Going On Hiatus

Hello everyone! Recently I mentioned that I'm going to be interning for the 2011 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships, which means that I won't be posting on here during the duration of the Championships. Please make sure to check out the World Juniors official website, http://buffaloworldjuniors.com/ for updates. Also be sure to check out the official blog, http://buffaloworldjuniors.blogspot.com/, where I'll be posting about all the events and festivities going on in the city surrounding the Championships. We'll also be tweeting updates on @2011IIHFWorldJr, so be sure to follow us on Twitter as well!

Congratulations Are In Order

The Sabres are kind of depressing me at the moment, so I don't know if I have it in me to dedicate a whole post discussing them and their current state. Let's just say that I'm getting a tad more worried as each game passes, and I hope that the team can get themselves in order...

So let's move onto something more positive, shall we? I know I'm not the first to ~break~ the story and I'm sure if you're reading this you're already aware of the news, but my favorite goalie in the entire world got engaged this past weekend! It's funny, even though Ryan is older than me, it's almost as if I've watched him grow up. I remember when he was on the Amerks and got called up to the Sabres. And now he's all grown up and getting married... They grow up so fast. :')

I volunteered at the Carly's Club holiday party last night and Ryan and his now fiancée, Noureen DeWulf were there. It was there that I heard that they got engaged and I got a glimpse of the ring...which I didn't see up close but looked beautiful (and very large haha) from afar. There had to be over 400 people in attendance and Ryan made sure to meet with everyone who wanted an autograph and a picture.

The WNY community has embraced Ryan so much over the last several years, and he's done so much to show his appreciation. I'm glad that he's met someone who he loves and makes him happy, because he most definitely deserves it. I've met Noureen a handful of times at Catwalk for Charity, and she came up and said hi to me at the holiday party last night (I'm assuming she recognized me from Catwalk), and she's always been so nice and Ryan seems very happy when they're together.

So congratulations to Ryan and his lucky lady! Maybe the exciting news will inspire Ryan's teammates to want to play a better in front of him... (a fan can dream).

Here's a photo of Ryan and a fan (and Santa!) from the party last night:



You can see more photos from the event right here.

SIQ GAME

Ryan Miller has back-to-back shutouts! Everything is amazing! I said before the shootout how pissed I would be if I was a goalie and lost 1-0 in a shootout. Apparently Brian Elliot is still credited with a shutout, but lost the game... But Ryan Miller on the otherhand...



(I made that .gif a long time ago and I've been dying to use it)

Thoughts on Jim Kelley

I was saddened to hear last night that Jim Kelley had passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. If you grew up in the Buffalo area then you remember reading Kelley's columns in The Buffalo News. You remember the infamous Hasek incident. And anyone who follows hockey knows Jim as one of the most respected hockey writers in the league and a Hall of Famer.

I remember about a year or so ago reading one of Kelley's columns on Sportsnet.ca where he briefly mentioned that he was battling cancer and it was pretty serious, but he didn't want to elaborate much other than that. So hearing that he died last night was a painful reminder that he had been battling the disease and he unfortunately succumbed to it.

Being a columnist, especially in sports, can naturally be a controversial position to hold given you're interjecting your opinion in your writings, and even though Jim had his fair share of critics over the years (see Hasek, Dominik), he was always respected for his hockey insight even if everyone didn't always agree with him at times.

I'm not sure where I planned for this post to go, but I just felt like I should say few things about his death because I was so saddened and surprised to hear about it. If you haven't already checked it out, Mike Harrington posted some great columns written by Jim over the years, including a fascinating recollection of the controversial "No Goal" against Dallas in the Finals. He also posted various tribute columns written by others that are worth reading as well.

My thoughts go out to Jim's family and friends, and his hockey insight will be sorely missed by many hockey fans throughout the league.

Sabres Fans Atwitter Over Rumor

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a thread on a message board where people were discussing rumors about the Sabres being sold to a man named Terry Pegula. Then last night on Twitter, TBN writer Mike Harrington sent out a coy tweet telling Sabres fans to stay tuned for an exciting story that would be posted today. And here we are.

I feel like ever since Golisano bought the team there have been various rumors that have sparked about him selling the team, but this one seems to have generated a lot more interest with the more credible sources out there, such as The Hockey News and TSN. Obviously right now the Sabres are downplaying the rumor, which is to be expected considering the rumor essentially broke today.

Personally, I think there is a lot truth behind Pegula having a serious interest in buying the team, but I am wary about all the "information" that has come about that has to do with the letter of intent and when all of this will be official. In this day and age with Twitter, blogs, and message boards, it's so easy for people to get ahold of certain things and run away with it. Hell, if Matthew Barnaby's tweet about Roy punching Tim Connolly at Catwalk for Charity can generate a buzz among the hockey world, then we ought to be a little cautious when people start reporting details about all this.

Still, it's fun for fans to speculate. He's filthy rich, his wife is an avid Sabres fan, and he has strong ties to hockey. Which all bodes well for Sabres fans. I've always respected that Tom Golisano said that he is open to selling the team as long as the owner will keep the team in Buffalo. It's certainly going to be interesting and a lot of fun to see how all of this unfolds.

Moving onto the team, with the Sabres being off until Friday, I was going to get around to putting up a post describing my current feelings towards the season so far. Which could be summed up in one word basically: uncertain. I wanted to make a big post about my feelings and where to go from here, but with all this talk about the team being sold, that doesn't seem very interesting now, does it?

Catwalk for Charity V Recap

SO. This year was their 5th year and it was 80s themed and everyone was pretty into it. This year seemed to be a lot more crowded than last year, I don't know if they sold more tickets than year's past or something but it just felt more crowded. It was a lot harder to talk to Ryan because there were a lot of people and media that wanted to talk to him, plus he was hanging out with his lady friend the entire night, but I made sure to shake his hand and congratulate him on last year with the Olympics and him winning the Vezina. I made sure to get a picture with him because it's like a ~yearly tradition~ for me to get a picture haha.



I also got a picture with Ryan's awesome younger brother Bryce and his dad Dean. I volunteered with them over the summer when they needed help at an event selling Steadfast memorabilia so it was nice seeing them again. Dean is HILARIOUS...which I'm sure you will be able to tell from the picture of us haha.


Bryce and me


Dean and I

When it was time for the auction Ryan came onstage in a Tommy Lee/Motley Crue outfit which was hilarious for everyone to see... Some of the auction items were traveling with the team to a road game, having Ryan Miller come over to your house for dinner, a replica of his Olympic mask, and an adorable bb toy poodle.



Ryan was also surprised with a custom made guitar inspired from his Olympic mask, which was painted by the same man who paints his masks, Ray Bishop.




American hero

But the real fun starts when the players strut their stuff on the catwalk.






Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale, as Wayne and Garth!


Dean strutting his stuff.

The most hilarious part of the catwalk was when Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis were dressed as Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger from the movie Twins and Myers was carrying Ennis on his back!


Blurry pic, but you get the idea.

Then at the end of the fashion show the players come out in their normal clothes, which made me kind of sad to see Ryan changed out of his Tommy Lee outfit, because I would have loved to have gotten a picture with him in his costume. Oh well, there will be plenty of other opportunities to get a picture with Ryan dressed as a member of Motley Crue...





So after the fashion show a band comes onstage to perform and the party sort of winds down from there. My friend Steph and I hung out for a little bit and I saw Ryan on my way out and I thanked him and congratulated him on another successful Catwalk and I told him how much fun I had and I said that I hoped that his ~lower body~ would feel better soon. All in all it was another fun night and there was a lot of money raised for a wonderful cause at the same time. Catwalk for Charity is definitely the party of the year in Buffalo, after attending them year in and year out, I can say that the night is still full of surprises and it's always a great time. You never know what's in store when you go to Catwalk, but you always know that you will have a great time and there will be a lot of money raised to support Ryan's Steadfast Foundation!

You can see a lot more pics I took over on my Flickr page.

Exciting News!

Hey everyone! I have some exciting news that I want to share with you. I got an internship with the Sabres to work as a Media intern for the IIHF U20 World Junior Championships! I will be writing feature stories on news and events that will be going on in the area pertaining to the tournament and may also be doing game reports and recaps that will be posted on the World Junior's official website.

I was originally hired as PR intern but a few days ago I was contacted about the Media internship and was asked to come in and interview for the position if I was interested.

I'm extremely excited about this opportunity and I can't wait for it to begin. It's going to be a wonderful experience and it's going to be interesting to cover such a big event.

Anyways, just wanted to give you guys a heads up. I've been pretty tight-lipped about it but I decided that it was time to share the news!

Forty: The Sabres in the NHL

So right now everyone is feeling prettaayyy, prettaaayy, prettaaaayyy good now that we have FINALLY seen our two sports teams win at home! And we're all still reminiscing over Vanek's SIQ GOAL. Sometimes sports is all about living in the moment, and right now, things just feel good. So if you're in the mood to reminisce a little more, head over to the Albright-Knox art gallery for the Sabres exhibit.

That's what I did today with a few friends. And it was really awesome. I could have easily spent hours in there just looking at all the great photos that were taken over 40 years. Accompanying the great pictures were video compilations of various things. Highlight reels focused on the goalies, the fights, and the fans. Lindy and Ryan Miller were the commentators in the goalie video where they talked about the great goalies over the years, mostly focused on Dominik Hasek of course. Then Rob Ray, Matthew Barnaby, and Brad May were the main commentators in the fights compilation. It was fun to weave through the exhibit looking at all the pictures while hearing classic Rick Jeanneret calls, fans cheering, and the goal horn that were coming from the videos.

The coolest part of the exhibit was the NHL in 360º feature that they had. You went in a room that had a huge projection on the wall where you got to see a Sabres game through the perspective of the players. You got to see what it's like to be sitting on the bench during the action and having Lindy bark orders in your ear. You got to see what the game looks like in Ryan Miller's perspective, when the action is right by the net or when he is making a save. You got to see it through the skater's eyes, and you got to see what it's like to change on the fly. It was all really awesome. I could have sat in that room alone for a few hours just to take it all in.

The exhibit runs until January 9th so you still have plenty of time to see the exhibit, I'm sure I will be there a few more times before it ends. The Cup and other trophies will also be at the art gallery from January 2nd-5th to go along with the World Juniors. I've seen the Cup when it was at the art gallery before, and I'd highly recommend going... You get to see it up close and touch it just like you would able to at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Other trophies like the Vezina Trophy will also be there too, which will be especially cool to see now that our very own Ryan Miller is now a proud winner of the award.

Here are some pictures I took at the exhibit...




My friend Saletha getting cozy with Ryan Miller.


Our coach.


Great shots of the fans in the stands over the years.


I just love this one!

You can see more pictures I took at the exhibit right here.

For Thomas Vanek:

^ click

Thank you giving the Sabres their first home win. Sweet, sweet victory!

Love,
Caroline

Catwalk Preview!

The Sabres have had their ups and downs so far this season, but they put out better efforts in their last road trip which resulted in some wins. There was a great come-from-behind shootout victory against the Leafs, which was especially sweet because it was against the Leafs. Jhonas Enroth also picked up his first NHL victory. Then the Sabres also came from behind in New Jersey, and with the help of Ilya Kovalchuk, the Sabres won their second straight in another shootout and Lindy Ruff got to see a victory in his 1,000th game coaching the Sabres.

Unfortunately the Sabres fell short in New York against the Rangers where I thought they played a real solid game and Enroth came up with some big saves. The proponents are all there, but the Sabres just need to play a smarter game. And Vanek needs to make an appointment with a sports psychologist. All was not completely lost, as the Sabres did pick up a point which is better than nothing I suppose. Just have to keep building off the positives at this point.

So Sabres fans probably all feel a bit of mixed emotions right now, at least we can focus on something that is uplifting and exciting... Catwalk for Charity is next Sunday! It always creeps up on me. I look forward to it all year, buy my tickets as soon as they go onsale, and then all of a sudden it's right around the corner. I can't wait to see all the Sabres and everyone else dressed up in their 80s glam outfits and I can't wait to take a bunch of pictures and eat good food and drink awesome drinks and raise a lot of money for The Steadfast Foundation.

I was browsing on Steadfast's website today, and I saw a new video that was posted showing what Ryan's foundation does for all the young patients at Roswell. Be sure to watch it so you know where all the money that is raised at Catwalk for Charity goes to!



I also saw that they posted all of the live auction items that will be auctioned off this year... These are always fun to look at. I'm excited to see that the actor that played Scut Farkus (Zack Ward) in A Christmas Story will be in attendance at Catwalk this year. Watching A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve and on Christmas is sort of family tradition. I remember watching it at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. And I still laugh at it as if I'm watching it for the first time! It's a classic. So it'll be fun to see Scut Farkus in the flesh. There are tons of other fun auction items up for grabs this year... The Buffalo Sabres road trip where two fans get to travel with the team to a road game would be awesome.

But the best auction item is obviously the dinner at your house with Ryan Miller. Now THAT would be sick. Imagine texting your friends, "Oh sorry, I can't go out tonight...Ryan Miller is coming over for dinner." No big deal or anything. Although it would be kind of stressful to cook up a meal for the occasion (although it does say in the description that he's a fan of chicken parm). I would imagine that if he came to my house I would probably act like a little kid and give him a tour. "And THIS is where I watch TV." "THIS is MY desk." "THIS is MY giant poster I have of you hanging up in my bedroom." "And THESE are all MY Ryan Miller jerseys!" Ahh, yes. Who knows, if you get enough alcohol in me, maybe I will be the lucky one to have Ryan Miller as my guest! Dare to dream...

Anywaysss....if you're going to Catwalk and you see me make sure you say hi! And if you're not going, I will post my annual recap of the event along with a bunch of photos as always.

Buffalo: This Place Matters

So with the Bills and the Sabres both in dead last in their respective leagues, things aren't going so well in the big, bad Buff... We're all feeling a mixture of emotions that include confusion, anger, disappointment, and sadness when it comes to our sports teams. We're not sure when things are going to turn around. But things aren't all that bad, and there are reasons to be proud and optimistic. Check out this video that was presented by the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau and Paget Films. It highlights the features of our city and they really did a beautiful job. Who knows what's going to happen with the Sabres game tonight, but this video will be sure to cheer you up:

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

If you're friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, then a few of you might have been aware that this past weekend I flew down to DC to attend Jon Stewart's/Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. I don't want mix my political views on my Sabres blog (but really, you should go out and vote today), but I know a few of you wanted a recap about my experience, so at the risk of me maybe getting a little "too political" for some people's liking, here it is...

My mom and I flew down to Baltimore on Friday morning and arrived to DC via train around 11:30 am. I have been to DC twice before, and my mom lived there for a few years before she was married with kids, so we decided that we weren't going to spend too much time doing any sight seeing. Both times I was in DC that's what I did, but other than that I wasn't very familiar with the area. I wanted my mom to show me around the places that she used to go when she lived there, so that's what we did. We decided that we should check out where the rally was going to be so we could scope out the area and figure out what the best way to get there would be and where would be the best subway stop to get off at.

Everything was set up already and we were able to walk right up to the stage and there were a few other people hanging around the area checking everything out. My mom and I decided to get a picture of us by the stage because we knew that tomorrow was going to be crazy and we probably wouldn't get another chance to be so close to the stage.



After we checked out the stage, we grabbed something to eat and then headed up to Georgetown. Georgetown is gorgeous! There are many restaurants and high end shops and there are so many beautiful townhouses that have been around for hundreds of years. This was my favorite place to take pictures. I couldn't get over how beautiful the townhouses were and how posh I would feel to live in one of them. My mom and I went to the clothing store Anthropologie which was a lot of fun because we don't have an Anthropologie around here but I get their catalogue and it's always fun looking at their beautiful clothes.


Townhouses on Potomac ave in Georgetown


Clothing store on Potomac


Georgetown


After we spent some time in Georgetown, my mom wanted to take me to a restaurant called The Fish Market in Old Town (Alexandria, VA) that she used to eat at when she lived there. Old Town also had the swanky, high end feel like Georgetown, but it also had a more charming, quaint feel to it as well. I liked that it was so close to water (the Potomac River) and it was a real enjoyable walk to the restaurant. My favorite food is probably seafood and The Fish Market definitely did not dissapoint. My mom and I got peel-n-eat shrimp which were delicious.

Walking into the restaurant, I noticed there was a sports bar called Bugsy's. I did a little bit of research before my trip to see what bars in the area would have the Sabres game on and Bugsy's was one of the places I found in my search. At the time I didn't even realize it was right next to The Fish Market, so it was a nice surprise when I walked up and saw it was right there. Bugsy's is owned by a man named Bryan "Bugsy" Watson who is a former NHL player who won a Cup in Montreal. He was a real nice guy and he walked around to make sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. He also bought my mom and I a few drinks which was real nice. I knew I was in the right place when I saw old pictures of Bugsy back in his playing days. There was also a guy wearing a Sabres jersey and a hat waiting for the game to start. Later on a guy came in wearing a Miller USA jersey. There were a few people in there who were former Buffalonians so it was nice talking to them...the bartender was also from Buffalo. Even though the Sabres lost, I still had a good time talking with everyone and watching the game with everyone. If you happen to be in the DC area when the Sabres are playing, this is a perfect place to watch the game.

The next morning, my mom and I woke up at 7 am and we were planning on heading to DC by 8:30. The rally started at noon, but there was a pre-show at 10. We knew that there was going to be a huge turnout, so we wanted to get there as early as possible. When we arrived at the train station around 8:30, we discovered that trains to DC were sold out until 12:30. We quickly got a few other people to split a cab with us to take to DC which cost us around $20 bucks a person. Our cab driver was awesome! DC was a mess with a ton of traffic and roads closed because of the rally, but he was able to drop us off right by the mall right where the rally was held. I am very grateful for that because later I found out that many people got stuck in the subways due to the abundance of people riding them to the rally and they didn't get there much later. It was a blessing in disguise that the train tickets were sold out by the time we got there because we probably would have been among the people who were stuck in the subways if we had gotten on the train. A cab driver told me that some of the lines at the stations were so long that they streched up above ground and wrapped around the block. Yikes...talk about an uncomfortable train ride! I also heard that many people got stuck in Baltimore due to the trains being sold out and a lot of cab drivers refused to drive people to DC because of the traffic. So we really lucked out.

I could feel the energy as soon as I stepped out of the taxi and started walking towards the rally. Everyone was very excited and there were hilarious signs all around... The closer to the rally the more crowded it got. There were people in costume, photographers, and reporters all over the place. I even saw a few people wearing Miller USA jerseys! I was disappointed in myself for not thinking of wearing mine... It would have been a perfect way to be patriotic while showing off my Ryan Miller/Buffalo pride all at the same time. My mom and I saw the ~VIP section~ and like "jedi masters", as some guy referred to us as, we snuck in haha. We were really close to the stage! It was really cool. We were right next to the "real" VIP section where the press and others were watching. It was cool seeing those people walk in. I saw many people from the Daily Show and Arianna Huffington which was neat. Here are some funny signs that I saw at the rally...there are a bunch of hilarious ones that you can view here.














Since we were so close to the stage, it was hard for us to really grasp on how many people were in attendance, but from the loud cheers that echoed off in the distance and seeing countless people endlessly pour in, we could tell that there were a lot. The rally started off with The Roots peforming and then John Legend joined them. They were great and it got everyone pumped up. The whole rally was aired live on Comedy Central, so I'm not sure how many of you watched, but I'm not going to give a total play-by-play rundown of the rally just incase. My favorite parts of the rally was Guido Sarducci's benediction. What can I say? He's just hilarious and he provided some great humor. But my favorite part was seeing CAT STEVENS! I am a HUGE Cat Stevens fan and I was both surprised and ecstatic when Jon Stewart introduced him. It was hilarious when Colbert interrupted him playing Peace Train and then had Ozzy Osbourne come onstage to perform Crazy Train. I was almost in tears when Ozzy Osbourne and Cat Stevens were battling onstage trying to peform their respective songs. I think it was the highlight of the rally. The only complaint I have is that I wish Cat Stevens could have performed more songs (or at least finish Peace Train).


Me and some patriotic dudes


Uncle Sam


Marilyn even made it out to the rally!


The Roots


Cat Stevens!


Colbert & Stewart

I took a bunch more pictures...you can view the rest here and if you want to see the rest of the pictures I took around DC, you can view them here.

All in all, it was a great event and in the end my mom and I were so glad that we decided to take the trip. I'm glad that the rally was held by two comedians, it made it more welcoming for people from all over the political spectrum to attend. It wasn't about what your political affiliation was, it was about people wanting to finally feel like they can have a voice in the direction they want the country to head without being too extreme about certain issues. I think in the world of politics as of late have just gotten so polarizing and black and white, and I think that most of the most reasonable and knowledgeable people in this country have felt shut out. People have been turned off by the constant bickering and mud slinging and the extremeness of it all. It's not surprising that a lot of people have become jaded by politics, but it's also disappointing because I think that as citizens we should all try to be more informed about what's going on and try to be a little more involved...we all live in this country for better or for worse, and we all have some sort of duty to ourselves to want to be apart of it. I think that this is what this rally was all about... People are sick and tired of the complete opposite ends of the political and social spectrums getting all the media attention, when there are so many of us in the "middle" who want a voice too. The point of the rally is in its title...to restore sanity. It was really inspiring and assuring to be around so many people who feel the same way. The rally was a fun, light-hearted way for us to show our pride and to say that we have a voice too.

After the rally, my mom and I decided to head out of downtown DC because it was completely mobbed, so after walking a few blocks we found a cab and headed back to Georgetown for dinner. After dinner I wanted to check out another bar that I found in my research that played the Sabres games. I ended up at Kelly's Irish Times on Capitol Hill. When I walked in I wasn't sure I was in the right place because the entire bar was decorated with police patches, but tucked away behind the bar surrounded by all the police memorabilia, I saw a Ryan Miller picture with the saying "Miller Saves" on it so I knew I was where I was supposed to be! I met a guy who went to UB and I also talked to a guy from Boston who said that the Sabres are his 2nd favorite team (behind the Bruins). I also talked to some Caps season ticket holders who were kind enough to buy me a shot of tequila while I was watching that debacle of a game.... Thanks Navi, wherever you are!


Sign I saw at the bar. I like that there is an Orchard Park Fire Co. hat next to Ryan's picture!

After my mom and I made it back to Baltimore we immediately went to bed after our exhausting weekend. Our flight from Baltimore left around 12:30. Being in the airport on Halloween was a lot of fun because a lot of people were in costume. It was funny seeing some girls in their skimpy little costumes in line at security, since security is supposed to be such a no nonsense, serious zone. I even saw two people dressed up as the Spartan cheerleaders from SNL and they did a routine at their gate. We made it back to Buffalo in time for me to carve pumpkins, pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, and get in my costume (I was a she wolf, ah-wooo!) and go out with my friends.


My costume!

It was a crazy weekend but it was so nice to get away for a bit and do something like that. I'm glad that I can say that I was there!

Yo mama's so ugly they renamed Halloween "Yomamaween".

Or more like, Yo mama's so ugly they renamed Halloween "Last night's game against Dallas."

Haahh... Just kidding, but not really. I just got home from attending John Stewart's/Stephen Colbert's rally in DC. I'm going to post a big recap on the event and my time in DC, so stay tuned for that. Until then, I hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Just a reminder...

Tickets for this year's Catwalk for Charity are now onsale, you can print out the order form right here!

And just incase you needed another reason to attend this year's event, well, I'll just leave this here...


Taken from Catwalk for Charity's page on Facebook. Be sure to "like" it to see other gems such as this picture.

My friend and I are going shopping next week for our outfits, so I'll be sure to use this photo as ~inspiration~.

Sabres Win, Cody McCormick is HOTTT.

The Sabres won tonight!! Wasn't it a wonderful feeling? We were deprived of that feeling for 6 whole months, then the Sabres won their season opener and got us all feeling excited and ready to take the journey that is the 2010-2011 season, but then they decided to make us feel all gross and confused by subsequently losing their next 5 games.

To be honest, I was pretty apathetic about the Sabres losing. It sort of worried me. I was concerned that I wasn't concerned. While I was watching the Sabres play god awful hockey, basically all I did was say some sarcastic, smart ass remarks and then I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "Whatever." A few seasons ago, I probably would have developed a stomach ulcer by this point.

But my apathy shifted when I was watching the game tonight. This was me when the Sabres went up 3-0 against the Thrashers:



Sooo, I think it's safe to say that I'm not worried about my lack of concern anymore.

I also think it's safe to say that the Sabres are feeling prettayyy, prettayyyy, prettaaaayyy good about snapping their losing streak. In Ryan Miller's post-game interview, you can hear Paul Gaustad shouting in the background about how hot Cody McCormick is. I'm not sure if he means "hot" as in that he's scoring goals, or "hot" as in that he's one sexy individual. I don't think it's my place to make the distinction, so I'm going to say that Paul meant both. I always thought McCormick looked like one of those crazy kids in high school that you were always nice to, just incase they were making a "list" of some sort incase they decided to do something sinister. But I think that's what makes him so endearing to Sabres fans, no? That and the fact that he's been scoring. I don't want to take credit for his goals or anything, but 8 is my all-time favorite number, sooo.... Just putting that out there.

Thoughts on the Season & Pommer's Hit.

Well, the season hasn't started off as well as any of us would have liked, but it definitely isn't time to get overly worried. With last season's early exit in the playoffs combined with the disastrous Bills, which at this point is almost comical (I say "almost" because it's not funny anymore when they have been this bad for this long), Buffalo fans were eager for the season to start and we were all hoping for better results.

We are really fed up with the Bills being 0-5, so with the Sabres being 1-2-0, it doesn't make anyone feel good. I think some us need to remember that there are more than 16 games in an NHL season. In fact, there are 82 of them. So we all need to relax and ride out the next few weeks until we can really gauge where this team is at. There have been some bright spots (Roy, Stafford), there have been some uncertainties (where is our defense?), and then there have been downright ugly moments (Hjalmarsson's hit on Pominville).

Which brings me to the hit... I'll try not to say much because I'm sure my thoughts on the hit are basically the same as most people. But I am just sick and tired of how much of a gray area there is when it comes to illegal hits like this. Was the hit an intent to injure? Does the player have a history of dirty hits/plays? It's all bullshit. How many times am I going to have to say "The NHL really needs to crack down on hits like this"? The league needs to implement a 0 tolerance policy on hits like this. I don't care if the player wasn't intentionally trying break a player's neck and leave him concussed. I don't care if the player has never done this before. Hjalmarsson's hit on Pominville was stupid, unnecessary, and dangerous. With hits like that, it should be an automatic suspension, plain and simple. Why would anyone think that these kind of hits will cease if the NHL has a reputation for being completely inconsistent when it comes to the consequences?

It's time for the NHL to stop referring to their flow chart on how to suspend players. I know fans have touched on this before, but I think a good way to decide how long a player should be suspended for is to see how long the injured player will be out for. You hit a player and now he's going to be out for a month? Have fun sitting in the press box for a month without pay. Or how about if a 4th line goon takes out a star player, maybe that team should sit out their star player until the injured player is ready to return. Maybe that would take care of the kind of hits like Cooke's hit on Savard which is still keeping him from playing. I know it would be too controversial and complicated to implement a rule like that, but at this point, I think going to extremes like that might be the only way to stop these foolish and dangerous plays that cheapen the game.

Thoughts on Preseason

Happy October, everyone! October is a great month... The weather is beautiful, the leaves are changing colors, pumpkins, (spiked) cider, Halloween... And... HOCKEY!

The season opener for the Sabres is this Friday, October 9th and they are just about to wrap up preseason. They have one more game tomorrow against the Flyers, but I just wanted to give my thoughts about what I've seen (more like heard) so far.

- After I attended the preseason opener against the Leafs, I mentioned that it's been hard for me to get a read on Gerbe. Since then I think he's had a real impressive preseason and you can tell that he is trying to work for a spot on the Sabres roster. He's scored some goals for us and he plays with a lot of heart despite his size. While he has been solid, I still wonder where exactly he would fit on the team. I think that he is still going to have to remain in Portland and wait for when a call-up is necessary.

- Luke Adam had a great game against Montreal...seems to have great offensive prowess.

- I think Enroth has looked really solid... I expect him to have a great year in Portland and I'm sure he'll be seeing more playing time with the Sabres than he did last year.

- All in all, I'm liking what I'm seeing out of our vets, which is pretty important. I'm looking forward to seeing what Vanek and Roy can do for us this year. I'm sure that they know that they have a lot of expectations to live up to and I'm interested to see if they can live up to the task.

- Drew Stafford has been refreshing... He has the potential to be a real difference maker, but last season was real lackluster for Drew and a big disappointment for Sabres fans. There have been numerous articles and stories with comments from Stafford where he has mentioned that he made adjustments in the offseason to improve his game, both physically and mentally. So far he's looked good. Ryan Miller sat down with ESPN and he was asked which player does he expect to have a breakout year and Ryan was quick to say Stafford. He said that he gets a sense that it could be a big year for Drew, so it'll be interesting to see how things shake out... But as of now, things are looking good. You can watch Ryan's interview with ESPN here. It's a good one, towards the end of it he talks about the wonderful eating habits that college teaches us.

- Mike Grier is awesome. I don't think I need to elaborate much more on that.


So a new season is upon us and it's time to get very excited! Incase you're still having trouble getting excited for hockey, I'll just leave this here...



It's a commercial for the NHL featuring Ryan Miller and he's doing what he does best...being sassy and fierce. Wow...it's been too long since I've used the word "sassy", don't you think?

Look at this Goalie

Talented, flawless, amazing, wonderful, the next Richard Avedon, etc.

A few weeks ago, 20 NHL stars were in NYC promoting the start of the NHL season. One of the activities that took place during the media tour was Ryan Miller photographing a few of the NHL stars for Vanity Fair. It was a clever promotion because as a goalie, Ryan is used to players taking shots at him, and now it was his turn to do his own shooting....BEHIND THE LENS! I'm sure most of us know that photography is one of his biggest hobbies so I was excited to see how the pictures turned out. You can see the pictures and read the story that goes along with them here.

Let's take a look at the amazing, wonderful, stunning photographs that Ryan took:


Here he captured Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist in an almost sullen, melancholy tone. Perhaps as Ryan was photographing him, Lundqvist started reminiscing over the fact that he is 0-3 when it comes to Vezina nominations, while Ryan is a perfect 1-0. Henrik can always take solace in the fact that he is a pretty snappy dresser.


Again, Ryan seems to capture Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins in deep thought, with a touch of saddness in his face. When Bergeron saw Ryan he was probably reminded of the playoffs last year where he and the Bruins eliminated Ryan and the Sabres in Round 1. But as soon as Ryan was about to snap the picture, Bergeron was immediately reminded that his Bruins were then eliminated by the Flyers in Round 2 after being up 3 games to none in the series, which in turn resulted in Bergeron looking so somber in this photograph.


Here Ryan captured Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning looking very poised and confident, and.... Um... Let me just remind everyone that Ryan had NO part in the styling of this photoshoot.

As you can see, Ryan does a superb job at bringing out the raw emotions of his subjects and really knows how to convey the true essence of the photograph to his viewers. He is such an artist, both on and off the ice.

Recap on the Sabres/Leafs Opener

Hockey is back! It feels so good to say that. I love the feeling you get when the lights finally dim down after you've been sitting in the arena with a few thousand hockey fans waiting for the game to start. I love hearing the announcer announce the starting lineup (especially how he says RYAN MILLERRRRR). I love hearing the Canadian and American anthems (especially when they're sung by Doug Allen). I love hearing the announcer shout, "NOW LET'S PLAY SOME HOCKEY!" It's enough to get any hockey fan excited and preseason hockey is a nice reminder for fans that hockey is finally back. Here's a little recap of my game experience:

- I went to the game with my good friend from Cleveland who I hadn't seen in several months. She is also a huge Ryan Miller fan and I hadn't seen her since the beginning of the last season, so while we were sitting in our seats waiting for the game to start we talked about Ryan's Olympic performance and him winning the Vezina which was nice.

- I was hesitant to wear my Miller Team USA jersey because I knew I would be in the company of a bunch of Leafs fans who are both: a) Canadian and b) don't like Ryan Miller (the feeling is mutual, bitches!)... But I decided that I'm not going to let stupid Leafs fans get in the way of what I want to wear in MY arena and I'm proud of owning a Miller USA jersey, so I wore it with pride.

- With that said, no one gave me a hard time over the jersey and the Leafs fans that I experienced were mild mannered. I'm guessing that has to do with the fact that it was a preseason game, but when I was in Toronto last year for a preseason game, things were pretty hostile.

- I didn't really go to the red carpet festivities (I sort of sashayed by it on my way inside when I got there around 6), but between that and looking at pictures of it online, I gathered two thoughts regarding it:

1. Kevin Sundher is really hot.
2. It doesn't get much cuter than this:

Taken by Mark Mulville for The Buffalo News. Enlarge for maximum cuteness.

- Now onto the game itself... I was really pleased when I found out that Miller was going to be playing. There's not much left to say when it comes to giving him accolades about his goaltending, but it was nice to see him between the pipes again. I thought that Enroth looked real good so I'm looking forward to seeing him get some playing time up here this season.

- I really liked Kassian. I know he's been impressive in training camp so I was eager to see him out there, and I think most fans were excited and pleased with what they saw out of him. I'm assuming he'll be seeing a lot of playing time during preseason, so we'll have to keep an eye on him.

- I liked what I saw out of the Morrisonn-Myers pairing. I liked the physical play out of Morrisonn.

- The power play is still worrisome... I know it was only the first game of preseason, but things were just looking a tad too familiar for my liking when it came to the power play.

- But the PK was spot on, like it was last season. But we were playing a Leafs team full of prospects and rookies, so...

- I still can't get a good read on Gerbe. Is he going to crack the NHL anytime soon?

- Ennis is very exciting.

- Saw a few of the guys out after the game. Derek Roy is still a diva. Some things never change.

I had a great time and it was great to catch up with my friend. She's a huge Sabres fan too, so she's always excited when she can make it out to Buffalo for a game. I also like taking her out to show her the Buffalo night life which usually never disappoints. The highlight of my night was watching a really sloppy drunk girl completely eat it in the bathroom. It was pretty hilarious but her drunkenly lying on the dirty, wet bathroom floor was slowing down the line and we had all been waiting in it for a long time considering there were only TWO STALLS.

Oh by the way, how lame is it that the NHL Network is blacking out our preseason games? I was lucky that I was at the game last night, but apparently they blacked out the game that was aired at 11pm on a tape delay. Really, NHL? It's cool that the NHL Network is airing 5 out of our 6 preseason games, but they are really going to black out the local market? Come on... It's the end of September, we are fiending for hockey, specifically Buffalo Sabres hockey. FIENDING. If I'm going to have to search online for a crappy feed of the game on Monday to stream on my computer, all while knowing that the rest of the nation gets to watch the game in HD on their nice TVs, I'm going to be one pissed off broad.

I Wanna Rock

As I mentioned in my previous post, the press conference for Catwalk for Charity was coming up, and today Ryan Miller announced this year's event and reminded us why it's such a fun event for a great cause.

The theme for this year's event is "A Reason To Rock" and it will be dedicated to the spirit of the 70s and the 80s. I'm definitely looking forward for rocking my Run DMC t-shirt with acid wash skinny jeans and fingerless lace gloves...it's going to be pretty bitchin'.

If you've never attended, I highly suggest that you do... It's just one big party and there are really cool auction items up for grabs and a bunch of hockey players wandering around and strutting their stuff on the catwalk.

I'm sure most of you are aware that it's the annual fundraiser for Ryan's Steadfast Foundation and it's also to help raise awarness of cancer and to get people to go out and get involved in their community. After attending Catwalk for Charity year in and year out, I started volunteering at Roswell Park once a week and I also help out at events for Carly's Club. It's been a rewarding experience and I'm so glad that I'm doing it. I'm a proud Buffalonian so I'm glad that I can give back to my community in some way. Volunteering at Roswell has also lead me into new interests that I didn't have before, which has been awesome.

So if you can, I really hope you make it out to this year's event...it's a perfect night for any Sabres fan and you can feel good that you're supporting Ryan's foundation and a great cause all at the same time!

Another exciting thing about hockey season starting again besides the actual hockey of course, is... Ryan Miller interviews! I forget how much I miss his insight during the offseason, so I was glad to read this interview he did with NHL.com. One of my favorite parts of the interview is what he said about Darcy's activity during the offseason:

Yeah … you don't just tear everything apart because we didn't get what we wanted in the playoffs. We put a lot of hard work in and it was a culmination of a lot of years of work. We had some good runs a few years ago. We had some down years that really led to a good year last year. We have to get to that point, and sometimes things don't go your way. I think that I'd rather learn the lessons and come back with the same group than be a part of team that doesn't show any patience. Sometimes you have to go through tough things in order to improve and be better. We had our fair share of success last year, but the end was definitely frustrating. You grow from that and learn from that.

I think fans have a tendency to be too impatient and too reactionary when it comes to sports. I know Darcy isn't always the most popular guy in Buffalo, but I think it's common for a sports organization's management to be pretty unpopular in their respective cities... But I think fans need to realize that making the "right" moves isn't as always black and white and simple as the video games, fantasy leagues, and sports columnists make them out to be. I also think that "blowing it up" isn't usually the answer either. I know what it's like to be frustrated and fed up, and I know a lot of fans believe that their favorite sports team "owes" them a championship, but building a championship winning team takes time, and if you go out and get rid of everything that you've worked for over the past several years, I just don't see how that's going to be your answer to a quick Cup. But what do I know...

Well I think that's enough insight out of me for today. It feels good blogging again... I know my posts have been few and far between, but I'm really going to try and post more frequently again. I know for sure that I'll post about going to the game on Saturday, and hopefully I'll take some nice pictures as well.

Puck Drop, New Joiseys, and Catwalk

This past Saturday I attended Puck Drop along with 3,500 other Sabres fans. It's a nice way to bring in the new season and to tell fans that hockey is right around the corner. I got there a little late, right around the time when Rick Jeanneret was announcing the team on the ice and the players were coming out wearing the new jerseys.

I think the new jerseys are sharp! I'm sure most of us saw the leaked cell phone pictures of them, but when you see them up close and in person, obviously you appreciate them much more. I love the colors of the third jersey, and the homage to the Buffalo Bisons with the "Buffalo" script on the front. The one thing I'm not crazy about is the gold name plate. But I love the pants with the gold vertical stripe that the players wear with the thirds.


Not crazy about the gold name plate...but everything else is nice. A lot of people aren't crazy about the stitching on the numbers, but I think it looks neat.

My favorite of the two new jerseys is the white away one... I am definitely going to have to purchase one this season (A Miller one of course, who else?). The last time we saw the Sabres wear the white jerseys with the vintage logo was at the Ice Bowl a few years ago. I remember seeing the Winter Classic jerseys when they were first released and it reminded me how wonderful the old white jerseys were and I'm just glad that the Sabres are finally wearing them again. I know most people weren't crazy about the "slug", and I wasn't either...but after the first season I just got used to it. But I never got used to the road jerseys... Honestly I hated them. I thought the yellow logo against the white was pretty ugly.


Muuuch better than the "slug" roads... I'm gonna have to invest in one of these babies.

After RJ announced the players and they skated a few laps around the ice to show of their new duds, the team was split up into two teams: Blue (Team Norty) and White (Team Seymour). Naturally I had to cheer for the White team because my main man was in net...but I left after the second period. Miller was already on the bench by that point but I think they were up 2-1. I think they eventually won in a shootout, according to Sabres Edge.

All in all it was a fun way to spend a Saturday and it's a fun, cheap (unless you forked over some cash to buy a jersey) way to celebrate the start of a new season. I think what I enjoyed the most out of the day was hearing Rick Jeanneret's voice announce the players, and the reception that each player received as they skated onto the ice (can you guess who got the loudest reception?). I also enjoyed the sounds of the game... Just sitting there listening to the sounds of the blades of the skates on the ice, the sounds of the puck hitting the stick after a pass, the sounds of the sticks banging on the ice, the sounds of the players hitting the boards, the sounds of the players shouting at each other on the ice... Just the sounds of hockey. That's when it really hit me that hockey is back.

Moving on from Puck Drop, yesterday I volunteered at a fundraiser that was held at Caz Park and at a bar called Charlie O'Brien's in South Buffalo where all of the proceeds went to The Steadfast Foundation. I thought it was pretty successful given it was the first year that it was held... I had a good time selling Steadfast merchandise despite the fact that I was watching the Bills get their asses handed to them at the same time. Just another Sunday in Buffalo...

Here's a picture of me from the fundraiser:



You can see all the other pictures from the event here. All photos were taken by my friend Kathryn Ross who works for Buffalo.com

I was told that the press conference for Catwalk for Charity this year is going to be held very soon. Like, next day soon probably. Soooo that's something to look forward to! If you're going, I hope you're actively thinking about what totally radical get up you'll be wearing to the event.

So with the season so close and Catwalk coming up, it's a very exciting time of the year for Sabres fans. I'm going to the preseason game against the Leafs this Saturday and I'm really excited! My friend is coming in from Cleveland for it and I'm real excited to see her as well. Should be a good time.

The Next Richard Avedon*

Hockey is still a few weeks away, but to get us psyched up, the NHL is holding a media tour in NYC over the next few days. The event is super ~exclusive~, as only 20 of the NHL's best (and most marketable) were invited. So to find out that Ryan Miller was in attendance was clearly no shock to anyone.

But how awesome was it to find out that he was going to photographing his fellow NHLers for a Vanity Fair photoshoot? Oh, to be a fly on the wall during the photoshoot... I don't know if the pictures are going to be in an issue of Vanity Fair or on their website, but all I know is that I can't wait to see the photos once they surface. Who would have thought that the NHL could persuade me into buying a Vanity Fair magazine? Well done, NHL marketers, well done.

So with the media tour wrapping up, that leaves us with only a few days until Puck Drop. Even though it's been several months since we've watched the Sabres take the ice, I still can't believe that hockey season is pratically here. I'm super stoked about Saturday's festivities, and I'll try to take some good shots of the guys on the ice and post a recap of the events!

* If you don't know who Richard Avedon is, I highly suggest you check out his photographs on his website.

Numba 3

I'm not a subscriber to The Hockey News, but thanks to the wonderful world of blogging and fan forums, I've gotten word that Ryan Miller was number 3 in THN's Top 50 players in their 2010-2011 yearbook edition. He was only behind Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin...shocking! According to Sabres Edge, the next goalie on the list is Ilya Bryzgalov at number 20.

It's awesome to see Ryan Miller being discussed in the same vein of Crosby and Ovechkin when it comes to talent, importance, and marketability. It's nice to see that has become another face of the NHL and it's certainly deserved.

Speaking of Ryan... He was featured on NHLPA.com's In Studio feature. It's just a short 2 minute interview where he talks about what music he likes (The Raconteurs), his hobbies (photography), and his best hockey memories. Nothing we haven't really heard before...but it's nice to see our beloved players during the offseason!



Can't believe it's already late August... The bad news is that I'll be going back to school in the very near future. I'm actually looking forward to it, but I could use a few more weeks of summer. But the good news is that hockey will be here before we know it. Soon, the players will start trickling in from their hometowns or wherever they spend their offseason, they'll play some shinny hockey together at the Pepsi Center, and then training camp will be upon us! Then there's some preseason and all of a sudden the 2010-2011 season will be in full swing.

Since August can be pretty slow in the hockey department, I decided to read "The Game" by Ken Dryden. It's a book that I've always heard about and everyone has recommended, and I decided that it was finally time to pick up a copy and read it. I have to say that it's an absolute must-read for any hockey fan...or anyone who is remotely interested in hockey. It is truly a gem. Ken Dryden gives fans an inside look into one of the best hockey teams in history and what it was like to play goal in Montreal during that time. He gives us a rare behind-the-scenes look into what it's like to be a professional athlete, from life spent on the road, what goes through your mind during a game, the celebrity of it all, the money, the affect it has on your family, your relationship between your teammates and coaches, and everything in between.

What impressed me the most is how timeless the book is and how it's still relevant today. The book was written in 1983 and a lot has changed in the NHL since then, but this book seems to stand the test of time. It's a testament to intelligence of Ken Dryden. It's truly a special book and if you haven't read it yet then I suggest you go out and get a copy ASAP.

It's A-Comin'...

...Hockey season, that is.

The Sabres have announced the date for this year's Puck Drop, which kicks of the start of hockey season! It's an all-day event occuring on September 18th which (scarily enough) isn't that far away. Which really means that hockey isn't that far away either when you really think about. What I'm excited for is the 40th anniversary jerseys they will be unveiling. I love the promo pic they used on the announcement:


Vintage!! (said in Regina George's voice)

The Sabres have also announced the team's preseason schedule. Preseason is always fun because the games are essentially meaningless, you get to see players from the minors that you probably haven't seen play before, and it gets you back in the swing of things when it comes to following hockey again. The Sabres only have two home preseason games this year, their first game against the Leafs on September 25th, and their final game on October 3rd against the Philadelphia Flyers.

I guess I should say something about Tim Kennedy. I'm guilty of not posting very frequently in the summer, and in result whenever something news worthy does happen, by the time I want to weigh in on it, the topic has already been beaten to death. My sentiments on what happened is that if this happened to a non-Buffalonian similar to Tim Kennedy's role, I don't think fans would think much of it. A lot of Sabres fans have been complaining over the past few years that the Sabres have a hard time getting rid of their dead weight and they seem to hold onto their players for too long. With Ennis coming along, Kennedy just didn't seem to have a role on the team anymore and the Sabres had to find a way to release him.

With that said, I think it also just flat out sucks how the events unfolded, and as a fan, I can't help but feel awful for him. I'm sure it was quite an unpleasent shock to Kennedy to find out that his hometown was taking the steps into buying out his contract, but hockey careers can take you on unknown paths sometimes and I'm sure he'll find somewhere to play eventually.

In better news, the Shaone Morrisonn (I almost spelled his name correctly without having to look it up! I only goofed up on wanting to add two s's to his last name) signing will be a nice addition to our team. The Sabres have also signed Williamsville native goalie David Leggio to back up Enroth in Portland. When I first heard of the news all I basically thought was, "Oh...that's nice." Then last night on the news I saw an interview with him....and, well why didn't anyone tell me he was so hot?


Helloooo, Mr. Leggio.

Ryan Miller might have some competition. Probably not in the goaltending department, but in the porn stache wearing department.

Observe...



I don't know... Does he have Ryan beat?



Someone doesn't look too amused with that notion...

By the way, if you type "Ryan Miller", on Google, the 2nd thing on Google's suggested search is "ryan miller mustache". This warms my heart in more ways than one.

Ahh, hockey...I've missed you.