HockeyRhetoric

I’ve been thinking a lot about the ’05-’06 Sabres team and trying to remember how it felt watching them play in the regular season. I can faintly recall a game in Philadelphia around this point in the season four-years-ago. It was one of those games where the Sabres won in incredible fashion. Someone on the Sabres scored late to tie it and then Mike Grier finished the job when he scored with close to five-seconds left in the third period, putting the BUF ahead, 6-5. The Flyers had been lazy with their coverage, obviously expecting the game to continue into overtime. I think it was Hecht who made a brilliant play from behind the net to chip it out in front and Grier was able to poke it between the legs of the goaltender. RJ went bat-shit I’m sure but Lorentz’s reaction is what really stuck with me. He was totally impressed and lauded the Sabres for playing until the end — never giving up. Immediately after the final seconds passed, Lorentz said something like and the game is over. I’ll always remember how matter-of-factly he said it. The message was clear: this Sabres team will steal games and points if you give them the tiniest sliver of an opportunity to do so. » Read the rest of this entry «