Posts
Yes, I know it's hard to believe for some Sabres fans...but the NHL season is upon us. The home opener was such a tease; and it almost feels like it's the offseason all over again waiting for the next game. Luckily, Thursday is almost here... I'm anxiously awaiting to see how the players come out after a 5 day break. Let's hope they come out with as much fire as they did against the Habs, I have a feeling that they will.
The Sabres have a bit of a logjam now that Adam Mair has been cleared to play. Let's not forget about Toni Lydman who is still out with a hand injury, but he shouldn't be out for long. Mair returning would put the team over the roster limit, which means someone has to go, which has led to a lot of speculation amongst both the fans and the media. I've heard some people suggesting that we send Kennedy back down...while others are saying that Ellis might have to be waived. I honestly don't know what to think and it's times like this when I'm glad that I'm not in charge in making such decisions. I think having Kennedy up with the team will be more beneficial than having him sent back down to Portland, and I've always admired Ellis's work ethic and I truly think he's deserving of a spot with us... Lindy has recently both given Ellis and Kennedy praise to the media, so I really don't know what the decision is going to be. And once Lydman is ready to return, I think it's obvious that Myers isn't going anywhere yet. He played a hell of a game and got nothing but praise from both the coach and his teammates...I think they are just as eager to see how he does as us fans are.
Looking at the schedule, after tomorrow night's game, things will be in full swing again for the Sabres. Their schedule is pretty consistent for the first few months...they basically play every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday...I wonder if that consistency will be good for the team as they will develop some sort of rhythm. Maybe it will make them "gel" better, or maybe I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.
Tuesday, the 13th is my first game of the season and it's against Detroit...I'm pretty excited. I just love going to the arena for the first time for a game... I've already been to the arena several times this season to watch the players practice, but obviously it's a completely different atmosphere when you're there for a game. It's sort of funny how you go there during the day, and the atrium is eerily empty, and the only thing you can hear is the player's skating and shooting pucks off in the distance. You then go and watch the players practice and the arena is pretty empty...it's odd how small the arena seems when there's no one in there. Then you go later that night and the atrium is full of fans and there's energy and excitement buzzing everywhere you look. People donned in hockey jerseys, hawkers shouting for you to purchase game night programs, the little ding sound that the ticket scanners make when the ushers scan your tickets... You get to your seat and the arena just seems so huge when it's packed with fans. It feels like you were in a completely different building a few hours ago when you were there in the morning to watch the players practice. It's like night and day...okay well it literally is.
There is also a cause for concern that I feel like I should mention...not sure if I'm looking too much into this, but I was on Ryan Miller's website the other day, and I noticed that there's no link to his blog anymore. If you follow the direct link to his blog, it's still up, but why is there no link from his website to his blog anymore? This makes me a little concerned...I don't know about the rest of you, but I love his blog. It's both funny and really insightful, and it's one of the better "celebrity blogs" that I have read. I always got so excited when he updated it! I hope Ryan hasn't decided to hang up the blogger skates and give it up for good...he seemed to have a knack for it, even when his web editor would make him go back and edit his entry to ensure that he wasn't pissing off some of his fans. If he doesn't update it by the time Catwalk for Charity rolls around (which is soon, yesss!), then I might have to address this problem to the big guy himself...and ask him what the hell is up. I understand that he's a professional athlete and he's very busy with the condensed NHL schedule and the Olympics coming up and blah blah blah...but hey, I need my dose of sass and wit and Ryan's blog was perfect for that. I wonder if him partcipating in the Olympics has anything to do with it... I know some sports leagues are pretty strict with social networking sites such as blogs, Facebooks, Twitter, etc...and they prohibit players from using them during certain times on game days. I remember during the Summer Olympics, I was browsing through some of the athlete's websites and a lot of their blogs were taken down because the Olympics prohibited the athletes from keeping a blog while they were competiting. Either way...I hope this isn't an end to his lovely blog. Do it for the fans, Ryan!
I think I had something else to say but I got too wrapped up in my spiel about Ryan's blog being in limbo...
Showing posts with label Matt Ellis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Ellis. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Weighing in on the Moves
I figured I should weigh in on the moves that the Sabres have made so far this offseason. To no ones surprise, the Sabres did not make any shocking or huge moves, but they did make minor tweaks to the roster. Our biggest depature has been Jaroslav Spacek, as he and about 45 other NHLers headed on over to Montreal for greener pastures. I've always been indifferent on Spacho. I think he is a good defenseman, but I don't know if I would call him a difference-maker. It remains to be seen if his void will be noticeable. His wonderfully eloquent inteviews will be sorely missed by me though.
The Sabres added defensemen Steve Montador and Joe DiPenta. I'm going to be honest and say I know nothing about DiPenta, but I know the kind of defenseman Montador is. Montador will add some more grit to the blueline, which is an essential piece to winning I think. He's not Chris Pronger, but I can see him finding a nice role on our squad and being a reliable blueliner. This could all be blind optimism, but who really knows!
The Sabres also re-signed Matt Ellis, which I was pleased about. Ellis is a player that you really can root for and I thought he did his job very well when he played for us. I'd hope to see him get more playing time because if I recall correctly, the team won a lot when he was in. Coincidence? Hmm. Moore, Peters, Numminen, and Afinogenov are our UFAs that are still not signed by any clubs as of now, and Moore is the only player that I can see potentially returning to play for us. Numminen is probably going to retire, and I think Max is just going to need a change of scenery for him to get back on track. Peters? Well he is a cheap player so if the Sabres re-signed him it wouldn't be the end of the world but I know a lot of fans would overreact. I wish the best for all of our recently departed players, though.
There is something else that I want to touch on but I won't harp on it for too long. After reading various Sabres blogs and message boards, I just cannot stand how much some fans love to complain and be negative. Look, I know that coming into the offseason after missing the playoffs for two straight seasons doesn't exactly make fans want to feel positive, but I think there are a good handful of fans out there who have grown accustomed to putting a negative spin on everything. Especially with our management. Our front office doesn't have the best track record over the past few years, but I think fans need to look at some things with a more clear head. During the season many fans (and the media) complained that our team lacked toughness and grit and we needed to add more grinders to our roster. So this offseason Darcy acquires a few of those grinders, and many fans are complaining that Darcy is wasting his time with "bad" hockey players because they don't have as much skill or talent as other players on the market. Fans also complain when Darcy doesn't make trades to get rid of certain players like Hecht or Tallinder. I don't think some fans realize that trades aren't as easy to make as they are in NHL 09. You aren't going to trade Hecht for Malkin. Yes I'm aware that's an extreme example, but you understand the gist.
Darcy has always made more subtle moves than other GMs when it comes to free agency, and he likes to trade or find players from within our system. Many fans are fed up with Darcy's lack of moves in the offseason. But to look on the flip-side of things would signing a player to a mega deal really help this team to win a Cup? Did Hossa win a Cup for Detroit? Did Campbell get a Cup for Chicago? Did Drury and Gomez get a Cup for the Rangers? Did Mats Sundin get Vancouver's name engraved on Lord Stanley? Now that's not to say that acquiring a top marquee player is a mistake, but I just think that free agency can be extremely overhyped and teams can overpay for a player out of desperation and it can really leave a team in a tight spot in the upcoming years. I mean, who was the most active team in last year's free agency? If I recall correctly it was Tampa Bay.
I'm not saying that fans always have to agree with our front office's decisions, I'm just saying that it's okay to also look at things with a more level head and maybe things aren't as bad as the fans and the media perceives them to be. We have a bunch of young talent in the AHL and some of them already seem to be ready to make the jump to the NHL (Myers?). I'm not saying these kids are going to come in be our saviors, but it will be fun and exciting to see some fresh faces and it will be interesting to see how they fair. And believe it or not, we still have a lot of talent on our current roster, and they really can be a playoff team... There are a lot of "ifs", but I do believe that this team is capable of making the playoffs. It's really in the player's hands and as easy as it is to be negative about our situation, I just will always try to see the best in situations and I know that this team has the tools to being a very good team. Look at Pittsburgh. They were in 10th place for a good stretch and they were battling to clinch a playoff spot during the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, but they clinched a spot and they battled their way to the Cup. While everyone had their eyes on the top teams like San Jose, Detroit and Boston, Pittsburgh continued to play great hockey and got the ultimate reward. Granted they have players like Crosby and Malkin on their team, but my point is anything can happen in the playoffs.
The offseason isn't over yet and there are still players out there and the Sabres can still make moves. But as of now, I am still being patient and I'm not about to throw in the towel for the 09-10 season 3 months before the season begins.
The Sabres added defensemen Steve Montador and Joe DiPenta. I'm going to be honest and say I know nothing about DiPenta, but I know the kind of defenseman Montador is. Montador will add some more grit to the blueline, which is an essential piece to winning I think. He's not Chris Pronger, but I can see him finding a nice role on our squad and being a reliable blueliner. This could all be blind optimism, but who really knows!
The Sabres also re-signed Matt Ellis, which I was pleased about. Ellis is a player that you really can root for and I thought he did his job very well when he played for us. I'd hope to see him get more playing time because if I recall correctly, the team won a lot when he was in. Coincidence? Hmm. Moore, Peters, Numminen, and Afinogenov are our UFAs that are still not signed by any clubs as of now, and Moore is the only player that I can see potentially returning to play for us. Numminen is probably going to retire, and I think Max is just going to need a change of scenery for him to get back on track. Peters? Well he is a cheap player so if the Sabres re-signed him it wouldn't be the end of the world but I know a lot of fans would overreact. I wish the best for all of our recently departed players, though.
There is something else that I want to touch on but I won't harp on it for too long. After reading various Sabres blogs and message boards, I just cannot stand how much some fans love to complain and be negative. Look, I know that coming into the offseason after missing the playoffs for two straight seasons doesn't exactly make fans want to feel positive, but I think there are a good handful of fans out there who have grown accustomed to putting a negative spin on everything. Especially with our management. Our front office doesn't have the best track record over the past few years, but I think fans need to look at some things with a more clear head. During the season many fans (and the media) complained that our team lacked toughness and grit and we needed to add more grinders to our roster. So this offseason Darcy acquires a few of those grinders, and many fans are complaining that Darcy is wasting his time with "bad" hockey players because they don't have as much skill or talent as other players on the market. Fans also complain when Darcy doesn't make trades to get rid of certain players like Hecht or Tallinder. I don't think some fans realize that trades aren't as easy to make as they are in NHL 09. You aren't going to trade Hecht for Malkin. Yes I'm aware that's an extreme example, but you understand the gist.
Darcy has always made more subtle moves than other GMs when it comes to free agency, and he likes to trade or find players from within our system. Many fans are fed up with Darcy's lack of moves in the offseason. But to look on the flip-side of things would signing a player to a mega deal really help this team to win a Cup? Did Hossa win a Cup for Detroit? Did Campbell get a Cup for Chicago? Did Drury and Gomez get a Cup for the Rangers? Did Mats Sundin get Vancouver's name engraved on Lord Stanley? Now that's not to say that acquiring a top marquee player is a mistake, but I just think that free agency can be extremely overhyped and teams can overpay for a player out of desperation and it can really leave a team in a tight spot in the upcoming years. I mean, who was the most active team in last year's free agency? If I recall correctly it was Tampa Bay.
I'm not saying that fans always have to agree with our front office's decisions, I'm just saying that it's okay to also look at things with a more level head and maybe things aren't as bad as the fans and the media perceives them to be. We have a bunch of young talent in the AHL and some of them already seem to be ready to make the jump to the NHL (Myers?). I'm not saying these kids are going to come in be our saviors, but it will be fun and exciting to see some fresh faces and it will be interesting to see how they fair. And believe it or not, we still have a lot of talent on our current roster, and they really can be a playoff team... There are a lot of "ifs", but I do believe that this team is capable of making the playoffs. It's really in the player's hands and as easy as it is to be negative about our situation, I just will always try to see the best in situations and I know that this team has the tools to being a very good team. Look at Pittsburgh. They were in 10th place for a good stretch and they were battling to clinch a playoff spot during the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, but they clinched a spot and they battled their way to the Cup. While everyone had their eyes on the top teams like San Jose, Detroit and Boston, Pittsburgh continued to play great hockey and got the ultimate reward. Granted they have players like Crosby and Malkin on their team, but my point is anything can happen in the playoffs.
The offseason isn't over yet and there are still players out there and the Sabres can still make moves. But as of now, I am still being patient and I'm not about to throw in the towel for the 09-10 season 3 months before the season begins.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Jarkko Bit Me
...and that really hurt, Jarkko. And it's still hurting.
Sheesh. Biting in hockey? Give me a break. What a shit show. Ruutu is denying that he bit Peters, but I think it's pretty obvious from the replay that he indeed did bite him. Then again, I would be pretty embarrassed to admit that I bit someone too. Yikes. But let me just say, seeing Peters mouth, "He fucking bit me!" was hilarious. I was sitting there wondering what the hell happened to him and then I see him shout that and I was just like, "...what? Did he just say that Ruutu bit him?!" Good god.
Anyways, biting aside, I'm glad I can sit here and write about another Sabres victory! Talk about being on a roll, how about Matt Ellis? Another goal! Good for him. There's not a better way to start the period off than to score. I liked seeing Roy score that ugly goal. Is there anything more beautiful than scoring an ugly goal? It shows determination. I like it. It seemed that we were in for a night where the Sabres would have a comfortable lead the entire time, but as you know, not a lot of leads are safe in this league. Ryan Miller had two gaffes (and so did our defense on the second goal, giving Spezza a breakaway), and all of a sudden Ottawa is back in it. Miller seemed a little rattled after those two goals, but it was great to see his response in the third. He was very sharp and stopped all of Ottawa's 11 shots and had a huge glove save on Spezza denying him the hat-trick. Nicely done. The team as a whole seemed to have gotten back on track in the third after making some mistakes in the second and letting Ottawa creep back up. It was nice to see Rivet back out there and going after some Sens after they were getting all up in our goalie.
All in all it was a huge win for the team and it was nice to see. Earlier in the season those were the games where the Sabres would have a nice lead and then have a meltdown and lose. It's good to see them take charge after making some mistakes and ensure that they take 2 points out of the game. So the Sabres are on a nice little 3 game winning streak and they are doing all they can do at keeping themselves in a playoff spot. Pittsburgh is right at their heels for that 8th spot, but the Sabres are right behind Carolina as well for the 7th spot. There aren't many points separating the 5th-8th spots in the Conference, so things get pretty interesting around this time of the year. If the Sabres can keep this up, then it can make for some fun months ahead of us.
Oh and I just want to say how much I love Burt's Bees products. I am in love! If I could I would buy every single product that Burt's Bees makes.
Sheesh. Biting in hockey? Give me a break. What a shit show. Ruutu is denying that he bit Peters, but I think it's pretty obvious from the replay that he indeed did bite him. Then again, I would be pretty embarrassed to admit that I bit someone too. Yikes. But let me just say, seeing Peters mouth, "He fucking bit me!" was hilarious. I was sitting there wondering what the hell happened to him and then I see him shout that and I was just like, "...what? Did he just say that Ruutu bit him?!" Good god.
Anyways, biting aside, I'm glad I can sit here and write about another Sabres victory! Talk about being on a roll, how about Matt Ellis? Another goal! Good for him. There's not a better way to start the period off than to score. I liked seeing Roy score that ugly goal. Is there anything more beautiful than scoring an ugly goal? It shows determination. I like it. It seemed that we were in for a night where the Sabres would have a comfortable lead the entire time, but as you know, not a lot of leads are safe in this league. Ryan Miller had two gaffes (and so did our defense on the second goal, giving Spezza a breakaway), and all of a sudden Ottawa is back in it. Miller seemed a little rattled after those two goals, but it was great to see his response in the third. He was very sharp and stopped all of Ottawa's 11 shots and had a huge glove save on Spezza denying him the hat-trick. Nicely done. The team as a whole seemed to have gotten back on track in the third after making some mistakes in the second and letting Ottawa creep back up. It was nice to see Rivet back out there and going after some Sens after they were getting all up in our goalie.
All in all it was a huge win for the team and it was nice to see. Earlier in the season those were the games where the Sabres would have a nice lead and then have a meltdown and lose. It's good to see them take charge after making some mistakes and ensure that they take 2 points out of the game. So the Sabres are on a nice little 3 game winning streak and they are doing all they can do at keeping themselves in a playoff spot. Pittsburgh is right at their heels for that 8th spot, but the Sabres are right behind Carolina as well for the 7th spot. There aren't many points separating the 5th-8th spots in the Conference, so things get pretty interesting around this time of the year. If the Sabres can keep this up, then it can make for some fun months ahead of us.
Oh and I just want to say how much I love Burt's Bees products. I am in love! If I could I would buy every single product that Burt's Bees makes.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Hockey Day in Boston?
Hmm, doesn't quite have the ring to it as Hockey Night in... does. There's just something about hockey in the day that seems strange. Plus, the Sabres NEVER seem to win afternoon game-- oh wait, we beat Boston 4-2! This is only Boston's second time to lose in regulation at home, the first one coming all the way back in October. We snapped their 10-game winning streak, very nice. We were obviously the underdogs coming into today's game, and it was a HUGE win for us. The Penguins took a shelacking from Florida today as well, meaning we have now passed them and we're sitting in 7th place as of now. As always, the standings are extremely tight so if Carolina wins tonight they'll pass us and bump us back down to 8th. Can the Lightning help our brothas out and earn a victory over the Canes? I won't hold my breath, but you never know. Number crunching can make me go crazy, but it's still wise to know where your team stands among all the others.
Anyways, what a game by Matt Ellis. I've been very impressed with his game since he's been called up and it's great to see him come up big on the score sheet. 2 goals and 1 assist, very nice. It was a very entertaining game to watch altogether and I was just loving the fact that we were in the lead the entire time. I'm very proud of our boys. It was definitely getting very nerve wrecking after we were up 4-2, though. There was a lot of time spent in our own zone, and several times it seemed impossible for the Sabres to clear the zone. They were playing with fire, allowing a team like Boston spending so much time in our own zone. But Miller held his ground and he came up with big saves during the whole game. Tim Thomas though seemed a little off. He's been very good as of late, but he kept tripping over his own feet and that careless giveaway of his was pretty bad. He was drunk, I tell ya. Overall it was a very nice win for our boys and I hope they enjoy it. Let's see if they can beat Ottawa on Tuesday. Ottawa has been struggling all season, and even though we've only played them once this season, they still beat us in a convincing fashion. Will Ottawa always have our number? We'll see.
Anyways, I think it's time to pull out some of my favorite Google Analytics top search queries! I've got plenty of hits from people who have searched for the whole Ryan Miller-Tim Peel incident. People have searched for it in various ways. Such as:
"ryan miller go fuck yourself"
"ryan miller official go fuck yourself"
and my personal favorite:
"ryan miller penguins ref fuck"
Good times. Coming on the top of my top search queries is "ryan miller blog", looks like a lot of people are curious to see what our dear goalie has to say.
But my all time favorite search so far has been, "caroline mini miller". I don't really know what the person was looking for when they typed that into Google, but I hope they found what they wanted to on my blog.
"hockey night in lindy" is also another one of my personal favorites. I don't know about you, but the only thing that it makes me think of is the classic, "One Night in Paris". It's getting a little freaky over here in Buffalo...
Anyways, what a game by Matt Ellis. I've been very impressed with his game since he's been called up and it's great to see him come up big on the score sheet. 2 goals and 1 assist, very nice. It was a very entertaining game to watch altogether and I was just loving the fact that we were in the lead the entire time. I'm very proud of our boys. It was definitely getting very nerve wrecking after we were up 4-2, though. There was a lot of time spent in our own zone, and several times it seemed impossible for the Sabres to clear the zone. They were playing with fire, allowing a team like Boston spending so much time in our own zone. But Miller held his ground and he came up with big saves during the whole game. Tim Thomas though seemed a little off. He's been very good as of late, but he kept tripping over his own feet and that careless giveaway of his was pretty bad. He was drunk, I tell ya. Overall it was a very nice win for our boys and I hope they enjoy it. Let's see if they can beat Ottawa on Tuesday. Ottawa has been struggling all season, and even though we've only played them once this season, they still beat us in a convincing fashion. Will Ottawa always have our number? We'll see.
Anyways, I think it's time to pull out some of my favorite Google Analytics top search queries! I've got plenty of hits from people who have searched for the whole Ryan Miller-Tim Peel incident. People have searched for it in various ways. Such as:
"ryan miller go fuck yourself"
"ryan miller official go fuck yourself"
and my personal favorite:
"ryan miller penguins ref fuck"
Good times. Coming on the top of my top search queries is "ryan miller blog", looks like a lot of people are curious to see what our dear goalie has to say.
But my all time favorite search so far has been, "caroline mini miller". I don't really know what the person was looking for when they typed that into Google, but I hope they found what they wanted to on my blog.
"hockey night in lindy" is also another one of my personal favorites. I don't know about you, but the only thing that it makes me think of is the classic, "One Night in Paris". It's getting a little freaky over here in Buffalo...
Friday, December 19, 2008
SO GOOD, SO GOOD, SO GOOD
Awww yeaaaaah, Ryan Miller with a 40-save shutout. That's our goalie. Goalies get a lot of shit after a loss, sometimes deservingly so, and sometimes not. What a response from Miller after a 5-3 loss. The hockey speaks for itself. I'm proud of him. And how cute is it to see Lalime congraluate Miller after a big win? Especially a shutout. He's all excited for him, it's adorable.
And I just loveeeee the fact that they play Sweet Caroline when it's a Sabres victory. My song. :')
I'm glad for Ellis for netting a goal during his first callup after being waived. Must feel good for him. I'm glad the Sabres finally won at home...in a big way. Hopefully it will spark the confidence they need to start winning at home and it's a sign of good things to come.
And...Ryan Miller had a 40-save shutout!! Oh, I already mentioned that? Oh well... Oh and might I add...homeboy was sporting some scruff again tonight, and I like it. A lot.
Zanggg baby boy, lookin' good.
That was a fangirl moment, okay? Don't judge me.
And I just loveeeee the fact that they play Sweet Caroline when it's a Sabres victory. My song. :')
I'm glad for Ellis for netting a goal during his first callup after being waived. Must feel good for him. I'm glad the Sabres finally won at home...in a big way. Hopefully it will spark the confidence they need to start winning at home and it's a sign of good things to come.
And...Ryan Miller had a 40-save shutout!! Oh, I already mentioned that? Oh well... Oh and might I add...homeboy was sporting some scruff again tonight, and I like it. A lot.
Zanggg baby boy, lookin' good.
That was a fangirl moment, okay? Don't judge me.
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