Game Time

              The Sabres take on the Florida Panthers tonight and for the first time in almost 3 weeks will try to win consecutive games. Ron Rolston appeared to have the boys putting together some good shifts in Tuesday's win against Tampa  I'm eager to see if it carries over into tonight. This is how teams start to rebuild that confidence. It starts with a good series of shifts, and hopefully translates into positive results. I don't expect Rolston to come out with a new game plan or try to out smart anyone, but I think what he really wants is to out work opponents. Win the small battles in the corners and races to pucks. He wants them to force the opponents to beat you, don't beat yourselves by cheating on plays or taking the easy way out. A'lot of the problems the team faces are players assuming they had help or outlets, but teammates not buying into the system.

           A few days ago I said we should be 2-1 in these 3 games.. Tonight we will see, but as hard as it is to think about playoffs now, if we dont win a few games over the next week or 2 the season is a wash. I much rather have the dim light at the end of the tunnel than the darkness that can be a lost season.

Bryzgalov turns to the dark side

Also on a side note, I'm no flyers fan and bryzy is a bit of a head case.. but this is still a bad ass mask.. best mask ive seen in a loonnnnnng time.. most are so cluttered now.  Admittedly its nostalgic to me, but really who isnt Star Wars nostalgic too in one way or another. Once a geek always a geek! Stay classy, Mr. Bryzgalov.

2012-2013 NHL arena beer price report

          Here it is folks, the good the bad and the ugly of booze prices. 

I'm proud to say up in Buffalo the beer flows like the falls of Niagra, 

ranking among the best bang for your buck an ice cold 20 oz beer

ran $7.00. No wonder pens fans love Mario, 16 oz for $5.00. Also how
about Jimmy Dolan in Madison Square Garden, a 20 oz beer in one of most
historic buildings the league with a billion dollar transformation in the works,
$7.50. I applaud you Jimmy D.

        Now here's where it gets ugly... Take a look at that bottom

row. Nassau Coliseum my local arena clocking in at $9.50 for a 20 oz.

Really?? Now I risk being struck by falling debris, asbestos poisoning 

and expose my wallet to $9.50 a brew?? I'll pass.... Also how about the

louis in Detroit? They pack that house and still have to charge you $6 for a 12 oz

can?

Oh Darcy, My Darcy

            So all this talk about coaches and new management in Buffalo is starting to shift focus from ex coach Lindy Ruff to current GM Darcy Regeir.  Mr. Regeir appears to have a fairly impressive resume, lets take a closer look. He took over for John Muckler in the summer of 1997, along with that came a whole plethora of problems. Then superstar goaltender Dominick Hasek was fueding with coach Ted Nolan. Nolan was coming off a Jack Adam's winning coaching campaign whilst Hasek was dominating the league, earning his nickname "The Dominator". It all boils down to Hasek siding with ex GM Muckler over head coach Ted Nolan, which led to Hasek possibly faking an injury during the playoffs costing the city its best chance at a Stanley cup. Darcy's first decision as General Manager was his head coach. He axed Ted Nolan in an attempt to satisfy his superstar goalie and bring solidarity to the locker room. Enter Lindy Ruff, exit Ted Nolan. 2 years later the team makes a run to the finals only to be expelled by a Dallas Stars team. His only Stanley cup final is from a team he had little to do with building, outside of hiring Lindy and bringing in Jason Wooley.

            Since then we have made the playoffs 6 times and missed the playoffs 6 times. When we had competitive teams he was unable to keep them together. Blame ownership all you want, but you cant fire an owner. Surviving numerous ownership changes, with the same results, early successes that he had little to do with. The talent he has brought in at high cap hits is questionable at best. Brad Boyes, Ville Leino, Tim Connolly, Craig Rivet, all come to mind. I mean where is this great track record? What am i missing? Zubrus? Lalime? Tyler Myers and Leino are costing us a combined 10 mil cap hit and have scored combined 1 goal. Thats right 10 million per goal, Vanek must feel short-changed.

            My point is more change is coming. A franchise can not survive so many bad decisions. Financial liabilities are often the first to go in these situations. It's no secret Darcy has made some financial blunders over the past few years, now its really starting to show. Even mismanagement of our home grown talent is hurting us Tyler Myers is over paid and under qualified, Drew Stafford is struggling to produce while bringing in top talent dollars. I really hope we can turn it around, but even if we did I still see the same holes, the same skid marks left from years of negligent spending.

TOR 3 - 1 BUF

      It would've been nice to see a spark in the team since their coach just lost his job in partly due to their play. So while I sympathize that to most of them Lindy was the only pro coach they ever had, they needed to at least show the team still has the fight and will to win. Ryan Miller said in the post game the team needed to "start with the simplest things you can do". I cant imagine Ron Rolston has had an easy 48 hours. Taking over a team trying to mask its disarray.
       4 games in the next 8 nights with no back to backs may be the best part of the schedule to take over. Ryan Miller is still on his game, as is Vanek. But where is Drew Stafford? Where is Ville Leno? Where is Tyler Myers?

 
        Next up is the Islanders, whom I have to say, still are worse off than the sabres. Then next week the Lightning and the Panthers, should be a 2-1 swing. Yeah Right...... gonna be a long weekend.

First time for everything

         For the first time tonight I watched my Buffalo Sabres with out the man I thought was indestructible, Lindy Ruff. Usually with the change of coaches comes new culture and often a shot of hope to the fan base. Except not this time, Rolston comes in as a well established AHL coach. Known for his ability to progress a players career to the next level. Touted  mainly for winning 3 gold medals in IIHF U-18 Championships. If the Sabres were a young team like the Oilers or Islanders I could see the connection. But as a team with an aging core, the second highest payroll in hockey, and a slew of players in make or break years this change is little more than a band aid. Perhaps Mr. Pegula is shortening the leash on Darcy a little bit, covering all bases in case he has to make a GM change. Even worse would be bringing in a new coach under Regier and then being stuck with him once you part ways with the GM. So I think I get it, however that wont lessen the blow to the fan base  The fan base that is paying for tickets at the highest price hike in the league. The fan base that stuck through bad ownership with sub par production and still came out and filled the building. The same fan base who hasn't pitchforked, witch hunted or martyrized a coach or gm in 15+ years. We have been through bad contracts, diva goaltenders, hints of bankruptcy. Yet were still here. Currently off to a  6-11-1 start to a lockout shortened season, still here. If Ron Rolston cant turn it around and the team continues to sputter the fan base is likely to go nowhere. But at some point the return the fan is getting has to rise. You want to charge obscene amounts of money to go to a game,  buy a jersey or eat a hot dog. Now show me why I'm paying this much. Right now were footing the spending spree of a Billionaire's fantasy to run a hockey team.