Uh...yeah, let's go with that.

It's pretty sad when the guy who got hit by an Alexander Ovechkin shot is one of the best players on the ice for the Sabres during the third period. Real nice, boys. Thanks for being a trooper Thomas, with your limpish body and grimacing the rest of the game when you came back. I hope your wife takes care of that leg for you when you get home tonight.

I don't really have anything else to say about the game. Ovie scored, as usual. My mom got mad at the Sabres and wanted to fire most, if not all of the defensemen. I decided I really, really hate this team sometimes.

Just so you guys know...Puck Over The Glass is on hiatus for about a week ('til January 3rd). I am going on my band trip to Florida starting tomorrow until next Saturday. We're playing during the Citrus Parade in Orlando, and also the Walt Disney Parade on the 29th. I'm going to miss posting here of course, but when I come back, I'll have lots of stories about what went on during my vacation/band trip!

Oh, and I hope I can come back to plenty of wins from the Sabres. Please boys? ):

This Christmas could be the best one yet.

First of all, I hope everyone had a lovely holiday with their families. I have pictures of most of the gifts I received these past two days.



Now, the first gift isn't really a gift, and I don't want people calling me a traitor. The Pittsburgh Penguins are my second favorite team in the NHL, and I do happen to have a Crosby jersey in my possession. I really do respect the guy (even if sometimes I want to kick him in the nuts, and hate him) but I just can't do it. I don't know why. Maybe I shouldn't have read that biography on him...
Anyways, they were selling these growth posters at Tim Horton's, and this thing is literally seven feet tall. It took me awhile to tape it on my closet door, but I got it down. It's...interesting, to say the least. And just a bit creepy, haha. I have to mark my height on it. I come up to his nose when he's in skates.

I'm super excited about this gift. My stepdad had gotten a new cellphone, and I've been aching for one, so my parents gave me his old one to have. I don't think there's texting on it (yet), but I already changed a few things up on the phone, and I can't wait to use it! My best friend is going to flip since we both thought I wasn't going to get one until I paid for it myself.

My aunt knitted a pair of gloves for me. Aren't they cool? They fit well with the Navy nail polish she got me as well (which you can see in the previous picture).

My brother and sister-in-law got me these nifty looking slippers. They're Sabres skates! They're really comfy and I'm currently wearing them. These are so going with me on the way down to Florida. I hope I don't forget them when coming back up next week.

Oh look, another Thomas Vanek shirt in my possession. This isn't any different. :P My parents found it at Wal-Mart, so they bought it for me. It's cool because it's like he's towering over the city of Buffalo. There's him being Atlas for you.

This is the gift I really, really, really, really wanted this year. The 2003 NCAA Frozen Four Championship DVD between Minnesota and New Hampshire. My family and I watched the first period of it, and so far in it the Gophers and Wildcats are tied 1-1, but I know that's how far New Hampshire gets. (; I am highly amused by Thomas' hair in the DVD. HSBC Arena doesn't look any different. I really want to be a part of a marching band that plays at hockey games. Oh, and they showed Thomas' father, Zdenek, and my mom couldn't believe he was 44 at the time of the game, but I had to remind her that Thomas was 19 years old.

My sister-in-law made cookies for everyone this holiday. I only had one sugar cookie, but she has lemon ones, oatmeal ones, and the Scottish shortbread in the container, too.

Again, my sister-in-law and brother (younger of the two) bought me hand foam sanitizer and shower gel that smells like Vanilla. It's my favorite scent I think because of my mom. She loves it too. I'm happy I was given sanitizer because now when we're going to Florida and the buses stop at a fast food restaurant maybe, I can put that on my hands and I'll be okay, haha.

Finally, they both bought me a Super Mario Land t-shirt. This made me want to find a Super Nintendo at a Flea Market, find a Super Mario Land cartridge, and play. I miss that game. *sigh*
I'm very happy with the gifts that I received this year. I hope all of you enjoyed your gifts, too!

Happy holidays from PotG!

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer is one of my favorite holiday movies to watch. I haven't seen it yet this year, but I'm sure if it's on later, my family and I are going to turn it on. Or bring over White Christmas, and watch that. Another favorite of mine.

I probably won't post again until after opening gifts on Christmas Day. From this afternoon on to tomorrow I'll be spending time with my family. I know some of the things I'm getting already, and I can't wait until I get them. I think it's worse knowing what your parents got you upon request, but you can't have it until Christmas, haha. So excited!

So, since Sabres TV still refuses to work, I checked Thomas Vanek's blog to check if he had updated, and he did. This part really got to me:

For the first time my son Blake will really get to know what it is all about. Last year he was a bit too young for that. I’m really looking forward to seeing his eyes gleam and glisten when he’ll see all the parcels under the lit christmas tree.

Basically, I can only imagine the huge grin Thomas will have on his face when Blake does this. The image is so cute in my head!

Oh, and Anne is right - Thomas doesn't really care that he's second in goal scoring.

It’s no joke when I always say that the team comes first. My dream is still the Stanley Cup and that’s something you can only achieve as a team. I want that cup and I want my name engraved on it as the first Austrian player. Personal statistics are well and good but the success of my club comes first.

*swipes away a tear* That was wonderfully put.

I wish you all the happiest of holidays, whether it be Hanukkah, Christmas, or even Kwanzaa! (I think people forget about Kwanzaa. ):)

Sweet dreams are made of this.

Wow, Firefox is being stupid on me and making me type backwards so now I have to do this on IE. If anyone can help me figure out this problem, I'd be grateful.

Anyways, I think the dream I had last night with Thomas was his way of saying he was sorry for the minus game he had last night.

...Well, Mr. Vanek. I forgive you.

So, the game yesterday. My stepdad and I left my house at around 5 so we could get to the arena early. We got there a little after 6, but even then, the boys hadn't even began warm-ups yet. There was an old Sabres/Penguins game being played (I think the Sabres won 8-4, or something). We got some popcorn and water really fast before we sat down in our seats (section 113), and just chilled until the Sabres came out to practice. I immediately whipped out my camera to get some shots (my pictures are on Facebook!), and I noticed my batteries were dying. I had an extra pair of Energizer batteries in my little camera bag, so I pulled them out and placed them into the camera. Of course, my camera decides to not work so I begin to flip out. My stepdad took the camera and tried to work it, but nothing. By the time I had put the old batteries in and saw that they had a little juice left, the Jumbotron was already getting shots of Teppo and I was very sad. I try and get pictures of Thomas during warmups at every game, and of course my camera had to decide to be stupid.

I took a video of the starting lineup, and maybe I'll get that up on Facebook, too. Went through the anthems and then got ready to watch the game. Halfway through the first period, my mom calls my stepdad's cell because she wanted to talk to me. I picked it up and she asked me to call my friend's phone because they had gotten lost on the way to the arena. This was her first game to go to, by the way. I couldn't hear a thing in the arena, and I had dialed the wrong number at first, so I ran up into the hallway to talk to her. By the time I did that they had already gotten to the arena, haha. So I had to run back down again.

I think the standing ovation to UB was neat. They were up in my section too. I hope I can catch the International Bowl next Saturday because that's when I get back from Florida.

I think the best thing that happened last night (outside of the hockey aspect), was that on my little trip to the women's bathroom, there was an interesting incident. There was a girl in there talking on her cellphone in a powdered blue Sidney Crosby hat. She was about to go into the one stall when she goes 'I have to pay so much for these minutes here, you have no idea!' She went into the stall, and sounds like she's about to cry: "Well, Pittsburgh's losing 1-0 to Buffalo, and...*sighs* I really hope Crosby scores because I got soooooo many pictures with him and everything." This woman a few spots in front of me turned to look at the rest of us and was like 'Oh my God...' It was so funny, haha. And then the girl in the bathroom was like 'I'll talk to you when I get back to Canada!'

...Well duh lady, you didn't know you'd be roaming over here with your phone? Jeez.

After the game, we went to the Sabres store to get the new team photo. If you haven't gotten it yet, do it. You won't be disappointed.

By the way...anyone else having problems with Sabres TV today? The interviews aren't playing any sound, and I'm very disappointed. I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to know Thomas' plans for the holidays so I can squee and 'awww' over how much of a good person and daddy he is, even if what he says doesn't pertain to that.

So this is how you repay me...

Thomas, I hope you know you were a disgustingly -4 on the night. MINUS. FOUR. That is not what I asked! You big, Austrian turdface who I love too much to really be mad at. ):
HOW YOU LOOK IN THE SABRES TEAM PHOTO DOESN'T HELP MATTERS.

Besides that and Crosby's non-goal, I had a good time. I'll post more about it tomorrow, when I'm not so dead.

Thomas, we need to talk.

Shelby: Thomas, I need to talk to you about something.

Thomas: Oh no, what did I do?

Shelby: You didn't do anything...it's just about tonight. I'm going to the game thanks to where my parents work, and I'm going to be pretty close to the ice.


Thomas: Oh, so this means I'll have at least one fangirl screaming my name all night long?

Shelby: No, unfortunately. I can't embarrass my stepdad by yelling out 'Thomas, I think you're hot, have my invisible babies!' Besides, your wifey would be angry with me.

Thomas: Right, right. Anyways, what's the problem?

Shelby: Well...since Jeff Carter took over the lead last night with 25 goals, I was wondering if you could score two for me tonight.

Thomas: Shelby, you know eventually I'll get in a slump. I mean, look at Crosby. He hasn't scored a goal since November!

Shelby: But you're not Sidney, Thomas. You're Thomas Effing Vanek, the guy I really look up to. You're one of the reasons why I want to play hockey, and I love seeing you succeed.

Thomas: Aww...Okay, that was really sweet, I admit. So you want two goals?

Shelby: Yessir.

Thomas: How about a hat trick?

Shelby: Go for it.

Thomas: I'll try. If not, I'll just show you some sweet backchecking skills. *wink*

Shelby: *laughs* Okay Thomas. I'll see you tonight!

Thomas: See you - oh, and Shelby?

Shelby: Yeah?

Thomas: Thanks for being such a good supporter. *smile*

Shelby: *smiles* Hey, it's what I do.

------

Guys, try and look for me above the zamboni entrance if you're watching the game on TV. I'll be in row 15, a few rows above the top of the entrance.

Ole, Ole, Ole, SHUT UP.

If there's anything I hate more than the Penguins goalhorn (which is weird since they're my second favorite team), it's that stupid chant. Please people. At least I don't set cars on fire after my team wins game 7 of the first round of the playoffs.

I know not all of their fans did this, or do this, but some fans of teams are incredibly stupid.

I think the non-call on Begin or whoever was in front of Miller on Hamrlik's goal was ridiculous. If you're going to call Ellis on Halak, then you better call that one, too. What sucks is without that goal, the Sabres could've won the game. The officiating was awful but we expect this when the Sabres play in Canada. It's never any different.

Nice to see the boys score twice with the man advantage. Their penalty kill continues to do well too, even though the 5-on-3 was capitalized on, and you can only give up so many power play chances against a team before they score. So I understand those goals.

Here's to a better game tomorrow. The Penguins came off a pretty embarrassing loss to the Leafs yesterday, so they should be ready to fly (that's a pun) tomorrow. Oh, and it's on Versus! Faaaaaantastic.

"Let's be professional here."

That man right there gave the boys a shutout tonight. That's what I like to see to put a little spark back into the team. Nicely done Ryan! *round of applause* He made some key saves to keep the Kings off the board, and played wonderfully. I think that play radiated off the rest of the boys, so that's good to see at home.

Quick things to note:
- Gauthier needs to get punched in the balls. Actually, something worse. I hope he doesn't get away with that sucker punch that he had on Patty K. He didn't even have the balls to fight Petey sometime after that hit. Bastard.
- "Buffalo Bloggin' with...Jason Pominville. *pause* As Jason Pominville."
- Chris Butler looks like the female version of this girl I go to school with. No freaking lie. I noticed it during his postgame interview. Pretty creepy.
- Dreeeeeew, Roysie, and Ryan get my three stars of awesome tonight.
- I love that Thomas passed the puck to 'Buts' (teehee) who then threw it at the net so Mairsy could score. Giving the new kid a point, loves it.
- Speaking of Thomas, when they were showing clips of the Winter Classic and they showed the Buffalo bench, my mom's like 'Thomas, you tard. You lived in Austria and you couldn't handle the cold?' when we saw he was wearing his hood thingie, haha. So all night I was going 'Thomas, you tard!' (But I said it out of love, okay. Okay Thomas? I love you.)
- And speaking of Mairsy...hey, let's go out to dinner sometime...with your wife, and we can talk about the SPCA, all right?
- I'm pretty sure the PA announcer said 'Number twenty-four...Chris Butler.' instead of 'Number thirty-four.' Nicely done.
- What the hell was with the lines all night? I never thought I would see a line of Peters-Roy-Stafford. EVER.
- Ryan's postgame interview? I need a GIF of his facial expression when Rayzor said 'Let's be professional here.'

Snow day!

Sorry there's been a lack of posting here for the past two days. Two days! I can't believe I've held out for that long, unbelievable.

I have a snow day today which is pretty sweet. The only thing I do hate about having snow days is that the automatic message from my school calls super early. I would still be sleeping right now if it weren't for that thing. *shakes fist at phone* I can't even take naps in the middle of the day unless I'm sick. Maybe my body is just messed up like that.

Good to know that the first thing I wake up to is this:
Sabres recall Chris Butler and Matt Ellis from Portland

I'm interested in seeing who is sitting. I'm going to guess Maxim Afinogenov and Nathan Paetsch, straight up.Okay, the defense is a little iffy, but I'm pretty certain Max is out.

It is ridiculous how many line changes this team has had over the past two weeks. All these injuries cause people to be switched around, and then they have no chemistry with each other or anything. I feel like no other team has had to go through this like the Sabres have. Ugh. Whatever the line changes are for tonight, I hope they work.

Only I would miss my bus by three minutes.

I stayed home today because I missed the bus. My bus driver told me yesterday before I got off that there would be a sub and I would have to go out earlier than usual. I have a long driveway, so I can't just wait inside for my bus to come, it sucks. Anyways, I get out there and time is passing by slowly. After listening to two songs on my iPod, I thought 'Maybe I missed it by a minute...'. I had completely forgotten that I was supposed to go out earlier, but then I decided to stay a little longer outside. At around 7:45, I trudged back up to my house to give my mom a call and tell her that I was just going to stay home. I looked back out the window three minutes later, and guess what I see? The bus.

Sorry school, but I can only stand outside for so long freezing my fingers off. Stupid bus.

There's an article on my man in the paper today, so if you haven't checked it out yet, please do so now: Here.

I heard Gerbs got hurt, and he's going back to Portland because Patty K is set and ready to go. ): Is this true that he was hurt in the game on Saturday? Since I didn't have a chance to watch it, I have no idea...and I haven't read any news reports about his injury than besides what I saw from 3rd Man In. Any information would be appreciated.

Guys, I'm going to college!

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that I was accepted to the University of Buffalo. (: I better start working on my flab so that I'm able to be in good shape for women's hockey next year when I go! Oh, and of course, I better keep my grades up now so that I look good in transitioning into the college lifestyle. Goodness, I can't believe that on the 17th, I'll be two months away from my 18th birthday. Time has flown by so fast.

In Sabreland news, Craigory is having some achy shoulder problems and said he won't be able to play for at least two weeks. Then again, when he had knee surgery he was back in no time, so...maybe it'll be the same thing with this? I can only hope. I love seeing his leadership out on the ice for the boys. Don't be gone too long, Rivs!

Thomas was also named the third star of the week in the NHL, and he made the Hot List on NHL.com. It's too bad I can't steal the picture from the site because my Print Screen button is being ridiculously stupid right now. *glares at keyboard* Thank you so much.

My band teacher talks too much.

I had a Christmas concert earlier in the day and it went pretty well. Nothing happened that should be considered 'Epic fail!' so I guess that's a good thing. Afterwards, the parents and kids had to stay to get info on our band trip to Florida coming up in two weeks. This thing took a whole hour. He had said it would be a short meeting. YEAH RIGHT.
Then again, if I think this is bad, the spring concert is going to be so much worse. He tells all the parents what each senior is going to do with their life and what college they're going to go to. It takes about an hour and a half, it feels like.

SO, hockey stuff. I've missed five periods of Sabres hockey in a row and I feel very deprived. My girlfriend and I opted to play hockey instead of watch it in her basement, so we had a good time. I even said 'Ah, we don't have to watch this game. I mean, they're playing the Devils. How exciting could it get?'
It only figures that Thomas would get the 10,000th goal in Sabres history, and the boys would come back in the game to win it, 4-2. Thanks a lot boys, you really know how to give me a great mood. Of course, I'm being sincere. I'm happy they could win after falling to the Leafs.

I can't believe there isn't a game on until Wednesday. AGAINST THE DEVILS. Again. Oh fantastic, I can't wait.

Figures the game that I miss, things like this happen.

I have a concert so I'll make this post short and talk more later:



Thomas Vanek is never allowed to leave the Sabres. Ever. You heard it here first. If he does? I will cry for days - no. WEEKS. Maybe even months if I'm in love with him as much as I have been the past two years. He just needs to stay right here.

This game meant nothing to me because...

I watched the first period, and that was pretty much it. Sam and I were talking on the phone the rest of the time in my room and since I don't have cable up here, I had the boxscore going on my computer. It looks like it was a boring game though? Aren't these Sabres-Leafs games supposed to be exciting? I mean, hello, the preseason one I went to was ah-mazing with the comeback the Sabres pulled off! This game just looked so blah.

I'll let you ladies and gents handle the postgame thoughts and whatnot. I've got nothing on this one.

Edit: Rachel over at Meet Me @ Chef's posted the greatest video ever. This was my first time seeing the wonderful 'Fabian' being performed.

Fabian (Live)


Drew, you are so hella sweet in those leopard pants.

I wonder if Pommers is the guitarist, or drummer?

Jason Pominville updated his lovely blog today and talked about the upcoming game versus Toronto tomorrow (whoa, I haven't seen them in forever!) and answered a few fan questions.

He tells us fans that Loodster and Hank the Tank are experts when it comes to playing soccer. I would LOVE to find video of the Sabres playing soccer before a game recently (there is a video of YouTube of them practicing, but it's from two years ago). Then again, I guess Max wouldn't be that good...I mean, he did flip and hit his head somehow, remember?

Pommers also hasn't touched NHL '09 yet. I played it with my girlfriend the last time I saw her, and I was disappointed that the PS2 version looks exactly like the PS2 version of 08. Adam Mair still doesn't look like Adam Mair. Thomas Vanek looks scary, but still a sexy beast. At least they finally got the colors of Ryan's pads right. Oh, and he says he plays both Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I can see Jason being a drummer when he's alone, but I bet if the guys got together, Derek would immediately go 'JUST A MINUTE HERE.' and sit on his butt to jam to some tunes on those pads. You go Derek, you go.

Oh, and Jason, I want you to know that I have French songs on my computer! If you're ever looking for some...you know, I'm here. Give me a call!

I can't get over how awful Tampa is!

Sabres win 4-2 after a slow start to this game. I was getting nervous as time went on, but the boys pulled through again!
Quick summary:
- Cari is good luck. I DIDN'T SEE YOU. ):
- I really love Mike Robitaille's analogies that he pulls during the intermissions/post game. They are so humorous.
- Holy crap, Adam Mair has to have his helmet off a lot more often. Or fight more often. Now those are some fights I can watch and enjoy!
- Gerbs hitting guys a whole foot taller than him is amusing. And sad. Seriously, how could you let someone that small destroy you?
- Delay of game call on Ryan was BS. I love how he was waving his hand to the ref and he didn't notice until like, ten seconds later. Unbelievable.
- I love our PK.
- Jason Pominville actually scoring an empty net goal and not shooting it wide of the net is a miracle. THANK YOU, POMMERS.
- I can't say anything more about Thomas Vanek this season. What a stud.
- We're 11 points behind Boston? Aiiii, we should've gotten into overtime a few times...it might've helped us out.
- IF JEFF CARTER SCORES TWICE TOMORROW, I WILL BE SO UPSET.

This hat, it has three owners. Three players (may) have this hat.

My title for this post pertains to the fact that in today's interviews from the Sabres, three guys may be wearing close to the same exact hat. Thomas Vanek (see above), Derek Roy, and Ryan Miller are all wearing black hats that look almost exactly alike. I know Thomas' hat is from D&G (ooo), and I don't know where Derek and Ryan got theirs from. Just some of the random things I notice during interviews.

Oh, and Thomas totally said in his interview 'We have to get some early girls.' EARLY GIRLS?! But what about your wife? Don't take after Tim Connolly, who probably likes his women late. (Yeah, I went there.)
Next time you're being interviewed Mr. Vanek, don't screw up words. I think you meant to say 'goals'. (;

Oh, and this whole thing about a ref saying 'f u' basically to Ryan? Well, fuck you too, ref. If I may use a quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail - "I fart in your general direction!"

I will probably have more to say tomorrow, when I'm not so ecstatic and dead.

Looks like we've got our first 20-goal scorer in the NHL this season. (;
Suck it, Pens. It's sad how much I liked you two years ago, and the love is slowly dwindling away...I don't think I'll ever be able to wear my Crosby jersey again. What a shame.
This was a great effort by the team tonight, and I'm glad they rallied back to beat the Penguins. Another heartbreaking loss to them.
Let's go, Buff-a-lo!

Buffalo making history once again.

I still don't know how I feel about this.

I say it all the time; the fact that I am in no way a fan of the Bills or football, period. Football is not a game I like to watch. It bores me to tears. I prefer watching college ball because it just seems to be a hell of a lot more exciting. Also, I think the Bills have created enough heartbreak for this city for me to not ever pay attention to them. I tend to stay clear of things like this.

I can't help but feel awful that the Bills MIGHT move to Toronto.
Since the man who was behind all of this died recently, most fans are excited about the Bills having a chance to stay in Buffalo. I still don't see it happening. Unless they get a miracle like the Sabres did in Tom Golisano, I can't see the Bills being here for much longer. With how the economy is around here and everything...they will probably pack their bags to head up north permanently sooner than later.

I have no right to say anything since I am not a fan, but I hope that there will be a miracle for the Bills, too. I think the fans deserve it after how many years they've stuck by their team's side.

Hecht fought - we're not Jochen!

You can whip that out anytime you please, Sir Yo-Yo.
Sabres won 4-3 in a pretty intense game.
Quick Summary:
- Watching this game made me realize how awful Tampa Bay truly is of a team. What a complete mess.
- Sabres won against a team who they should be able to beat. let's see if this carries over to the Pittsburgh game - and the Penguins lost to the Senators earlier today. They're going to want to win a game in their own building on Monday.
- How awesome was Nathan Gerbe tonight? That little dude was getting hit all over the place and got up right away. Didn't miss a beat at all.
- 19th of the season, baby.
- Speaking of my man, what happened in the third period? Did Lindy bench him or what, because I saw a lack of Vanek out on the ice.
- "Gaustad and Downie are having a nice chat from the benches, and they're pretty far from each other. Maybe they need AT&T."
- If I had known Gerbs would be up here anytime soon, I would've asked for a Gerbe jersey instead of another Vanek one. (I should do that instead of the more than likely All Star jersey I'll be asking for of Vanek's...)
- How were Derek and Nathan on the same line? The height on that line is amazing, with the exception of one Drew Stafford. Jesus.
- I love Vincent Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. I can't help it.
- I am frequently amused seeing the other arenas when the Sabres are on the road. With only a few exceptions, most of the arena tends to be full of Sabres fans. Tonight was no different.

The best news I've heard all week. (Or could be worst?)

Look who might be making his first appearance in an NHL game tonight.

I got the email about an hour ago in my inbox thanks to Sabres.com, and I couldn't be more excited. It's too bad Marky had to be sent down so that Gerbs could come up, but maybe this can shake some things up a bit. I just hope Nate doesn't look too lost out there...or he doesn't get the Staffy syndrome. We all know what bringing players immediately up from the AHL can do to some players. Drew never fully bloomed down there since he was up here most of the time in '07. I really, REALLY hope the same doesn't happen to Gerbs because he has a lot of potential.

With him coming up, how are the lines going to look tonight? Here are my thoughts:
Vanek-Roy-Stafford/Gerbe? (Considering this line has had nine points in the past four games, I wouldn't touch them, but...)
Hecht-Gaustad/Gerbe?-Pominville (Jochen is no centerman. And I know it might be early to shift Gerbe up to the second line, but who else would he play with? I can't see him playing with Max, or Goose, or someone like that. Maybe ump down Stafford and make Gerbe a winger.)
Afinogenov-Mair-Kotalik (God, I hate this line.)
Paille-Gerbe-Stafford? (Wow, I can't count players, I don't think. That line was just smushed together.)

However it ends up, I hope it works.

I never would've guessed country music.

Since I don't wish to talk about that thing that occurred last night, I'll talk about the 'Your Sabres Delivered' portion of the week where Thomas Vanek answered some questions.

Do you still follow the Minnesota Golden Gophers? Do you and Drew Stafford ever bet on the games when they play North Dakota?

"Yeah I definitely still follow the team and I know they are having a great season this year. I had a lot of fun there in school and learned a lot playing in that program.

"Drew and I don’t make bets or anything like that but we do talk a lot of college hockey especially when those teams face each other."

Can we all totally see Van and Staffy talking in the locker room about the battle between ND and Minny? Because I can. I remember the segment last year during one of the Sabres games where they were like 'Drew Stafford also has a linemate that he used to be rivals with...' and I was like 'THOMAS VANEK.' and what do you know? That's who it was.

What do you remember about your first Thanksgiving in North America and do you have any similar or national holidays that you celebrate in Austria?

"No we don’t have any holidays like that. I remember my first Thanksgiving though. I didn’t know much about it at the time and remember just all of the food that my billet family had. There was so much and it seemed like they just were bringing more and more out. That was an experience for me."

YOU DON'T KNOW THANKSGIVING UNTIL YOU HAD BREADSAUCE, OKAY.

I know you list Herman Maier as one of your favorite athletes – have you always been a fan of ski racing and do you ski at all?

"I think just coming from a big ski country in Austria I have always followed the sport. He is one of the best and I’ve enjoyed watching him as an athlete. I haven’t gotten the chance to meet him yet, but I really would like to make it happen. We’ve been at the same place at times but for one reason or another we end up missing each other. I’d like to meet him though, I’m a big fan.

"As far as skiing myself, I haven’t gone as much as I’d like to but I try to go when I can. It’s a great sport."

I imagine him being a klutz on skis. I have no idea why. I'd like to see this go down someday...maybe I should head over to Austria someday, and be on the lookout. That's right, Stalker Mode ON.

Do you watch different forwards in the NHL and maybe try to imitate their moves in the offensive zone?

"Not really. I watch a lot of teams and study players but not with those intentions. I think that everybody has their own style, and I have my own style. Every player has a set of moves that they try to use and it’s good to know what they are but I don’t really copy them."

I'm glad that he doesn't try to copy other guys. I don't want to be like 'Wow, he's pulling so and so's move.' on some nights.

Leaving Austria when you were 14 years old, who was one person who helped you acclimate to life in North America? What was the biggest difference or hardest thing to get used to culturally?

"I had really great billet families and they helped me with everything. The toughest part was obviously the language barrier. When I came here I didn’t know a word of English and that took a while to learn. But I had a lot of support which really made things easier being so young."

Thomas, you know, you're allowed to speak German anytime...Please. I'd appreciate it if you did it. Oh my gosh, I should send a question for the Sabres Show when they do 'You Asked For It' and be like 'Could you please say something - anything in German?' It would make my LIFE.

Who is one goaltender that you hate to face?

"All of them.

"With the way the game is played now goals are hard to come by and every goaltender makes it difficult."

Thomas Vanek is afraid of no one (secretly).

Why do you think that you and Derek Roy are so compatible on a line together? Have you ever had long-term chemistry like that with another linemate?

"No I can’t say that I have. Part of that is because I never played on a team for more than a few seasons so Buffalo is really the first place that I have been able to do that. I think the chemistry comes from knowing a player. Derek and I know each other’s tendencies and have played with each other so long now that I think they complement each other. That familiarity helps on the ice."

You know, I don't care if nothing else works. Thomas and Derek need to stay together always. HAM AND EGGS, as Roby likes to say.

Who has the worst taste in music on the team and what do you listen to?

"I don’t know. That’s a tough question.

"I like country music a lot but I listen to a little bit of everything."

...*cringes*
But I guess that's how this picture came about:


I feel a little better now about last night's game. DON'T DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU BIG DUMMIES. ):

I am done with this game.

I saw Gregory Campbell score, and I thought that was enough. No, the Panthers score again in a span of, what? Ten seconds?
I don't even care if it's the second period only, this game has officially made me sick and I'm through. Goddamn mother*(#&@) defensive breakdowns.

Carolina Hurricanes fire Laviolette...is any coach safe in the NHL?

Checking up on the Blogosphere, I learned that Peter Laviolette was fired today and replaced with Paul Maurice, the ex-coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I was quite surprised considering the Hurricanes won the Cup under him in '06, and even with the fact they missed the playoffs two years in a row, Carolina was still a strong team in a pretty weak division.

That being said, it appears that no matter what your track record is with a team, no coach is safe anymore. That brings us to Lindy's future - now I'm not saying the man should be or will be fired because I love Lindy Ruff. I can't see a Sabres team not being under him, honestly. Since I was seven I've been watching the Sabres under him. I can hardly remember the years before that. But you have to wonder, if the Sabres keep pulling this crap will Lindy stay at the helm? Many other blogs and members of WGR were saying that Lindy basically can't say anything else that he hasn't said already. He's trying to drill into these guys' brains that there needs to be more consistancy, more driving to the net during games, and they have to get ugly goals. It's a grind, as Lindy would like to say.

The last thing I want to see happen to this team is read a report that Lindy Ruff was fired and replaced with some guy I never heard of before, or another guy that was fired previously. Like I said, this more than likely WILL NOT happen for Lindy has a good relationship with the players and the ownership. It's just something that I don't wish to see in the near future.

Real quick.

Thanks for reminding me, NHL.com. Bastards.

It's time to screw those statistics - clean slate time!

Lindy Ruff told the media today that the Sabres started a 'clean slate'. They were told to forgot about the previous 24 games. Forget about this current slump they're in. Forget about the points, and the goals, and the assists (which I thought was amusing because Craigory said that 'Thomas Vanek looked like he was the only one scratching his head at somehow getting rid of his 18 goals.') They need to pretend that they're just starting the season out, and from the sounds of how Lindy and Craigory both reacted to the practice, the players responded well. We can only hope that shows up on this road trip, which should also help them. Getting away from home eases the pain.

Does this mean Buffalo may perhaps seriously try to play like they did in the first five games of the season? Defense first, but also have a scary offense? You know, with people scoring other than Vanek?
Let's all put our hands together and pray (or if you're athiest, just cross your fingers) for the Sabres and ope their game plan decides to work for this roadtrip, because if they come back 0-3, I will have to go down to the arena and do a little more than knock a few heads together.

I'm so glad you guys were inspired to play hockey tonight.

Too bad you couldn't have, oh, I don't know, SCORE A FEW GOALS AGAINST NASHVILLE?
I have nothing to say about this game besides how awful it was to watch you do nothing for sixty minutes. Capital 'A' 'W' 'F' 'U' 'L'.
Whatever. See you guys on Thursday, I hope?