I don't even know what to post ABOUT.

The Sabres won on Friday, WOOOOO!

The Canucks came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Maple Leafs 5-3, WOOOOOO!

The Leafs and Flames dealt with one another and now Dion Phaneuf is a Leaf, I DON'T LIKE THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS.

:D

"Let me just lean over the table here..."

Go Sabres!

Postgame: 1-27-10

Hey, it was awesome to finally win a game again after losing the past four, woo! I think we might be one point behind the Devils now in the standings, and seven in front of Ottawa. We have to battle Ottawa next week so I hope the boys are mentally prepared for that one...I know I won't and ever be for those games.

Anyways, this post is not about Ottawa. It's about the Sabres finally learning to win in a shootout. The last one they had won was against Calgary, and that feels like a million years ago. Tamara and I attended that game and I thought that I had saved my long video of the shootout on my computer. Of course it didn't work out like that. Anyways, Jochen Hecht is our best shootout guy right now. I KNOW, RIGHT? I know exactly what you're thinking readers. He's three for three this year, so I guess we know who to put out there last...or first, whatever.

I thought yesterday's game was pretty boring but I feel like that everytime we play the Devils. I hope the game on Friday isn't boring since I'm going. It's going to be nice to go back to the arena again after so long.

Oh...it's you again.

The Sabres play their first game at home since that long shootout against Colorado that Tamara and I were fortunate enough to attend - or unfortunate? Depends on how you look at it. It was a good game but Patty didn't with his 200th...and I keep forgetting that the next game he plays could BE his 200th win. Let's hope, right?

The Devils were shutout against the Senators last night and will probably come in tonight either a.) tired, or b.) ready to go and come out flying. I know the Sabres just came back from a tough road trip but hopefully they can fight the exhaustion and be somewhat mentally ready for this game. The Devils may have been shutout last night, but they still won't be an easy team to play against.

Go Sabres.

Postgame...of the greatest game this season.

Ryan Kesler should have scored on this breakaway, JUST SAYING.

So yesterday was a great game despite how it turned out, with the Sabres losing thanks to a stupid call by Kerry Fraser. It was fast paced, and to be honest, it went FAR too quickly for me. I wish it had never ended.

Ryan didn't get a point last night, but...
THOMAS SCORED ON THE POWER PLAY WHEN RYAN WAS IN THE BOX! EXCITEMENT COMING FROM ME! Can't you tell? That was probably the highlight for me, besides the green guys mocking Thomas when he went in the penalty box first. I burst out in a fit of laughter.

So the Sabres ended this road trip with a loss and they get to host the Devils tomorrow night. Oh joy, you just HAD to give them a hard team, didn't you dear NHL? Oy. I hope this road trip didn't show any signs of things to possibly come...

The day everyone has been waiting for!

Or only me, whatever.
The Sabres and Canucks are finally playing one another! I've had this date in my head since the schedule came out and I'm glad that it's come at last. Last time these two met up, Ryan Kesler and Steve Bernier were the only ones scoring the Canucks goals and Thomas Vanek had a three point night. I'd like to have a big night out of Ryan and Thomas again...except the Sabres should win, of course. The Canucks are on a hot streak so it's okay if they lose ONCE. The Sabres have lost the past three games in a row so they need a win here to close out the road trip.

Can you guys believe the road trip is over after this game? Insanity. Good to know the boys are coming back after tonight. It seems like forever since I've last seem them in person.

Postgame: 1-23-10

Sabres lost. Dany scored his 30th. That's all that matters. Whatevs.

Next up:I'll be back after this game when I get over my jitters of PURE EXCITEMENT.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things.

While the Sabres continue to make a poopy mess out of their west coast trip, I decided to look on the bright side. Well, Tamara's bright side, in case you haven't noticed, no one ever agrees with me. 

I'm warning you now, two of the three have to do with Dany Heatley. 

3. 30 0n 30

Don't act like you weren't there! Despite epic failure (which somehow still includes Jason Pominville scoring) Dany scored his 30th goal tonight...on a goalie who wears number 30 (odds were that could have happened anyways). 

I called it. I said it would either be his birthday or today. Maybe he wanted to stick to 29 on his 29th birthday? No?

Anyways, awesome goal, hurray! 

Which leads us to....

2. Olympians Stay Put

Mr. Jhonas Enroth unofficially confirmed to me that NHL Olympians will be stay put until the break begins. No opening ceremonies, no fuzzy feelings with the new teams, no love from the NHL. They're just jealous. 

While this means less Patty time (somewhat), it DOES mean Dany time. Dany time that doesn't involve Toronto, but instead, 100 level seats near my boy!

And maybe he'll score again!

And Patty will likely be playing, but...we can adjust, no?

:)

He's excited, too!

1. Furry People Need Love, Too!

Shelby mentioned this in her last post, but it bears repeating. Haha, bear! One of the largest furry conventions (google it...) took place in the same San Jose hotel as where our boys were staying. 

Resume laughing. 

Here is the second of two pictures. 

As long as they don't think he's one of them. 

Next up, Shelby's guilty pleasure (I think they're called the Canucks). 

Hopefully we don't embarass ourselves.

Hopefully Patty isn't in net.

Hopefully Drew is there.

Thank you, Drew Stafford.

This is from his Twitter, so don't yell at me that I was creeping Facebook or anything dear readers:
In the words of Tamara, he's not going to come back to Buffalo after this convention. It was good knowing you Drew.

Go Sabres.

Postgame: 1-21-10

I would like to pronounce my utter disappointment with the Kings not wearing their thirds yesterday. I was hoping to see the sleek babies on the ice but of COURSE it didn't happen like that. Oh well. I'm sure when I see the Canucks play the Kings next, they will be wearing them. Unless they don't play the Kings anymore at the Staple Center, I don't know their schedule like the back of my hand unfortunately.

So the Sabres lost yet again in a shootout on this road trip, but at least they received a point for their efforts. To be quite honest, I don't mind if they only get one point against Western teams. I see it as that they don't really effect one another anyways so it's no big deal. Still, it's awesome to know that we still have the best record against the West.

Goals came from Clarke, Thomas, and someone else. I don't remember who that person is. I kind of wasn't watching the game when that goal went down so it doesn't exist, DO YOU HEAR ME RICO?! DOESN'T. EXIST. Anyways, Clarke's goal was his 13th I think, and Thomas scored his 14th on the power play apparently. That's what the Sabres site says anyways. I'm so glad he's playing well on this road trip, it's about time people lay off of him and his lack of goals from this season. If he scores only 20 goals, I won't even give a damn. You go, Thomas.

T-minus three days until the Sabres play the Canucks. It would be an understatement if I said I was excited about that game. Definitely an understatement.

Craigory Who?

Shelby and I missed Craig's first goal of the season. 

We were in the car.

Thus, it did not happen. 

Thank you!

Yo...YO!

Look who made Team Germany!
I thought the list before was the REAL list but I guess not, because Jochen has now made the team? Awesome. Congratulations Yo-Yo!
Germany plays Sweden on my birthday, so I MAY be tuning in for sure!

Yay!

Two happy announcements. 

Despite epic failure the other night, Timmy Connolly scored his 100th career goal (and kept a point streak alive in the process). I was going to mention it in the post about that game, however didn't want an awesome thing associated with a not-so-awesome thing. 

We edited Pattys cake for Timmy.

So, good news there!

Not to mention over 12 months without a Timmy Connolly boo boo (granted that included four months of offseason, but I believe that is when he is more likely to get hurt since he's not being supervised).

Annnnnnnnd, something totally non- Sabres related. 

Drum Roll pleaseeeeeee

.....

....

....

....

(it's not Ryan Kesler)

....

....

....

Why, it's Dany Heatley's birthday!

Shut up, you care!

29 years ago today, that woman right there gave birth to that guy right there. Funny how that works out. Now that he's pushing 30, he should reallllly consider settling down, but I won't nag him about that on his big day. 

Perhaps he should score his 30th goal tonight for his birthday (29 goals on his 29th birthday, aww! barf). 

Or against us on Saturday, whatever. 

You'd be surprised how it doesn't matter to me when it comes to this guy. 

Or maybe not.

Postgame: 1-19-10

Unfortunately, there is no picture of Jason Pominville's epic fail from last night so this will have to suffice. Sucks right?

I know I didn't post a postgame to the Coyotes game because it was Thomas' birthday. By now you know they won 7-2, blah blah blah, it was a pretty awesome game. Last night's was first a disaster and then turned totally awesome and then a giveaway by you know who made it a 5-3 game when the Sabres could have tied it up!

Now I won't talk about what happened to patty as to not upset Tamara, but what HAPPENED to the confidence of this team in front of him? The last game he played was against Colorado and he played super well to get to a shootout. They were doing well in back-to-back situations with him and then they decide not to show up for this one in the first period? Hockey is a sixty minute effort...you boys missed that memo once again. The comeback almost happened and then it didn't.

I'm also already sick of having to watch the other team's feeds during this road trip. I know the Canucks one won't be too bad (I'm biased though, forgive me) but if you can't even get the Sabres names right, you shouldn't be broadcasting. You can't be like 'Oh, that guy. Number...twenty-one for the Sabres has the puck now.' Nuh uh, you just can't. They give you guys a list of players for a reason so that you can call the game and know who everyone is. I know they tend to make mistakes from time to time but last night was pretty bad. Even a friend of ours who is a huge Ducks fan hates the announcers for them.

Los Angeles is up next tomorrow; another late night for us Sabres fans. Hopefully it will turn out better than it did yesterday and we wake up after four or five hours of sleep happy this time.

Ugh.

Not that this post was going to be pretty in the first place, but I'm up two hours earlier than desired because my moms car is possessed. 

Anyways.

I can guarantee my second born child (my first one was lost in a bet about Dany Heatley being traded) that the specific player who is, in my tired eyes, entirely responsible for last night will not get blamed. Instead, everyone else will. You know...a defenseman, several defensemen, Tim Connolly, Patty Lalime, Michael Peca. 

However, it may be very hard to blame Jason Pominville until they locate his body- what with the Pacific Ocean so close by. I'm not sure who Miller rooms with on the road, I think it's Yo Yo, and I'm sure he's prepared with something along the lines of ' oh, no officer, Ryan was with me all night.'

Early on, I was mostly angry with Mr. Butler for his leading to Patty sitting on the bench (where he should be warming up a spot for Jason). And, not that it should be a surprise on this team, even in such a high scoring game, goaltending was again not a problem- for either of them. Clarkie was kind enough to defend Patty right away:

MacArthur was not happy to see Lalime depart.

"Guys were [mad]," he said. "We let Patty down. He's doing his job every day and we give up some real high-quality chances early on."

As I just discovered on the Sabres site, even Patty had something to say while SITTING ON THE BENCH:

"Lindy told us that we had a chance to come back," Lalime said. "We were already on a power play, so he said 'Let's get one here, because you never know what can happen.' We showed a lot of character after being down 4-0, so you have to look at the positives. Everyone in this room never gave up and kept playing hard."

Is anyone going to talk to Jason? Probably. And he'll blame the system, and the idea that we just couldn't tie it will live on.

This is why Team USA doesn't want you either, jerk. 

Happy birthday, Thomas Vanek!

Have a good one, you studly man.

Go Sabres!

Oh Hot Damn

I don't think anyone cares about this except for me. And people in Austria.

Today is the day that Thomas Vanek's biography hit the shelves in German speaking countries. Unfortunately for myself, I have to wait until an English translation comes out and who KNOWS when that will be. I'm pretty bummed about it to be honest. It doesn't help that his website posted an excerpt from the book and it made me want to get it even more.

Since I'm giddy for this, I'm going to post a few paragraphs from the book:

"My mouth is wired shut and still hurts. It’s been six days now that a puck hit me in the face. It happened in the game against the Ottawa Senators when Anton Volchenkov ripped a slapshot from just a few feet away and broke my right jaw. I underwent facial surgery the next day. To help heal the injury faster the doctors had my mouth wired. I can’t even talk. It hurts not being on the ice in this emotionally charged game, only watching from above and crossing my fingers for my team.

[…] That’s why it’s so important to win tonight – or at least to give our very best. We want to help the people in the arena to forget the tragedy. We want to entertain them for an evening, detract their thoughts and lessen their suffering. It’s not so different from any other given night, people from all social stratums unite during a game. No matter if they are bankers or construction workers, they are all one in their suffering. Just like they are one in their exultation when we score tonight. There is no place like a rink or a stadium to break down social barriers."

As you can tell, this excerpt is from the day of the plane crash. That last paragraph really hits the nail on the head. Thomas is right - this city is made up of people of so many professions, but that does not mean they do not share the same exact suffering.

"I walk over to Tim Connolly and Derek Roy, the Centers I play with most of the time, and give them a friendly slap on the shoulders. Most players are already standing, anxiously waiting to get out in the rink. I give a nod to Ales Kotalik, one of my best friends on the team, and then leave the locker-room. I want to be up in the players’ box when the game starts. On my way out I pass the box with our sticks, ready to hand for the players taking to the ice. I can’t help it but my arm twitches toward my “Warrior”-stick. After a moment’s thought I put it back in the box. I won’t be needing it tonight. Wistfully I push open the heavy, chrome-plated door with the Sabres logo on it.

A few reporters are waiting outside in the hallway. They want a short comment from me. All I can do is point to my swollen jaw, shake my head and walk on. After 50 meters I come to a branch in the corridor. To the right the way leads to the parking deck where my Land Rover is parked. To the left the corridor continues on to the public area of the arena and the elevator that will take me up to the second level. I give a nod to Stan, the security guy, who guides me through the security door. Most fans are already in the arena by now, so I’m all by myself in the elevator. Everyone who visits HSBC Arena for the first time feels more like in a hotel than a sports arena. What a difference to the mostly sterile and purely functional arenas in Europe."

'All by myseeeeelf...'
Okay, really. As I read the part about how his arm twitched towards his stick, it made me extremely sad. It also makes me realize more how much he wanted to be out there and couldn't be because of his first REAL injury.

"[…] It’s 19.38, the moment Buffalo has been waiting for hours. Everybody is looking down on the 12 players on the ice. There are exactly 18,690 people in the arena, hundreds of thousands more are watching at home or in bars on television. My thoughts go out to my comrades. I can think my way into everyone of them. I know what Tim Connolly thinks, waiting for his first shift, I can feel the energy when our backup goalie Lalime gives a high five to every player returning from a shift. I can feel the tension and the camaraderie which is more pronounced in our sport than in any other. Hockey is the fastest game in the world and also one of the most exhausting. You can’t be on the ice for more than a minute and give your best. Then you have to get off and have a few moments to talk to your line mates about the last shift. This welds guys together."

How true is it that these game completely welds guys together. Not only are they all on the same team but all these guys are a family. Especially when they play together for so long. THIS team is a family.

Postgame: 1-16-10.

Shame on Yahoo! Sports for not having a picture of Craig's amazing face after Drew scored. I hope some other site captured that or I am going to be pretty bummed. The look on Craig's face was priceless.

This is the second time in nearly a week that the Sabres went to a long shootout. It's bad enough they GET to a shootout but to go more than three rounds, nuh-uh. I feel like the longer the shootout goes for the Sabres, the more of a chance we'll have to lose the game. I like winning it when it doesn't go to sudden death.

So I hope the Sabres realize they can't take a bajillion penalties in the game because getting four before they even HAD a power play is a little ridiculous. Good thing their penalty kill is top notch otherwise we would have a problem.

I'm glad the boys got a point out of that game considering they were badly outplayed the first period and a half. They still have yet to lose in regulation this year, woohoo! Good stuff.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Jason John* Pominville gave an interview of one minute and 41 seconds and did not, repeast DID NOT, mention the system. 

This scares everybody, including him.

Oh nos!

* Actually his middle name (or so Wikipedia says, why would they lie?)

The NHL and their lame headlines.

Recently as of late, the NHL has seem to put a ton of puns into their headlines on the main site. When they aren't able to come up with anything good, they just make the headline what the score of the game was. Last night, Alexander Ovechkin had a five point night against the Leafs and it was the fourth time in his career that he's had five points in one game. The headline reads still 'Ovech-King'. Just add a 'g' on the end of his name and that's what you get. Clever, eh? Uh...

Of course at the same time, there are now people who call him Ovehkin because of the fact he has the 'C' on his sweater now. Speaking of that, I really think this whole 'Ovie being captain' thing is going to backfire on the Caps and the rest of the organization. Alex is a great star and I don't doubt that he's a good person, but being a captain shouldn't be his responsibility. He does his talking out on the ice, not with the media. That's no stab to his English either, you just know exactly what damage he can do out there. They've been winning a lot lately but I just don't know how much longer it's going to last.

Stuff...like the Bandits.

I forgot to mention in my last post that it was The Coldffalo Train's 52nd post, HA! I can't believe it's been that many, since most have been Shelby. 

This post will be a bit tricky, as Lalime will not stop licking my hand. I, of course, mean my kitten and not the goaltender...sadly. The damn animal also broke off a piece of the bobblehead. Tragic, I know, hopefully we can repair (if I find the missing piece). Clearly, this is a name jealously thing. 

Anywho, actual Sabres. 

Shelby already covered the depression of Roy once again scoring in OT. You're probably wondering ' geez, why does the crazy bitch think game winning goals is such a bad thing?'

Well, you crazy Miller fans that should be tied in a jacket that makes you hug yourself, if it wasn't a month long egotistical boost that was a result of these goals, who would care. Now WGR won't shut up, and we'll never know the next few scores of upcoming games because Derek Roy got lucky (at least no one gets a disease when he gets lucky like this). 

Furthermore, if Vanek had scored that OT goal, would people make such a big deal? No...and he's way better. 

In happier Buffalo sports news, the Bandits home opener is tonight! I wish I was going, but Shelby is poor, haha. They're playing Rochester, a rival team who they lost to the other night. 

If you've never been to a Bandits game, I highly recommend it. Even if you're not a lacrosse fan (you'll start) it's really a great atmosphere, and when they score a minimum of five to ten goals per game, it's a lot of fun. 

My friend Shannon and I accidently ended up at a Bandits game about two (three?) years ago, when some pushy scalpers wouldn't accept no as an answer, and it was love at first sight. We were also there when they won their most recent championship, and I cannot describe the feeling to finally see a home team win something (though they had won in the past). 

I mean, if the teachers and landscapers can do it, why can't the pros?

(Side Note: Ricky D is said to be in net tonight. Between him and Timmy, lets see if everyone can make it out alive)

Postgame: 1-15-10

So in the second most boring game of ever this season, the Sabres defeated the Thrashers 2-1 in overtime. Again. For the second time in a row they've played these guys. Derek Roy scored again in overtime just like last game. Except this time there was not a wide open net staring at him in the face, there was a goalie in net. It makes me wonder why the Thrashers didn't put Hedberg in against the Sabres. His record is awesome against this team but they instead opted for Pavalec. He played awesome last night but it makes you wonder if the score would have been different had Hedberg been in net.

The Sabres were also extremely sloppy with the puck, and I blame the fact they hadn't played in four days. Good thing they have a tight schedule for this road trip because I would go insane if they didn't play for five days in a row again.

Now they play the Isles on Saturday, and I certainly hope the result doesn't turn out the same way like it did last time they were at Nassau...

Oh hey, there's a game on tonight!

That's right, after what feels like a million years, the Sabres are finally playing the Thrashers tonight. I guess the league wanted them to have a few days off before playing seven games in fourteen days. Totally fine with me, since approximately every other day there will be a game on except for a few cases.

Pavalec is in net tonight for the Thrashers, which I do not understand because Hedberg has a record against us that is crazy good. Also, I am pretty sure that Kari Lethonen is dead or something. Is he injured again, or is he basically a third string goalie at this point? Poor guy. Rick DiPietro got to come back, why not him too?!

I'm sure that today at some point, Kevin will talk to some guy from the Atlanta organization and talk about how contract talks are going with Kovy. I know that's what's going to happen, because it always does.

Go Sabres!

TCT Does The Whiney Awards!

It's a bad sign when I have to sign in to post. It shows that I simply do not post enough. With RHB, I NEVER had to sign in...I'm not even sure what the password was. Same with this blog, actually. I had to make a retarded password to make sure that no one, including myself, could get it. 

Anywho!

I shamelessly used my press pass from mybuffalo.com (go there! go there now!) to go the Whiney Awards Tuesday night. Luckily, with such an event, I am not the only one doing anything shameless. People were dressed all fancy, and Corey (Shelby's brother, who I was delighted to cat with, and is basically the best thing when Shelby cannot be there) swore that none of them actually listened to the station. 

Furthermore, it wasn't an awards show. But, most of that stuff can and is covered in my recap that I'll post at the end. 

About an hour after I got there, I learned that I would be sitting at the alumni table. I panicked, and I'm not sure why. Old guys and Tamara, gasoline and matches...whatever. 

I was the only girl, not like that was a shock. The only person I recognized at my table was Mike Robitaille (when he introduced himself, I wanted to be like ' no shit' but nicer than it would have been with Adam Mair). Nevertheless, everyone was very nice. All were interested in the internship that always sounds more exciting than it is, and the fact that I'm from Montreal (that always seems to come up). 

At one point, the lovely gentleman who sat between myself and Roby left, and the first thing he says to me was ' you're very quiet tonight.' Yes, Mike, if online blogging has taught me anything it's that trouble is best avoided if I don't talk and play show tunes in my head. I asked why he wasn't roasting Rob Ray, and he said he was asked to but didn't think he'd be good at it. We both agreed he was best doing it on air during games. 

The roasting itself was very graphic. Frankly, since it's Rob Ray none of the disgusting stories really surprised me. Get Chris Butler up there and have Nate Gerbe tell a story about how they accidently killed a stripper with a wooden chair then hid the body in the trunk of Tim Kennedys(or Tyler Myers) car before throwing up  Craigory's pool (I pick him only because I know he has a pool) naked THEN...I might cringe. 

It would help if the stripper was male. 

Who knows, maybe Drew Stafford in leopard print pants really raises your standards on what fear is. 

Speaking of Drew, and the rest of the crew (hehe, rhyme), the boys headed out for roughly 13 days, sans leopard pants (we hope). Other than the backwards Atlanta and Islanders trip, it's all western teams on the schedule. The real kind of western, not like Columbus or Detroit. I mean California, Feenicks, and Vancouver...which could very well cause this blog to self destruct should a certain French Canadian be in goal and a certain Michigan boy score a goal.

 But we'll get to that later...

Oh yeah, and shameless self promoting:

http://www.mybuffalo.com/_No-Complaints-from-Whiney-Awards/blog/1715088/85283.html

Well, I'll miss 'em for two weeks.

The Sabres headed out today to begin their seven game road trip that they usually have every January. They go from Atlanta, to Long Island (what the hell, right?) and then head out west for a Western Conference swing. Considering the Sabres record against Western teams this season, I'm not too worried about what's going to happen. I actually think it's going to be a somewhat successful trip. I'm not going to make predictions as to who they are going to beat and who they are going to lose to because if I had done that last year, I would've been wrong with a couple of the predictions. Anything could happen on this trip. I just hope that they play for a full sixty minutes each game instead of waking up beginning in the second period. They can't do that on the road and they can't do it against the West.

Here's to a very successful road trip though. I'm going to try my hardest to not fall asleep during these games because of their late starts, but I can't promise anything. Except for that Vancouver game...

The more you know.

I was looking up stuff on Sabres Edge to post here about how Chris Butler and Craig Rivet were split up unfortunately. I'm upset about this. Anyways, I was going to talk about that when I saw in written form what exactly Lindy said about Thomas' playing lately.

"

Thomas Vanek scored his first goal in seven games Saturday, and coach Lindy Ruff expressed hope today it will be the catalyst to a scoring binge for the left winger. He averaged 40 goals per year over the past three seasons but has just 12 through the Sabres’ first 44 games.

"He’s struggled until last game," Ruff said. "The offensive side of it, there hasn’t been a lot of production. There haven’t been a lot of opportunities. We need him to get going.

"I think when he doesn’t score he puts a lot of pressure on himself. There’s frustration you can see in his game. He’s got to just get by that part and make sure that you put the work in. Whatever your route or assignment is on the forecheck, on the back check, in the defensive zone, you do that first and that work will lead to the opportunities.""

Sorry, we've been winning games but...you still want him to get on a tear soon? I've said time and time again, I don't care who is leading this team in goals just as long as we are winning games. I LIKE the balanced scoring. Thomas knows he has to score more, Lindy is saying it, and the media keeps asking him. Just leave him alone. Or better yet, while you attack him why not another player that doesn't have many goals that should, eh?

Quick thing.

You know how the tape gets me going...

I Tried Really Hard (and so did Patty)

I know I made that vow or something that I would stop being mean to Ryan this New Year. And so far, I think, I've been doing a pretty good job. 

So why not fall off the wagon, just for a moment. 

For reasons that escape me (and when it comes to Ryan, they usually do), people are going insane over his sucker punch the other night against Toronto. I don't understand how, even when being a trashy player- even for just that moment-, these out of their freaking mind fans still support him.

And not just support, the whole OMG HES SO AWESOME GREATEST THING EVER!

Blah!

What did Stajan really do? Trash talked Ryan before hand, just to be silly and get in his head (fyi Ryan- you're not suppose to LET IT get in your head!), get in the crease (this isn't 1999, it's allowed), and what do you do? You hit him! Very classy, Mr. Miller. Marty B didn't even whack Avery in the playoffs during his little dance. 

You wouldn't survive in a fight, Ryan. So don't even pretend to be hot shit. 

Now, speaking of non-trashy goalies who keep their hands to themselves. Patty remains one win away from the big 2-0-0. An eleven round shootout that involved crying and hugging and me wishing I had a camera when Thomas scored (well, I DID have a camera, but did not get a picture of Shelby's face). 

Maybe the win will come on the road, maybe not (hopefully it won't be against Vancouver...if Patty and Shelby ever fought I WILL NOT pick sides). And if not, no worries, we shall be there. 

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: Did I mention how much I hate shootouts?

I would have inserted a picture of Thomas scoring in the shootout, but alas, Yahoo! fails me in that department of awesome HQ pictures. Whatever.

Tamara and I somehow arrived forty minutes before warmups started at the arena last night. I am pretty sure that's a record for the both of us. We both bought our posters that had Tim Connolly on them, and headed up to my brother's seats to go hang up our sign. Unfortunately we had no idea how light the yellow was on the sign until we hung it up, but it looked pretty good from the 300s and the 100s as we watched warmups.

As soon as the game started (or right before it) we ended up on the Jumbotron. I had to poke Tamara a few times to go 'there we are!' It was pretty cool but as far as we saw, we weren't on the Jumbotron for the rest of the night.

When the game got to the shootout, we just hugged each other pretty much the entire time. It was comforting to do that, haha, especially when it went to sudden death shootout. When Thomas went out to shoot, I at first wasn't going to watch but I'm glad I did. I softly whispered a prayer to myself; hoping he would indeed score - and he did! I actually think I legit cried after he scored. It's been a long time since I've cried at a hockey game. It was no better after the Sabres lost the game, and Patty wasn't able to win his 200th game. We know that he will get that 200th win though!

The Sabres now embark on their annual west coast road trip on Thursday. They'll be at Atlanta and New York before heading out west. Last night was the first time they lost to a Western Conference opponent (which is really good) so let's hope they can rack up a few wins out west!

Postgame: 1-8-10

I almost had a heart attack at the end of the game when the score was 3-2 and the Leafs nearly tied the game. It happened before in the first meeting between these two and I was sure that it would happen again. Thank goodness that didn't happen to be the case this time around. Despite being outshot 25 to whatever in the third period, the Sabres managed to not let the game go to overtime.

Tyler Myers is making a case for himself since he had three points last night. Most people are now saying he could be up for the Calder Trophy? It would be a cool honor if he got it but I'm not expecting too much from just rumors being spread around. If it happens, then it happens, and I will see it during the NHL Awards in June.

It seems like forever since Thomas has had a point and he got one last night on Tyler's second goal. Thank God. He has been doing the little things but it was sure nice to see him be awarded for once on the scoresheet. I'm pretty sure he has more assists now than goals. Who would've thought THAT would happen? Maybe he's going to score thirty something goals for the rest of the season, but we will see.

Thanks to my awesome brother Jason (as Tamara mentioned in her last post), her and I are going to the game tonight! Make sure to look for our sign in 318 if you're going or if you're watching on television.

Something Old, Something New, Something Ryan Doesn't Have.

While Googling Mr. Lalime for confirmation that he is playing tomorrow (and thanks to Shelby's wonderful brother, Jason, we will be in attendance after all!) I found out an interesting tidbit:

The next time Patty wins (wink) will be his 200th win of his career, something that only he and 65 (64?) other goalies have done. I think that's pretty freaking awesome! Special enough to maybe, lets say, get a sign on the wall tomorrow night? Yeahhhh, that sounds good.

No, it's not 104 shutouts, but it's something that will draw some nice attention to him...especially since it's not something Mr. Miller has done. 

Hehe. 

Ain't no thanggggg.

Bonus Tidbit: Patty also holds the record for best start to a career with 14-0-2.

Someone eats his wheaties!

 

You know, this is the best segment on Sabres.com ever.

Now you have to wonder what your name means...my name means 'a farm on the hills' in French. Not like that's as cute as 'Tallen' meaning 'pine tree', but you know. Also, Henrik Tallinder is bigger in my world than Nicklas Lidstrom. Just saying.

Postgame: 1-6-10

I would like to thank the Sabres last night for putting on a show within the first five minutes of the game. Three goals on what I think were three shots, literally. I have no idea why Rick Tocchet didn't pull Mike Smith after the third goal because of how quickly they went in but at the same time, I'm pretty sure he realizes how much his defense sucks. Boy, do they SUCK.

It was all fine and dandy until Harry Neale mentioned how the Sabres had come back from 3-0 deficits to win games so the Lightning could do the same. Cue Tampa scoring twice to make it a 3-2 game. Let me just say that this isn't the first time Harry Neale has jinxed the team. I say that the Sabres fire him to prevent any other jinxes by him, yes? No?

Rob and Robi were freaking out after the game last night because they can't play these types of Honestly, I said this after the Atlanta game - no matter how they win a game, I am okay with it. Yes, the situation last night makes it a little more nerve wracking but they still WON. Those two points are all that matter

We face Toronto on Friday. Let's keep both streaks alive, boys.

The World Juniors!

Last night, an epic game went down. The United States (after Canada having won five straight gold medals at the World Juniors) beat the Canadians last night 6-5 in overtime on their turf. It was an incredible game. If you weren't able to watch it and aren't a fan of either teams, please, at least watch some of the highlights. I'm still getting all tingly just thinking about it. It was an incredibly tight game back and forth the whole time until John Carlson put one behind the Canadians net minder and then was bombarded by his teammates. There is nothing more I love to see than players get so excited for winning something. My favorite part was the anthems, though. I began crying when all of the American players were singing along with the national anthem. A few of them were completely off with the beat...fail America.

The last time the United States won gold was when Drew Stafford was a part of the team in 2004. :) It's weird to think that it was that long ago that he played in the World Juniors...and after watching last night, it makes me that much more excited to possibly go sometime next year and watch the games right here in Buffalo!

Here's video of their winning chant:

So about that biography...

This is a little snippet of the biography that is coming out about Thomas on the 18th of this month. As you can see, it's in German and who knows how long it's going to be until an English translation of this comes out. I hope soon because I would like to be able to read it...As weird as it is, for the past year or so I was thinking about someone possibly writing a biography on him eventually. I didn't expect it to be THIS soon but maybe after he retired. I mean, Sidney Crosby has a biography based on his play in midgets and juniors, so I'm guessing that's what's mainly going to be discussed in this biography for Thomas.

Here is a snippet from his website on what is in the book. It's roughly translated so it may not sound right.

"Curtain call for Thomas Vanek. Born on January 19th 1984 as the son of a Czeck refugee family near Vienna, raised in Zell am See and Graz he has the courage to leave his home for North America only 14 years old to pursue his dream. The game of his life was taught to him by his father: Hockey.

After seven years in the juniors and minors finally a dream comes true: 2005 Vanek takes to the ice for the Buffalo Sabres for his first NHL game ever, surrounded by the greatest hockey-talent in the world. Following in the footsteps of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr he’s been breaking records ever since. Already in his sophomore season Vanek scores 43 goals and 41 assists.23 years old Vanek over night becomes the highest paid hockey player in the world. 50 million dollars for 7 years.January 2009 sees Vanek becomes the first Austrian ever to take part in the NHL All Star Game. On February 4th he scores his fourth consecutive natural hattrick, matching an NHL record from the year 1924."

When I told my mom about this, she said 'it's probably going to be a pamphlet'. It better not be! As soon as it comes out, I may spend money on getting it imported here just so that I can have the original version as well, as a collectible.

Postgame: 1-3-10.

I was planning on posting something else today, and then I remembered there was a game yesterday. Oh yeah.

One of the most boring games in existence but a win is a win, correct? That is how I felt after the Pittsburgh and Atlanta games. No matter how they get the points, I will take it. Ryan Miller was stellar in the net once again and got a shutout which I think he needed after what happened against Pittsburgh. A good confidence booster. He's now tied with Ilya Bryzgalov with the most shutouts in the league. Good job Ryan! Do any of you remember when it used to be a miracle when Ryan would get a shutout? Not the case this year. I would also like to mention that the defense has been awesome this year too (most of the time) so Ryan should say thank you to them too. A shutout is a group effort!

There is now a three way tie between Thomas, Timothy, and Clarke for the leader in goals on this team. Who is going to break that barrier first, hmmmm? Honestly I don't care as long as SOMEONE is putting pucks into the net on this team. WHOA, I JUST FOUND SOMETHING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF TYPING THIS. Clarke only has ten goals! Okay, Thomas and Timothy have to fight it out now. As I said, as long as we're scoring goals and we're winning, I
don't care. There are going to be people at the end of this season though if Thomas has a (god forbid) low point in his career for goals and they'll ask why we're paying him so much. Everyone, just chill out. We have him for four more years after this. Get a grip.

A New Year!

Okay. 

So, after some hard thinking, I've decided to make some New Years resolutions. 

I never really did them before. 

But this year, along with eating healthy and keeping up with school and doctors appointments, I have decided. 

I am going to learn to like Ryan Miller. 

Like, not love. 

I promise myself that I will not become one of those ' he does no wrong!' people. He will still get fault when faulted and the like. However, I vow right now with my cat as my witness (she's licking herself, but it still counts) that I will be far less harsh and not go out of my way to tear him down. 

This has NOTHING to do with todays shutout, lets get that out of the way. I actually lingered with the idea while down 0-2 against Atlanta on the first. 

Nor does this mean I am ' backing down' against those who kiss his ass. Trust me, I can still go back.

That's all I got, hopefully Ryan and I can do some good in our dysfunctional relationship. 

Hmmmmm.

Still love Patty more. Trust me. No swine flu, or Y2K, or terrorist attack, or world ending in 2012 is ever going to change that. 

Ever.

Afternoon showdown.

It's not often we see three o' clock starts with the Sabres, but today is a whole lot different. They're taking on the Habs in about two hours at the Bell Centre, and the next time they pay them a visit, Tamara & I (with two of our friends) are going to be invading. Let's hope they can actually get a decent amount of shots on goal in the first period today.

Go Sabres!

Postgame: 1-1-10

It's so weird to put '10' in the subject line because of it now being '2010'. Still pretty cool though.

I have a feeling that this season's Sabres are becoming more like the 06-07 Sabres. Do any of you remember when they would comeback in games, like it was nothing? We KNEW they would come back from two or three goal deficits to win the game. This year, not so much but they pulled it off again last night after they did it against the Penguins on Tuesday. It was great to see it against the Penguins because they're the Stanley Cup Champions, and it as better to see it against the Thrashers because we haven't beaten them in seven straight games before last night's.

I just hope that this doesn't happen all the time. There's nothing more I love than winning but seriously, you have got to play better in the first period. Especially when you are at home. I still have no comment on the power play (excuse me, 'failure' play) because I am pretty sure that is beyond help at this point. The power play is like a sick dog now. You want to put it down so that it doesn't suffer, but then you think about and wonder 'could it get better? Maybe.' so you wait longer and it just gets worse and worse...too bad you can't forfeit a power play. The Sabres would have to use that option.

Team Germany is probably like 'what the heck?' right now after the game Jochen had last night. Still can't believe he's only on the reserve list for Germany, but I have a feeling he'll be on the actual team come February. Someone is bound to get injured (unless those Germans are superhuman and I know they aren't.)

A reminder to everyone that Sunday's game is at three. That's a weird time for a game, I'll tell ya...

We Haven't Lost!...This Year.

Last night, my dad and I continued our awkward tradition of going to one game a season together. 

For those who don't know, my dad lives overseas in the Middle East. He's home roughly three to four times a year, and only once during a legitimate hockey season (he's usually home for part of the playoffs, but, the Sabres are not). We had between last night and the Penguins game on the 29th to go to, and he picked this one much to my now kicking myself. 

Anywho, he is a hockey fan, but was raised in Canada during the Habs being the only team worthy of anything, so his outlook on American hockey remains shaky. His only updated knowledge of the Sabres comes from what he hears from me on the phone, the Patty bobblehead, and Drew Stafford. An awkward, and at times lethal, combination, but he caught on really quick with lots of me going ' that's the one who/that/is...'

Or he just didn't care, one of the two. 

He was getting very frustrated, which we all were I'm sure. He openly commented on the power play being a joke, our shots on goal, and players constantly dumping the puck. I sat there twirling my hair on my finger and nodding. I think he expected me to be more angry, but I'm so use to it. And, I think it says a lot that a guy who sees like one or two Sabres games a year catches on to this nonsense that fast. 

The sign you see above I had prepared and promised myself I'd only bring it out if they scored three goals before we scored any. That, obviously, happened and Shelby (who wasn't there) was more excited for it than anybody. Had Jochen waited a minute or two before his first goal, it would have been all Patty. 

Quick side note about Patty, his middle daughter turned six (?) yesterday! How awesome to be a New Years baby, and get your name on the jumbotron!

Anywho, Ryan stayed in and thankfully decided to no longer let goals in. I jokingly told myself that my New Years Resolution would be to stop ragging on Ryan so much, but with the Olympics getting even closer I don't see that happening. My dad commented on how he had to make Team USA for a reason and I muttered something along the lines of ' four American goalies, three are picked, it's not hard.'

I understand that they totally outshot us, and it was eventually going to happen, but that doesn't entirely cut it for me. Someone who thinks too highly of herself commented that my status of ' holy shit, miller won a game' leads to the belief that I know nothing about hockey. 

Though I admit I am sometimes far too hard on the guy, I usually only do it to be silly and get a rise out of people (it works far too well). It's not that I don't know anything, it's just that I refuse to get on board THAT ship. 

Anywho, Timmy scored which was pleasant as always. The guy sitting next to me, who is responsible for why I cannot hear out of my left ear, kept ragging on Timmy. He was rather bi-polar about it...he'd yell when Timmy wouldn't dump the puck (which isn't a good idea as it is) but was happy when he scored, then mad again. However, he was a big Tyler Myers fan and at that point, I stopped taking him seriously. 

He also yelled a mean comment to Max in regards to why he no longer plays for us, and I took the time to remind him that Max is three goals ahead of our leading goal scorer. Not to mention I would have Thomas Vanek's full support on that one. 

Yo Yo also continued to win me over after a season of upset...and Adam Mair still scored in MY play by play. 

Woah, we passed the Caps in the standings? Scary stuff, hopefully it won't last. 

I should end this before I start to ramble, hehehe. 

I stumbled across this picture on my memory card from the team practice on the 29th. I cannot help but find it adorable: 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I had no doubt, but RYAN KESLER! AHHHHH, I AM SO HAPPY! THIS NEW YEAR HAS STARTED OFF GREAT! Bring on February, and soon! ksaihifieojrmoweofroasdfhasofoe!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D :D :D Time to save up money for a nice and shiny Kesler USA jersey, byyyyyyye!

Edit: Not only does Ryan make Team USA, but THOMAS HAS A BIOGRAPHY COMING OUT, OH MY GOD, MY LIFE. Though when it comes out it will only be in German, but I still plan on buying it. Why? Because I'm a freak. Woooooo, I love 2010!!!

Happy New Year!

I would like to wish all of our fellow readers a happy new year. I hope everyone sort of stick to their resolutions and enjoyed themselves last night with all of the partying going on. The Winter Classic is going on as I type, and the Sabres play the Thrashers later. It's going to be a good day and evening!

Have a great day everyone!