What's the Buzz?

...Tell me what's a-happenin'. I figured I should jump on any Sabres-related news since it's few and far between at this point in the offseason and who knows when I'll be given another opportunity!

The Sabres announced a few days ago that they signed Cody McCormick. I don't know much about him, but from doing a little research on the internet and blogs, apparently he's a fourth-liner grinder who likes to fight. He signed a 2-way deal with the team, so it remains to be seen if he'll be spending more time in Portland or in the Buff.

It's clear that the front office is trying to add a little bit more grit and physicality to the line-up, which I can't say I disagree with. Although there are the fans out there that are saying that Darcy is an idiot and wasting all his time signing these no-name players while he should have been busy going after Bouwmeester and Hossa. Of course these are the same fans that complained during the season that our team is full of wimps and sissy boys who are too afraid to fight or stand up for each other. Some fans must really take pleasure in always complaining and being negative...but what can you do?

Teppo Numminen also announced to a Finnish magazine that he is retiring (the article is just translated by Google, so it's pretty rough). I know most fans expected that Teppo would take this route, but it's still a little sad considering he's been in the league for so long. I've always liked Teppo and I've respected the type of game he played. He seems like a good guy and he should be proud of himself for lacing up the skates and getting back into NHL action after having a serious heart procedure. I hope the next chapter in his life is fulfilling and relaxing. Cheers, Teppo!

I also wanted to comment a little bit on Ryan Miller's latest blog post...I mean if Puck Daddy is going to, then I might as well too. First I want to say that I disapprove of his editor making him censor out his sassiness. I'm sure everyone who has read my blog before has noticed that I love when people get sazzzy and Ryan really knows how to bring the sass. I guess his editor is worried about Ryan ruining his public image because he said Twitter is dumb. Let's be serious here now...a website with a name like "Twitter" where people send "tweets" to each other, must not be a website with a plethora of knowledge. Just sayin'.

I have to say that I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks Twitter is one of the most pointless websites ever. I remember when people started joining it and telling me about it, I didn't quite "get it"...and I still don't to be quite honest. Maybe it's because I barely update my Facebook status and that's essentially what Twitter is. I like Facebook because it's a great way to communicate with people that I don't usually get the chance to see on an every day basis. For instance, a friend from high school who is from Afghanistan just told me via Facebook that he's back in the area and would like to get together with me so we can catch up. But it seems that while that was Facebook's intention when the website was created, it's being used less for that and more for people posting pictures of them drunk at parties and updating their Facebook statuses informing people of what they just had for breakfast or what they plan on doing for the rest of the week. I think Ryan probably has a little more of a stronger opinion on these websites because of his position. He's a celebrity and a professional athlete. He's probably has had his fair share of stalkers and creepy situations and having Facebook and Twitter accounts would only stregthen the chances of getting stalked. But for us ~normal~ people, we don't really have to worry as much about it than someone like Ryan Miller (although I still don't understand why people have their phone numbers listed on their profile). Actually, the other day some guy from Dubai messaged me asking me if I could come live with him because I was such a "nice, pretty girl" and so I could teach him English. Awesome.

It's funny that he made a post about social networking sites because last semester I actually wrote a paper about social networking sites and just the rapid growth in technology in general and its affects on society for my sociology class. My point was that I think it's a double-edged sword. I like blogging and posting/reading on message boards because it opens doors and gives us access to communicate and exchange news from people from all over the world. Especially with hockey because it's not as publicized on sports media outlets as other mainstream sports. I've even met some really cool people through Sabres message boards and I consider them my good friends now. But technology can also detach us from real-life interaction. It's so common nowadays to see two people sitting down at dinner or something and both people have their cell phones out and they're just texting away. People have become really dependent on their phones and their Facebook & Twitter accounts and I just find it a little annoying and excessive. "Everything in moderation", ya know?

We all know that Buffalo summers are long enough, so I guess Mother Nature decided that rain and thunderstorms should overtake our 3 months of summer and cut it in half. I can't believe that it's already August...here's hoping for it being a sunny one and hopefully we have a warm fall. I have so much stuff to do before I go back to school on the 31st. So far this summer I've been working a lot, apartment hunting, and trying to get out when the days are nice enough. I still need to figure out a lot of stuff with school before I go back. My cousins were in from India this past weekend and I half jokingly said that I should take a semester off and live in India with them. I would love to go...but I don't know about an entire semester. Think about all the hockey I would miss! Speaking of which, I still need to figure out how many games I'm going to go this year with my mini-pack...and I'm still waiting for my renewal letter to come in the mail. This upcoming week I have a lot going on and I'll be away from Buffalo for a bit...it's coming at a really nice time because I could use a little getaway.

Season Finale

Well it's hard to say that the 2008-2009 season is finito for the Sabres. Another season cut short, and another long offseason. I was looking foward to today's game in a way because I knew it was going to be the last time I would watch Buffalo Sabres Hockey for a long time. But honestly, watching the game today just made me more depressed. I think this goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway...this just flat out blows. While I was watching the game I was just thinking to myself, "Wow, the Bruins have an exciting few months ahead of them, while the Sabres and their fans...don't." I just want the playoffs so bad. There's nothing like the feeling that goes around this city once the playoffs roll around. There's always room on the bandwagon and everyone hops on and supports our boys while they compete for the Cup. It's just a lot of fun to be apart of that.

So while nothing will make us feel any better about missing the playoffs for the second straight year, at least the Sabres gave their fans who attended the finale an entertaining game. I have to agree with Rob Ray, that Paetsch-Ellis-Paille line was great. I've mentioned this a few times on this blog before, but I wish that Paetsch got more playing time. He and Ellis seemed to provide great energy for one another today. Maybe next year he'll get more opportunities. There's that phrase again, Maybe next year... Ellis is a player that I've always liked. I like those "energy players" and the grinders like Ellis. No they aren't going to put up 30 goals, but I think they are very important parts to the team and I've liked his game. It was nice to see Butler score another goal, and I believe that Lindy said Butler will be assigned to Portland so he can get some playoff experience down there. Butler is a huge bright spot at the blueline for us and I've been more than impressed with him, especially considering this was his first time up in the NHL. He's definitely a player whose got tremendous upside and I look forward to seeing what he can do for us in the near future. A lot of people are speculating that today was Teppo Numminen's last NHL game. If that's the case, I just have to say how much I've appreciated Numminen and he's really a classy guy. It really is an amazing story how he had major heart surgery and then returned to play in the NHL. Good for you, Teppo. Did anyone see Thomas Vanek's post-game interview? He pratically started crying at the end. Poor guy...it really made me feel sad. I know he's gotten a lot of criticism and sometimes it's deservingly so, but it just never makes me feel good when I see someone upset. Especially when they're so upset it brings them to tears. Aww...poor Thomas. :(

I knew that the Sabres would go to center ice after the game and salute the fans. It was nice to see but it also made me sad for obvious reasons that I've already mentioned. It's just not right...


My babies! :(

Yes I just referred to a group of men who are all older than me as my "babies". Hey, look. I've watched a lot of these guys grow up. From when they were just little teeny prospects, to competiting in the AHL as baby Sabres with either the Amerks or the Pirates, to finally going up to the big league and being NHLers. My little babies...

Well anyways, my favorite bb, Ryan Miller, updated his blog today and went more in depth about his new mask. Why did I get such a kick out of him explaining the characters behind his mask? I don't know, just the way he described them cracked me up. He did give us a little more insight into what the phrase means that's written in Japanese on the mask. Although he did say he doesn't know what characters the phrase is written in, I know a little bit about the Japanese writing system and to me it looks like it's written in hiragana. Back in high school I had some Japanese exchange students write my first name in kanji calligraphy and my last name in katakana calligraphy. Anyways, Ryan also said in a few days he'll update his blog with a season wrap up so I'm interested to read that once he posts it.

So now that the season is over, I'm sure my updates will be few and far between. Of course I'll post my thoughts about the playoffs, but after that, it's just a long summer with not much hockey to discuss. But you can be sure I'll cling onto anything slightly hockey or Sabres related. I'll post a lengthy entry if I happen to see a certain Sabre in public getting coffee or something. It will become pretty pathetic. In all seriousness though, the entries that I do happen to post will probably be more related to myself and what's going on in my life with a little hockey stuff thrown in there. Sorry if that sounds a little boring to you, but by the time July rolls around I don't know if there really will be anything else for me to blog about. So I figured I should give it a try and post a little but about myself right now...

My semester is ending soon and I am coming to a point where I think I want some changes in my studies. I don't know how many of you are aware but I am going to school for photography. It's always been a hobby of mine and I was always told by people that I had a good eye and I was pretty talented. I loved doing it, and when it was time for me to choose schools and what to study, I figured I might as well apply for a fine arts major with my primary focus being in photography. It was great when I got accepted, it was almost a way to reassure to myself that I really was talented and it wasn't just my friends and family giving me compliments. But honestly I never thought I'd be a professional photographer. Not that I wouldn't mind selling some of my work for a profit, but I just never thought it would be my career. Even though I'm pretty much self taught, I figured going to school to refine my skills and learn more about photography wouldn't hurt. It's also a good way for me to meet and interact with people in that industry, just to get myself out there.

My biggest thing for me has always been traveling. I want to go everywhere pretty much. There are certain countries and cities that I have a bigger desire to visit for various reasons, maybe I'll go more in depth on that sometime in the future (during July or August when I don't have jack shit to blog about). As a person I would just love to travel to experience the world around me. Whether it's traveling to another state, or to another continent, it's always interested me. As a photographer, I've always wanted to travel to capture the world through my own eyes. So I thought to myself what career would give me this opportunity? With the help of my parents I've realized that being a translator is right up my alley. It would open a lot of doors for me especially if I want to travel. I can speak Spanish fairly well, being that it was the language I took in high school and my dad's side of the family is Spanish. After doing some research, I found out that Japanese and Arabic are two languages that would be really fitting for me. Translators are needed in those areas of the world especially so businesses in the English speaking world can connect with businesses in Japan and Arabic speaking countries. Secondly, those cultures have always fascinated me. I think I've discussed on here before my interest in Middle Eastern/Southern Asian/Asian cultures. After talking to several people familiar in the field, they've told me that Japanese and Arabic translators are what's really needed right now.

I'm still really young but I'm sitting at a point where I have to make a few decisions. I don't want to abandon my photography studies, but I also want to begin my studies in those languages. UB has a great program for Japanese studies and Buff State (where I currently attend) has great programs where I can study at UB for a semester to see if it's the right thing for me. I'm still doing research as where I can take Arabic lessons. I figure I would first focus on my Japanese studies since I know UB offers it and see where it takes me. Registration for classes next semester at Buff State begins next week so I am a little puzzled on which classes I should take and if I should consider starting at UB in the fall. I'm still weighing my options.

So that was my attempt at blogging more about myself since I'll probably be doing that more often once hockey is completely finished around June. Plus it was a good way for me to get that off my chest since it's sort of stressing me out at the moment because I have a few important decisions to make. Anyways, I hope everyone has a good Easter if you celebrate it. I'm not really religious so my family does not really do anything huge. My aunt and uncle are coming over tomorrow for dinner and that's about it. Part of my family on my dad's side is Jewish, so sometimes we'll have a nice dinner at my aunt and uncle's house on Passover. But I skipped out on that this year due to school getting in the way. So if you celebrate Easter, enjoy your family and eat a lot of chocolate bunnies.

The Good Old Hockey Game

Well that was a nice little win! It was a good game to be at. I had a lot of fun. I sat next to a girl from Mississauga, Ontario. She's a Leafs fan but she said that any hockey over the Leafs is better at this point. It was fun to talk to her. But I told her that if I ever bump into her at a Leafs game then we're going to be enemies. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Onto the game...it was great to see Timmy net two for us. I think we all forget how much of an asset he can be for the team when he's healthy. Oh, if only he can stay healthy. It's definitely a frustrating situation, for all parties involved. But it sure was fun seeing him perform well on the ice tonight. I think if he can stay healthy then he will be a huge difference-maker for us. Teppo scored one for us as well but he also took a puck to the face. On WGR 550 they were saying that they've heard that he may have broken a bone in his face and that he'd need surgery...not good. All of a sudden we're pretty thin on the blueline when just a few games ago Lindy was forced to rotate defenseman into the lineup because there just wasn't enough room for everyone. That means Paetsch will get his turn again to be back in the lineup. I know a lot of fans really want to see Weber up here, but that's going to have to wait as he is sidelined with an injury for a few weeks. The third period was pretty nerve-wracking because the whole period was basically spent in our zone. Miller once again stood tall to help secure a victory. It's good that the Sabres seemed to have turned around their troubles at home, winning all 3 of the home games this month. Granted, 3 home games is not a lot, but hey, they did win them all so what's there to complain about? It's crazy to think that their next home game will be on February 4th...

So I was nine rows up from the glass, and there was this really drunk guy up against the glass in my section. It was pretty obvious that he's never sat up against the glass before. He'd always stand up and press his face right up against the glass to try and get someone's attention. Anyone's attention. Whether it was Miller skating around the zone during commercial breaks, the ice cleaners scooping up snow, or the officials waiting for the play to start. He didn't care who it was, he wanted everyone's attention. At one point during a commercial break Jochen Hecht was hanging around near him and the dude kept banging the glass shouting, "JOCHEN!!! JOCHEN!!!" over and over again. It was pretty amusing. My parents were also at the game but they sat in the different section than I. My dad said there was a guy behind him trying to taunt Cam Ward with that typical taunting chant, but he couldn't figure out how to say his name because it was just one syllable. First he was trying to chant, "Waaard" and then he moved onto, "Caaaam". My dad said he then just settled with chanting, "Gooaaaalieeeee". Funny stuff.

So Ryan Miller updated his blog. I like that he's read Night and that he's interested in the Holocaust. One of my favorite books of all-time is All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein. It's a very powerful book and I've had the opportunity to speak with her and listen to her tell her story. She actually lives in Buffalo and I remember in the epilogue of her book she talks about Buffalo and how great the city and the people have been for her and how she's glad she picked it to be the place where she settled down. It was funny because I remember she was like, "My husband and I thought of either Paris or Buffalo, and we decided on Buffalo." And I loved the part in Ryan's blog where he talks about the dumb jock stereotype. Your wit and sarcasm is not lost on me, Ryan. Gotta love it.

So the game tonight was a very good way to spend my Saturday night, to say the least. I took some pictures that I'll have to upload. I'll post the link to my Flickr once I get all the pictures up there. I decided to try and take more pictures than just of the pregame warm-ups. The pregame warm-ups are just, you know...pregame warm-ups. I try to get some nice individual shots of players, since there's not a whole lot of action going on during the warm-ups. I can't get myself to sit and photograph the game, because I want to watch the game, not photograph it. I tried getting some shots of some interesting things between commercial breaks, and I took some pictures of the crowd when we scored...hopefully my eye for capturing the right moment improves the more I attend the games.

Between the huge comeback in Dallas and winning a nice home game that puts us 4 points ahead of the 'Canes, it's good that the Sabres can head on the road on a positive note. They've got another big game on Monday against the Panthers, as they are now clawing up in the standings (lame pun) and they are only two points behind us. It sure makes for some fun (and sometimes nerve-wracking) hockey watching...

If you don't know by now, I'm talkin' 'bout Chi-Town.

Ah, yes. Chicago. A great city. Now complete with a great hockey team. It's hard for me (and probably a lot of Sabres fans agree) to find much to dislike about the Blackhawks. First of all, they're a Western Conference team so that automatically makes it easier for me to like them and wish them success. Second of all, the most obvious reason is because South Buffalo's Pat Kane is on the team and is quickly becoming one of their franchise players. Also, I think they are reminiscent of what the Sabres were coming out of the lockout. They're young and they're proving themselves to be one of the more respected Clubs in the NHL. They've also inspired a healthy fanbase in the Chicago area. Plus, everyone's favorite red-headed defenseman is now with the team (don't worry Soupy, I won't boo you when you come back to HSBC).

What I am trying to say is that I'm pretty excited for tonight's game. It will be a challenge for the team, for sure. But hey, isn't that what sports is all about? I was pretty excited for the Detroit match-up as well, even though I wasn't expecting us to win...but I was surprised for how long they did hang in Ryan Miller hung in there for. Anyways, it will be interesting to see our boys compete against them. Last year when Chicago came to town it was a lot of fun. It was a perfect scenario for us; our hometown boy scores a goal (the only goal for the 'Hawks) but the Sabres still won and I thought it was a pretty entertaining game. All in all, it was a fun game to be at. We were all Sabres fans, but everyone was there to cheer on Kane as well. I wonder how Brian Campbell will perform against his former team for the first time. Like Ryan Miller said, he's going to have to do better than the spin-o-rama.

Speaking of goalies, Lalime will be between the pipes tonight against his former team. Let's see how he does. Everyone knows that Miller has been phenomenal lately, but if we want him to keep that up then he's going to have to get some rest here and there. Plus, it gives us a chance to get Lalime some action so he doesn't end up getting too rusty. Perhaps having him play against his former team will give him some more incentive to play better and show them how he's doing with his new team.

Continuing with the goalie talk, Puck Daddy has a nice write-up on goalies that come up big when their team is shorthanded and everyone's favorite hippie goaltender came up ontop proving that he's a big difference maker during the PK. I also liked what Miller said the other day about goaltending, how he compared it to a golf swing:

“It’s kind of like a golf swing. That’s how I try to explain things to people. You go to the range and you’re thinking about six different things: Where is the weight on this foot, back hinge, the elbow, all this stuff. Goaltending is a lot like that. My stance, my hand positioning, where I am in the crease, how much I challenge, my glove side not being too low or too high, trying to get dialed in. The last few games I’ve felt good… I’m starting to feel more like where I think I need to be.”

It's a nice analogy because it gives people who probably aren't that familiar with being a goaltender better insight into what goes into being a goalie and all the things that you have to think about at once...pretty interesting. In the words of Mr. Lalime, Miller certainley has been a "treat" to watch. In so many different ways, Patrick, in so many different ways...

In more lineup news, it looks like Chris Butler is scratched tonight with Numminen playing, according to The Buffalo News. It seemed as if Numminen was going to be the one scratched since he was paired with Nathan Paetsch the past few practices, but it appears not so. Butler certainly can use the ice time, and I don't think it would hurt to have Teppo sit out a game or two every now and then considering his age, but what do I know.

And now, my dear readers, I leave you with this stroll down memory lane. How can we ever forget this classic? Brian Campbell is forever immortalized in the Greater Buffalo area thanks to YouTube and excessive sweating:



Thanks for the memories, Soupy.

Midnight Ramblings

So it's a little after midnight and I'm writing this blog in an attempt to make me more tired. I've been having an awful time sleeping lately. I didn't fall asleep until a little after 4 am last night. I was very exhausted around 9 tonight and I drank some tea that's supposed to help you fall asleep. We'll see how that works...

Anyways, I just thought I'd weigh in on the recent Sabres news. I'm sure everyone's aware by now that our Captain, Craig Rivet is back. This is great news. He was so impressive in the preseason and in the beginning of the season and I was very excited to have him on our team. Then he had his surgery and it seemed that he toned it down after that. Then he had his problem with his shoulder. I'm betting it's been his injuries that have been keeping him from playing the physical style that he likes to play. Let's hope that he's ready to return to that physical form against Ottawa. The Sabres are 7-3-1 at home with Rivet in the lineup, and they are 3-6-1 at home without him. Very interesting. Maybe having him back will improve our home record, but we really won't know that for sure for a little bit considering the Sabres only have 3 home games this month. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow against Ottawa.

Rivet back also brings up the issue of what to do with Chris Butler. Honestly, I really want to see him stay up with us. Sure he's young and most of the times when you're young you have to wait your turn to stay in the NHL for good, but I believe we are a better team with him in the lineup. You do whatever you have to do to win, and if that means keeping Butler up here with us and scratching and/or waiving certain players in order to do that, then so be it. Some people have suggested that we waive Paetsch and make Numminen our 7th D-man. With Numminen's age, it might serve him well to have him sit out for a few games to take a breather. He'd also be there to help mentor Butler, as Chris has already stated that Numminen has been great in that department for him. It's a tad convenient that Numminen is "sick" right now so the Sabres don't have to send Butler down, don't you think?

Now moving onto the "problem children" on the team. As far as Connolly goes, I don't really know what to say. I want him to be healthy. I want him in the lineup. But we've been dealing with his injuries for what, 3 years now? I guess I'll believe that Connolly is healthy when I see it. Then there's Afinogenov. Max, Max, Max. I feel for this guy, I really do. He's already had enough problems in his game and now he's dealing with a groin injury that Ruff said is probably a long term thing. I just feel sorry for him because he really tries hard. The effort is there, but he can't seem to catch a break. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for him.

So, answer me this...which fight is more embarrassing? Sid's or Semin's? It's a tough call. One can say Crosby's is because of how he initiated it. A guy's head is down, and he's in a vulnerable position and he just pulls his jersey over his head and starts throwing "punches". Nice. Now I know Sidney isn't a fighter, but shit, even I know "The Code" well enough. You let the player drop the gloves and square off first, ya fool. Oh, and take your visor off. But on the other hand, one can say that Semin's is more embarrassing because....well, just watch the video. I think I saw a toddler in Toys R Us do the same exact thing when his mommy wouldn't let him get a toy. Actually, come to think of it...at the Buffalo Zoo the other day a chimp went crazy and did the same exact thing when another monkey took his banana. Hmmm. Maybe Semin was just practicing his bongo technique? Move over, Jack Costanzo.

I know my last post was full of funny search queries, but today I came across this gem when I was pursuing Google Analytics:

"recent photos of sabres goaltender ryan miller with facial hair"

Gotta love it. It just warms my heart knowing there's people out there who appreciate Ryan Miller's facial hair as much as I do. :')

I've got the Blues

Can I start off by saying that right now I'm pretty stressed out. I have a paper due tomorrow that I haven't begun, and I know I won't write it because I'm not prepared to answer the question. So it's stressing me out knowing that I'm going to turn it in late. I'm also bothered because my right knee is acting all wonky and busted. I don't know what I did but I pulled a muscle behind my knee and around my groin. I am walking so wonky right now you wouldn't believe! I didn't go to class today because of all the walking I would have to endure and I thought giving the knee a day off wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I should give old Timmy Connolly a call and ask him how to cope with these injuries. Oh, he's too busy nursing his bruised chest back to health? Rats...

Onto happier things...it only took thirteen years, but the Sabres have finally beaten the St. Louis Blues on home ice! Atta boys! Oh, and Hank's goal celebration was so awesome, that Sabres TV decided to post it and everything for your viewing pleasure. And this little tid bit from Sabres.com is just priceless:

The Sabres enjoyed a laugh at the expense of defenseman Henrik Tallinder following practice.

As players entered the locker room, a video of the blueliner’s goal looped to Chubby Checker’s version of “The Twist.”

Hahaha. Thumbs up to whoever made that video. Awesome.


Go ahead, Hank!

Kudos to Andrew Peters last night. Two fights in one period? Excellent. Overall, it was great seeing the Sabres score three goals in a row like that (Sorry, Manny), but then they sort of sat back on their early lead and kept letting the Blues creep in instead of closing the door altogether. But then I thought they settled down and earned two points. Great. Not too much to complain about when your team earns two points.

Oh and what's going on in voting land, Sabres fans? Are you all voted out after that crazy election we had a few weeks ago? Maybe that explains why the Canadiens are owning in every category in the East. No, that's probably because Habs fans can be a little batshit crazy sometimes. But what's up with poor Ryan Miller being the only Sabre representing us right now. No Vanek? No Teppo? No...er, Roy? Okay, maybe that's a given. Ryan is only hanging in there as it is, vote his skinny ass into the All-Star game! In all honesty, I don't really care about the All-Star game. It's a little....how do I put it? Boring Lackluster. But it's still fun seeing our boys there. I won't cry myself to sleep if Ryan Miller or Teppo Numminen aren't voted into the All-Star game but hey, it would be fun seeing them there proudly representing the blue and gold. So stop being lazy and get on that annoying, lagging voting website and DO THE RIGHT THING.