We Interrupt This Hiatus To Bring You...

...this:




I didn't realize how much I missed Ryan Miller until I saw him being both awkward and awesome at the same time while giving us a tutorial on how to be a goalie in the NHL. He looked so snazzy in his suit and I enjoyed listening to his thoughtful insight on the game and each team playing. I did feel a little sorry for him that he had to be between Pierre McGuire and Mike Milburry... Pierre and Mike kept shouting back and forth while Ryan was being his typical calm and collected self and Mike kept cutting Ryan off and telling him to agree with him. But other than that...it was such a nice treat to see Ryan being his awesome self again! Even though he and the Sabres haven't really crossed my mind so far during this offseason, he has been missed! Really!

Oh, and apparently there was some crazy hockey game going on in between the intermission reports. Who would've thought...

Okay...going back on hiatus now. Carry on...

Hockey...and stuff

Just wanted to check in since I've been pretty M.I.A. lately, my posts will be few and far between this summer, but you know...it is what it is.

Here's a little rundown of my thoughts of what's been going on during the playoffs and what's been going on in my life. First off...

- I MET LINDY RUFF!! Like, for realll met him. I've seen Lindy in person twice before. Once when I was with my dad in the players hallway about two years ago, and another time I saw him in a store on Elmwood over the winter. But a few weeks ago, my mom and I attened a fashion show fundraiser to benefit Roswell Park at Nektar martini bar on Elmwood, and Lindy and his family were in attendence! It was a nice moment for me to shake his and hand talk to him, because I've always been a big fan of Lindy's and I always like defending him when some fans aren't happy with him being our coach. I didn't have a camera, but I re-created the moment with my glorious Photoshopping skills:



Juuust kidding. Lindy was very nice and gracious and I wasn't looking like a giddy school girl (although I was freaking out on the inside as I was trying my best to look cool and calm with a martini in my hand). It was a great event for a really good cause and it was a nice surprise to see Lindaaaayy there.

- How crazy are these playoffs? I really have no ill will against the Bruins for eliminating us, but seriously, how awesome was it to see them choke away a 3-game lead? They completed it by choking away a 3-goal lead in Game 7, no less...talk about symbolism. I mentioned it on Twitter but the people behind the "History Will Be Made" campaign must have been going apeshit over the result of that series. It's crazy to think that the only two teams left in the East are the 7th and 8th seeds... Especially considering it took 82 games and a shootout for Philly to get in the playoffs. Just goes to show you that old saying "anything can happen in the playoffs" is true.

- With that said... I think I'm rooting for Chicago to win it all. I like the city of Chicago and the Blackhawks are a fun team to watch. Philadelphia fans are vile and I just worry about the lives of Habs fans if they were to win it all...although them getting eliminated will probably be just as dangerous, but whatever. San Jose, well I guess I wouldn't care but I just like Chicago more.

- I'm finally done with school! My last exam was Thursday and I still haven't really registered the fact that I'm on summer vacation now. I'm starting to think about what I want to do in the summer and where I want to go. I've got a few plans in mind but right now things are all up in the air. I know I want to take my annual trip to Chicago in August for Lollapalooza, and I also want to see Kings of Leon in July when they come to Darien Lake. I'm also excited for one of my favorite musicians, M.I.A.'s third album which is coming out this summer. The singles she's released so far have been so different from each other, and they've all been so boss. I'm especially looking forward to seeing the music video for her latest single, XXXO...which I'm assuming will be less violent and graphic than her music video for Born Free. You never know with Maya though.

Hopefully a few changes are coming my way in the near future which should make my summer interesting.

St. Ryan

So it's only been like a week into the Sabres offseason and I'm already doing nonsense like this... While I should have been working on a presentation (that's not overdue or anything...) and studying for my finals next week, I was making this instead:



I think I really outdid myself this time, it's even better than my Miller Obamaized creation. I was inspired because I saw that image with Elvis's face, and I thought...welllll....DON'T MIND IF I DO. And I got to work.

Too bad it's the offseason and that image won't be relevant for a few months. But I'll whip it out in June when the NHL Awards roll around.

Anyways, I should get back to... I mean... START studying and working my presentation. Carry on.

Coming Around

Well, it's safe to say that I was pretty bummed out when the Sabres were eliminated. I was just getting used to the feeling of them competiting in the playoffs and as soon as it came, it went just as fast.

But really, looking back...it was a good season. There were a lot of things to like about the 2009-2010 season, despite the fact that they got bounced in the first round. I wish they could have done more damage in the playoffs, but it's another lesson learned. We saw some great things this past season, and we can only hope that the team will take that and move forward and they'll be better for it next year. I'm so sick of always looking forward to "next year", but you have to be patient. The Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports, and it's not an easy road to get there. This season was a lot more fun and exciting than the past few seasons, and I think we started to see our team evolve into something special. We've got exciting young players like Myers, Ennis, Kennedy, and Gerbe...and our young guys from 05-06 are now becoming experienced veterens.

I liked what I heard from the press conference that Lindy, Darcy, and Larry gave. I liked that Lindy's contract was picked up for one more year and that he was very adament when he said how much he wants to win a Cup in Buffalo. I liked that he said he's real excited about our team moving forward. I liked hearing Mike Grier saying that he's interested in re-signing with the team.

While I wasn't ready for our season to end two weeks ago, I think that it will be nice to get a little break from Sabres hockey for a bit. It sucks to know that we won't watch them again until October, but on the other hand there's a whole summer out there for us to enjoy. Summer is my favorite season and it will be nice to enjoy it and not have to worry about hockey for a bit. My semester is almost finished and it's a very hectic and stressful time of the year. But in two weeks it will be finished and I'll be able to enjoy the summer. I'll enjoy the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but I've never been one to jump onboard with another team and root for them. I just like watching good hockey... And from watching, it seems as though Vancouver has a real shot and winning it all this year. It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Right now I'm making a few changes in my life that I think will be for the better, although it's a little scary moving forward...but at the same time I'm excited and I'm glad that I'm doing it. With that said, my mind has been elsewhere for the past few weeks, and I expect that me blogging will be a little scarce for a bit. But that's to be expected anyways, considering this is a Sabres blog and the Sabres are currently galavanting around the streets of their hometowns, on the golf course, or whatever else NHLers do in their offseason.

So in the end, I'm looking back at last season on a positive note. It was a good season, and I had a lot of fun watching them. My favorite part had to be the Olympics...it was just so fun to see Ryan Miller compete in such a large spotlight and see him getting a taste of being a national celebrity for a bit. Being such a big fan, it was fun to see him getting the recognition that he deserves and I was so proud of him.

There a lot of good things to look forward to when it comes to the Sabres. So until then... I'll see ya when I see ya...