A fan's reaction to the season

I'm going to take you on a journey of my emotions toward the Sabres thus far...in .gif form.

When the Sabres first started to suck, I tried to take it in stride and not take it too seriously, because I didn't like the bad feeling this team was causing. I basically pretended like it was something we would all look back on one day and laugh. I mean, all the injuries? Have you seen our line combinations? COME ON. Now that's comedy gold right there. I'm pretty sure with all of our callups, the average age of the roster is probably around 15-years-old.



It's not that I enjoyed how bad they were, but I just tried to make it as fun as possible because I was sick and tired of feeling depressed over the team's ineptitude.

Then...well. They kept playing bad. And it was kind of bumming me out. As much as I tried to make it "fun", it just wasn't fun. I wasn't enjoying the games. For the first time in...hell, since I've been a fan, I wasn't looking forward to games. I was almost dreading the next Sabres game. The Sabres were bad and I felt bad.


So not fun anymore.

After the sadness set in, well, it was anger and confusion. I mean, why, Sabres? WHY? What is wrong with you? What is going on? It's not funny, it's not cute, and it's not enjoyable. Stop being so bad when you are very capable of being very good. I'm at a loss for words.



So after taking this "rut", if you can call it that, in stride, in complete sadness, and finally in anger... There's not many emotions left.

So right now I just sort of feel...numb. Of course I still love the Sabres and always will, but this lackadaisical play has rubbed off on me. I don't dread the games anymore but I certainly don't look forward to them. I've gotten bored of trying to analyze each and every situation, think of what the Sabres' next move should be, and what exactly is wrong with this team. It all just seems exhausting.




Your move, Sabres.

For Your Consideration

For those of you on Twitter (and those of you who aren't, I highly recommend joining. Especially now that Ted Black is going to be taking over the Sabres handle from time to time), I just wanted to bring to your attention the fabulous Twitter feed that is Ilya Bryzgalov's. No, he isn't a Sabre...he's actually a Flyer (gross, I know), but his entire Twitter feed is full of gems.

If you're not too familiar with Bryzgalov's personality, please watch this video of him explaining his hockey mask from when he was with the Ducks.


fast forward to about 1 minute into the video

Anyways, back to the main reason of this post, his Twitter page! There's something so endearing about his lack of comprehension of the English language and all of its tricky grammar, but his personality seems to shine through better with his rough translations.

Allow me to post some of my favorite tweets he's made over the past few weeks:

He's taking in the culture of his new city, Philadelphia!












He's a fan of Pumba from the Lion King, I mean who isn't!








...I don't know



So if you aren't already, please consider following Ilya Bryzgalov...he may be my favorite person on Twitter.

P.S. - How funny is it that Derek Roy's Twitter feed is basically full of every single stereotype/assumption that Sabres fans have made over the years about Derek's personality? If the account hadn't been verified by the Sabres themselves, I would have been convinced that it was another parody account. Brilliant.

The Boys Are Back in Town

Well, well, well.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything meaningful related to hockey, and I don't know if this post will exactly be meaningful, but I decided I need to write to get the gears going.

It's mid-September and the days are getting shorter and there is a certain crisp smell in the air that's letting us all know that Autumn is arriving shortly HOCKEY IS BACK!!!! Well, almost. Practically!

Our young prospects are already scrimmaging, and our vets and regulars have been slowly making their way back to town and practicing informally at the Northtown Center. Before you know it we're all going to be donning our blue and gold and shelling out $8 for a beer while cheering (or lambasting) our favorite guys. I can hardly wait!

There's a lot for Sabres fans to look forward to; It will be the first full season that Terry Pegula & Co. will be in complete control, we've made a whole bunch of moves in the offseason, two of our core players will be ready to go, and the team will be taking a fun Euro trip and kicking off the season overseas!

Lots of fun to be had.

The arena is also undergoing a lot of changes, with the brand new locker room, the de-slugging, and the new paint job. But most notably, there will be a name change. It's now called the First Niagara Center, which is now lovingly referred to by fans as the F'N Center. Brilliant.

Although I do have to say that I was a little ticked about the name change, because it makes my header for my blog (which I'm quite partial to) now outdated. At first I thought that I'd have to search for a new header, but then I remembered that I'm really good in Photoshop and with a few clicks of a mouse I can make my current header now up-to-date with the new arena name! Perfect! God bless technology, am I right?

So here it is, the new Hockey Night in Buffalo header! All snazzy and current with the times!


woooooooo!!!

Bring on the 2011-2012 season!!!

Accio Blog Post!

Hello everyone! I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted, especially during such an exciting time in hockey! I apologize, July has been a crazy month for me and I didn't put aside any time to sit down and write. So let's see what I can say...

July has been a busy month for me, consisting of working a lot and trying to take advantage of the amazing sunny weather that we had for essentially the whole month. Between the free music concerts and food festivals and the beautiful weather, I was out a lot trying to get in as much fun as I could because I know how quickly summer slips away.

But the main reason I haven't been updating probably has to be Harry Potter! I don't know if I've ever mentioned Harry Potter on here before, but I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I never really realized how big Harry Potter was in my life until I looked back after the series was complete. I started reading Harry Potter in elementary school. I grew up with the characters and I felt like I was with them on every step of their journey. As a kid I enjoyed the fantasy and the action-packed adventures, but it wasn't until I got older that I realized the major themes behind the series and how great and complex the characters are and it really amazes me how talented and creative JK Rowling is as a writer and story teller.

The final movie was released July 15th, and you bet I was at the midnight premiere! I thought the movies always did a fantastic job at capturing the true essence of the books, and while the books will always be the best, the movies are really special and I'm so glad and grateful that they were made the way they were and with the actors that played the characters.

Watching the movie was really emotional for me because it was the end of an era, but I was really pleased with it... Especially during Snape's memories! Without giving too much away, Snape is easily the most complex and interesting character of the series and there is a chapter in the last book that basically sums up everything the reader needs to know about Snape, and the movie did a great job with that scene.

Snape is my favorite character of the series, so naturally this was me at the midnight premiere during Snape's memories:



So in a nutshell, that's why this blog has been vacant for the past month. But I haven't put hockey on the back burner completely! I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. I was checking Twitter on my computer and on my phone pretty much nonstop on July 1st, and what a fun day that was... I found it extremely amusing that Sabres fans were in the position to complain and worry about the team spending too close to the cap. Oh how things have changed! Between all the activity and the misfortunate (but hilarious) butt tweet sent out by Jessie Pegula, it was the best free agency day yet! Well, in recent memory at least.

I'm excited about our new additions especially at the blue line, and I'm glad that we've retained key players, especially Enroth. I can't wait to see the tandem that will form between him and Miller.

It feels good to post again, I promise I won't go MIA like that again...now that I'm controlling my Post-Potter Depression, and with hockey looming around the corner, I think I'll be in the right frame of mind again. Hopefully Pottermore doesn't detract me too much...

Mischief managed!

Steadfast at the Empire State Games

Hey guys... I know this is short notice but I figured I'd share anyways. Ryan Miller's father Dean and brother Bryce are in town for the Empire State Games to raise some money for The Steadfast Foundation. They have a booth at the Pepsi Center where they are selling autographed Ryan Miller items for very reasonable prices. You can also go and see a continuous loop of Ryan on his webcam talking about MYESPN Highlights over and over and over. (Hey kids, it's Ryan Miller...)

Anyways, I went yesterday to help sell the items and I had a great time helping out and spending time with Dean and Bryce who were very nice and friendly as always!

They are going to be here today (Saturday) and Sunday from around 10 am - 7pm I believe at the Pepsi Center. So be sure to stop by if you're in the Amherst area!


Bryce and I at the boooooooth!

Things That Are Funny

So I was browsing through my blog the other day, and I was looking through all of my tags that I have used over the year or so that I've had this blog... It came to no surprise to see what tag I have used the most on here, I just didn't realized I used it so much. Let's take a look...

• Ryan Miller (112)

112 times... Good god. I've tagged my posts with "Ryan Miller" 112 times? I should probably be embarrassed (I'm not). Well, it's safe to say that the tag "Ryan Miller" leads the list by far, but for fun I decided to see what tag do I use the second most...

• About Me (42)

So, let's get this straight. The two things I talk about the most on this blog is Ryan Miller and myself? Yeah, makes sense.

Also, this is another thing that is funny. Enjoy!

Word.

Today was especially cold, and with winds whipping in your face along with snow, it didn't make for ideal outdoor walking conditions. But needless to say, I did a whole lot of outdoor walking today seeing as though my day was packed full of classes. To add insult to injury, the parking accomodations at Buff State are pathetically atrocious. Many times I have described the parking situations as "a joke", but I think I'm going to refrain from using that expression from now on considering it's so bad that it's not even a laughing matter anymore. Sometimes I get so enraged about it that I'm convinced that it's the last day that I'm going to put up with this shit and I'm just going to drop out of this god forsaken school and tell everyone over at Parking Services (who have the audacity to charge me $70 a year for the "privilege" of having to put up with this bullshit and then they go out and hand out bogus parking tickets every chance they can) to collectively go fuck themselves. But then I calm down and come back down to reality and go about my day.

So after I walked from my car that was parked in a sketchy factory's parking lot in the West Side, I was in Buff State's Study Quad trying to regain the feeling in my fingers and in my face again. I decided to pursue Google Analytics to see the recent activity that has taken place on my blog over the past few weeks, when I stumbled across this gem while looking at the top search queries:

"holy shit buffalo is cold"

Just about sums it up, I'd say. Seems pretty fitting that today would be so bitter cold considering it's the 33rd anniversary of the Blizzard of '77. Looks like Old Man Winter just wanted to pay homeage to that infamous storm.

And just so everyone's clear: Over the past few seasons, Rick Jeanneret has taken a vacation that usually takes place during the team's West coast trip, which is why he hasn't been calling the games lately. I've been getting a ton of hits from people who have searched for that, so there...that's your answer. I'm also still getting a lot of search queries that have to do with Ryan Miller being Jesus. Hey, I've never been the one to make comparisons here...but if the shoe sandal skate fits. Someone searched, "ryan jesus miller". I'm pretty positive that's not his middle name, but if he were to ever change it to that, let's just say I'd fully endorse his decision. Just saying.

This Is Why I'm Hot

Before I get into real hockey stuff... I have a story to tell!

Today it was like a Sabres get together at work today, I swear... First Andrej Sekera came in, then Drew Stafford and Clarke MacArthur came in, and finally Nathan Paetsch stopped in. Anyways, my manager had two tickets to a special pre-screening of the movie The Lovely Bones, and she asked me if I wanted them. She told me that if I got 15 people to sign up for our loyalty card, she'd give me the tickets... So when Stafford and MacArthur came in, I told them the deal and asked if they could help a sister out... and Stafford was like, "Yeah I'll help you out!" We were also talking about what would happen if I gave them free tickets and MacArthur was like, "I don't want to get you fired!" and I was like, "Yeah I'll give you free tickets and then the next time you're going to come in with the whole team and I'll have to give everyone free tickets." So they signed up for the loyalty card (and I got 15 people, so I got the tickets...yay!), and that was that. Then a few minutes later Paetsch came in. A few hours later I was working and I look up and there's some guy frantically waving at me while he's walking out the door...and it was Drew Stafford. Gotta love it.

Anywayssss... I wasn't able to watch the WJC gold medal came tonight, but I have to say how stoked I am for Team USA's upset over Team Canada. Mostly because I'm American, but also because upsets are always fun...being a Buffalonian I'm just always partial to the underdogs. Got me all excited for the Olympics in February... Team USA would definitely be considered the underdogs, but when you have a hot goaltender you never know what can happen. And Team USA definitely has that... Speaking of which, it looks like Ron Wilson wants to ride the one hot goalie during the Games. Wonder which goalie it will be... Gotta love the old school picture of Miller they used in that article. Ahh, simplier days!

Well I hope you enjoyed my story. I'm going to the game tomorrow so I'm pretty excited about that. Right now I'm just enjoying some Late Night and eating a waffle for dinner. Yes, I eat dinner at 1 am and it also happens to be a waffle... I'm classy like that.

A Very Sabres Christmas

Someone had this idea on this Sabres fan message board that I post on, and I thought it was a pretty fun idea. It's a game where you decide what each Sabre should ask/want for Christmas... What better people to suggest what each player wants for Christmas than their beloved fans, clearly we know these men inside and out and what's best for them. Hopefully each and every Sabre reads this in time incase they need to make any last minute revisions to their Christmas lists in order to ensure that they get everything that they want this year for Christmas.

Anyways, let's get to it...

Hi, I'm Derek Roy and all I want for Christmas is fashion sense.

Hi, I'm Patrick Lalime and all I want for Christmas is a seat cushion.

Hi, I'm Tyler Myers and all I want for Christmas is some extra poundage.

Hi, I'm Paul Gaustad and all I want for Christmas is a roster spot on Team USA's Olympic squad...and some more energy saving tips.

Hi, I'm Jason Pominville and all I want for Christmas is a stick that doesn't break. Definitely.

Hi, I'm Nathan Paetsch and all I want for Christmas is a defenseman shortage.

Hi, I'm Toni Lydman and all I want for Christmas is to score more flukey goals on fellow Finns.

Hi, I'm Steve Montador and all I want for Christmas is for people to stop referring to me as "El Matador".

Hi, I'm Drew Stafford and all I want for Christmas Festivus is to hit a wide open net.

Hi, I'm Patrick Kaleta and all I want for Christmas is no more trips to the neurologist.

Hi, I'm Darcy Regier and all I want for Christmas is a fax machine.

And lastly...

Hi, I'm Ryan Miller and all I want for Christmas is Scott Gomez's throat slashed.

Feel free to add your own! And Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Back to Buff

So I'm back from my little rendezvous in NYC, which was a lot of fun. I had a great time and it was nice to get a little break from my normal, every day life and just have a little getaway with my cousins. It came from the expense of missing THREE Sabres games in a row. Three whole games. I really can't remember the last time I missed three games in a row. Due to work and other commitments, I have missed a game here and there, and most of the times I watch it on DVR, or I just don't get around to it. But three games? In a row? Preposterous.

Fortunately, my parents and my younger brother were sending me text updates for all the games so at least I was "in the know". It was sort of frustrating though when my dad would text me things like, "Rivet and Gaustad are both injured." or, "Miller is playing SPECTACULAR!" and I wasn't there to see all of the buzz. But I can't complain too much, because I was having a great time in NYC while all this was happening, so I guess some sacrifices had to be made.

I also saw a Sabres fan in SoHo (not the bar on Chippewa, the neighborhood in downtown Manhatten), while the Sabres were taking on the Flyers. He was wearing a New Era Sabres cap and I shouted, "Go Sabres!" to him and gave him a high five...it was pretty awesome.

So now that I'm home I'm trying to get caught up on all the buzz that I missed when I was gone... apparently we're not worthy of Ryan Miller, Tiger Woods lately has a problem with his driving (but not his putting, a-thank you...), and a couple decided to crash a party at the White House... am I missing anything?

Glad the Sabres play tonight so I can get right back on track and watch them again.

My Blog is a Year Old Today!

One year ago today, I decided to join the blogosphere! It really doesn't feel like a year, but you know how much time flies when you're blogging about your favorite sports team.

My very first post was me introducing myself of course, and I also told my story about how my favorite wonky eyebrowed goalie cut ahead of me and accidently took my roast turkey sandwich...but I let it slide. He was on a bro date with Andrew Peters...who knew that a year later those two would be playing against each other now that Petey is a Devil (ETA: except Petey will only be on the ice in spirit, as I have just discovered he is a scratch tonight). And who knew that I'd still be blogging about it.

I don't really want to get all sentimental here, but I just want to say that I appreciate all the people who read my blog. I never really thought I'd have a "following", I just figured it would be fun to give blogging a shot since I enjoy reading so many. But I love when people leave me comments or send me e-mails telling me that they like reading what I have to say. So here's to many more years of me blogging about (hopefully) successful Sabres' seasons!

...

Steadfast Foundation's website put up a link of some of the neat auction items that will be featured at this year's Catwalk for Charity. I think I'm partial to the one that has Ryan Miller and Paul Gaustad playing bartenders to a private party at the bar Aroma for TWO Happy Hours...I can only imagine the fun that will arise from that. The one where you can have one-on-one photoshoot with Ryan in his crease is pretty fancyyyyy too.... They always have the coolest auction items. What are your favorites?

I can't believe that Catwalk is pratically a week away...I'm pretty stoked but I just keep forgetting that it's so close! Usually I have a few months to build up anticipation, but it's just around the corner! I already have my dress, which I should post on here because I LOVE IT. I keep trying it on just because I love it so much.

Hypocrisy At Its Finest

I should probably make an update about the Sabres game last night, considering this is a blog about the Buffalo Sabres and for the past few months I've been blogging about how I'm SO EXCITED for the season to start. I would probably mention how despite the overtime loss, I was pretty impressed with what I saw from the team. I would talk about how I thought Tyler Myers looked really good and I can't wait to see him in upcoming games. I would probably say that I was liking the way the Sabres seemed to be not putting up with any bullshit from the other team, and it seemed as though they were getting under the Habs' skin a lot... I would also comment on how I thought it was pretty shitty that we lost the game due to a sketchy goal and an unfortunate bounce, and how those flukey plays seem to be all too familiar for Sabres fans...

BUT that's not what this post is about at all. There are more pressing issues at hand. Guess what I did? I got a Twitter! Which means I am just a big hypocrite. I know I've at least mentioned it a few times on here how I thought that Twitter was a completely pointless sight and I just didn't "get it"...well, due to peer pressure I am now on Twitter. And to be honest...I still don't get it. All of these @'s, #'s, and RT's are confusing the hell out of me ok. But if you feel like you can bear with me being such a Twitter rookie, and you might actually be interested on what the hell is on my mind at any given moment, you should probably "follow" me. I've already added some of my favorite bloggers on there, so if a random person called "fly_as_hale" has recently added you on Twitter, that is moi. I'm not sure what's going to come out of my brand new Twitter account...seeing as I rarely update my status on Facebook, I've always assumed that if I ever had a Twitter account that it would be awfully neglected. Or, I might be one of those people who updates their Twitter accounts every 5 minutes... Let's all hope that it doesn't turn out to be the latter. I've also been known for being spontaneous at times, so maybe in a weeks time my Twitter account won't even exist and we can all forget that this ever happened. So for all of you Twittering folks out there, how about you recommend me some good Twitter accounts to follow? Both of the celebrity and non-celebrity variety.

And so, the Twitter experiement begins...

Oh, and can you guys believe that we have to wait until Thursday until the next Sabres game?! (Was that something that I should have said on my Twitter?)

Story Time!

Yay, I can update this thing with semi-hockey related material! It's not really that exciting of a story, but look on the bright side...training camp is just around the corner and then I'll be able to update with things that are actually worth discussing.

Anyways, so today at work there's a guy in my line that looks REALLY familiar. You know how sometimes you see a person that looks vaguely familiar, and you just shrug it off and assume that you've just seen them around town or maybe at a few parties or something along those lines? And then you see someone who looks so familiar that it's the same feeling you get when you're watching a movie and there's an actor/actress in it that you know you've seen in another movie before, but you just can't remember who it is and it drives you nuts. Well, that's the feeling I got when I saw this guy. So while I was taking care of him, I said, "You look really familiar..." and he replies, "Oh...I don't know." and I just repeated myself and said, "Yeah you look REALLY familiar, where do I know you from?" and he still played coy and said, "I don't know where you would know me from." I sort of wanted to be like, "Seriously, who the fuck are you?" but you know...that would have been inappropriate. So then being the observant person that I am, I noticed that he was wearing a Boston College hockey cap. THEN IT CLICKED. It was our dear little Nathan Gerbe. Awww, how could I have not recognized the little guy. Later I realized I could have just looked at the name on his credit card and I wouldn't have had to play the, "Do I know you?" game but I didn't think of it at the time because really, who looks at people's names on their card? It sort of made me wonder what would happen if a more prominent Sabre like Ryan Miller would do the same thing if someone told him he looked familiar. Would he be coy and say, "Hmm....I don't know." or would he be all, "Oh ya well I'm ~*~za goalie~*~ for the Sabres." Although I'm sure nowadays he doesn't have that issue in Buffalo very often. I think people who don't even know what a hockey puck looks like still knows who Ryan Miller is.

So that's my story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm sort of glad that happened today because it gave me an excuse to update my blog with something that was sort of related to hockey so it just wasn't an update consisting of me saying, "Holy shit, holy shit I start class tomorrow." But while we're on the subject...

Holy shit, holy shit...I start class tomorrow! I'm sort of excited. Although I haven't purchased my books yet, so I'm sure my enthusiasm will go down a tad once I have to drop a couple hundred on those lovely text books. I usually go to the first few classes and get a feel for the course and the professor. Sometimes I can tell that it's a class that I can ride out without having to buy the book, and other times it's just one of those classes where you really do have to buy the book. I just hate spending so much money on books, when sometimes you don't even read them or you just read a section or two. But I'm pretty excited for the courses that I'm taking and I'm looking forward to catching up with all of my friends who are from out of town. One thing I'm not looking foward to is getting up early because I have early AM classes every day. But it will also be a good thing because then it gives me a reason to wake up early so I don't sleep in till 11 AM. I always feel like a bum when I sleep in that late.

So now that summer is coming to a close, I can say that I really enjoyed it. I traveled around a bit and I FINALLY got to see my all-time favorite band No Doubt after all these years. I also saw a bunch of other great bands at Lollapalooza like King of Leon & the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...and a whole bunch of others but I can't think of them all at the moment. I also spent some time boating on the lake which is one of my favorite things to do and just relaxed with my family and friends. And of course I worked a whole lot. So it was a pretty nice summer but I think it did go by a little too fast...but it usually does. I have a lot of pictures to upload because my camera went all Jesus on me and came back to life after being dead for a few days. It's still acting a little wonky, but hey at least it's not completely busted. But I seemed to have misplaced the cord to connect it to my computer to upload pictures...go figure.

But I'm welcoming the fall with open arms because I think it's such a beautiful season and I love fall fashion! I always get so excited when I get to go shopping for fall clothes. Halloween is also a fun holiday so I'm excited for that...I think I'm going to be a pin-up girl. I always say that I'm going to be one but then I think of something that I want to be more. And of course fall means hockey season...which is definitely the main reason why I love the fall. There's always so much excitement in the air once hockey rolls around. First it's training camp, then it's preseason, then it's the real deal and you're on one hell of a ride until April. I can't wait. Training camp begins September 12th...

Love/Hate Relationship

Over the years, there are certain things you notice when watching hockey either on TV or when you're at the game. Some of these things can be noted at any sporting event, while others are only found in hockey. I've compiled a list of things that really bother me while watching hockey and also a list of things that I love to see while watching the sport.

Most of the things aren't necessarily about the sport itself, but more the things that go along with watching the sport from a fan's perspective. I've left out the fairly obvious things that go without saying (sick saves/goals, seeing my team win, bad officiating, seeing my team lose, etc. etc.). Feel free to add your own.


Things I Hate:

- Airhorns...the ones that are supposed to encourage the fans to chant their team's cheer. It seems in Calgary its airhorn is played for literally the entire game. I can't stand it.

- Pink jerseys...they're stupid.

- Unnecessary long goal horns. The one in Pittsburgh always seems to last way too long.

- People banging on the glass. Probably my biggest annoyance. People look like morons when they do it. Are they for real trying to get the player off his game? Do you really think Chris Pronger is going to turn around and say, "Can you please refrain from banging on the glass? It's really bothering me, thanks." The players probably can't even hear it.

- People turning around and standing up to wave at the camera when the play is near their seat. Congratulations, you're on TV.

- That blonde chick from Versus interviewing players/coaches on the bench during play.

- Fans at games who don't know what the hell they are talking about.

- Chanting a goalie's name. I've never been a big fan of it at all. I find it classless. Even when Sabres fans would get all over Emery, I still didn't enjoy it.

- Fans who boo obvious calls against their team. Sometimes it's habitual to boo a call in hockey, but when it's a blatant call, then just deal with it.

- Maple Leafs fans

- The Rangers' goal song.

- Zombie Nation.

- Fans who actually believe they can play better hockey than some of the players on the ice. Yeah, keep telling yourself that. While those "bums" are competiting in the NHL you'll be sitting in your cubicle at your 9-5 job playing armchair GM for your fantasy hockey team.

- The Hockey Night in Canada theme song on TSN. It just doesn't seem right for it to be on TSN now. At least we can still hear it and it's not gone from television forever, but it's still strange.


Things I Love:

- The Hockey Night in Canada theme song played on Hockey Night in Canada.

- The sounds of hockey. The sounds of the puck hitting the stick, the sounds of the players skating, the sounds of a pad save, the sounds of the puck going off the post, the sounds of the buzzer (a real buzzer...like the one at MSG).

- Playoff beards!

- Snarky and sassy post-game interviews.

- The organ...classic.

- The sight of fans trying to get Sabretooth (or any other mascot in a different arena) to launch the free XXL t-shirts in their section.

- Sloppy drunk fans.

- Don Cherry's suits.

- Thick accents and broken English.

- The unique names.

- Picking up on some of the player's superstitions and quirks.

- Goalie fights.

- When players chip pucks over the glass for young fans.

- Players who almost always touch young fans' hands when they are entering/exiting their tunnel.

- Sweet Caroline.

- The Sedin Twins' coordinating facial hair.


***

I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of at the moment. I don't really want to go in depth about the playoffs, but seriously, how crazy are they right now? It only seems fitting that the Caps-Pens series is going to 7 games, it's just one hell of a match-up. Both Crosby and Ovechkin are showing why they're considered the best players in the league right now. The Canucks-'Hawks game was a doozy. I don't think anyone anticipated the crazy 3rd period. I think a lot of fans are a little surprised and definitely disappointed in Luongo's performance. I understand that many fans are very frustrated and pissed off, that certainly wasn't what they expected out of their franchise goaltender (and captain). But a series does not define a goaltender, and I think once people calm down they will realize the type of goaltender that Luongo really is. And of course I have mention our hometown boy, Pat Kane getting himself a hat trick to seal the win for the 'Hawks. Congratulations to him.

I'm sure everyone is already aware that the Sabres inked defenseman Tyler Myers to a 3-year entry level deal. Awesome. I've been casually keeping track of his play in Kelowna, and he's got a very promising future ahead and it's nice to see him take one step closer to the Sabres by signing this deal. The picture of him standing next to the Sabres Brass on Draft Day reminds me of the time when I saw the tallest guy I've ever seen in person at the Galleria last year. The dude had to be at least 7'6. I'm not exaggerating either.

Today I had a history final early in the morning (by early I mean 7:40 AM...yikes.) and now I am finished with school! Hellooooo, summer. Lookin' good.

Playoff Beard Appreciation

The end of the semester is so close I can pratically taste it. Whatever the taste of summer actually tastes like, I don't know! But I imagine it's very sweet and satisfying. Today was officially my last day of classes and tomorrow all I have to do is turn in a portfolio and next Tuesday I have a final and I am finito with college until the end of August when the fall semester rolls around. The final weeks of a semester are usually pretty hectic, so that's why I've been pretty absent from the blogosphere lately. I've been busy being a college student and all that goes along with it. Writing papers, lots of reading, and drinking to oblivion studying. But without further ado, I'd like to talk about something that I feel very strongly about but have not yet discussed on here...

And that is the tradition of the playoff beard. If you follow my blog you may have gathered that I like a man who knows how to sport some good facial hair. It's like it's a man's way of saying, "Hey ladies, I'm a man and here I am." It's enough to make any girl swoon, am I right ladies? Actually I know a good handful of chicks who really don't dig facial hair at all. "It's too rough!" "It hurts when you kiss me!" blah blah blah. Come on girls...embrace the wonders of good facial hair on a man. Of course, I can only appreciate a beard on a man if it's done right. Some guys just look down right ridiculous with some scruff. It's almost embarrassing. It's like they're trying to prove their manhood but it only hurts it more than enhancing it. What a shame. So the idea combining this wonderful display scruff and facial hair to the game of hockey is a win-win situation in my eyes. Some of our favorite players are completely transformed and you can barely recognize them. Sometimes it works in their favor, and some players that you never really thought were attractive in the regular season all of a sudden become a fox. And then sometimes it works against the players, and a player that you thought was a man can't even grow a proper beard. I immediately lose all respect for a hockey player when I see a pathetic beard upon his face. Forget the hockey skills, if you can't grow a beard then you're useless in my eyes. Okay, just kidding. But you have to admit it's fun to laugh at the poor souls who are desperately trying to partake in the tradition but can't seem to get past that awkward scruffy stage.

Some of my favorite playoff bears have to be Scott Niedermayer and Brian Campbell. Scott's beard makes him look like a crazed serial killer who has been on the lam for the past several months and has found a new home with the wolves and grizzly bears. Awesome. And then there's our dear friend Soupy. I love gingers. Is that a derogatory term? Because I don't mean it to be at all. So when I see Brian Campbell with a fiery red beard, it just makes me smile. 'Atta boy, Brian. What a man.


He might eat your kids.

Then there's the downright embarrassing playoff beards. I cannot go without mentioned Sidney Crosby. Poor Sid the Kid. He's got a reputation of being a bit immature and someone who likes to whine...and having a "beard" that resembles the pathetic mustaches that boys in junior high to try grow doesn't really help him break that reputation. Nor does bitching about how many hats were thrown onto the ice after Ovechkin's hat trick but that's neither here nor there. Another "honorable" mention is Daniel Briere. I like Danny, but I always thought that he looked like he was permanently stuck with the face of a 14-year-old. So I guess it makes sense that his beard is rather feeble.


"I hate when fans throw hats onto the ice after their franchise player scores his first career playoff hat trick!"

Then there are players like Zetterberg who likes to rock the beard all season long. He doesn't need to wait for the playoffs to come around before he lets the magic grow. That's my kind of man. It seems to suit him very well, wouldn't you say? Another beard that suits its owner is Ovechkin...it seems to enhance his whole, "I'm a crazy caveman" look, don't you think? Of course I can't go without mentioning my homeboy, Ryan Miller. Now his playoff beard is Badass with a capital "B" because it makes him look like Jesus. Now you earn extra points in my book if your facial hair makes you look like a mad earthy hippy...or Jesus. Is there really a difference between the two? Not really. Remember when he had long hair, the dude pratically looked like the second coming in goalie equipment. It was extra awesome because he was playing out of his mind too. It wouldn't really have had the same effect if he sucked, you know? "Yeah, he looks like Jesus and all...but he sucks." Fortunately for Ryan and Sabres fans everywhere, that wasn't the case. Then Ryan tries to act all humble and he's all, "I'm not a martyr, okay?" Sorry, but it's pretty hard to back up that claim looking and playing the way you do, Ryan. Just embrace it.


Aww yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about.

Towards the end of the season, Ryan had a significant beard...it's almost as if he was hoping it would bring the team some extra luck in getting into the playoffs (or he was just being lazy and didn't feel like shaving...you be the judge). Poor Ryan hung onto the beard until the bitter end, as I noticed he still had it during the Bruins game even though the Sabres were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Maybe having the beard made him feel better. He was ~pretending~ that they were in the playoffs.

So I'm aware that this post had a satirical and nonsensical tone, but all in all I really do love the playoff beard tradition and it's great to see all the player's transformations during such an exciting time. It's also fun to see the fans partake in the tradition and grow beards in support of their team. Unfortunately I am incapable of growing a beard (sad, right?), but I do show my love for the tradition and the playoffs by rocking my awesome God Bless Playoff Beards t-shirt. Sadly I haven't been able to wear it for two years due to a certain team failing to make the playoffs...so let's hope that changes next season. If anything, let me be able to wear my awesome t-shirt again, alright Sabres?

So I hope everyone is enjoying all the facial hair and exciting hockey that is currently underway. As I hoped, the Anaheim-Detroit series is an exciting one and I'm really loving the match-up. I haven't watched much of the Carolina-Boston series but it's turning into a real interesting series now that Boston is trailing. It certainly will be fun to see how both Detroit and Boston react to being behind in their series after sweeping their previous opponents.

Mystery Solved?

So the other night I posted that now infamous video of Rob Ray reacting to something off camera while Ryan Miller is being interviewed. The video has been reposted on various Sabres blogs and even on Puck Daddy so I'm sure you've seen it by now. But like the most of you I'm sure, I can watch it over and over again and still get a kick out of it. So while I was watching it for the 27th time, I pursued the comments on YouTube and came across this comment:

I was listing to the morning show on WGR, and this came up. Howard Simon talked to Rob, and he said that the Candian Media was pushing and shoving; trying to get to the front. So apparrently he's doing this to the media

Hmm...could that be it? I can see why the Canadian media would be extra pushy considering it was Miller's first game back after being sidelined with an injury, so they would want to interview him...but it's a little disappointing to be honest. I was really hoping it was something more funny like him seeing a naked player out in the open in front of all the cameras and the reporters. I can see it. The player (you can decide which player it is) is all, "Screw it...I'm taking a shower." and he just strips naked and strolls to the showers disregarding the media that's swarming the locker room. Hey, if you're going to walk into a locker room full of sweaty guys undressing, you're just going to have to deal with the "consequences" (and by "consequences" I mean being surrounded by naked professional athletes). I'm sure Rayzor has seen a naked hockey player or two in his day, but not when there's a room full of cameras and reporters. Rob probably just wants to keep the true source of his shock a secret, so he came up with that lame "the Canadian media was being mean and pushing everybody" excuse to quiet all of us who are curious. I'm sure when the media gets too crazy in the locker room, Rayzor wouldn't mind stepping in and policing those folks.

Ah, the locker room after an important hockey game must be such a shit show that I want to witness. How do I go about getting one of those fancy press passes...

Slumdog Millionaire

Looking back at the Detroit game, it certainely is frustrating that we came out with zero points after hanging in there for so long, but I guess it is what it is. They're the best team in the NHL and the defending Stanley Cup Champions. And we're...not. To say the least. Those type of losses always piss me off the most, though. But I'm over it now and I am looking forward to Chicago. It makes you wonder who will get the nod. Ryan Miller has been great, and he's had three days off to get some rest. Does that mean he'll start against Chicago or Dallas? Both? I know he's been playing great lately, but if we want him to continue on like this for the rest of the season and hopefully the playoffs, he's going to need some rest. Honestly, I don't know what game I'd play Lalime in. He's a former Blackhawk, so maybe it would be nice to have him play against Chicago. But then again, they're a very good team and you'd want your #1 goalie in against those guys. Does Ryan play against Dallas, so he can get some extra rest after facing 95 shots or so over the past two games? Or is that where you put in Lalime since they're not as dangerous as the 'Hawks. Decisions, decisions.

Anyways, I mainly wanted to make a post completely unrelated to hockey but I thought I should throw some in here, since this is a hockey blog. But I wanted to talk about the new movie, Slumdog Millionaire. I saw it last night and it was spectacular. It's the best movie I've seen in a long time. I especially took an interest to the movie because it's based in India, and I think I've mentioned before on here that I am real interested in the Indian culture. It's a very unique and wonderful story. It keeps the audience in the plot the entire film and it shows a real honest side to India - both the good and the bad. I thought the cinematography was great and so was the soundtrack. Last night I believe the film won Best Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Director at the Golden Globes. I bought the soundtrack last night after seeing the movie and it's great. One of my favorite musicians, M.I.A., recorded a song for the movie and it also features her hit song Paper Planes along with a remix of it. It's a very entertaining and touching story, go see it! Here's the trailer for it, but it really does not do it justice:



I also have to give props to one of my favorite actresses, Kate Winslet. Last night she picked up two Golden Globes for her performances in Revolutionary Road and The Reader. I haven't seen either movie yet, but I really want to. Especially Revolutionary Road. Titanic is one of my all-time favorite movies, and it's exciting for me to see Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio team up again. Plus the story looks very intriguing.

Getting Sassy...20s style

I have nothing to say for last night's shit show. As a fan there's only so much you can say. It's up to the team. They're better than that. I don't know why they are struggling to win at home. It's disappointing, but all I can say is bring on Los Angeles. If they can win against them then maybe it will spark some confidence and help them win at home. If not, well...there's only three home games in January. You're not supposed to look forward to the month where you're basically on the road the entire time, but maybe it's a plus for us. We shall see.

In other news, let's talk about Ryan Miller and the five goals he gave up last night. First off, he updated his blog. Don't you love that fans actually give him advice on how to stop pucks? I know I do. Really people? You know, if you're 10 years old then it's kind of cute, but if you're any older then you really need to stand back and realize what you're doing. An average fan telling a NHL goalie how to stop the pucks and be better. Right. I'm sure he appreciates the advice.

Secondly, Catwalk for Charity III....hells yeah. I sent in my order form for tickets a few days ago so hopefully I get an e-mail or something soon saying that they got my form and my tickets will come shortly. How awesome is it that it's 1920s themed this year? REAL AWESOME. That will be a lot of fun. I love the 1920s. I've always said that I wish that I lived through the 1920s-1960s because that's when all the cool stuff happened. My favorite fashion eras have always been the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. So maybe I just wanted to live in those eras strictly for the fashion, okay? And for my chance to meet my favorite person in the entire world, Marilyn Monroe. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, Catwalk for Charity. I can't wait to shop around and look for a cute outfit for the event. Peacock feathers may or may not be involved. I've made myself a cute hairclip from a peacock feather that I love and since it's 20s themed it will be a perfect opportunity to whip it out. It's a little more "earthy" than 1920s glamour, but I can spruce it up a tad. You can head over to Sabres TV and watch a snippet of the press conference...I don't know why they didn't post the whole thing, I want to see it. Maybe they'll post it later.

Anyways, hopefully some of you plan on going to the event...it really is a lot of fun. I think I've talked about it before on here. If you want to get an idea of it, I have some pictures that I took when I went last year. They're kind of grainy because I just had my point and shoot camera and the lighting was dark. But you get the idea. Funny thing is, after doing some searching on the internet I've found some pictures of the event with me in them haha.


This one was in the paper, I cut it out and I have it pinned up on my "Photo Wall" in my bedroom. That's how I roll.



It's like playing Where's Waldo Caroline!


Anyways. Hopefully the Sabres are getting sick and tired of getting pushed around and having their asses handed to them on home ice. Let's see how things go tomorrow night...

The Nation Has Spoken (and some hockey players too)

So the Sabres don't play until Friday, so I figured I'd talk a little bit about that tiny little election that went down.


Ryan Miller cares about his country. More on him in a second...

Well, November 4th, 2008 came and went. And we have our new President-Elect. I just want to say, whoever you voted for, I hope you felt great voting and taking part in such a historic election. Just to see how the nation reacted and how involved everyone was. Watching the celebrations after Obama was announced the winner was surreal. Just to see people of various backgrounds and demographics coming together and celebrating what is to believed a much needed change. I guess it was just refreshing to see so many people caring so much about such an important issue. You see that type of celebration on city streets when a sports championship is won, or after a huge music festival. But an election? I am proud. This election has moved people, and I hope it doesn't fade. As I grow older I realize how important it is to stay involved. People can become so jaded with society and politcs, and that's understandable. But I just think it's ignorant to totally ignore it all together and act like it doesn't affect you. Because it does. You should care. You should want to be involved. I hope this election will help move this nation into the right direction, in so many different ways.

Anyways, since this is a hockey blog, I guess I should tie in a Sabres reference in here somehow. Well, thanks to Amy over at Shots Off The Crossbar, she pointed me to where some of our favorite (American) Sabres weighed in on the election. Poor Kaleta. Not too impressed with his answer. Sigh. Not much to comment on except that he didn't vote. I won't hold it against you, Patty. But I wish you would have voted.

But I have to tip my hat to Mr. Miller. I am impressed by his comments. Not only is he incredibly articulate and smart when it comes to talking about hockey, but he's pretty damn intellectual when he's talking about politics. Well, he didn't really talk much about the politics per se, but his thoughts on the election were pretty spot on, in my opinion. Seems like he saw it the way I did, and obviously that means he's basically a genius. Only kidding, but not really. I think it's safe to say that Ryan Miller is a very smart man, and not when it just comes to analyzing hockey. Good for you, Ryan! You scholar athlete, you! Maybe you could take little Patrick Kaleta under your wing and guide him so he can be more involved? Yes? You're always giving back to the community, so I think you should help a brotha out.

Anyways...enough of that serious election stuff. Just wanted to have some final thoughts on it before we return back to simplier, happier things like the great game of hockey. I don't think hockey (or sports in general) and politics should mix, but in a historic election like this, I think it's okay to make an exception.