It’s a point, I guess

And that sums up my analysis of the Sabres/Bruins game.

Though I do have to give the little effers credit for coming back from two goals down. I left the office late, and when I flipped on WGR on the ride home and heard it was 2-0 in the first intermission, I was not looking forwards to watching the game.

Can someone please give Tyler Myers a cookie or something for playing over 28 minutes AND taking a shot to the neck?

The second period whip discussing the trade deadline was relatively interesting. Ray said that three quarters of NHL players are mentally unstable and can’t handle the trade rumors. Apparently, NHL players gossip like a bunch of high school girls. I think Ray’s percentage is a bit high. And I get what he’s trying to say, but mentally unstable was probably a poor choice of words. But as I think about it, we as fans sometimes forget that these guys just aren’t names on a roster, they’re actual people with emotions. It’s got to be tough to for them to hear that the fans and/or management want them run out of town on a rail.

They also discussed whether general managers look to the internet for trade suggestions. I’m sorry, that may be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard on a Sabres broadcast. If that were the case, the Sabres would have received thirteen players in exchange for Toni Lydman (per Eklund’s collection of rumors) or Darcy would have traded half the team (but not Roy-Z) in exchange for a Zamboni battery and a case of Labatts. Darcy has a brain in his head (and feet in his shoes). He doesn’t need us telling him how to do his job.

But this is the internet, so we’re going to keep doing it anyways.

Sabres vs. Blue Jackets – 2.6.10

Random babble from tonight’s game

- Repeat after me, Sabres: “Sound defensive hockey is fundamental.” Learn it. Love it. Be it.

- A goal from center ice? Just kill me now. The goal going off the glass and off Lalime’s feet just reminds me of those old Michael Jordan commercials where they try to ricochet shots off various objects.

- A fight! A fight! How long has it been since a Sabre has fought?

- Why do Lindy Ruff’s ties always look like they could be turned into Vera Bradley purse patterns? That said, I’d love a purse in the purple swirly pattern of tonight’s tie.

- Lindy’s hair looks exceptionally bright on this camera feed, like a cross between day-glo yellow and hay.

- I feel like the Sabres and I need a break. It’s not me, it’s them.

- It’s also really bad form to injure your own teammates, Sabres. I don’t care if it’s only a tiny cut on Grier’s schnozz, it’s still bad form!

- This intermission feature on the Buffalo Sabres sled hockey team and it’s athletes heading to the Paralympic games is really cool. Sled hockey looks like it would be a ton of fun to play and these guys have to have some massive upper body strength.

- If they’re not going to care, I’m not going to care either. Friday’s General Hospital is awfully tempting on the DVR.

- And just when I say that, Stafford goes and fights Umberger. It’s like he knew that one of my weaknesses is seeing players that aren’t fighters go and drop the gloves. I can’t believe that one punch made Umberger’s ear bleed.

- I really feel bad for the people that drove hours to see this dreck of a game.

- I know that the broadcasters are contractually obligated to do the sponsored game recaps, but do we really have to recap the suck?

- At least the Sabres getting shut out means Mason finally pulled his weight for the Pea Brains.

- Tuesday’s game against Boston has the potential to be the Battle of the Suck. I love games that are full of suck! [/sarcasm]

Sabres vs. Hurricanes – 2.5.10

Pregame

- Best wishes to Mike Robitaille, who is out until after the Olympics due to a car accident.

- This week has seen three interesting search terms be used to find my blog:

• “What kind of cheese is Brodeur?” Well, he’s a goalie, and goalies are bendy and stretchy, like mozzarella. But what do I know of the Devils and cheese? Is there even a cheese that sounds like Brodeur?
  
• “Is it alright to slap your Staffy?” That depends. Has he taken a stupid penalty? Played bad defense? Hit on your best friend at the bar? If any of the above are true, then yes, you may slap your Staffy.
  
• “Lindy Ruff weight gain.” You’ve seen how the Sabres have been playing lately, right? I wouldn’t blame him if he turned to my old friends Ben & Jerry for consolation.
  

First Period

- Yo, MSG HD. Get thee some sound, please. I’m stuck watching this game on the SD channel until you get it figured out. How the heck did we watch hockey before HD came along? The picture differences are amazing.

- Manny Legace is starting despite taking a slapshot to the neck in warmups. Yeoch.

- The Sabres and the Hurricanes trade penalties in the early going as Grier and Staal both go off for hooking within seconds of each other.

- @BNHarrington reports that the NHL fixed the broken HD camera at the arena. To paraphrase Glee’s Puck, that and a can of soup will get us the postseason.

- Aaron Ward scores to make it 1-0 Hurricanes. Harry Neale tells us that the shot was from about 19-feet out, though I’m not sure how he came up with that precise number.

- For the love of everything holy, the Sabres are a hot mess right now. The vast majority of the game is being spent in the Buffalo end.

- Hecht deflects a shot by Sekera to tie the game at one. Like Ward on the Carolina goal, Hecht had no one around him. Both teams need to speak with Count Von Count about remembering to count to five to make sure everyone on the other team is covered. (“Five! Five! Five hockey players on the ice!”)

Second Period

- Sunday is the Puppy Bowl (now with the kitty halftime show, bunny cheerleaders and the hamster blimp). I fully admit that if the Super Bowl gets boring, I will be flipping over to the puppies. I can’t believe this show has been on for six years already, and that it’s one of Animal Planet’s highest rated programs.

- And again with the dual penaties. Shortly after Carolina gets called for too many men, Myers gets called for cross checking. And then Stafford gets called for slashing. If there were ever a time to slap your Staffy, it would be now.

- Twitter tells us that the audio HD problems cannot be fixed tonight. So standard def it is then. At least we’re seeing something, I suppose.

- The Hurricanes are called for hooking. Any bet that the Sabres will get a penalty called on them in the next 30 seconds?

- What do I win? Myers gets called for interference shortly thereafter. This retaliatory penalty nonsense is a bit over the top.

- Yo-Yo tries an around the world maneuver to attempt to put the puck in a wide open Carolina net. Luckily, the Hurricanes skaters are adept at covering for their down goalie, so the puck does not go in.

- There is a child waving a hot magenta sign to the right of Legace. If it’s this distracting and bothersome to me here on my sofa, just how annoying is it to the players?

Third Period

- Nice job on that Carolina goal, boys. Rob Ray is pissed at you. Stop relying on the ends of your sticks and move your feet, or so he says.

- WHOO! Stafford ricochets a shot off Roy’s ass and into the net. This goal just proves that junk in the trunk is a good thing. We’re now tied at two.

- Continuing the junk in the trunk theme, Stafford’s point shot rebounds up in the air and comes down inside the net thanks to a beautiful bounce of Legace’s tushie. 3-2, Sabres.

- Boo-urns. Kostopolous scores to tie it at 3. The goal was just a result of an epic miscommunication fail between Gaustad, Butler, Sekera and Lil Timmy.

- There’s a moment on the bench where Sekera is playing with his mouthguard, but the way he has it puckered in his lips make it look like he’s gone all Goth on us and is sporting black lipstick.

- Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, Miller completely whiffs on a Jokinen shot, giving Carolina a 4-3 lead.

- Looking at the stat sheet, Miller, Goose, Grier, Kennedy and Myers are fired.

- Huzzah! The crowd actually booed. I feel like booing, but it loses its effect when I do it on my own in the living room.

Postgame

- The Sabres have lost seven of their last nine. That’s encouraging as they head into the Olympic break. Real effing encouraging. I want Miller to sit for a game or two before Vancouver. We know that it’s highly probably that Miller is getting a night off tomorrow against the Blue Jackets. I also want to see some of the other guys take a seat in the press box. Kennedy and Montador have been brutal these past couple of games. Sekera has had the odd mistake or two, but he’s been a lot better than Montador. And it may be the purple elephant in the middle of the locker room, but maybe Butler needs to take a seat for a game? Can Paetsch really be worse than either Butler or Montador? And that’s the end of my armchair player management.

- What the hell happened during Hank’s interview that caused him to burst out laughing?

- Miller says his whiff on the Jokinen goal was not a good example of hand-eye coordination. That’s the deadpan understatement of the year. Miller looks like he wants to scream, cry or tell a reporter to shove that microphone somewhere. And he also looks like he needs a good nap and a home cooked meal.

- And really, all of the outrage and frustration that we as Sabres fans feel tonight is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Thoughts and prayers go out to Brian Burke and his family on the loss of Brendan. Eternal rest, grant unto him oh Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Sabres vs. Senators – 2.3.10

Pregame

- In the words of a Sabre (I think it was Adam Mair), we hate these effing guys.  This game is big. How big, division leading big. The Sabres have a five point lead on the Sens. A win tonight maintains that lead. A loss shrinks it to three. A regulation tie puts it at 4. The Sabres need to dig down deep and find that game winning, super talented, hard working mojo that seems to have escaped them recently.

- Is it too much to hope that the Sens are hungover from their visit to City Wine Merchant? And consider that a plug for a nice business downtown owned by the husband of a co-worker.

First Period

- Rob Ray is in the booth tonight, as Mike Robitaille has the night off. Unless it’s to make working the intermission shows easier, I don’t see why Ray is in the booth instead of his usual perch between the benches. He’s clearly playing third banana to Harry Neale’s second garbanzo (one of my favorite MASH references).

- I know the Sabres have beaten Ottawa since then, but the last Sabres victory I seem to remember against the Sens the game when Goose darn near sliced his leg tendons in two a couple of years ago.

- Ryan Miller’s net top water bottle is in a koozie! That’s hilarious and practical at the same time. Has his bottle always been in one of these? I swear that’s the first time I’ve ever noticed that.

- I use the first commercial break to check what my name means on urban dictionary. Thankfully, the first meaning is not the one made popular in the Britney Spears song “If You Seek Amy.” Heh.

- Sabretooth is making some friends in the lower bowl on the camera side of the ice. How cool would it have been if ‘Tooth had been able to be at Casa on Monday night? Sure, we wouldn’t have been able to move at all due to ‘Tooth’s girth taking up a good deal of space, (I’m not calling ‘Tooth fat, just fluffy), but mascots are fun, and we’re all ‘Tooth fans.

- The Sabres are maintaining a consistent pressure on the Sens, especially in the Sens end.

- We take a moment to extensively review some film of a Sabres shot that may or may not have crossed the Sens goal line. MSG uses some super slow mo, high zoom technology to show what blurrily looks like a goal. The broadcasting trio is like the three bears in terms of the decision, Ray says no goal, Harry says goal and RJ says you can’t tell. It’s all for naught, as the word comes down from on high that it’s not a goal. Lindy is shaking his head quite emphatically on the bench when the ruling is made. As I’m thinking about why there’s no overhead view of this situation, would it have done any good? The crossbar effectively hides the goal line from higher up, and with how close the puck was to the goal line, would the powers in Toronto have been able to see anything that would make a difference?

- Ellis gets called for the first penalty of the game on a borderline tripping call. The Sabres run one heck of a penalty kill, almost getting a shorthanded goal and icing the puck four times in the two minutes.

- Fun stat: Gaustad is tied with Rod “The Schnozz” Brind’Amour for fourth in the league in faceoff percentage.

- That was one of the better periods we’ve seen the Sabres play in a while. If they can maintain that effort in the second and third, they just might have a shot at winning this game.

Second Period

- The Sabres begin the period a man down, as Pominville is sent to the box for high sticking at the end of the first.

- Miller makes a save on a bouncy shot from the left side of the crease. It really wasn’t so much a save as the puck splatting down on the ice and Miller sitting on it.

- Tyler Myers is no longer a teenager. One more year and he can legally join his teammates for a night of frolicking on the town. (The key word there is “legally.” I know these guys aren’t choir boys.)

- Since there was another coaching change today (Columbus said bye-bye to Hitchcock), that means Lindy has outcoached approximately eleventy-seven-million-jillion other coaches since he took over the Sabres. Do you think he has a whiteboard hidden somewhere labeled “I Survived Longer Than…” that contains all the names of the coaches that have come and gone?

I like Hitchcock. Not only did he look like Sgt. Schultz, but he gave an entertaining press conference or two in his time. We all remember the one where he told Lindy to eff off.

- Son of a…Spezza goes short side on Miller. 1-o, Sens.

- Miller got run by Phillips behind the net and for a smidgen of a second, I really thought Miller was going to go after Phillips and start whomping away on him. Miller started after him, but then appeared to have regained his sanity and headed back to the crease. Myers jumps in to defend his goalie and gets a two minute roughing penalty for his efforts. When all is said and done, the Sabres are on the power play as Phillips gets an additional two minute roughing penalty for his efforts. What’s interesting is that Myers is all hepped up over Miller’s plight, but Stafford almost has an air of “meh, this jackass [Phillips] ain’t worth it.”

- During the ensuing power play, Pominville takes several shots from a position just shy of the red line to the left of the net. Now I’m no hockey player, but taking shots when you’re positioned almost parallel to the net is probably not the best thing in the world to do.

Third Period

- ESPN has an interesting article discussing professional athletes at the Olympics. I know this debate rages everytime there’s an Olympics, as the NBA and NHL shut down to allow their players to participate in the games. However, the writer gets Miller’s take on the whole situation. The last sentence of the article is key. He wants this. He wants his moment. He wants to be “the guy”, not the guy “the guy” counts on.

And if you’re too lazy to click through to the article, we can cross parasailing, paragliding, skiing and motorcycle riding off the list of Ryan Miller’s contractually approved activities. (Duh!) But I liked that he contrasted how those kinds of risky activities aren’t allowed, but the Olympics are allowed, despite being just as much of a threat to his livelihood as the aforementioned activities. A groin pull at the Olympics can be just as devastating as a tumble off a Harley.

- Oh for the love of Goose, will he just beat the snot out of Neil already?

- Effing A. Spezza goes right over the glove of Miller. 2-0, Sens.

- These little monsters are doing their damndest to work away the good mood I had at the end of the day today. They’re all fired. Or they owe me cookies or flowers for sitting here, blogging and watching this dreck.

- Vanek gets helped into the endboards and reaches up and punches Ruutu in the snout. Go Vanek!

- WHOO! Sekera scores from just inside the faceoff dot to make it 2-1, Sabres. A goal is definitely helping his case to stay in the lineup. And it appears to have re-energized the crowd as well. It had gotten entirely too quiet in the arena.

- WHOOOOO! I’m not even done typing the above point when Timmy rips a nice shot top shelf. We got ourselves a hockey game again. 2-2, tie. Here’s hoping they don’t go for this “let’s play for overtime” nonsesnse that everyone seems so fond of.

- Kelly gets in on a breakaway on Miller and Miller stops it, but his stick goes flying. As Rob Ray reports, Miller’s response is to make himself look big in the crease by laying down and stacking the pads.

- With the news that Mike Komisarek is out for the year (and therefore out of the Olympics for Team USA), is it too late to try and convince the powers that be at USA Hockey that either Goose or Timmy play defense? I’m sure they can work on their backwards skating skills and other good, solid defensive hockey maneuvers.

- Son of a…Alfredsson was camped along the right side of Miller’s net, standing there completely untouched, unnoticed and wide effing open. 3-2, Sens.

- And Alfredsson puts it into the empty net. 4-2, Sens.

Postgame

- I just read a blog post where the author repeatedly used the word “jester” when she wanted to use “gesture.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard of those words being mixed up before, and now I feel like my brain is broken.

- I cannot understand why it is so difficult for the Sabres to beat the Senators. Do they have a mental block? Need therapy? Positive reinforcement? Negative reinforcement? A nap? A bag skate? If they can figure it out, they’d make a lot of people very happy.

And This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Dear Sabres,

Thank you for taking a perfectly nice bloggy/Twitter get-together (blog-up? twog-up, bleet-up?) at Casa di Pizza and ruining it with a losing effort.

You managed to pull bloggers out of their mother’s basements and you return their fearlessness in venturing out in public with a loss, including a blown two goal lead? That’s not very nice.

Don’t pull this nonsense again on Wednesday against Ottawa or I will not be happy.

Thanks,

Blog Management

More Olympic Talk

Yahoo and other media outlets did a wonderful job of introducing Ryan Miller’s Olympic mask on Friday. WGRZ just added an update to the story with Miller’s thoughts on the patriotic symbol selection. The tribute to Jim Craig is especially poignant, since it was thirty years ago that USA won gold in Lake Placid.

And while I’m speaking about Miller, CTV has a Miller photo gallery up in their Olympic section. Looking at photo number three, either Miller bulked up since his wee baby days, or his equipment has gotten larger (that’s what she said).

I’m starting to head into full-on Olympic dork mode. Those NBC promos are really starting to get to me.

On a completely unrelated note, I can’t wait to see how the Phaneuf deal shakes out for the Leafs. How is Burke going to cap wrangle and free agent shop when $22 million is tied up in five players? Also, anyone want to make a bet on who the first player in the Eastern Conference to get Phaneuf’d?

Finally, if anyone is looking for a new TV show to get into, Life Unexpected is surprisingly good. And for the ladies in the audience, Kerr Smith has gotten way better looking since his Dawson’s Creek days. Way better looking.

Sabres vs. Bruins – 1.29.10

First Period

- Welcome back, RJ! While many have tried to keep your pillow warm recently (and done an acceptable job), it’s so nice to hear you again.

- WHOO! Tallinder flips a beee-yoootiful wrist shot past Rask to make it 1-0, Sabres.

- RJ breaks out the SAT words with the use of the word “kerfluffle” to describe a meeting of the minds along the boards. Kerfluffle is no cromulent, but it will do.

- I really want a Miller Team USA #39 jersey (the one with USA in diagonal across the chest), but a $180 price tag is a bit out of my price range at the moment

- WHOO! Vanek gets one past Rask on a beautiful spin move right in front of the net. 2-0, Sabres.

- My father and I just did point/counterpoint on what country Rask is from, which somehow led into a discussion of how Tallinder is from Sweden. While we’re having our geography lesson, Lucic goes after Tallinder, which pisses off Gaustad who then goes after Savard. I guess geography is a touchy subject for them as well.

- The Bruins are incredibly pissy tonight. I know they’ve had a horrible record lately, but they’re carrying on like some little simpering blond twit was sleeping in their beds and eating their porridge.

Second Period

- The Bruins are currently last in the NHL in goals scored. #FunFactFriday.

- It’s a spunkier Bruins team that has taken the ice in the second period. They’ve spent a good portion of time in the Sabres end. Usually when this happens, the opponent comes from behind to tie the game and we head to overtime. Here’s hoping we don’t go that way tonight. This overtime nonsense is getting old.

- Lucic gets one past Miller to make it 2-1, Sabres.

- RJ, Harry and Rob are discussing Tyler Myers and whether he will ever catch up to Chara. RJ feels that he’s only a baby and is still growing, but that he will. Hasn’t it been widely reported that Myers always has food nearby, that he’s a bit of a human hoover? If he keeps that up, then he’ll gain weight easily.

- Chara ends the period by firing the puck wide and into the Sabres zone well after the horn sounds. No Sabre does anything about this, with the exception of Miller’s eye roll and “bitch please” expression.

Third Period

- I love my family, really I do. My mother is insisting that it’s not really RJ calling the game, because “it doesn’t sound like him.” *headdesk*

- Canisius beats Niagara for the 2nd time in 14 recent attempts. Go Griffs! (FWIW, the last time the Griffs beat Niagara was on Brian Dux night a couple of years ago.)

- You know what’s the best part of this article about Tyler Myers? It’s that Lindy isn’t letting him get too big for his britches. Speaking of that, I wonder what Rivet’s fine pool for Myers is up to now?

- Dear Roy-Z, stop taking dumbass penalties. They don’t help matters, especially when Zdeno freaking Chara can fire away at your goalie at will.

- Now the Sabres have suddenly gotten cranky. Staffy’s stomping around out there like he just found out he was grounded and can’t go see Schnookie out at Pure tonight.

- Lindy’s on the bench screaming and gesticulating like his life depends on it in order to get the proper player positioning on the ice for a faceoff in the Buffalo end with 10 seconds left. Gaustad wins the draw and the game is won and the villagers all rejoice.

Postgame

- I wonder if anyone thought at the beginning of the season that putting Tallinder and Myers together would rejuvenate one career and kick start the other one? The Blondies have been the most consistent defensive pair for the Sabres this year, and Myers has pushed Tallinder’s level of play back to where it was before he became Pansy Hank after all those injuries. I just hope it’s not the dreaded “contract year” play out of Tallinder, that as soon as he signs in Buffalo (or elsewhere) this summer, he’ll be back to the Hank that we were all frustrated with and wanted to pitch off the Skyway.

- Question for Sabres management: can we see what photos are on the walls of the Sabres locker room? There was a big to do that these photos of important Sabres and critical Sabres moments were being posted, but can’t you throw up on the website a gallery of what the photos are along with a caption of who/what/where/when?

- Ray bopping Tallinder in the mouth with the mic when he asks “is this live” was ridiculously cute. It’s almost like Hank realized he got into the weeds regarding the question and desperately wanted to get back on track and was praying that this wasn’t live and/or being recorded for posterity. But it was nice to see smiley, laughy Tallinder in the interviews. I feel like smiley hockey players are limited to a monthly quota for apperances in the postgame show.

- Now onto Monday versus Sid and the Penguins on Versus. Please let Doc Emrick be calling that game. If it’s Joe Beninati, I may throw something at the set. DRIIIIIIIVE tops Joe B’s inane commentary.

Sabres vs. Devils – 1.27.10

Random Thoughts From Tonight

- I’m incredibly sleepy, even though I got a good night’s sleep and did not have a very taxing day at the office. Please keep that in mind as you read this tonight.

- I was thinking about Pat Kane’s unfortunate photo situation at the office today while waiting for a software program to load. Sure, being photographed half naked in a limo with your half naked teammates and some ladies is probably something that should be kept private and/or shared with a few close personal friends. However, photos and situations such as this are going to become increasingly commonplace when TMZ Sports gets up and running. Are we all going to be ready for the next photo of a Sabre drunk off his ass on Chippewa? Or, god forbid, if one of them pulls an Oden and the thrill is revealed? I know these guys aren’t choir boys, so we all need to be prepared for more of these type of photos to leak out.

- Since RJ is still off on vacation, Steve Kouleas is doing the play-by-play tonight. Neale and Ray are in their usual roles of straight man and third banana. Kouleas isn’t a bad announcer, but he’s not RJ.

- Montador and Lydman are scratched tonight and Sekera and Patches are in. This is kind of a shocker, as Lindy is usually a man who uses press box exile as a last resort.

- It’s nice to have a game at HSBC again for the following reasons: HD broadcasts and the sight of Sabretooth frolicking behind the Devils net.

- The leggings, high socks, sneakers and hockey jersey is a look that few can pull off, but I think Rivet does an admirable job of it.

- I was watching American Idol last night, and I think the strangest reality show crossover ever may have happened. Daniel Franco of Project Runway Seasons 1 & 2 was auditioning for Idol. Never mind the fact that he’s too old for the show; he got camera time, as he described himself as a cross between Susan Boyle and Adam Lambert. We’re not going to go any further into his self-comparison, but in no way did I ever expect to see a Project Runway contestant on Idol. But I guess his appearance does answer the age-old question of “Daniel Franco, where did you go?”

I dare you not to have that stuck in your head. :p

- Awesome technical oopsie during the first intermission, as we’re seeing an interview with Adam Mair, but hearing Roby break down a play.

- Congrats to Kevin Sylvester and his wife on the birth of their new baby!

- The Devils theme tonight must be “two-on-one.” The Devils have gotten approximately eleventy seven two-on-ones tonight and it’s impressive that they didn’t convert on any of them. (Rolston’s goal was more of a breakaway-ish kind of goal.)

- Dear Mr. Langenbrunner. You’re officially on the list for that elbow you gave Miller. I don’t care if it was incidental, you don’t elbow a goalie in the head. Especially one goalie who’s going to be your teammate in a couple of weeks. That’s not good Captain America behavior.

- If Miller has unhappy thoughts about Gomez (I direct you to his throat slashing quote earlier this season), what would an elbow to the head do to his thoughts about Langenbrunner?

- Kouleas really likes the phrase “get good wood on it.” My inner twelve year old is giggling.

- I wonder how many times the State of the Union is going to be interrupted for applause? I say 37 times.

- Can someone please check Miller’s head? He’s running his hand through his hair like he’s checking to see if there’s a lump suddenly sprouting.

- I really think this shooutout was one of the more entertaining ones this season. There was so much that was good: Miller stoning Parise with his leg, Pommers putting the game away or Hecht getting Marty to commit to a bad poke check. I think the Hecht/Marty moment was my favorite. He made Brodeur look like a fool, which doesn’t happen very often to a player of Marty’s caliber. (Although it has happened before…in Buffalo…in a shootout, no less.)

- All in all, it was a good night.

West Coast Round-Up

Like I mentioned before, this West Coast road trip is not exactly conducive to orderly blogging and game thoughts. I will admit that I have dozed off at a couple points during the past three games, but have woken up to always see the end of the game. The Sharks game was the best I did, making it through all but 5 minutes of the second period. Anyways, there’s a few things I want to say…

- I can only imagine what this is going to do to my search terms, but furry conventions combined with hockey players is really a gift that keeps on giving. I’m getting a vague “prep school” vibe out of Miller in his photo. Maybe it’s the backpack combined with the dress pants, nice coat and tie, but the boy looks like an older version of what I dealt with at St. Joes and Canisius back in the day. (That made more sense in my head, honest.)

Also, with regards to the furries, I wonder who wanted pictures with who first. Was it a case of the furries being all “holy crap, there’s famous hockey players in our midst?” Or did the Sabres want pictures with the furries just to prove that they actually wandered into this situation, in case no one believed them. Because really, when Staffy tweeted about a furry convention on Friday, how many of us thought he was making that up or speaking in Staffy code?

- These past couple of games have been an eye opener as far as announcing teams go. Admittedly, we’re spoiled in Buffalo because of RJ and Harry, but seeing what other teams have to deal with makes me appreciate them even more. The Ducks announcers were horrible in all their CoreyPerry glory, not deviating from their pre-approved talking points of “Tyler Myers is tall” and “Ryan Miller is really good at hockey.” The Kings announcers were slightly more cromulent, bringing an excitement and knowledge to the game. But the Sharks announcers – and game presentation – were the best of the three. The announcers acknowledged the Buffalo fans watching the game in Western New York, even going so far as to offer an homage to RJ after Pommers scored to tie the game at 2. I also liked the addition of the player photos to the lineup rollouts. It helps personalize the teams that you’re playing against, especially when it’s a team that you’re not exactly familar with. (And it’s a much better in-game graphic than the Ducks powerpoint-y idea of putting Ryan Miller on the moon.)

I’m excited to see how the Canucks broadcast handles the game with the Sabres tomorrow night. I’ve watched a couple of their games on Center Ice and they appear to be a good combo. I do like how they call the Sedin twins just by their first names.

And for all of your Canucks blogging needs, stop by Canucks Hockey Blog. I’m still giggling at the amazing synchronicity of the Sedin twins with their gatorade bottles (but I’ve heard the Ukranian judge only gave them a 2 for that performance).

- I’ve had a couple of entertaining search terms this past week, including “Dr. Derek Roy, Tim Connolly on a boat, and Ray Emery Emcee of the Grand Ole Opry.” I think the Emery one is my personal favorite.

- I’m kind of sad that the NHL players won’t be marching in the opening ceremonies at the Olympics because I wanted to see these guys dressed in whatever sort of ridiculous outfit Ralph Lauren has decided that they will wear. If it’s anything like the Closing Ceremony duds, it could be a doozy.

- Public service announcement time: Twitter gadgets like Echofon and Twitterrific only allow you to refresh/interact with the service 150 times per hour. I was locked out of Twitter for a portion of last night’s game.

- I’m watching the Pens/Flyers game on NBC, and really, the Flyers fans chanting “asshole” at the ref is just a wee bit of the pot calling the kettle black.

- I’ll be so happy when the games get back on to a “normal” schedule. And yes, that is my East Coast bias showing.

What I’ve Learned

After watching last nights Ducks/Sabres game, this is what I’ve learned…

- Ryan Miller was apparently the first goaltender to visit the moon. He also apparently can defy all known knowledge of the moon and still be alive without having an oxygen mask over his face. The Ducks win the award for most ridiculous graphic ever used during a hockey game.

- The Ducks and the Sabres both have someone named “Ryan” playing for Team USA next month. Their Ryan (Bobby) says that our Ryan  (Miller) is really good and carrying our team. I’ll co-sign on the former, but disagree slightly with the latter. Last night did show the Sabres being somewhat bailed out by Miller’s calming kickass presence. But normally, his brilliant play is offset by a balanced scoring attack.

- Ooops. Getzi’s nose fell off thanks to his own teammate. And that poor ice girl having to clean off Getzi’s trail of blood. Ew.

- The Ducks apparently like to give food away to their fans. They can get free wings at Hooters with a five goal Ducks night and free cheesy-bread something or other if there’s a Ducks power play goal. And the amount of cheese on that cheesy bread was obscene. It would be like having a block of cheese sitting in your stomach. Yum-O, as Rachel Ray would say.

- The Anaheim broadcasters were brutal. I know I’m spoiled by RJ & Harry, and even K-Syl and Paul Hamilton, but Center Ice has shown me that there’s a lot of good broadcasters out there. The Ducks…not one of them. Did they even acknowledge that they were being seen in Buffalo tonight? Hell, did they even know? You would think that if they knew, they would be less likely to look like a bunch of idiots when it comes to the Sabres. They honestly reminded me of that line in Major League, when the Indians training camp roster is being revealed: “who’re these effing guys.” I’m sorry we only have Ryan Miller for you to build your pregame happy talk around. Do some research and you’ll find some other stuff out. Like how the Sabres have multiple Olympians on their team, a leading contender for rookie of the year, a lot of local boys doing well…something, anything.

- Alert the media: Tyler Myers is really tall.

- Jason Pominville is no good at hanging onto the puck. No cookie for you.

- Alert the media again: According to the Ducks broadcast, Derek Roy is the diving-y-est diver that ever dived. Their outrage at Roy drawing a penalty was ridiculous.

- Lindy Ruff apparently did not crack any skulls during the first intermission, as everyone showed up to play in the second. I still would love to know what exactly was said during that first intermission, and who said it. Lindy? Miller? Grier? Rivet? Gaustad?

- Finally, why the heck is CoreyPerry always called by his first and last name? Will he wander astray if he’s ever just called Perry?

These late games do not serve either blogging or an office job well. And yes, that is my East Coast bias talking.