islanders. For the only the third time in franchise history they were able to come back and win the game (4-3 SO) and they left the ice as a raucous First Niagara Center crowd gave them a standing ovation.
Last night on the road in Ottawa, the Senators scored three unanswered goals, including an empty-netter to take down the Sabres 5-2 in a game that was punctuated by soft, "fly-by" play from the Sabres. Buffalo is now 4-12-1 on the road this season. Only the Edmonton Oilers (what a surprise) have less wins (2) than the Sabres on the road.
For a team that simply doesn't have the firepower to even make a playoff run, a win at home/lose on the road mentality offers up a modicum success in what would otherwise be another bad season.
Perhaps the best way for the 2014-15 regular season to ultimately unfold is for a young, inconsistent Buffalo Sabres team to have strong, entertaining home games balanced by lackluster performances on the road.
On Saturday night Buffalo entered the third period down 3-0 at home to the NY Islanders. For the only the third time in franchise history they were able to come back and win the game (4-3 SO) and they left the ice as a raucous First Niagara Center crowd gave them a standing ovation.
Last night on the road in Ottawa, the Senators scored three unanswered goals, including an empty-netter to take down the Sabres 5-2 in a game that was punctuated by soft, "fly-by" play from the Sabres. Buffalo is now 4-12-1 on the road this season. Only the Edmonton Oilers (what a surprise) have less wins (2) than the Sabres on the road.
For a team that simply doesn't have the firepower to even make a playoff run, a win at home/lose on the road mentality offers up a modicum success in what would otherwise be another bad season.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Kaleta's back. Deslauriers is (kind of) sorry, and the Sabres "Twin Towers"
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
One year ago today, after starting the 2013-14 season with an NHL-worst 4-15-1 record, the Buffalo Sabres fired long-time general manager Darcy Regier and head coach Ron Rolston.
Owner Terry Pegula made the announcement and said of the decision, "[Regier] didn't do what he did by himself. There was input from many people, prior owners, myself.
"Why now? I just decided, and that's the only answer I can give you. We work together, and sometimes you get to the point where a change was needed."
Over the summer Regier told the fans to be prepared for some "suffering" as he was close to fully dismantling the team he constructed. Amongst his remaining core players, only goalie Ryan Miller remained as forward Thomas Vanek was shipped to the NY Islanders on October 27. Regier's core, or "The Rochester Guys" as team President Ted Black called them, also included Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville.
One year ago today, after starting the 2013-14 season with an NHL-worst 4-15-1 record, the Buffalo Sabres fired long-time general manager Darcy Regier and head coach Ron Rolston.
Owner Terry Pegula made the announcement and said of the decision, "[Regier] didn't do what he did by himself. There was input from many people, prior owners, myself.
"Why now? I just decided, and that's the only answer I can give you. We work together, and sometimes you get to the point where a change was needed."
Over the summer Regier told the fans to be prepared for some "suffering" as he was close to fully dismantling the team he constructed. Amongst his remaining core players, only goalie Ryan Miller remained as forward Thomas Vanek was shipped to the NY Islanders on October 27. Regier's core, or "The Rochester Guys" as team President Ted Black called them, also included Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
The Sabres host Florida tonight as the roster begins to take shape
Reprinted with permission from hockyebuzz.com
When the Buffalo Sabres opened the regular season on October 9th, they had five players injured--G, Matt Hackett; F, Patrick Kaleta; F, Johan Larsson; D, Mark Pysyk; D, Jake McCabe.
Hackett is still recovering from a knee injury after a nasty collision took him out last season while Kaleta is back on the ice in a non-contact uniform.
Kaleta was hit in the face by a puck that, according to the winger, “Broke a bunch of things in there." He went on to say that behind his full face shield are three plates and 14 screws which are now a part of him. And although he still has blood in his eye from the slapshot, “I went through all the tests with my eyeball," he said, "and I’m blessed and lucky my eyesight is good, knock on wood, so far. Everything else was pretty much crushed, I guess." Save for his spirit.
He's back on the ice skating with the team after being out only three weeks and he's itchin' to get back out there. “I’m probably going to let the plates and the screws settle a little bit. Other than that, once I get the green light, I’m ready to go whether my face is broken or not.”
When the Buffalo Sabres opened the regular season on October 9th, they had five players injured--G, Matt Hackett; F, Patrick Kaleta; F, Johan Larsson; D, Mark Pysyk; D, Jake McCabe.
Hackett is still recovering from a knee injury after a nasty collision took him out last season while Kaleta is back on the ice in a non-contact uniform.
Kaleta was hit in the face by a puck that, according to the winger, “Broke a bunch of things in there." He went on to say that behind his full face shield are three plates and 14 screws which are now a part of him. And although he still has blood in his eye from the slapshot, “I went through all the tests with my eyeball," he said, "and I’m blessed and lucky my eyesight is good, knock on wood, so far. Everything else was pretty much crushed, I guess." Save for his spirit.
He's back on the ice skating with the team after being out only three weeks and he's itchin' to get back out there. “I’m probably going to let the plates and the screws settle a little bit. Other than that, once I get the green light, I’m ready to go whether my face is broken or not.”
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
More headed to Rochester, plus injury notes
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Chris Ryndak of BuffaloSabres.com says that seven players have been sent to Rochester: Forwards Joel Armia, Matt Ellis, and Tim Schaller; defensemen Drew Bagnall and Nick Petrecki; and goaltenders Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov.
Lieuwen and Makarov both had starts with Buffalo and both played very well in losses. They'll hit Rochester and battle it out for the #1 goalie spot with the Amerks.
Unlike last season, Armia looks to be starting his second season in North America injury. Last year he suffered an injury in a preseason game and was sidelined for six weeks. He had a decent training camp and is looking for consistency in Rochester.
Schaller and Petrecki are young players who got their taste of the NHL and look to bring it in the AHL while Ellis and Bagnall are seasoned veterans who will need to clear waivers in order to stick with the organization.
Bagnall, it should be noted, played a big part in the development of Rasmus Ristolainen last season. Some youngin, probably Jake McCabe, will end up with Bagnall on the top pair and will be a better player for it.
**********
Chris Ryndak of BuffaloSabres.com says that seven players have been sent to Rochester: Forwards Joel Armia, Matt Ellis, and Tim Schaller; defensemen Drew Bagnall and Nick Petrecki; and goaltenders Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov.
Lieuwen and Makarov both had starts with Buffalo and both played very well in losses. They'll hit Rochester and battle it out for the #1 goalie spot with the Amerks.
Unlike last season, Armia looks to be starting his second season in North America injury. Last year he suffered an injury in a preseason game and was sidelined for six weeks. He had a decent training camp and is looking for consistency in Rochester.
Schaller and Petrecki are young players who got their taste of the NHL and look to bring it in the AHL while Ellis and Bagnall are seasoned veterans who will need to clear waivers in order to stick with the organization.
Bagnall, it should be noted, played a big part in the development of Rasmus Ristolainen last season. Some youngin, probably Jake McCabe, will end up with Bagnall on the top pair and will be a better player for it.
**********
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
The Buffalo "Amerks" fall in Toronto in the shootout
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres iced a large group of players who will be ticketed for Rochester, at least to start this season. Of the twenty players in the line-up, only three are sure to be on the Sabres--Cody Hodgson, Andrej Meszaros and Chris Stewart--while two other, defensemen Mike Weber and Rasmus Ristolainen will probably be with the team when they open the season October 9th vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Amerks open camp today, and many of those who played in last nights 3-2 SO loss at Toronto will be headed east to Rochester. The Sabres have only two more preseason games--Wednesday vs. the Capitals and Friday at Carolina--to get ready for the opener.
The Buffalo Sabres iced a large group of players who will be ticketed for Rochester, at least to start this season. Of the twenty players in the line-up, only three are sure to be on the Sabres--Cody Hodgson, Andrej Meszaros and Chris Stewart--while two other, defensemen Mike Weber and Rasmus Ristolainen will probably be with the team when they open the season October 9th vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Amerks open camp today, and many of those who played in last nights 3-2 SO loss at Toronto will be headed east to Rochester. The Sabres have only two more preseason games--Wednesday vs. the Capitals and Friday at Carolina--to get ready for the opener.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Building the 2014-15 Buffalo Sabres roster--The 4th Line
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
On the heels of the Sabres two-goal outburst last night in a shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, we'll add three fourth-line players to fill out the starting group of forwards.
The running joke with the Buffalo Sabres over the last few years is that they had too many third and fourth-liners on the team and this year is no different. The top seven players on the team--Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford, Brian Gionta, Zemgus Girgensons, Cody Hodgson, and Chris Stewart--are legitimate top-nine players in the least with all but Girgensons being considered legit top-six.
Barring the inclusion of Sam Reinhart, the rest of the Buffalo Sabres forward roster this season will be populated by bottom-six players, fourth-line players and borderline NHL'ers. The dozen or so players battling it out for bottom-six/reserve roles offer an array of sizes, shapes and styles and two of them--Marcus Foligno and Brian Flynn have already been included.
On the heels of the Sabres two-goal outburst last night in a shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, we'll add three fourth-line players to fill out the starting group of forwards.
The running joke with the Buffalo Sabres over the last few years is that they had too many third and fourth-liners on the team and this year is no different. The top seven players on the team--Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford, Brian Gionta, Zemgus Girgensons, Cody Hodgson, and Chris Stewart--are legitimate top-nine players in the least with all but Girgensons being considered legit top-six.
Barring the inclusion of Sam Reinhart, the rest of the Buffalo Sabres forward roster this season will be populated by bottom-six players, fourth-line players and borderline NHL'ers. The dozen or so players battling it out for bottom-six/reserve roles offer an array of sizes, shapes and styles and two of them--Marcus Foligno and Brian Flynn have already been included.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Two plus two equals an opportunity with the Sabres for Patrick Kaleta
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Very few players in the National Hockey League elicit extreme emotions like the Buffalo Sabres' Patrick Kaleta.
Universally reviled and hated by the opposition, yet loved by many a Sabres fan, the 28 yr. old veteran of eight professional seasons in Rochester and Buffalo is entering the 2014-15 season on the last year of his contract. Despite a turbulent season that was cut short by an injury while in Rochester, it would seem as if he's headed into camp with a good shot of being with the big club.
That Kaleta was a victim of his own reputation is not to be denied. That he's also been targeted by the NHL and levied extreme penalties because of said reputation is the main reason the Buffalo, NY native ended up in Rochester after being waived by the Sabres.
“This was a move we thought was necessary to help Pat change his game and preserve his career,” former GM Darcy Regier said at the time. “We believe in Pat as a person and we hope he will continue his career, if the circumstances are right, with the Buffalo Sabres.”
Very few players in the National Hockey League elicit extreme emotions like the Buffalo Sabres' Patrick Kaleta.
Universally reviled and hated by the opposition, yet loved by many a Sabres fan, the 28 yr. old veteran of eight professional seasons in Rochester and Buffalo is entering the 2014-15 season on the last year of his contract. Despite a turbulent season that was cut short by an injury while in Rochester, it would seem as if he's headed into camp with a good shot of being with the big club.
That Kaleta was a victim of his own reputation is not to be denied. That he's also been targeted by the NHL and levied extreme penalties because of said reputation is the main reason the Buffalo, NY native ended up in Rochester after being waived by the Sabres.
“This was a move we thought was necessary to help Pat change his game and preserve his career,” former GM Darcy Regier said at the time. “We believe in Pat as a person and we hope he will continue his career, if the circumstances are right, with the Buffalo Sabres.”
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Sabres win first of the season, Regier on the way out? Plus...
Patrick Kaleta gets 10 games and...
Cody Hodgson has a couple of things to say about his time in Vancouver.
First.
The Buffalo Sabres are no longer winless leaving the New Jersey Devils as the only winless team in the NHL.
The Sabres pulled out a 4-3 shootout win on Long Island in a hard-fought game where the Sabres got stronger as the game went on.
Coach Ron Rolston had this to say postgame, "I think a lot of the emotion of the game helped our guys. A lot of the rough stuff going on, the hits in the game were emotional where our guys were really plugged into the game the whole night just because of that.
Guys took it to heart of where we're at."
Where they were at was the bottom of the league. Now with the win, they join Edmonton, Philadelphia and the NY Rangers with one win on the season.
Quick note: None of those teams were expected to go through "suffering" this season.
Marcus Foligno netted his first of the season to tie the score at three with just over two minutes to go in regulation.
After losing the draw in the Islanders zone, defenseman Tyler Myers stopped a clearing attempt at the blueline and fed Foligno in the high slot. Foligno whirled and sent a seeing eye shot that beat Evgeni Nabokov glove-side with Drew Stafford parked in front of the net.
The line of Foligno and Stafford centered by Tyler Ennis clicked last night with Ennis also scoring his first of the season pouncing on a puck lying in the crease behind Nabokov.
All told that line was good for two goals and an assist and were a collective plus-6.
The other goal last night was by Thomas Vanek, his third of the season off a feed from Hodgson on the powerplay. Hodgson collected his fifth point in the last five games.
***
Last season, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.ca said that Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller's days might be numbered. Although Miller is still on the team, he was being shopped around at the deadline and around Draft Day. (for a quote and more on Miller, click here)
Now, says Kypreos, Buffalo GM Darcy Regier's days are numbered.
He said last night that Regier "is on the hot seat." Speculation had Regier being replaced around Christmas, but that timetable was moved up due to the dismal start of the team.
Since then, that rumor has been denied by the Buffalo Sabres.
Despite squashing the school-girl giddiness of his WGR partner, Jeremy White, Howard Simon tracked down someone within the Sabres hierarchy and got this text from the Sabres, "there is zero truth to the report."
Methinks the fans inside of the F'N Center will have something to say about this when the Vancouver Canucks visit on Thursday.
***
Vancouver is off to a good start at 4-3-0 under new head coach John Tortorella. They have a couple of holes in the line-up including down the middle where Hodgson once played.
'Nucks GM Mike Gillis traded Hodgson for winger Zack Kassian in 2012.
Hodgson was said to be a high maintenance player with Gillis going as far to say the he spent more time on the center and his problems than the rest of the team combined.
It was also said that Hodgson had an overbearing father and he was said to be unhappy with his playing time in Vancouver.
In an article with Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province, Hodgson wanted to "clear the air" on both those issues.
'I’ve been hearing all this stuff about my dad being involved with the team and making calls to the team and I wanted to tell everyone that my dad had nothing to do with it,' he said. 'This isn’t Pee Wee hockey where the dad can call up the coach and interfere with what’s going on. This is professional hockey and that sort of thing doesn’t happen. He never called the team.'
And as for his ice time, he said, 'I never once asked for more ice time when I was in Vancouver, even though the media asked me every day if I thought I should be playing more. I was just happy to be playing in the NHL when I was there at that stage of my career.'
He also said that 'someday [he'll] talk more about his time in Vancouver.'
Gallagher also talks about the struggles the Canucks have had finding a center to replace Hodgson likening the situation to that of "the Flyers enduring a search for a goaltender."
And, Gallagher points out, the trade that had Kassian going to Vancouver for Hodgson? "Kassian," he said, "hasn’t exactly been Milan Lucic since he got here."
***
And finally, Patrick Kaleta got a 10-game Shanaban for his hit to the head on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson.
A video that Brendan Shanahan uses shows that Kaleta missed the check and connected with Johnson's chin.
Stupid, Patty, stupid. And dangerous.
Kaleta is hated throughout the league, some of it warranted, some exaggerated. (Adam Proteau of The Hockey News thinks the suspension wasn't enough.)
Having served three of his ten games already, Kaleta will be eligible to return in early November and will be over $150,000 lighter in the pocket book.
Cody Hodgson has a couple of things to say about his time in Vancouver.
First.
The Buffalo Sabres are no longer winless leaving the New Jersey Devils as the only winless team in the NHL.
The Sabres pulled out a 4-3 shootout win on Long Island in a hard-fought game where the Sabres got stronger as the game went on.
Coach Ron Rolston had this to say postgame, "I think a lot of the emotion of the game helped our guys. A lot of the rough stuff going on, the hits in the game were emotional where our guys were really plugged into the game the whole night just because of that.
Guys took it to heart of where we're at."
Where they were at was the bottom of the league. Now with the win, they join Edmonton, Philadelphia and the NY Rangers with one win on the season.
Quick note: None of those teams were expected to go through "suffering" this season.
Marcus Foligno netted his first of the season to tie the score at three with just over two minutes to go in regulation.
After losing the draw in the Islanders zone, defenseman Tyler Myers stopped a clearing attempt at the blueline and fed Foligno in the high slot. Foligno whirled and sent a seeing eye shot that beat Evgeni Nabokov glove-side with Drew Stafford parked in front of the net.
The line of Foligno and Stafford centered by Tyler Ennis clicked last night with Ennis also scoring his first of the season pouncing on a puck lying in the crease behind Nabokov.
All told that line was good for two goals and an assist and were a collective plus-6.
The other goal last night was by Thomas Vanek, his third of the season off a feed from Hodgson on the powerplay. Hodgson collected his fifth point in the last five games.
***
Last season, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.ca said that Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller's days might be numbered. Although Miller is still on the team, he was being shopped around at the deadline and around Draft Day. (for a quote and more on Miller, click here)
Now, says Kypreos, Buffalo GM Darcy Regier's days are numbered.
He said last night that Regier "is on the hot seat." Speculation had Regier being replaced around Christmas, but that timetable was moved up due to the dismal start of the team.
Since then, that rumor has been denied by the Buffalo Sabres.
Despite squashing the school-girl giddiness of his WGR partner, Jeremy White, Howard Simon tracked down someone within the Sabres hierarchy and got this text from the Sabres, "there is zero truth to the report."
Methinks the fans inside of the F'N Center will have something to say about this when the Vancouver Canucks visit on Thursday.
***
Vancouver is off to a good start at 4-3-0 under new head coach John Tortorella. They have a couple of holes in the line-up including down the middle where Hodgson once played.
'Nucks GM Mike Gillis traded Hodgson for winger Zack Kassian in 2012.
Hodgson was said to be a high maintenance player with Gillis going as far to say the he spent more time on the center and his problems than the rest of the team combined.
It was also said that Hodgson had an overbearing father and he was said to be unhappy with his playing time in Vancouver.
In an article with Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province, Hodgson wanted to "clear the air" on both those issues.
'I’ve been hearing all this stuff about my dad being involved with the team and making calls to the team and I wanted to tell everyone that my dad had nothing to do with it,' he said. 'This isn’t Pee Wee hockey where the dad can call up the coach and interfere with what’s going on. This is professional hockey and that sort of thing doesn’t happen. He never called the team.'
And as for his ice time, he said, 'I never once asked for more ice time when I was in Vancouver, even though the media asked me every day if I thought I should be playing more. I was just happy to be playing in the NHL when I was there at that stage of my career.'
He also said that 'someday [he'll] talk more about his time in Vancouver.'
Gallagher also talks about the struggles the Canucks have had finding a center to replace Hodgson likening the situation to that of "the Flyers enduring a search for a goaltender."
And, Gallagher points out, the trade that had Kassian going to Vancouver for Hodgson? "Kassian," he said, "hasn’t exactly been Milan Lucic since he got here."
***
And finally, Patrick Kaleta got a 10-game Shanaban for his hit to the head on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson.
A video that Brendan Shanahan uses shows that Kaleta missed the check and connected with Johnson's chin.
Stupid, Patty, stupid. And dangerous.
Kaleta is hated throughout the league, some of it warranted, some exaggerated. (Adam Proteau of The Hockey News thinks the suspension wasn't enough.)
Having served three of his ten games already, Kaleta will be eligible to return in early November and will be over $150,000 lighter in the pocket book.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Quick hits: Grigorenko to the "Q"; Brennan takes his slapshot to South Beach, Pysyk gets his shot
Ville Leino's return to the lineup yesterday left the team with too many roster players.
Instead of sending Brian Flynn or Marcus Foligno to Rochester, or waiving a player--sayyyy, Jochen Hecht--the Sabres instead chose to send rookie Mikhail Grigorenko back the Quebec to finish off his junior year with the Remparts.
Grigorenko made marginal strides in his play, but never showed that "wow" factor. Sending him back to junior should further his development for a return to the Sabres or a slot with Rochester either this season or next.
The overall view for the organization is that returning the 18 yr. old back to junior would further help his development. Said Darcy Regier, “This is driven by what is best for Mikhail and best for his career.”
Regier added, “He surprised all of us by being here for the length of time he has been here, and depending how far they go in the playoffs, he will be here after the season."
The Sabres burned a year on his 3-year entry-level contract, which didn't seem to bother the Sabres' GM, “It was an experiment,” he said. “There certainly are benefits. He certainly has a very good understanding of what it takes to play in the National Hockey League going forward. I think it’s very important, and he agreed, that he spend as much time as possible here in the off season training and preparing for next season.”
Interim head coach Ron Rolston agreed with the move, “With the way we were at as a team, it was difficult to give him the opportunity that he probably needed developmentally,” he said. “We just thought for our organization right now, the best thing would be for him to go and play in the playoffs and get playoff experience, and really be … a really big part of that team and be in every situation. …
“And also to go back there and be a leader, and to go back, have the right attitude and really help the young players there and just build his leadership skills.”
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com, who follows the youngins, says that having Grigorenko with the big club for an extended stay wasn't such a bad thing, "While Grigorenko didn't stick with the big club, the two-month NHL experiment should not be deemed a failure," he said. [Grigorenko's] skating especially his stops and starts, became much improved while his exposure to an elevated pace should lead to a continued dominance at the junior level."
There was really no mistake keeping him up after his five game "audition." They made a mistake in thinking there was a stable situation with which to develop him. It's been anything but. It's a bad situation right now with Lindy Ruff getting fired, an interim coach, the team near the bottom of the league and big changes probably on the horizon.
Get the kid away from the toxic environment at the foot of Washington St. and bring him back when things stabilize, whether it be at the end of the season or end of the summer.
*************
Regier also did something that was very "un-Regier-like" last week. He made a trade.
TJ Brennan, a 2007 second-round pick (#31 overall) was sent to Florida for a 2013 fifth-round draft pick.
Not only is it very unusual for Regier to make a trade this far in front of the trade deadline, it's also unusual for the team to give up on a prospect, especially one which they've been developing for the past five seasons.
Good for the organization and good for Brennan.
The defenseman was reunited with his Portland Pirates AHL coach, Kevin Dineen, and last night he played over 23 minutes, scored a goal and was named the game's 2nd star.
Not a bad start.
Rolston kinda thought that it would be good for Brennan to play for Dineen again.
(via Bill Hoppe, buffalohockeybeat) "It’s a real good opportunity for him,” Rolston said yesterday afternoon. “He played with Kevin in Portland, and they have a good feel for what he can do. I’m excited. He’ll have a good opportunity there.”
Will Brennan be able to transfer his AHL scoring prowess to the NHL?
“I think so, and there were signs of it here,” Rolston said. “It’s just we were in a situation we probably couldn’t use him to the full amount in those capacities with where we were. I think eventually for him that’ll show up. They’re a real good team power play team, too, in Florida, so I’m sure they’ll use him properly.”
Brennan is considered a "powerplay specialist" who has a "booming" shot from the point.
The problem in Buffalo was that he wasn't better than the six or seven d-men in front of him and he contracted Alexi Zhitnik disease--his "booming" slapshot rarely hit the net.
When people start talking about "powerplay specialist" and "booming slapshot," the first thing that pops into my head is Ales Kotalik.
Al MacInnis-type slapshots from the point rarely get through in today's NHL with all the clogging in front of the net. A quick release is more important. Or, in the case of Mike Weber last night, a well timed wrister works just as well.
In any case, TJ Brennan and is "booming" slapshot are now in South Beach.
*************
The trade of Brennan and another injury to Andrej Sekera has opened up a spot for a young d-man.
Rookie Mark Pysyk was recalled from the Amerks and will be in the lineup tonight as a fill-in for Sekera.
Pysyk is 21 yrs. old and has not even had a full year in Rochester yet, but he's been playing some real good hockey over there. He has 18 points and a plus-8 rating in 57 games for the Amerks, and Rolston has often commented on his poise when on the ice.
(via Paul Hamilton, WGR)
Good luck to Pysyk in his first NHL game tonight.
***********
Gritty forward Patrick Kaleta has finished serving his five game suspension for the hit on the Rangers Brad Richards.
But, unfortunately for him, he'll be a healthy scratch at Washington as Rolston is sending the agitator a message.
The coach had this to say about Kaleta's missed time, "He understands what just happened and the way he’s got to play. But again, we want to balance the way he plays and not take that away from him either because that’s what makes him a valuable hockey player in this league."
The Sabres lost the Rangers game in OT and went 1-2-2 during Kaleta's suspension, a fact not lost on Rolston, "it’s a situation where he understands that sitting out five games for him wasn’t a good thing and it wasn’t a good thing for our team." The coach added, "We have to make adjustments and he has to make adjustments going forward.”
There's a new sheriff in town there, Patty.
Kaleta's response, "“I’m (ticked) off. I want to play,” Kaleta told reporters this afternoon in Washington. “And especially after watching some things, sitting there watching the game, I want to play.”
Instead of sending Brian Flynn or Marcus Foligno to Rochester, or waiving a player--sayyyy, Jochen Hecht--the Sabres instead chose to send rookie Mikhail Grigorenko back the Quebec to finish off his junior year with the Remparts.
Grigorenko made marginal strides in his play, but never showed that "wow" factor. Sending him back to junior should further his development for a return to the Sabres or a slot with Rochester either this season or next.
The overall view for the organization is that returning the 18 yr. old back to junior would further help his development. Said Darcy Regier, “This is driven by what is best for Mikhail and best for his career.”
Regier added, “He surprised all of us by being here for the length of time he has been here, and depending how far they go in the playoffs, he will be here after the season."
The Sabres burned a year on his 3-year entry-level contract, which didn't seem to bother the Sabres' GM, “It was an experiment,” he said. “There certainly are benefits. He certainly has a very good understanding of what it takes to play in the National Hockey League going forward. I think it’s very important, and he agreed, that he spend as much time as possible here in the off season training and preparing for next season.”
Interim head coach Ron Rolston agreed with the move, “With the way we were at as a team, it was difficult to give him the opportunity that he probably needed developmentally,” he said. “We just thought for our organization right now, the best thing would be for him to go and play in the playoffs and get playoff experience, and really be … a really big part of that team and be in every situation. …
“And also to go back there and be a leader, and to go back, have the right attitude and really help the young players there and just build his leadership skills.”
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com, who follows the youngins, says that having Grigorenko with the big club for an extended stay wasn't such a bad thing, "While Grigorenko didn't stick with the big club, the two-month NHL experiment should not be deemed a failure," he said. [Grigorenko's] skating especially his stops and starts, became much improved while his exposure to an elevated pace should lead to a continued dominance at the junior level."
There was really no mistake keeping him up after his five game "audition." They made a mistake in thinking there was a stable situation with which to develop him. It's been anything but. It's a bad situation right now with Lindy Ruff getting fired, an interim coach, the team near the bottom of the league and big changes probably on the horizon.
Get the kid away from the toxic environment at the foot of Washington St. and bring him back when things stabilize, whether it be at the end of the season or end of the summer.
*************
Regier also did something that was very "un-Regier-like" last week. He made a trade.
TJ Brennan, a 2007 second-round pick (#31 overall) was sent to Florida for a 2013 fifth-round draft pick.
Not only is it very unusual for Regier to make a trade this far in front of the trade deadline, it's also unusual for the team to give up on a prospect, especially one which they've been developing for the past five seasons.
Good for the organization and good for Brennan.
The defenseman was reunited with his Portland Pirates AHL coach, Kevin Dineen, and last night he played over 23 minutes, scored a goal and was named the game's 2nd star.
Not a bad start.
Rolston kinda thought that it would be good for Brennan to play for Dineen again.
(via Bill Hoppe, buffalohockeybeat) "It’s a real good opportunity for him,” Rolston said yesterday afternoon. “He played with Kevin in Portland, and they have a good feel for what he can do. I’m excited. He’ll have a good opportunity there.”
Will Brennan be able to transfer his AHL scoring prowess to the NHL?
“I think so, and there were signs of it here,” Rolston said. “It’s just we were in a situation we probably couldn’t use him to the full amount in those capacities with where we were. I think eventually for him that’ll show up. They’re a real good team power play team, too, in Florida, so I’m sure they’ll use him properly.”
Brennan is considered a "powerplay specialist" who has a "booming" shot from the point.
The problem in Buffalo was that he wasn't better than the six or seven d-men in front of him and he contracted Alexi Zhitnik disease--his "booming" slapshot rarely hit the net.
When people start talking about "powerplay specialist" and "booming slapshot," the first thing that pops into my head is Ales Kotalik.
Al MacInnis-type slapshots from the point rarely get through in today's NHL with all the clogging in front of the net. A quick release is more important. Or, in the case of Mike Weber last night, a well timed wrister works just as well.
In any case, TJ Brennan and is "booming" slapshot are now in South Beach.
*************
The trade of Brennan and another injury to Andrej Sekera has opened up a spot for a young d-man.
Rookie Mark Pysyk was recalled from the Amerks and will be in the lineup tonight as a fill-in for Sekera.
Pysyk is 21 yrs. old and has not even had a full year in Rochester yet, but he's been playing some real good hockey over there. He has 18 points and a plus-8 rating in 57 games for the Amerks, and Rolston has often commented on his poise when on the ice.
(via Paul Hamilton, WGR)
"I had [Pysyk] there for quite a bit and he's playing very well for them. He's a real smart defenseman who skates very well, good puck-mover, good defender so he's got a complete game." Rolston added, "He keeps the game really easy on himself, he's real efficient."
Good luck to Pysyk in his first NHL game tonight.
***********
Gritty forward Patrick Kaleta has finished serving his five game suspension for the hit on the Rangers Brad Richards.
But, unfortunately for him, he'll be a healthy scratch at Washington as Rolston is sending the agitator a message.
The coach had this to say about Kaleta's missed time, "He understands what just happened and the way he’s got to play. But again, we want to balance the way he plays and not take that away from him either because that’s what makes him a valuable hockey player in this league."
The Sabres lost the Rangers game in OT and went 1-2-2 during Kaleta's suspension, a fact not lost on Rolston, "it’s a situation where he understands that sitting out five games for him wasn’t a good thing and it wasn’t a good thing for our team." The coach added, "We have to make adjustments and he has to make adjustments going forward.”
There's a new sheriff in town there, Patty.
Kaleta's response, "“I’m (ticked) off. I want to play,” Kaleta told reporters this afternoon in Washington. “And especially after watching some things, sitting there watching the game, I want to play.”
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
NHL realignment, and eventual expansion, presents a player safety concern
Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta received a five-game "Shana-ban" for his hit from behind/into the boards against the NY Rangers Brad Richards.
Kaleta, though, is a useful player outside of his penchant for antagonizing the opposition. He plays bottom-six minutes (10:02/game) with a good chunk of it on the penalty kill. His 2:10/game on the kill is tied for tops on the team with captain Jason Pominville.
Despite the hate thrown at him by his detractors, he can play the game.
So can some other pests/antagonists like Kaleta: Chris Neil (OTT,) Brandon Prust (MTL,) Jordin Tootoo (DET,) Matt Cooke (PIT,) Shawn Thorton (BOS,) etc.
In a 30-team league, these players, and those of their ilk, can at least play a regular shift and find a niche outside of being merely a total douche' on the ice.
In fact, Kaleta has been focusing upon actually playing the game more and staying away from the dangerous hits like he threw at Richards. He even commented (via Bill Hoppe, Olean Times Herald) that the refs have taken notice and have provided him with encouragement, "The referees have came up and said, ‘Hey, we respect what you’ve done so far. As long as you keep showing respect toward us, then we’ll respect you,’” Kaleta told reporters Monday in Raleigh. That was before the suspension was handed down.
But there are a lot of roster spots to fill, nearly 700 in all, that range from the elite to top-line/top-pairing all the way down to reserve/depth/role players. And when you get down to the bottom four or five spots on the team, those are inevitably filled by borderline NHL'ers, or even worse, career AHL'ers who are simply a body.
In the latter instance, those career AHL'ers want to make an impact for the coaching staff when opportunity knocks. A ticket to the NHL, by whatever means necessary, is a ticket to a six-figure salary.
Some borderline NHL'ers/AHL'ers play the game as muckers and grinders, Kevin Porter, Matt Ellis and Cody McCormick of Buffalo come to mind.
Which brings us to the case of the Philadelphia Flyers Harry Zolnierczyk.
Before Kaleta's five-gamer, Zolnierczyk landed the longest suspension in the NHL this season at four games for launching himself at Ottawa Senators defenseman Mike Lundin.
The hit was viscious as Zolnierczyk homed in on Lundin, left his skates and landed a brutal shoulder to head hit at the Flyers blueline (although Flyers coach Peter Laviolette defended his player actions.)
Zolnierczyk is no dummy. He's Ivy League educated and knows that his ticket to the big show has nothing to do with his very limited skill set. Destroy!
And the NHL already has a ton of players like him looking to turn their limited skill set into a professional bankroll via outright brutality.
Which begs the question, why, as rumor has it, would the NHL want to expand to 32 teams allowing openings for more Harry Zolnierczyk-type players? (well, we all know the answer, nine-figure expansion fees, that's why)
The NHL's latest realignment plan has two conferences and four divisions. It's unbalanced layout has 16 teams in the east and 14 teams in the west. And they can balance it out one of two ways--by adding two teams or contracting two.
The former would be a financial boon for owners and it would also add 46 NHL jobs for the NHLPA.
Contraction would mean no expansion fees, an owner or two out of the club and would subtract 46 NHL jobs.
You do the math.
But, should the NHL be adding 46 more Kevin Porter's, Matt Ellis' and Harry Zolnierczyk,s in a diluted league that allows for too many of them already? After all, as players move up the depth chart out of necessity, those reserve roles will need to be filled by someone. Like 46 players who have no business being in the NHL taking those spots and 46 marginal AHL'ers moving up the minor league ranks who will eventually get their shot at making an (dubious?) impression in the NHL.
There's no way in hell the league should expand, there's just not enough talent to fill the spots. And the league, as well as the NHLPA, should ultimately be held responsible for allowing more foxes in the hen house and more damage to the careers of their upper-tier players.
If the NHL and the NHLPa were truly concerned about player safety, like they claim to be, at maximum status quo should be the order of the day when it comes to the number of teams. If they really wanted to help both the league and player safety, they'd contract two teams. (But everyone pretty much knows that won't happen.)
So for now, same number of teams, same conferences, same divisions, some moves to balance things out.
And if they need realignment, maybe this would work.
With all due respect to the Detroit Red Wings, who were said to have been promised a spot in the eastern conference, for the betterment of the league they'll need to stay put.
And with all due respect to the perpetually rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets--who are in, possibly, the toughest division in the NHL--they'll need to stay put too.
As laid out nearly two years ago when the move from Atlanta to Winnipeg was a foregone conclusion, a little juggling with attention to proximity could balance out this 30-team league in their present six divisions.
Unchanged divisions:
Someone needs to stop Commissioner Gary Bettman from further diluting the league with his Napoleonic plans. NHL talent, despite the influx of highly skilled players from around the world, still hasn't caught up with his previous expansions.
Adding any more teams, even five years down the road, still won't fill the league with players better than the Porter's, Ellis' and Zolnierczyk's of hockey.
And that's not a good thing for the health of the game on the ice or the health of its players.
*************
Addendum: March 11, 2013
NHL posterboy Sidney Crosby chimed in on the winds of expansion blowing through the hockey air (via Brian Stubitz, cbssportsline):
Ummmm...how's the air up there, Sid? Pretty sweet, eh?
Kaleta, though, is a useful player outside of his penchant for antagonizing the opposition. He plays bottom-six minutes (10:02/game) with a good chunk of it on the penalty kill. His 2:10/game on the kill is tied for tops on the team with captain Jason Pominville.
Despite the hate thrown at him by his detractors, he can play the game.
So can some other pests/antagonists like Kaleta: Chris Neil (OTT,) Brandon Prust (MTL,) Jordin Tootoo (DET,) Matt Cooke (PIT,) Shawn Thorton (BOS,) etc.
In a 30-team league, these players, and those of their ilk, can at least play a regular shift and find a niche outside of being merely a total douche' on the ice.
In fact, Kaleta has been focusing upon actually playing the game more and staying away from the dangerous hits like he threw at Richards. He even commented (via Bill Hoppe, Olean Times Herald) that the refs have taken notice and have provided him with encouragement, "The referees have came up and said, ‘Hey, we respect what you’ve done so far. As long as you keep showing respect toward us, then we’ll respect you,’” Kaleta told reporters Monday in Raleigh. That was before the suspension was handed down.
But there are a lot of roster spots to fill, nearly 700 in all, that range from the elite to top-line/top-pairing all the way down to reserve/depth/role players. And when you get down to the bottom four or five spots on the team, those are inevitably filled by borderline NHL'ers, or even worse, career AHL'ers who are simply a body.
In the latter instance, those career AHL'ers want to make an impact for the coaching staff when opportunity knocks. A ticket to the NHL, by whatever means necessary, is a ticket to a six-figure salary.
Some borderline NHL'ers/AHL'ers play the game as muckers and grinders, Kevin Porter, Matt Ellis and Cody McCormick of Buffalo come to mind.
 |
| Flyers Harry Zolnierczyk launches himself at Ottawa's Mike Lundin |
Others are there to punish their way into the NHL.
Before Kaleta's five-gamer, Zolnierczyk landed the longest suspension in the NHL this season at four games for launching himself at Ottawa Senators defenseman Mike Lundin.
The hit was viscious as Zolnierczyk homed in on Lundin, left his skates and landed a brutal shoulder to head hit at the Flyers blueline (although Flyers coach Peter Laviolette defended his player actions.)
Zolnierczyk is no dummy. He's Ivy League educated and knows that his ticket to the big show has nothing to do with his very limited skill set. Destroy!
And the NHL already has a ton of players like him looking to turn their limited skill set into a professional bankroll via outright brutality.
Which begs the question, why, as rumor has it, would the NHL want to expand to 32 teams allowing openings for more Harry Zolnierczyk-type players? (well, we all know the answer, nine-figure expansion fees, that's why)
The NHL's latest realignment plan has two conferences and four divisions. It's unbalanced layout has 16 teams in the east and 14 teams in the west. And they can balance it out one of two ways--by adding two teams or contracting two.
The former would be a financial boon for owners and it would also add 46 NHL jobs for the NHLPA.
Contraction would mean no expansion fees, an owner or two out of the club and would subtract 46 NHL jobs.
You do the math.
But, should the NHL be adding 46 more Kevin Porter's, Matt Ellis' and Harry Zolnierczyk,s in a diluted league that allows for too many of them already? After all, as players move up the depth chart out of necessity, those reserve roles will need to be filled by someone. Like 46 players who have no business being in the NHL taking those spots and 46 marginal AHL'ers moving up the minor league ranks who will eventually get their shot at making an (dubious?) impression in the NHL.
There's no way in hell the league should expand, there's just not enough talent to fill the spots. And the league, as well as the NHLPA, should ultimately be held responsible for allowing more foxes in the hen house and more damage to the careers of their upper-tier players.
If the NHL and the NHLPa were truly concerned about player safety, like they claim to be, at maximum status quo should be the order of the day when it comes to the number of teams. If they really wanted to help both the league and player safety, they'd contract two teams. (But everyone pretty much knows that won't happen.)
So for now, same number of teams, same conferences, same divisions, some moves to balance things out.
And if they need realignment, maybe this would work.
With all due respect to the Detroit Red Wings, who were said to have been promised a spot in the eastern conference, for the betterment of the league they'll need to stay put.
And with all due respect to the perpetually rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets--who are in, possibly, the toughest division in the NHL--they'll need to stay put too.
As laid out nearly two years ago when the move from Atlanta to Winnipeg was a foregone conclusion, a little juggling with attention to proximity could balance out this 30-team league in their present six divisions.
Unchanged divisions:
- Northeast--Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
- Atlantic--NJ Devils, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
- Nashville moves to the South joining Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and Washington
- Dallas moves to the Central joining Chicago, Columbus, Detroit and St. Louis
- Colorado moves to the Pacific with Anaheim, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Jose'
- Winnipeg to the Northwest with Calgary, Edmonton, Minnesota and Vancouver
Someone needs to stop Commissioner Gary Bettman from further diluting the league with his Napoleonic plans. NHL talent, despite the influx of highly skilled players from around the world, still hasn't caught up with his previous expansions.
Adding any more teams, even five years down the road, still won't fill the league with players better than the Porter's, Ellis' and Zolnierczyk's of hockey.
And that's not a good thing for the health of the game on the ice or the health of its players.
*************
Addendum: March 11, 2013
NHL posterboy Sidney Crosby chimed in on the winds of expansion blowing through the hockey air (via Brian Stubitz, cbssportsline):
"It's only two more teams. I don't see it as that big an issue," the Penguins captain told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "The league's found a way to stay competitive with 30. It can do 32."
Ummmm...how's the air up there, Sid? Pretty sweet, eh?
Monday, March 4, 2013
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Plus...
some notes on the Rochester Americans at Cleveland vs. the Lake Erie Monsters.
The Buffalo Sabres just finished up a four games in six nights stretch that took them to Florida, back up to Buffalo and over to NYC culminating in back-to-back games vs. New Jersey and the Rangers.
They came away with seven of eight points after last night's SO loss to the Rags. No small feat for a team that was booed off the ice in the game before the stretch, were sitting in last place in the eastern conference at the time, and spent the last two games without their best offensive player, Thomas Vanek.
Ryan Miller was stellar in net for the team keeping them in every game and/or doing everything in his power to maintain a lead. He was in three shootouts in a row, denying Florida and New Jersey any goals before succumbing to exhaustion against NY. Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan both scored rather easily last night.
Miller was the game's 1st star in a 2-1 win at Tampa, 2nd star at Florida and 2nd star vs. the Devils. He was great in last night's game as well, but had nothing left to give in the shootout.
Vanek, the team's leading scorer was out with an upper body injury the last two games.
The team finally got some secondary scoring during the four-game stretch as Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe all contributed. Gerbe scored two vs. NJ and was named the game's 1st star. Last night at NY he scored a short-handed goal to tie the game 2-2 after a nice feed from Steve Ott.
And, you know things are going well when Jochen Hecht scores. He potted his first of the season vs. the Devils in one of his "from goal-line down/bank it off the goalie" shots.
All-in-all, if I were a Sabre though, I'd be ticked that the team didn't get get the win last night. They had a golden opportunity going on the powerplay then having an extended 5-on-3 in overtime.
But. Nothing.
The powerplay has been awful. They have absolutely no chemistry.
They're dead last in the league in pp efficiency-no flow, no one backing off defenders, and very few shots getting through from the point or anywhere else.
Sabres coach Ron Rolston had a multitude of problems to correct when he took over the team 12 days ago and he chose to focus upon the back-end first, which has looked much better over the past four games. There's been progression in each game and you can see confidence building.
Next he needs to focus his attention on the powerplay. It's the sole reason they gave away a point in this game. The team is now 9 for 84, a 10.4% rate. Tampa Bay leads the league with a 29% conversion rate.
And why Jason Pominville is still on the point is beyond me. It's something that hasn't been working for years and it has gotten progressively worse this season. He's much better suited to the half-wall where he can stickhandle and try to find an open man. He is not a powerplay quarterback from the point, nor does he have the knack for getting pucks through. Plus, far too often, maybe as much as Andrej Sekera, the puck either jumps his stick at the blueline or he mishandles which leads to bad things happening, like his hooking/interference penalty against New Jersey.
Speaking of Pominville, he's been gathering some points lately, but he seems to have more mental lapses than a veteran player should.
A perfect example is the game vs. New Jersey.
He scored two goals but ended up a minus-1 as he was on the ice for New Jersey's three goals, out of sorts on two of them.
Somethings not right.
Either he's been looked at through blue and gold colored glasses over the last few seasons or he's starting to decline a bit. Maybe it's the pressure of being the captain. Maybe it's that his linemates--Vanek and Cody Hodgson--have quite a bit more raw talent than him and he's just a bit off playing with them. Maybe the speed of the game is beginning to pass him by.
For whatever the reason, he's not what he should be--Mr. Consistency with the puck and a leader by example.
What Rolston has done with this team so far is just short of remarkable. He's 3-2-1 since being named interim coach, 3-0-1 since his opening two losses.
He's been solidifying the Sabres defense, which was said to be a strength before the season started, but was awful for 19 games. They're now playing sound team defense in their own end keeping most shots to the outside. They're playing odd man rushes better and they're getting their sticks in on a lot of plays.
And when things break down, Miller's there to cover.
Rolston doesn't have a lot of talent to work with, but he has them playing a team game. They've not been able to generate much offense, but they've been able to capitalize on their opportunities. They're lacking talent up front, especially without Vanek and, to an extent, Ville Leino, but he has most of them playing to the best of their abilities right now.
That's how he's managed to get seven of a possible eight points the last four games.
As a whole, they're getting it done, and unless Darcy Regier brings in a top-six player, this is what Rolston will be working with.
And if they continue to progress the way they have over the last four games, methinks they'll be making some noise in the "bubble group."
Some quick notes:
--Veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr has been playing the best hockey since he's been in Buffalo. That scowl is back and he's be roughin' it up with a lot of forwards in and around the net. But one of the coolest things was when Gerbe scored that shortie last night. Regehr had an expression of pure joy.
Five games for Kaleta, as long as there is at least two games for Girardi. If Girardi gets one, Kaleta should get no more than three. IMO, of course.
(Sabres gritty forward Steve Ott has some interesting thoughts on the Kaleta hit, including a mention that Richards, despite looking like he was writhing in pain after the hit, returned to the ice the next shift on the powerplay. Thx to the Howard Simon show on WGR for the interview.)
--Gerbe has been the teams best player up-front lately. He has three goals in the last two games including a bullet, one-timer that went top-shelf over Henrik Lundqvist's glove last night. Earlier in the season he'd been playing like he was ready for a demotion to Rochester. But the Sabres stuck with him.
He had off-season back surgery and it seems as if he's finally recovered fully. He said after last night's game that he feels more comfortable (via WGR) "[I'm] feeling better now feeling better with the puck," he said, "but that comes with time. That comes with healing; trust in my body, trust in my back."
That allows him to play his gadfly-like/junk-yard dog-type game. It also allows him to go after the likes of Dion Phaneuf and Alexei Ponikarovsky lookin' for a fight.
I like what Rick Jeanneret said of Gerbe vs. New Jersey after the leagues shortest player (5' 5") was tussling with the 6' 4" Ponikarovsky, "Why is he always picking on the big guys?"
*************
Some notes while taking in my second Rochester Americans game of the season.
--Mark Mancari may be the Amerks AHL version of Dave Andreychuk. He has that kind of veteran presence for the Amerks. Unfortunately for the organization, he may also be considered the new Jody Gage--one of the best in AHL, can't cut it in the NHL. He'll have a good career in Rochester.
--As of right now Luke Adam will be lucky if he's as good as Mancari. He looked slow as ever yesterday afternoon--both mentally and physically. During the game he fell no less than five times on his own trying to keep pace. If Regier can somehow get something decent for him, it would be a semi-miracle.
--Zemgus Girgensons has progressed well. Back in December you could see he was still getting a feel for the game, yet he was always in position and seemed to be ahead of the play quite often.
He's taken that a step further. Girgensons was in constant motion yesterday, always keeping his feet moving and he was always in the right spot at both ends of the ice. He has some real strong two-way skills and may even get a crack at the NHL as a call-up this season if he continues to play this well. The jury's still out on whether he'll be able to contribute in a top-six role, but he will be in the NHL sometime in the near future. At the very least he looks to be a top-nine center.
--5'9" 135 lb. Amerks forward Fredrick Roy got in a beauty of a fight with the Monsters' 5'10" 175 lb. Tyler McNeely. Roy landed a couple of doozies before McNeely came back and landed a couple of his own. It was a long, spirited bout that proved Roy not only can fight, but can take a punch too.
--David Leggio is a pretty damn good goalie. He looks as if he'll have a damn good AHL career. His positioning is very sound and he anticipates real well. The goals against last night were very late with the Amerks already up 4-0. The first one was a turnover that lead to a tap in for Lake Erie. The second was a beautiful shot that went top-shelf from in tight. Most NHL goalies would be hard-pressed to stop that one.
He's playing well enough to get a look from the Sabres should Jhonas Enroth falter in his next start.
*************
Speaking of Enroth, Rolston should opt to play the back-up at Carolina on Tuesday despite him not having won since November, 2011. Miller has been playing lights-out and the toll it's taken could be seen in the shoot-out last night.
In this situation--with a tired Miller, no back-up he could count on and every point at a premium--former coach Lindy Ruff would ride Miller until he fell over. That "falling over" normally lead to a lopsided loss anyway.
I hope Rolston goes with Enroth to give Miller a much needed rest.
The Buffalo Sabres just finished up a four games in six nights stretch that took them to Florida, back up to Buffalo and over to NYC culminating in back-to-back games vs. New Jersey and the Rangers.
They came away with seven of eight points after last night's SO loss to the Rags. No small feat for a team that was booed off the ice in the game before the stretch, were sitting in last place in the eastern conference at the time, and spent the last two games without their best offensive player, Thomas Vanek.
Ryan Miller was stellar in net for the team keeping them in every game and/or doing everything in his power to maintain a lead. He was in three shootouts in a row, denying Florida and New Jersey any goals before succumbing to exhaustion against NY. Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan both scored rather easily last night.
Miller was the game's 1st star in a 2-1 win at Tampa, 2nd star at Florida and 2nd star vs. the Devils. He was great in last night's game as well, but had nothing left to give in the shootout.
Vanek, the team's leading scorer was out with an upper body injury the last two games.
The team finally got some secondary scoring during the four-game stretch as Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe all contributed. Gerbe scored two vs. NJ and was named the game's 1st star. Last night at NY he scored a short-handed goal to tie the game 2-2 after a nice feed from Steve Ott.
And, you know things are going well when Jochen Hecht scores. He potted his first of the season vs. the Devils in one of his "from goal-line down/bank it off the goalie" shots.
All-in-all, if I were a Sabre though, I'd be ticked that the team didn't get get the win last night. They had a golden opportunity going on the powerplay then having an extended 5-on-3 in overtime.
But. Nothing.
The powerplay has been awful. They have absolutely no chemistry.
They're dead last in the league in pp efficiency-no flow, no one backing off defenders, and very few shots getting through from the point or anywhere else.
Sabres coach Ron Rolston had a multitude of problems to correct when he took over the team 12 days ago and he chose to focus upon the back-end first, which has looked much better over the past four games. There's been progression in each game and you can see confidence building.
Next he needs to focus his attention on the powerplay. It's the sole reason they gave away a point in this game. The team is now 9 for 84, a 10.4% rate. Tampa Bay leads the league with a 29% conversion rate.
And why Jason Pominville is still on the point is beyond me. It's something that hasn't been working for years and it has gotten progressively worse this season. He's much better suited to the half-wall where he can stickhandle and try to find an open man. He is not a powerplay quarterback from the point, nor does he have the knack for getting pucks through. Plus, far too often, maybe as much as Andrej Sekera, the puck either jumps his stick at the blueline or he mishandles which leads to bad things happening, like his hooking/interference penalty against New Jersey.
Speaking of Pominville, he's been gathering some points lately, but he seems to have more mental lapses than a veteran player should.
A perfect example is the game vs. New Jersey.
He scored two goals but ended up a minus-1 as he was on the ice for New Jersey's three goals, out of sorts on two of them.
Somethings not right.
Either he's been looked at through blue and gold colored glasses over the last few seasons or he's starting to decline a bit. Maybe it's the pressure of being the captain. Maybe it's that his linemates--Vanek and Cody Hodgson--have quite a bit more raw talent than him and he's just a bit off playing with them. Maybe the speed of the game is beginning to pass him by.
For whatever the reason, he's not what he should be--Mr. Consistency with the puck and a leader by example.
What Rolston has done with this team so far is just short of remarkable. He's 3-2-1 since being named interim coach, 3-0-1 since his opening two losses.
He's been solidifying the Sabres defense, which was said to be a strength before the season started, but was awful for 19 games. They're now playing sound team defense in their own end keeping most shots to the outside. They're playing odd man rushes better and they're getting their sticks in on a lot of plays.
And when things break down, Miller's there to cover.
Rolston doesn't have a lot of talent to work with, but he has them playing a team game. They've not been able to generate much offense, but they've been able to capitalize on their opportunities. They're lacking talent up front, especially without Vanek and, to an extent, Ville Leino, but he has most of them playing to the best of their abilities right now.
That's how he's managed to get seven of a possible eight points the last four games.
As a whole, they're getting it done, and unless Darcy Regier brings in a top-six player, this is what Rolston will be working with.
And if they continue to progress the way they have over the last four games, methinks they'll be making some noise in the "bubble group."
Some quick notes:
--Veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr has been playing the best hockey since he's been in Buffalo. That scowl is back and he's be roughin' it up with a lot of forwards in and around the net. But one of the coolest things was when Gerbe scored that shortie last night. Regehr had an expression of pure joy.
 |
| Sabres Pat Kaleta boards the Rangers Brad Richards. |
--Speaking of roughing it up, Patrick Kaleta pulled a bone-headed move last night boarding Brad Richards. He got a five minute major/game misconduct and has a hearing with Brendan Shanahan scheduled for this afternoon. A suspension is on the way, maybe up to five games. But it could be something that hinges upon Shanahan's call on NYR d-man Dan Girardi, if he gets a phone call.
Girardi pasted Tyler Ennis from behind in OT. Ennis fell to the ice stunned. The refs called it a two minute minor for boarding, but it could easily have been a five minute major/game misconduct. (click here for link to a video of both hits as well as some opinon from CBSSportsline.com's Brian Stubitz.) Shanahan will need to look at that one as well. As good a guy as Girardi is, he should get a couple of games, just like Niklas Hjalmarsson got when he boarded Pominville a couple years ago.
Five games for Kaleta, as long as there is at least two games for Girardi. If Girardi gets one, Kaleta should get no more than three. IMO, of course.
(Sabres gritty forward Steve Ott has some interesting thoughts on the Kaleta hit, including a mention that Richards, despite looking like he was writhing in pain after the hit, returned to the ice the next shift on the powerplay. Thx to the Howard Simon show on WGR for the interview.)
--Gerbe has been the teams best player up-front lately. He has three goals in the last two games including a bullet, one-timer that went top-shelf over Henrik Lundqvist's glove last night. Earlier in the season he'd been playing like he was ready for a demotion to Rochester. But the Sabres stuck with him.
He had off-season back surgery and it seems as if he's finally recovered fully. He said after last night's game that he feels more comfortable (via WGR) "[I'm] feeling better now feeling better with the puck," he said, "but that comes with time. That comes with healing; trust in my body, trust in my back."
That allows him to play his gadfly-like/junk-yard dog-type game. It also allows him to go after the likes of Dion Phaneuf and Alexei Ponikarovsky lookin' for a fight.
I like what Rick Jeanneret said of Gerbe vs. New Jersey after the leagues shortest player (5' 5") was tussling with the 6' 4" Ponikarovsky, "Why is he always picking on the big guys?"
 |
| Drew Stafford and rookie Mikhail Grigorenko celebrate Stafford's goal vs. NY |
Rookie center Mikhail Grigorenko has been playing fourth line minutes, but his game seems to be coming along. Although he's still catching up to the speed of the game, he's been working pretty hard and he is starting to see some results.
Last night he took a face off deep in the Rangers zone, lost it, continued on, got the puck and passed it back to a wide open Stafford in the slot. Stafford one-timed it past Henrik Lundqvist. It was good for the rookie and good for Stafford who scored for only the second time this season.
"It always makes me happy to [get] points," he said. "Finally I feel I can help my team."
In the previous game vs. New Jersey Grigorenko worked a little magic behind the net and fed Hecht for his first goal of the year.
Grigorenko has been with Stafford and Hecht the last two games and the trio has been producing. He mentioning Stafford by name post-game.
One would think that when Ville Leino returns, we might see a Grigorenko/Stafford/Leino line as a #3. And that has the potential to really add some offense.
*************
Some notes while taking in my second Rochester Americans game of the season.
--Mark Mancari may be the Amerks AHL version of Dave Andreychuk. He has that kind of veteran presence for the Amerks. Unfortunately for the organization, he may also be considered the new Jody Gage--one of the best in AHL, can't cut it in the NHL. He'll have a good career in Rochester.
--As of right now Luke Adam will be lucky if he's as good as Mancari. He looked slow as ever yesterday afternoon--both mentally and physically. During the game he fell no less than five times on his own trying to keep pace. If Regier can somehow get something decent for him, it would be a semi-miracle.
--Zemgus Girgensons has progressed well. Back in December you could see he was still getting a feel for the game, yet he was always in position and seemed to be ahead of the play quite often.
He's taken that a step further. Girgensons was in constant motion yesterday, always keeping his feet moving and he was always in the right spot at both ends of the ice. He has some real strong two-way skills and may even get a crack at the NHL as a call-up this season if he continues to play this well. The jury's still out on whether he'll be able to contribute in a top-six role, but he will be in the NHL sometime in the near future. At the very least he looks to be a top-nine center.
--5'9" 135 lb. Amerks forward Fredrick Roy got in a beauty of a fight with the Monsters' 5'10" 175 lb. Tyler McNeely. Roy landed a couple of doozies before McNeely came back and landed a couple of his own. It was a long, spirited bout that proved Roy not only can fight, but can take a punch too.
--David Leggio is a pretty damn good goalie. He looks as if he'll have a damn good AHL career. His positioning is very sound and he anticipates real well. The goals against last night were very late with the Amerks already up 4-0. The first one was a turnover that lead to a tap in for Lake Erie. The second was a beautiful shot that went top-shelf from in tight. Most NHL goalies would be hard-pressed to stop that one.
He's playing well enough to get a look from the Sabres should Jhonas Enroth falter in his next start.
*************
Speaking of Enroth, Rolston should opt to play the back-up at Carolina on Tuesday despite him not having won since November, 2011. Miller has been playing lights-out and the toll it's taken could be seen in the shoot-out last night.
 |
| Ryan Miller give up a shootout goal to the Rangers Ryan Callahan. |
Callahan made him look like an AHL'er on that one. And afterwards, Miller just lay face-down in the crease seemingly with nothing left to give.
Rolston should give Enroth his start, come what may. The team as a whole looks as if they've bottomed out and they're on the upswing. A loss with Enroth in net would be a step back but could yield more positive results down the road as the team looks strong enough to overcome adversity.
In this situation--with a tired Miller, no back-up he could count on and every point at a premium--former coach Lindy Ruff would ride Miller until he fell over. That "falling over" normally lead to a lopsided loss anyway.
I hope Rolston goes with Enroth to give Miller a much needed rest.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Kaleta goes "Bonsai!" and takes one for the team
For those fan who weren't born in the 70's, or are too young to remember, the game last night between Buffalo and Boston was something right out of the old Memorial Auditorium days.
The Sabres and the Bruins have and old-school rivalry on their hands, one that goes back to the days of rookie Jim Schoenfeld and his hatred for the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins of 1972.
Buffalo doesn't have the beef to rival Boston when it comes to pugilism, but they seemed to have found their heart and their pride. The Bid Bad Bruins, bully of the NHL, will not get any lunch-money from the Sabres without a fight.
We all know about the Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident. We all know about Sabres forward Paul Gaustad taking one on the chin in the rematch when he took on Lucic to defend the Sabres' crest. And last night, Cody McCormick, Mike Weber and Patrick Kaleta continued the trend that Gaustad started by standing up and being counted.
There's not a team in the league that can match the collection of back-alley brawlers they have in Beantown. Lucic, Shawn Thorton, Zdeno Chara and Adam Mcquaid are all big, tough, mean S.O.B.'s.
At 6'1", 200 lbs., Kaleta is no flyweight, but he looked like that against 6'4", 220 lb., Lucic. And one would have to question whether or not Kaleta was in his right mind to drop 'em against one of the best fighters in the league. But he did. Standing up to Lucic knowing the consequences can only be described as a temporary bout of insanity.
Bonsai!!!
It was a six-second bout between the two with Kaleta absorbing some punishing blows. It was six-seconds of punishment in a 60 minute game which ended up being a 6-0 "rout" by the Sabres.
There's not a player in the league who wouldn't want to deliver a beatdown on Kaleta like Lucic did last night. He's a known pest and agitator who takes his game to the extreme--and sometimes beyond--to get under the skin of opponents. And he's hated by every team in the league outside of Buffalo. But he may have earned some props for his suicide mission.
Said Lucic after the game concerning Kaleta, “He is who he is and if he wants to be like that, good for him."
If I were Kaleta, I'd take that as a compliment, and maybe a show of respect.
The Sabres and the Bruins have and old-school rivalry on their hands, one that goes back to the days of rookie Jim Schoenfeld and his hatred for the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins of 1972.
Buffalo doesn't have the beef to rival Boston when it comes to pugilism, but they seemed to have found their heart and their pride. The Bid Bad Bruins, bully of the NHL, will not get any lunch-money from the Sabres without a fight.
We all know about the Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident. We all know about Sabres forward Paul Gaustad taking one on the chin in the rematch when he took on Lucic to defend the Sabres' crest. And last night, Cody McCormick, Mike Weber and Patrick Kaleta continued the trend that Gaustad started by standing up and being counted.
There's not a team in the league that can match the collection of back-alley brawlers they have in Beantown. Lucic, Shawn Thorton, Zdeno Chara and Adam Mcquaid are all big, tough, mean S.O.B.'s.
At 6'1", 200 lbs., Kaleta is no flyweight, but he looked like that against 6'4", 220 lb., Lucic. And one would have to question whether or not Kaleta was in his right mind to drop 'em against one of the best fighters in the league. But he did. Standing up to Lucic knowing the consequences can only be described as a temporary bout of insanity.
Bonsai!!!
It was a six-second bout between the two with Kaleta absorbing some punishing blows. It was six-seconds of punishment in a 60 minute game which ended up being a 6-0 "rout" by the Sabres.
There's not a player in the league who wouldn't want to deliver a beatdown on Kaleta like Lucic did last night. He's a known pest and agitator who takes his game to the extreme--and sometimes beyond--to get under the skin of opponents. And he's hated by every team in the league outside of Buffalo. But he may have earned some props for his suicide mission.
Said Lucic after the game concerning Kaleta, “He is who he is and if he wants to be like that, good for him."
If I were Kaleta, I'd take that as a compliment, and maybe a show of respect.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Like the Top-Six...
...the Buffalo Sabres Bottom-Six has holes down the middle.
Holes down the middle has been a theme since 2008 when we found out that Derek Roy and Tim Connolly would not adequately fill the skates of the departed Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. And if you can't fill the top-two properly, the bottom-two will be affected as well.
About the only thing we know for sure when it comes to the bottom-two centers is that Paul Gaustad will be one of them.
The masses chortle GM Darcy Regier for giving an essentially #4 center $2.5M/year and they're somewhat right.
The former 7th-round pick (2000) has the size at 6'4", 225lbs and aggressiveness to be a strong physical presence on the ice and is considered a leader on the team wearing the "A" on his sweater.
"Goose" does a lot of the little things on the ice like sticking up for his teammates and is the team's best face off man, yet we always are left wanting something more than his 12-goal seasons. Fact is, he may not be capable of scoring more than that, which puts him in the bottom-six.
The Sabres have a big body in Gaustad who displays strong on-ice leadership and tenacity in the face off circle. As he enters into the final year of his contract, "Goose" is a Buffalo Sabre and probably will remain as one for his career. Not a bad thing, but a little salary adjustment downward for the center would probably be appropriate.
Gaustad as a #4 center would be ideal, but they still have a hole in the #3 slot.
Last season Rob Niedermayer was the #3 and the Sabres showed incredible patience with the veteran, cup-winning centerman as it took him 53 games to score his first goal of the season. In the playoffs, though, Niedermayer showed why the Sabres signed him as he provided a very steadying influence throughout the 7-game series loss vs. Philadelphia.
As mentioned in a previous blog, under the right conditions, bringing "Nieds" back would be a good thing.
Another player that might fill the #3 center position would be current UFA Tim Connolly.
Connolly has taken a beating over the past four or five seasons both literally and figuratively as he tried to fill a top-six center role. He may be shot to the point where he'd thrive in a bottom-six role as a defensive-minded, penalty-killing #3. But, coming off of a $4.5M/year contract, as well as a lot of guff from Sabreland, it would be easy for one to think that he'll move on for more money and a fresh start.
Hecht is a utility-man up-front who's best position is wing. As a very smart, very versatile two-way player, Hecht would be welcome on the Sabres in a third-line role. Problem is, the Sabres are very strong on the wings, especially LW, his natural position.
Would the team want to pay $3.5M to a #3 center who's alternated between very good and very poor over the past four seasons? Have injuries caught up with him? Would the Sabres be able to trade him and his salary?
I like Jochen Hecht as a player and wouldn't have much of a problem with him as that third-line center. He has one more year on his contract and with the salary cap expected to climb into the $62-$64M range it wouldn't be that difficult for the team to keep him and still remain within whatever fiscal parameters Terry Pegula decides upon. After this season, the team can look towards filling that #3 slot with a Ron Francis/Rod Brind'Amour-type, cup-winner if need-be.
With that in mind, we'll fill out the wings on the bottom-six:
Would the Sabres use 2011 trade-deadline acquisition Brad Boyes in that slot? That would be $4M there, and if they use Hecht as a third-line center, we're talking $7.5M tied up in two slots on the third line. I cannot see that happening even with Pegula taking off the financial constraints.
Boyes and Hecht are two sides of the same coin--Boyes supposedly the offensive side, Hecht the defensive side--so the team would not be adding anything special for the amount they'd be spending.
One or the other would need to go, and my guess is that it would be Boyes.
As for depth wingers, there will be plenty to choose from in the off-season, Matt Ellis, should he re-sign would be capable of filling in. We'll also probably see Zack Kassian and Marcus Foligno get a taste of the NHL as well.
the buffalosabresnow 2011/12 roster foundation:
Goalie:
Holes down the middle has been a theme since 2008 when we found out that Derek Roy and Tim Connolly would not adequately fill the skates of the departed Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. And if you can't fill the top-two properly, the bottom-two will be affected as well.
About the only thing we know for sure when it comes to the bottom-two centers is that Paul Gaustad will be one of them.
The masses chortle GM Darcy Regier for giving an essentially #4 center $2.5M/year and they're somewhat right.
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| "The Goose" lets loose as he tangle with the Flyers Scott Hartnell in Game-2 of the 2011 playoffs. |
"Goose" does a lot of the little things on the ice like sticking up for his teammates and is the team's best face off man, yet we always are left wanting something more than his 12-goal seasons. Fact is, he may not be capable of scoring more than that, which puts him in the bottom-six.
The Sabres have a big body in Gaustad who displays strong on-ice leadership and tenacity in the face off circle. As he enters into the final year of his contract, "Goose" is a Buffalo Sabre and probably will remain as one for his career. Not a bad thing, but a little salary adjustment downward for the center would probably be appropriate.
Gaustad as a #4 center would be ideal, but they still have a hole in the #3 slot.
Last season Rob Niedermayer was the #3 and the Sabres showed incredible patience with the veteran, cup-winning centerman as it took him 53 games to score his first goal of the season. In the playoffs, though, Niedermayer showed why the Sabres signed him as he provided a very steadying influence throughout the 7-game series loss vs. Philadelphia.
As mentioned in a previous blog, under the right conditions, bringing "Nieds" back would be a good thing.
Another player that might fill the #3 center position would be current UFA Tim Connolly.
Connolly has taken a beating over the past four or five seasons both literally and figuratively as he tried to fill a top-six center role. He may be shot to the point where he'd thrive in a bottom-six role as a defensive-minded, penalty-killing #3. But, coming off of a $4.5M/year contract, as well as a lot of guff from Sabreland, it would be easy for one to think that he'll move on for more money and a fresh start.
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| Jochen Hecht showing some spunk as he tangles with the Bolts' Vinny Lecavalier. |
Then there's Jochen Hecht.
Would the team want to pay $3.5M to a #3 center who's alternated between very good and very poor over the past four seasons? Have injuries caught up with him? Would the Sabres be able to trade him and his salary?
I like Jochen Hecht as a player and wouldn't have much of a problem with him as that third-line center. He has one more year on his contract and with the salary cap expected to climb into the $62-$64M range it wouldn't be that difficult for the team to keep him and still remain within whatever fiscal parameters Terry Pegula decides upon. After this season, the team can look towards filling that #3 slot with a Ron Francis/Rod Brind'Amour-type, cup-winner if need-be.
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| Nate Gerbe watches his playoff- clinching backhander April 8, 2011. |
- LW Nathan Gerbe really kicked it in gear in the 2011 portion of the season. The light-switch seemed to come on after a sub-par, bordering on brutal, first half of the season. But the kid's a winner and seems to have a penchant for the dramatic as witnessed by his game-winning/playoff-clinching, no-look back-hander from the slot vs. Philadelphia in the second-last game of the regular season. He still has work to do and a move up to the top-six would be a strong possibility were it not for the presence of Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis on the left side, but ya gotta love what the kid brings to the table.
- LW Cody McCormick is another FA, only unrestricted. Rumor has it that he's looking for a big (relatively speaking) pay day. As a fourth-liner, I'd like to see the Sabres re-sign him.
- RW Patrick Kaleta is a banger and it looks as if he may be in for a short career. He has four full NHL seasons under his belt and has yet to play more than 55 games. With his style of play, it wouldn't be much of reach to think that he'll have the same problems this season. A fourth-line agitator role would be ideal for the kid, playing 8-10 minutes per game.
Would the Sabres use 2011 trade-deadline acquisition Brad Boyes in that slot? That would be $4M there, and if they use Hecht as a third-line center, we're talking $7.5M tied up in two slots on the third line. I cannot see that happening even with Pegula taking off the financial constraints.
Boyes and Hecht are two sides of the same coin--Boyes supposedly the offensive side, Hecht the defensive side--so the team would not be adding anything special for the amount they'd be spending.
One or the other would need to go, and my guess is that it would be Boyes.
As for depth wingers, there will be plenty to choose from in the off-season, Matt Ellis, should he re-sign would be capable of filling in. We'll also probably see Zack Kassian and Marcus Foligno get a taste of the NHL as well.
the buffalosabresnow 2011/12 roster foundation:
Goalie:
- Ryan Miller
- Jhonas Enroth
- 1st-pairing: Tyler Myers, ?
- 2nd-pairing: Jordan Leopold, Chris Butler
- 3rd-pairing: Mike Weber, Marc-Andre Gragnani
- reserve: ?
- Thomas Vanek, ?, Jason Pomminville
- Tyler Ennis, Derek Roy, Drew Stafford
- Nate Gerbe, Jochen Hecht, ?
- Cody McCormick, Paul Gaustad, Patrick Kaleta
Friday, April 15, 2011
Sabres Play Near-Perfect Road Game In 1-0 Shutout
And ya gotta love what the Sabres pulled off last night. The Flyers applied all kinds of pressure for nearly the entire game and the Sabres held their ground.
Philadelphia had five powerplays (Buffalo had one) including a five-on-three for :38 and the Sabres held their ground.
The Sabres blocked 16 shots including one by Paul Gaustad, who was without his stick on the penalty kill, on a shot from the point.
Buffalo played a near-perfect road game last night. They took care of their own end, they clogged the shooting lanes and the forwards didn't cheat up-ice.
Not to say that it was a flawless game. The Sabres did turn the puck over, were hemmed in their own zone often and they also had a bit of luck as an early James van Riemsdyk shot beat Ryan Miller five-hole only to glance off of the post. They couldn't generate much of a forecheck either as their offensive zone presence was minimal.
But that's to be expected, especially in the playoffs.
- Chris Butler--"Buts" was rock-solid all night logging a game-high 26:04 of ice-time including all of the :38 five-on-three against. The 24 yr. old d-man seems to have passed through a thresh-hold and has taken his Nik Lidstrom-type game to another level.
- Marc-Andre Gragnani--"Grags" was basically thrown into the fire and he looked like a vet out there. You may of forgotten but Grags was making a strong pitch to be on the roster out of camp before an injury scuttled that.
Pat Kaleta- Kaleta was shutout by the Philly media on the Three Stars Of the Game ballots, but drove to the net to pounce on a big Sergei Bobrovsky rebound for the game's only goal. He also played a disciplined, hard-checking game including leveling Flyers forward Ville Lieno at the Flyers blueline.- Paul Gaustad--Honk for the "Goose!" He did it all including getting the puck to a wide-open Grags in garnering the secondary assist on the only goal of the game.
Ryan Miller--He set the tone early by face-washing Philly's captain, Mike Richards early on. He was challenging shooters all night, his positioning was stellar and he, unlike Bobrovsky, did not give up the big rebound.
Special shoutout to Tim Connolly. Much maligned all season for his less than stellar offensive play, the Sabres center was a monster--yes, monster--in his own zone. He (along with other Sabres forwards) was helping out his young defenseman (as well as the two vets who were playing like rookies) all night. Connolly was out there with Buts and Tyler Myers for the entire :38 of five-on-three against as well. And, he was 11 of 18 (61%) on the face-off dot.
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| Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff post-game after his team's 1-0 game one victory. |
Buffalo is also on a five-game winning streak, it's longest of the season.
Finally, I love this picture. It was taken as the Sabres were headed into the Wells Fargo Center for the opening game of the series. A picture is worth a thousand words, and you look at the players, their clothing and demeanor and it says a lot about the four players.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
mike weber vs. george parros, plus
when i was a kid, i had this plastic train radio...when the games were not on tv, which was fairly often, i'd listen to rick jeannerete call the game, and many times i'd fall asleep listening...
those who did the radio play-by-play did a fantastic job of bringing the action into your home, calling it so that you were there...they were your eyes and the cool part about it was that you used your imagination to fill in...it was exciting...
a throwback last night as versus ruled the airwaves with their nj vs. wash game as tv was blacked out for all games below the u.s.-canadian border...anaheim visited buffalo in a radio-only broadcast...as nostalgic as i can be, i still prefer tv if i can't make it to the game...if i can't get tv, there are a few websites that stream the game, much to the dismay of the nhl...
for those who could not see the game, we're left with the highlights...
here's mike weber taking on nhl-heavyweight george parros...a daunting task to say the least and weber acquits himself well:
the sabres potted five goals vs. a road-weary ducks team with nathan gerbe and craig rivet netting their first of the season, drew stafford snagging one and tyler ennis doing some great work on his two goals, especially the second one where he roofs a wrister short-side with very little room...also, cody mccormick takes on the ducks ryan getzlaf to open the second period with the sabres up 3-0...good stuff here at nhl.com:
of note...weber, mccormick and paul gaustad all got into fights last night...this is the second time this month that a western conference team came to buffalo throwing their weight around and both times the sabres responded admirably...columbus came at buffalo in the sabres first game of december with patrick kaleta pounded derek dorsett for being an idiot...
patrick kaleta got nailed by a cheapshot from the ducks jason blake...nate gerbe displays his spunk and character by immediately jumping on blake:
those who did the radio play-by-play did a fantastic job of bringing the action into your home, calling it so that you were there...they were your eyes and the cool part about it was that you used your imagination to fill in...it was exciting...
a throwback last night as versus ruled the airwaves with their nj vs. wash game as tv was blacked out for all games below the u.s.-canadian border...anaheim visited buffalo in a radio-only broadcast...as nostalgic as i can be, i still prefer tv if i can't make it to the game...if i can't get tv, there are a few websites that stream the game, much to the dismay of the nhl...
for those who could not see the game, we're left with the highlights...
here's mike weber taking on nhl-heavyweight george parros...a daunting task to say the least and weber acquits himself well:
the sabres potted five goals vs. a road-weary ducks team with nathan gerbe and craig rivet netting their first of the season, drew stafford snagging one and tyler ennis doing some great work on his two goals, especially the second one where he roofs a wrister short-side with very little room...also, cody mccormick takes on the ducks ryan getzlaf to open the second period with the sabres up 3-0...good stuff here at nhl.com:
of note...weber, mccormick and paul gaustad all got into fights last night...this is the second time this month that a western conference team came to buffalo throwing their weight around and both times the sabres responded admirably...columbus came at buffalo in the sabres first game of december with patrick kaleta pounded derek dorsett for being an idiot...
patrick kaleta got nailed by a cheapshot from the ducks jason blake...nate gerbe displays his spunk and character by immediately jumping on blake:
Saturday, December 4, 2010
mamby pambys need not watch hockey
those who call for the elimination of fighting from the game of hockey do not understand the sport, they don't understand the passion involved in defending their turf and/or their teammates...in fact, they probably don't understand the passion to compete in any sport at any level, from sandlot to the pros...
take the juxtaposition of two teams in different sports in two different cities on back-to-back nights...
cleveland and buffalo are the red-headed stepchildren of professional sports cities...they're mocked and ridiculed by pundits and "experts" throughout the sports world...they have a very similar demographic make-up within declining cities and both have a rabid, loyal fan-base who's sports teams have not won a championship in decades...yes, they both yearn for a triumphant parade in their hometown, but, in lieu of that, what they ask for, at the very least, is an honest effort game-in, game-out...they want the players to match their passion...
in cleveland thursday night, it was the return of lebron james to the city he jilted for the greener pastures of miami...expectations were high, fans were indignant and the cavaliers were expected to match the intensity of their scorned fan-base...after all, the team and players were dissed just like the city was...
james was introduced to a full chorus of boos during his introduction, and he was booed resoundingly throughout the game...one of the questions; will he do his narcissistic "talcum-toss?"...would he have the audacity to slap his former teammates, team and city on national tv again with this pre-game ritual of self-indulgence?...yes, he did it, amidst the jeers of those court-side as his former teammates looked on...
after a rather robust start, the cavaliers caved...they laid down like the wimpy little rich-kids that they really are, more interested in coddling their former teammate than defending their turf...james walked all over them and no one even tried to stop him...no harassment, no hard fouls, no disguised cheap-shots...nothing...he torched them so thoroughly that colin cowherd called it "the validation" of james' decision to leave because this cavaliers team was empty and useless, devoid of skill and, most importantly, they lacked an inner passion to compete...the cavs completely embarrassed themselves, cowering on their knees like a jilted lover waiting for an apology which will never come...
the following night, the buffalo sabres were home for their first game in six days, vs. the columbus blue jackets...the sabres were still reeling from a very poor start to their season, especially at home...the sabres are also a team that can be intimidated into folding, as has been seen for the better part of a decade, and if you play tough, and impose your will upon them, they'll wilt and fall into submission...
you don't see the pre-game narcissistic antics of lebron james in hockey...would he have tried anything like that in warm-ups, he woulda been jumped, and a fight would have broken out as the opposing players would have taken it for what it was--showboating...and, if you're gonna showboat, you better be able to back it up...
that's hockey...
dany heatley didn't showboat in his return to ottawa, but the sens laid down just like the cavs on the very same night, no less, having been shut out in an embarrassing 4-0 loss on their home ice...the disdain for heatley by the fans did not spill over onto the ice as the passionless sens embarrassed themselves, their team, their owner and their city...just like the cavaliers did...
oh...and...not one single fight in the game, only a token roughing penalty by sens-pest chris neil in the third when the game was pretty much decided...
there's your reason for fighting in hockey, and not those crappy staged fights between resident heavyweights in a programmed side-show...i'm talking about fights while in defense of your turf, your teammates, your team, your city and/or your dignity...fights that say, "i give a sh!t"...
take the juxtaposition of two teams in different sports in two different cities on back-to-back nights...
cleveland and buffalo are the red-headed stepchildren of professional sports cities...they're mocked and ridiculed by pundits and "experts" throughout the sports world...they have a very similar demographic make-up within declining cities and both have a rabid, loyal fan-base who's sports teams have not won a championship in decades...yes, they both yearn for a triumphant parade in their hometown, but, in lieu of that, what they ask for, at the very least, is an honest effort game-in, game-out...they want the players to match their passion...
in cleveland thursday night, it was the return of lebron james to the city he jilted for the greener pastures of miami...expectations were high, fans were indignant and the cavaliers were expected to match the intensity of their scorned fan-base...after all, the team and players were dissed just like the city was...
james was introduced to a full chorus of boos during his introduction, and he was booed resoundingly throughout the game...one of the questions; will he do his narcissistic "talcum-toss?"...would he have the audacity to slap his former teammates, team and city on national tv again with this pre-game ritual of self-indulgence?...yes, he did it, amidst the jeers of those court-side as his former teammates looked on...it's not that i expected any cavalier player to do anything, especially after all of the "hey-buddy" warmth they displayed for him pre-game...ok, fine...i guess they'd show it during the game, play hard, play intense, play like james and the heat were there to impose their will on the team and that they'd have no part of that...play like they had a passion for the team and it's fan-base and would not be an embarrassment to themselves on their home court...
after a rather robust start, the cavaliers caved...they laid down like the wimpy little rich-kids that they really are, more interested in coddling their former teammate than defending their turf...james walked all over them and no one even tried to stop him...no harassment, no hard fouls, no disguised cheap-shots...nothing...he torched them so thoroughly that colin cowherd called it "the validation" of james' decision to leave because this cavaliers team was empty and useless, devoid of skill and, most importantly, they lacked an inner passion to compete...the cavs completely embarrassed themselves, cowering on their knees like a jilted lover waiting for an apology which will never come...
the following night, the buffalo sabres were home for their first game in six days, vs. the columbus blue jackets...the sabres were still reeling from a very poor start to their season, especially at home...the sabres are also a team that can be intimidated into folding, as has been seen for the better part of a decade, and if you play tough, and impose your will upon them, they'll wilt and fall into submission...
unfortunately for the jackets last night, the sabres fought back, and fought back with a vengeance in an atypical display of grit an toughness...mike commodore of the jackets got decked by cody mccormick after a commodore just finished serving a 5-minute major for boarding...the sabres' steve montador dropped 'em with jacket tough-guy jared boll to take one on the chin (and in the face as well) for the team..and patrick kaleta...wow!!!!...patrick kaleta pummeled derek dorsett after dorsett tried to mess with sabres leading goal-scorer thomas vanek:
and that's why fighting in hockey is good...
you don't see the pre-game narcissistic antics of lebron james in hockey...would he have tried anything like that in warm-ups, he woulda been jumped, and a fight would have broken out as the opposing players would have taken it for what it was--showboating...and, if you're gonna showboat, you better be able to back it up...
that's hockey...
dany heatley didn't showboat in his return to ottawa, but the sens laid down just like the cavs on the very same night, no less, having been shut out in an embarrassing 4-0 loss on their home ice...the disdain for heatley by the fans did not spill over onto the ice as the passionless sens embarrassed themselves, their team, their owner and their city...just like the cavaliers did...
oh...and...not one single fight in the game, only a token roughing penalty by sens-pest chris neil in the third when the game was pretty much decided...
there's your reason for fighting in hockey, and not those crappy staged fights between resident heavyweights in a programmed side-show...i'm talking about fights while in defense of your turf, your teammates, your team, your city and/or your dignity...fights that say, "i give a sh!t"...
those who argue that fighting should be banned are of the colin cowherd pencil-necked geek variety who were no closer to organized sports than intramural play...they never played at home with friends like every game was for the championship of the world, and that even your blood-brother was your enemy, if he was on the other side,for however long the event lasted...they'll never know the that inner-passion to compete is a victory, even if the game ends in defeat...never know that defending your turf is never embarrassing, even if you get blown out...they'll never know that a black-eye for the team means more to the fans than a pretty smile for the camera...
for those who want fighting banned, i offer a simple solution...shut your traps...or go follow basketball...
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