Hockey Rhetoric

I own it. I thought the Sharks were going to win the Western Conference title this playoffs. Surely, I told myself, the Sharks were due for a long playoff run. This group had under achieved so many times before and they’re so talented. How could they not get it right this time around? How could they not come into the playoffs with the utmost focus and motivation since, after all, they had the chance to avenge all their countless playoff failures?

I knew Anaheim would be tough. There are no easy wins in the playoffs. Likewise, there are no excuses for the losers. The better team – whether its strengths are in its skaters, goaltenders, or coaches – always seem to win in a 7-game series.

This year when the (1) Sharks and the (8) Ducks met in the first round, most thought that the Sharks would be able to out skate and overwhelm the slower Ducks. Anaheim had an unproven goaltender going into the playoffs and only an average offense. Few thought the Ducks would be able to keep up with the Sharks prolific and overwhelming offense. » Read the rest of this entry «

I pretty much hate having to write about this right now. I hate that I felt strongly enough about Bucky Gleason’s flimsy take on the Ruff/Regier situation that I had to actually criticize him for it on this site. I hate that the playoffs are being played right now and I have to take time out of my day to actually address an unrelated column he wrote yesterday.

The thing is, no one has a bigger audience as a hockey commentator – print, radio, television, or otherwise – in Western New York than Bucky Gleason. I feel ridiculous asking this, but has he forgotten who his readership consists of? Why, as a columnist for the Buffalo News, would you want to provoke Buffalo sports fans? I don’t understand. I’m sure he’s working through the mountains of hate mail he’s surely accumulated over the past couple days. If you haven’t read this article yet, don’t.

Here’s the problem: He doesn’t seem to have a good perspective on the thoughts of Buffalo sports fans. He’s a columnist and obviously is paid to share his opinions. That’s fine; I’m a reader of the Buffalo News and a Sabres fan and I share my opinions in this space. Right now my opinion is that lately he’s not been very good at his job. » Read the rest of this entry «

A lot of topics I touch on here I get from conversations I have with my friends. I really respect their opinions. Most of us don’t know why Derek Roy suddenly has all these haters. He’s arguably been the Sabres best player the last two years and he’s only twenty-five years old. Though most of us don’t agree and are generally pleased with Roy’s play, we do have some idea how Derek Roy can sometimes rub some people the wrong way.

You see, Derek Roy is just like so many of the people we grew up with. He has an ego; A huge ego in fact, and I knew it from the beginning. This video MSG played where Derek Roy showed off his house , MTV cribs style, during an intermission last year was absolutely ridiculous. » Read the rest of this entry «

Hockey games in the playoffs are a lot different than in the regular season. Playoff hockey is all about energy. Some players have what it takes to play well in the playoffs and some players just don’t. I love playoff hockey because the crowds are always so much better. They feed of the physicality and emotion that players bring on every shift, every night. Here’s a quick list of attributes that teams need to have in order to be a Stanley Cup contender in my mind (not in order of importance). » Read the rest of this entry «

It’s funny how in just a matter of days, after a brief string of wins for the Sabres, observers switch from discussing the job security of Lindy Ruff to discussing the Sabres playoff prospects once again. The Sabres have 4 games remaining and are currently in 10^th place in the Eastern Conference, 3 points behind Florida and New York (Rangers). I think a large majority of fans will be paying close attention to the scores of the upcoming Florida and New York games, seeing as those are the teams the Sabres need to pass to get into the playoffs.

But big picture wise, those scores don’t really matter. The Sabres biggest enemy is and has always been themselves. It’s been said before, but the Sabres have simply lost too many games against inferior opponents. Every point is crucial. In the end, there’s no excuse. Better teams than the Sabres have found ways to get the job done and collect easy points against rebuilding teams like for instance, the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Thrashers. The Sabres have managed just 2 wins through 8 total games against the Islanders and Thrashers who are in 15^th and 13^th place in the Eastern Conference, respectively. » Read the rest of this entry «