Sabres v. Leafs – 4.8.09

– I thought the Brad May ceremony was very nicely done. The Leafs were incredibly classy to let the Sabres even be involved in the ceremony itself. Then again, considering May played 43% of his career in a Sabres uniform, it should have been a no brainer to include the Sabres. I did like the brief “oh shit” moment that passed across Rob Ray’s face when May turned to hug Rayzor. I think the past couple of weeks have showed us that Rob Ray does not have much of a poker face. And that was a pretty snazzy painting that the Sabres gave May. I’d like that in poster form.

– After reading on Sabres Edge that RJ was fully prepared to re-enact the May Day call if May scored during the game, there was a tiny part of me that hoped that May would score so we could hear the call. But alas, Miller foiled that opportunity.

– The “three men in the booth” dynamic was interesting, especially since RJ and Harry kept encouraging Ray to speak up more. I think Ray’s used to being called on at certain times, and doesn’t really have a rolodex of talking points that he can readily call on at a moments notice.

– Hey look, bitter cynical Bucky has made an appearance.

– Goose scored a goal, continuing his foxy, consistent play.

– Vanek reappeared out of nowhere, scoring a goal. That’s a good thing.

– There were a couple of times during the game that I wanted to bungee cord Ryan Miller to his goal posts. He was either out of position or down on a couple of Leafs shots, and through whatever benevolence (or torture) of the hockey gods, was saved from looking like a fool as the Leafs shot either wide or high.

– Did anyone else notice that the Leafs had an itchy trigger finger on the goal celebration light? How many times did that thing go off despite the puck being shot high or way wide? I’m surprised Miller didn’t start bitching and ask for a pair of sunglasses or some sunscreen.

– What was going on between Dominic Moore and Jason Blake all night? They were especially scrappy with each other. I kept waiting for some sort of throwdown, but it never came.

– Congratulations to the Columbus Blue Jackets for making the playoffs for the first time in their history. They’re going to be one of my WC bandwagon teams for the playoffs, which means that they’ll be destined for an early, yet painful exit. I’m rooting for them if for no other reason than they’re the ultimate underdog, they have an awesome rookie goalie and Michael Peca.

As of right now, other playoff bandwagons that I’m jumping on include the Devils, the Bruins (unless the Sabres make the #8 seed, of course), the Canucks and maybe the Blackhawks.

ETA for an off-topic rant:  While doing some work related reading, I’ve become even more aware of the fact that I am a 27-year-old fuddy duddy. I like reading the newspaper. I like watching local news. (Though admittedly I do check out the web versions of local newspapers and TV stations. I think it’s the commentary from “users” that keeps me coming back for more.) I like watching TV on a TV set through my cable system. (Though admittedly I flove my DVR.) I have a respectable collection of TV shows on DVD, but the world doesn’t stop with those shows. I do watch the occasional online video, but I don’t regularly become glued to my laptop to watch shows. (If I missed something, then fine, but Hulu is not appointment viewing.) I really think that the MSM is not dying, it’s evolving.