The Evolution of Thomas Vanek.

Some of you may already know this but I now write for BuffaloWins.com and I just published my first post there. Here's a link if you would like to read it.

The Evolution of Thomas Vanek

National teams that struggle - they can only blame themselves.

With the recent departure of Team Austria in the A-Division of the World Championships, it got me thinking about an article that I had read which was posted on the IIHF website prior to them being ousted. It was a little snippet into the life of head coach of the national team, Bill Gilligan, which had the wheels in my head going.

Within some European countries who do not develop many NHL players (like Austria and Slovenia for examples), they do not have many rinks or hockey programs because hockey is not the number one sport of even close to that. If you look at who has come out of Austria such as Vanek, Grabner, and Nodl – all three of them came over to North America at a young age to reach their dream of making the NHL. Do you think at this day and age; the young kids in Austria with a lack of guidance and proper hockey experience will get them to the NHL by staying in their country? Probably not.

Vanek came here when he was 14 to play in the ECHL and then played for the Gophers. Grabner came and played for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL and was quite the star there. Then Nodl pretty much took the same route Vanek did and played for the same team he had in the ECHL. I did some research to see if Anze Kopitar had developed within Slovenia but then learned that at either 16 or 17, he left to play in Sweden. He had been told he would not have a chance in the NHL unless he ‘left the country’.

There’s probably major concern for this; seeing as if Austria, Slovenia, and some other countries could perhaps get more hockey schools, they would develop a lot more players within the country. The kids are becoming more interested in the sport thanks to the guys mentioned above but they’re only being motivated to leave the country when they get to be older. I would personally love to see Austria get plenty of rinks and schools to help kids there. I think they could be a hockey powerhouse if they tried.

Vanek actually made comments on the current situation with how the national team is run in Austria:

Now let’s talk about the Austrian squad. I’ve read Matthias Trattnig’s interview with Laola1 today and have to completely agree with his criticism. I am and always have been proud to play for Austria, the state of things in the national hockey federation just makes it hard to do so. You feel like at a summer hockey-camp when you join the national squad not like in a professional team. While it’s an important factor it’s not only to do with getting food and water but with other basics like wearing the same uniform already in practice. Other “small” hockey-countries like Italy and Norway warm up in the same tee-shirts. We do the warm-up completely mixed up. Matthias is wearing a Red Bull-shirt, Bernd Brückler a Russian shirt from his club and I warm up in a Buffalo-shirt.

Of course, that’s not all. What’s really bad is the fact that there’s just not enough staff. We have just on physical therapist and one equipment manager – by far not enough for a national squad, especially at times like a world championship where you play every other day. 15 or more guys would need a massage after a game, but there’s only time for like 3 or 4 to get one. The equipment manager is also overstrained with so much work in so little time.

The players are supposed to be professionals. True, but the same should be said about Hockey Austria. We want to come and play well, but, as I said above, the officials don’t always make it easy for us.

It’s hard to say for us why that is so. We as players don’t have any insight into the finances of the hockey federation. We have no idea if all the money is getting to where it should really end up. But I think it’s alarming that similar hockey nations like Italy and Norway can do so much better than we. We’ve talked to Hockey Austria manager Giuseppe Mion and president Dieter Kalt sen. last year but nothing much has changed.

It’s interesting to see his thoughts on everything and how truly upset he seems to be over how unprofessional the national team is. It makes me wonder if he’s going to try and make a difference after his career is over.

If you’d like to read the article I mentioned earlier, check it out here if you’re interested: Have Puck, Will Travel.

Expectations.

In 2003, Thomas Vanek was the 5th overall pick for the Buffalo Sabres. He was already deemed as 'a natural goal scorer' but many scouts considered him to be lazy on some nights. Regardless of this being the European stereotype or it being the typical terminology used with some college players, the Sabres still took him and expected huge things from him. He had a pretty good rookie season with the exception of the playoffs where he was scratched for the Eastern Conference Finals against Carolina. As we all know, he came back the next season with 43 goals, a +47, and an impending 7-year, $50 million contract in the summer.

Ever since that contract most of us have expected a lot of Vanek. We expect more than fifty goals a season, we expect him to be on the scoresheet every night, we expect him to play in every situation. Expectations go a long way with this guy. Jeremy White Tweeted the other night that he will remember this season as the year most Sabres fans finally embraced Vanek and what he's become in the past few years - except for those who still claim he's lazy and wish we had gotten the draft picks instead in the summer of '07.

Here's the problem with Vanek: it's the kind of person he is. This reflects on how he plays, the decisions he makes. It's no secret that Vanek has been my favorite player since 2006 so I've been watching him particularly close over any other player on this team which I believe causes me to over analyze on the type of person he is. I think I've only heard him throw someone under the bus in two of his interviews out of them ALL, while also throwing himself under the bus. He consistently puts himself down over and over again, even about plays he wasn't involved in. It's to the point where it's ridiculous.

He wants to work in all areas of his game which is what Lindy has wanted to do for so long, but there are Sabres fans who just want Vanek to be 'the goal scorer'. Nothing else. They don't expect more assist than goals (in fact, they abhor it). If he isn't right on a guy's ass on a backcheck, he's lazy. If he's coasting near the blueline to try and score on a breakaway, he's lazy. I always wonder if the Vanek haters have colored glasses on that block out all the positive aspects about him or what. I know I am biased but I think even if I hated the guy, I could see that he has changed quite a bit from the 22-year old who was stuck sitting in the pressbox; knowing he had to change something about his work ethic and self to be better in the fall of 2006.

This is the guy who stayed calm and collected after the Washington game to say that the game last night was more important - and they won. You have to wonder if he said anything in the lockerroom to get the guys going or if they already knew it by the look in his eyes. The faint outline of a 'C' should be stitched in Vanek's jersey in a light, gold color. Whether you guys like it or not, he has indeed grown up. You should, too.

Astronomical.

Last night, I watched the Sabres/Coyotes game at my eldest brother's house. Some if not most of you know Corey, who has been on WGR 550 and now writes periodically for the Goose's Roost. During the game last night, he had compared Vanek to an asteroid - in that with his inertia, it never looks like anyone can stop him. Well, maybe besides the sun. So after hearing that, this is what I came up with today.


Photoshop skills aren't what they used to be, but there you have it. VANEK. IN. SPAAAAAAACE.

A podcast should be up shortly. I have some stuff I want to dish out against people because they suck. Go Sabres.

PotG is on a hiatus at the moment if you couldn't tell.

For the meantime:
We'll be back to our original programming soon.

Postgame: 10-24-10.

I don't understand how the Sabres can play so well on the road and then look horrible when they're playing at home. I didn't see the Ottawa game because I was at work but I was intermittently listening to it on the radio so I knew they lost. I have no idea how they played since I didn't read anything up on it either. They went 0-4-1 for the times they were at home and right now are looking like road warriors. I guess that's a good thing but at the same thing, it's a really bad thing. You need to be able to win at home too...Maybe they'll figure things out when November comes around.

Ilya Kovalchuk was scratched last night for reasons that continue to be unknown to the fans perspective. Also, the media doesn't seem to know what's going on because the Devils' GM is keeping his mouth shut. The fact that he is getting paid $100 million and was now scratched for a game should be a concern for the Devils. A HUGE concern. Who knows what is going on behind closed doors but it feels as if the organization is going to crack soon. That's what happens when you practically sign a guy for life...

The Sabres beating Hedberg last night was comforting since he's had our number in Atlanta for years. The Devils just did not look good either, even though for the beginning portion of the game they did look like the team with fresher legs. I think Niedermayer and Gerbe got their first points last night so good for them! It looks like this year the goals will be coming from all different guys again. At least it won't just be two or one guys...speaking of which, I won't be surprised if Thomas takes over the goal scoring lead on the team. At least pucks are starting to go in for him now. It's nice to see him be rewarded for his effort.

The Sabres don't play again until Tuesday in Philadelphia so they're getting a nice break. Hopefully they can take it to them. Go Sabres.

Postgame: 10-21-10.

There is nothing more refreshing than seeing the boys finally get a win over a team that they should beat night in and night out. It was even better to see that they took advantage of a team that just got back from their west coast adventure. We as Sabres fans know how that goes when the boys get back home...yeesh. Those this year might be different since they don't even know how to win at home. AWESOME.

Tyler Ennis started off the scoring by getting a shot past Chris Mason. Now, the shot would have been a totally easy save if Mason hadn't dropped down early. It was definitely a weak goal but nice to see that the Sabres got on the board first. Tyler Myers added one on the power play in the second period and that was his first goal. Cody McCormick got his second of the season just a few minutes after that, and then in the third period, Thomas Vanek FINALLY ripped a shot from about twenty feet out and it went right passed Mason. He looked up to the ceiling after he scored, you could tell he was happy something finally went in. Maybe this now means that he can be on a streak.

I think that overall, the boys played well yesterday. There were a few times where I was questioning their skating ability because it just looked like the game was slow. Or maybe it was just Atlanta. Seriously, they along with the Blue Jackets got a record for the lowest attendance at a hockey game in the NHL (I think) yesterday. My one brother suggested we fly to Atlanta and sit near the glass because no one clearly had tickets to that game. I bet being a fan of someone other than the Thrashers and going to see your team for cheap is very nice. I would adore that. Not the weather, but being that close every night. I have family that lives down there that are fans of both the Sabres and Thrashers but I think they only go when the Sabres come to town. Totally understandable. My uncle keeps me updated on in game stuff that they do and he says he can't stand it.

The Sabres are playing the Senators tomorrow, and I'm actually looking forward to this game. I'll be at work and maybe I'll be able to listen to it on the radio, so I can hear if the first game was just a fluke or that they might actually be able to compete against this team. Remember boys, the Senators are not that much better than you. Don't let them continually get to your heads. You've got this.

Go Sabres.

It begins.

I'd like to thank the creator of Twitter for coming up with the idea for it. You see, especially during hockey games, I'm a raving lunatic. I need to express my anger or my complete happiness somewhere and I can't do it outloud at my house because of my mother usually being in bed during hockey games. I swear up a storm, use all caps. I am that type of person when it comes to watching this sport. For all those people who still follow me even after reading my obscene comments, thanks for sticking around. I think I use Twitter to get out all of my frustration and if I want to write a blog post the next day, I'm extremely calm. So thanks for that, creator of Twitter. You had people like me in your mind when you came up with the concept.

The Sabres lost their fifth straight game yesterday, and Phil over at Black & Blue & Gold had mentioned on Twitter if anyone remembered the ten game losing streak. To be honest, that came into my mind after the Devils game. I didn't really think they would lose the next two games after that but it just doesn't seem like ANYTHING is going right for this team right now. Both goaltenders can't seem to steal a W (though Ryan did steal a point for the boys against New Jersey). We can't seem to score more than three goals a game and that's only happened two out of the six games. Thomas Vanek can't get the puck in the net. Most shots on goal but nothing to show for it which is just REALLY, REALLY weird. It isn't like he's not trying, he is but the puck keeps avoiding to go in the net when he shoots it. Our defensive pairings are really screwed up. I don't know what happened to Tyler but I think he is now a minus seven. Guys, that's really bad considering I think he was a plus player last year. I hope this is just a fluke and he doesn't have the dreaded sophomore slump.

It was comforting to see more guys than Derek Roy score last night, that's for sure. Drew, Goose, and Cody all got on the board. Thomas got an assist (WOO HOO) but that could not stop the Hawks. I said it on Twitter, I said it on Facebook - time to get more goal songs. Obviously you're going to love it because it pisses off opposing teams and fans and if you're a Hawks fan, but if you plan on having this song 20+ years into the future then have fun with that disaster. I don't even care about the Hawks in terms of I do not love them or hate them but I HATE that song during the hockey season. It's too bad I'll have to hear it more while watching the Canucks play them this year, ugh.

The Sabres next game is on Wednesday and I think fans deserve a break from this. I wonder if Lindy will be able to light a fire under their butts so they come out flying because the Thrashers have our number badly. It's time to take care of teams who are less talented than we are - or are they?

Go Sabres.

TEAOTAS crashes the home opener.

And the Sabres manage to crash it too, in a horrible way.

They dropped a 6-3 decision against the New York Rangers and decided to let Derek Stepan get his first NHL goal PLUS a hat trick in his first NHL game. For the record, congratulations Derek! He is only the fourth rookie to ever do that in his first NHL game which is pretty impressive. He capitalized on his chances which the Sabres did not do for most of the night last night. He is now the answer to a trivia question.

Tamara and I made it to the arena rather early and got our magnet schedules (!!!). We then did the usual, watching pregame warm ups and whatnot. The Sabres decided to change the Sabres In Traffic photos around the arena so now I get to see this whenever I get up the stairs:


*wiggles eyebrows*
Moving on.

My brother and mom were at the game too, FUN TIMES. My mom hasn't been to a game in a couple of years, and it's sad she had to see that monstrosity of a game last night. Seriously, they had almost forty (if not over) shots on goal and could only score three. Their power play units need to be shot. Everyone would not skate last night. WHAT GIVES? I understand back to back nights but you can't always use that as an excuse.

I was so angry by the end of the game that I was yelling at Rangers fans to go back to the city. Like, literally screaming it. Also calling the Sabres bastards but I never booed them once since I don't roll like that. Yesterday was just SUCH a sloppy game. I started laughing in the third just because that's all you can do when your favorite team plays like that. I'm pretty sure all of my screaming helped me feel much better though.

For the record, Thomas Vanek has the lowest +/- on this team with a -5. Go figure. Haha, man, I hate life right now.

The Sabres face the Stanley Cup champions tomorrow and I hope that it'll be more exciting in that both teams will score a lot of goals. With the Sabres coming out on top, of course. Someone needs to wreck Patrick Kane's life too, that would be spendid.

Go Sabres.

Puck Drop 2010 and it's festivities.

Puck Drop 2010 has come and past, but it had it's moments. The day long event gave fans a chance to see their favorites in action on the first day of training camp while also letting them finally see the new jerseys that were coming out today. I'm pretty sure everyone left the arena happy as I know that I did. I think I am just eagerly awaiting for the real season to begin and it was nice to catch a glimpse of some hockey again.

The practice squad was the first group that was on the ice and consisted of guys like Vanek, Rivet, Montador, and others. The practice squad was out on the ice for about an hour and a half; just practicing a few drills and other miscellaneous things. I was impressed with a few guys especially during the drill where you had to battle the puck of of someone. Vanek was going all out against a few guys and I hope that has to do with him being in amazing shape this season.

At 11:45, each Sabre was announced and came out one after another in the home, away, and third jerseys respectively. It was neat to watch them skate around in the new garments. It's going to take time to get used to the style (especially the cross stitch on the numbers), but I think that I'll be able to come to love the look. I definitely like the shade of blue used for the jerseys. I can't wait until they wear them during a game. Those are going to look super flashy on the ice.

After the unveiling, they had a scrimmage go on. Sekera ended up going to the penalty box twice, while Connolly, Stafford, Foligno, and another rookie who I can't think of at the moment were also in there. Unfortunately, I don't remember who scored either but there were some sweet goals at both ends. For the shootout, Myers almost killed Leggio as he actually had to jump over the poor guy in the net. Ennis had an extremely nice goal that went top shelf while Pominville scored his only goal this season. Just kidding - at least I hope. Team White ended up winning the entire scrimmage.

There's a practice tomorrow which I'm attending so if you happen to see me, feel free to stop and say hello! You can't miss the girl with bushy hair and a Vanek jersey.

We Sabres fans thought that Vanek contract was bad.

Tamara is always awesome with informing me with hockey news, especially because of me working now often. I work through all the exciting stuff to happen. So she texted me and when I got out of work, I learned that Ilya Kovalchuk had signed with...

New Jersey.

For real? Okay, so I had a feeling that he might pull this sort of stunt to screw with our heads. Keep sitting on his hands until the RIGHT deal came up and it was with the same team he was on at the end of the season. I just never thought it would go through like that. So I thought to myself 'Okay Ilya, you're the ultimate douche and I hope the system kills your playing ability' etc. etc.

This was before I heard what the contract was. Seventeen years at nearly $150 million. I have no idea what the cap hit is per year, but to put it bluntly, holy shit. What happened to the salary cap? Could the NHL possibly go into a lockout mode sooner than they expected, again? This is ridiculous. I saw on Twitter the other day that maybe each team should have a maximum number of years they can sign a guy. I mean, who really thinks Ilya is going to play for seventeen more years? Anyone? He upped my shock face from when the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to that fifteen year contract last summer. I wasn't that surprised when Ovie was signed to a thirteen year deal though...

And Sabres fans were afraid of that Vanek contract. Some people still are. It makes me wonder if that was the contract that started everything. I hope not.

Quick thing.

That Patrick Lalime defense post will come up shortly (Tamara wants it NOW) but I'm lazy and I'm trying to figure out how to properly word everything to make it right. The guy deserves a GOOD post in his defense so I need a bit more time.

As a filler and because I need my Vanek news during the summer, his website announced that the man himself will be the father of TWINS! So now there'll be three children in the Vanek family and I couldn't be happier. The twinsies are due in November. I hope this doesn't take a toll on him like it did when Blake was born but I know in his life, family comes first. I'm okay with that.

Also, he's getting a plaque placed on a stadium near Olympic names in Zell am See, Austria. They had a ceremony for him yesterday and that's where he announced the news of the twins. He had a book signing too, which, someone needs to get on that and translate it into English. Just reading the excerpts from his website makes me want to read more of it.

I swear I'll have that Patty post up, eventually. Even if it kills me. Maybe.

Day 1 of Free Agency: How Swede it is not, a not so great Finnish and...hey Jordan Leopold!

Pun totally intended on that whole title. Except for the 'hey Jordan Leopold' because I couldn't think of anything witty to do with that. Give me a break, it's late when I'm writing this post.

I was home for most of the fireworks from earlier today but was at work when our Swede and our Finn departed this team. Tamara had to come into Tim Horton's to inform me of the horrible news. I'm not saying I was completely shocked because most of us know how Darcy rolls by now. Apparently he did everything he could to keep the two of them but I don't know if I believe that a hundred percent...

So Toni is off to California while Hank is only going to New Jersey (which is ironic in itself, considering that goal he scored against Marty...). I know that they'll both be in good hands but they were on this team when I started to get back into hockey so I'm extremely sad. I just wish them the absolute best with their careers now.

Now Jordan Leopold was influenced to come here by the one and only Thomas Vanek. Not totally, but I guess when the Sabres showed interest, he talked to Thomas and their wives conversed as well. I think that's pretty awesome how players that are friends can talk to one another and ask if it might be a good decision to go to so and so place. I think the real thing that sealed the deal was Thomas mentioning how the wings were good here. Oh, you sly man you. Leopold was signed to a three year contract so he'll be here for a bit. I just hope that he's good.

I don't get it.

News was released today by several sources (The Buffalo News, Sabres.com and Yahoo! to name a few) that stated the decision is now left on Thomas' shoulders about whether or not he's going to play in tomorrow's game. I'm not the only one who found this to be a dumb move by Lindy to at least publicize this. Now that it's gotten out to various news sources, the shit may hit the fan tomorrow if Thomas deems that he is unable to play at the moment because of lingering soreness. The guy can't work at 90%. In his interview today, he says he doesn't want to take someone out of the lineup to put him in if he can't work at 100%. I like his attitude.

I think what really boggles my mind about this is that Lindy should know how the fans will react if Thomas says he can't play tomorrow. Especially because of this being an elimination game, they're going to be a lot worse than they would otherwise. This brings up the whole debate with some people of Ruff vs. Vanek. Allll because Lindy sat the guy in the playoffs during 2006 and look how he bounced back the next year. I don't think this is another one of those moments but surely, Lindy has realized what he's done...not very good.

Whatever, I know I'll be sticking up for the guy if it comes down to him saying no tomorrow. He will have valid reasons for not playing. It's obvious how much he wants and needs to get back out on the ice so everyone needs to chill out.

You need to believe.

After the thriller that was double overtime last night, you have to wonder how frustrated this team is and if they should be more frustrated with themselves. People are blaming bad calls (myself included), others are blaming players for not being able to score. The thing that sickens me the most is that you can tell this team misses Thomas at the moment. I'm not saying he would solve all of the problems and he shouldn't because one person, a team does not make. I guess the energy really was sucked out of everyone after he went down. They don't even know if he's going to be ready to go for tomorrow so the Sabres may be screwed yet again. I am trying to keep my hopes up as much as possible though. I don't want him to play at half health.

Another frustrating thing is the lack of scoring on the power play. Wasn't it last year where we were in the top five almost all year? I mean, Thomas had twenty power play goals and a lot of other guys scored on it too. We haven't scored once yet this playoffs on it. I don't know what the problem is, whether they aren't cycling the puck well enough or not enough traffic is in front. Then again, I don't think these guys like to even shoot at the net so guys like Goose and Thomas can't get rebounds or attempt to stuff it in. We had a good chance to end the game yesterday on a power play but didn't use the opportunity to our advantage. Meanwhile, Boston scored on a 'too many men' penalty...

This team isn't done yet. There is another chance for the Sabres to step up tomorrow and I know I am going to be on a rollercoaster of emotions. We're going to the Party in the Plaza tomorrow and I really hope the Sabres fans bring their A game. We as fans were brutal this year, the energy was not there. I would give us maybe a C on how much we cheered on the team this year. Come on Sabres fans, I know you can do it.

Ryan Kesler: Selke Finalist

The NHL today announced their finalists for the Selke Trophy, or the most defensive forward in the league. Yesterday they announced the Vezina Trophy finalists so congratulations to the Sabres own Ryan Miller for getting the nod as one. I personally think that he will either win the Vezina or the Hart but not both. That's my own opinion though.

The other two finalists for the Selke are Pavel Datsyuk (of course) and Jordan Staal. Datsyuk has gotten the award a thousand times in a row it feels, and I don't know if he deserves it as much now with Detroit not playing too well this year. It shouldn't matter team wise and I never watch the way he plays...though he'll end up winning again, I'm sure. Jordan is Jordan and has always been defensively minded. Ryan has a good chance of winning it but I'm not sure if his defensive skills are going to be looked at so much simply because he had career numbers in the offensive categories. I would absolutely love to see this man get an award but I know that the shiny Cup is a better award than the Selke. The Sabres have to win it first Ryan, sorry.

Speaking of the Sabres...I didn't pay very much attention to last night's game only because it bored me. I had known this was going to be a very defensive series but considering we've only scored six goals in the past three games...Yeah, I'm kind of concerned. Thomas is not the only offensive guy on this team and I want to know where the balanced scoring had disappeared to since the beginning of the season. I believe in this team and I know they have it in them. I just wonder if they believe in themselves.

Came back from the dead just in time.

I think after seeing the numerous Chinese comments appear in my inbox, I decided to get this thing up and running for the playoffs again. I figured 'why not?' My blogging for this year has been pretty bad, at least with having a sense of consistency. I hope I can talk about my thoughts during the playoffs this year more on here just because so far it's been a redonkulous time of playoffs.

This particular post is going to have my biased thoughts on Thomas Vanek show all the way through it. If you haven't seen the incident that happened yesterday with Johnny Boychuk then please go on Puck Daddy or YouTube. Even the Sabres website has video up of what happened. From what I could see on the replay (DOES THIS MAKE ME AN EXPERT?), Boychuk deliberately slashed Vanek's right knee and it caused him to go awkwardly into the boards. According to Mike Harrington yesterday on the good old Twitter feed, Vanek was favoring his left leg and not the right. The slash wasn't the direct cause of the pain but it lead to Vanek falling into the boards in the first place.

Ironic how Boychuk the other day complains about how he believes Tyler Myers should have been suspended on a hit he laid out on him in Game One, and then this just happens to occur. Hmm. I'm not saying he went after Thomas on purpose but my biased opinions are blinding me in the circumstance to decide whether or not that was a cheap slash. I think it was cheap. Will anything be done? No. We just have to hope that Thomas won't be out long. Lindy was quoted as saying that he would 'make the Boston trip for games 3 and 4'. He has no idea how long he could be out for though. It looked like he was in a lot of pain as he limped on his way to the bench.

Anyone who was at the game have any thoughts? I'm sure you guys saw much more unfold than the people who were watching on the televisions did. It's disappointing to see him come back and do so well only to watch him get injured again.

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: Thanks for playing.

Patrick Lalime STILL has not won his 200th game. The guy is going to get it, I just don't know when. It's getting really irritating to watch this team flop in front of him and forget how to score for 55 minutes of a game. Thanks to our savior, Thomas Vanek, he scored twice to make it 3-2...but unfortunately they could not complete the comeback. The Sabres fell 3-2 to the Wild.

One thing that really irked me was the ignorance coming from Sabres fans. I hope you guys know that jeering your own backup goaltender doesn't help him one bit. He was quoted as saying that he felt like he 'was playing at an away game'. I don't blame him one bit for saying that. Maybe if some of our fans weren't such dicks (to put it mildly) he could play better and at least have confidence in himself. None of you booers are helping him out there by your remarks so shut your face.

There is nothing I hate more than fans booing their team or booing the backup. I know the players say it puts some life into them but I don't see the point and as much as the Sabres piss me off some nights, I'm not going to go around booing them. I know I wouldn't take it well if I were being booed if I were in there shoes. At the same time, this is why I am not in the NHL or playing a sport...

The Swedish Nation is tonight. I am hoping for the same outcome as it was in the beginning of the year BESIDES Thomas injuring himself. None of that, mister.

Mark Mancari, you're up.

According to this Sabres Edge article, Mark Mancari has been called up to play with the Sabres since Drew's injured and is playing with Thomas and Derek for tonight's game. Looks like Lindy has a lot of confidence in him tonight to put him on that line and I know with those two guys, he can maybe get something going. I wasn't impressed with him when he was up here earlier in the year (also against the Rangers) but maybe tonight will be different for him.

The Pirates are also playing here today in Buffalo, so best of luck to them so they can defeat Rochester! Go Pirates! Let's go, Buffalo!

Silly post.

Thanks to Tamara for the heads up on this interview.