Archives for December 24, 2002

'In her letter to lawmakers Naples said, "The devil is always in the details, and as the county's fiscal watchdog, I must know the details and I must make sure the taxpayers know the details."'

' In fact, several reports have appeared speculating that rather than move the franchise, Bettman would prefer that it fold. Under that scenario, the thinking goes, Bettman would have a better bargaining position as he tries to work out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NHL Players Association. After all, what better way to demonstrate just how hard times are to the union than eliminating 23 roster spots at an average salary of $1.7 million?'

'It is becoming painfully obvious to fans that Hasek was a superior goalie who continually pulled hockey games out of the fire for the Sabres during his nine season stay in Buffalo.'

'If Hamister’s bid goes through, the bankruptcy filing may just be a technicality. But if Hamister doesn’t get public money for the Arena and withdraws the bid, it opens the door for an out-of-town investor to sneak in, buy the team and move it. How likely is that? No one knows … and that’s the problem.'

'"This is extremely tough," Gratton said. "We played well for 50 minutes, but when they came back to tie it up, we need to regroup. It's huge when you go from up, 2-1, to down, 3-2, especially on the road. It gets life back in the building. It was something we shouldn't have let happen."'

'Buffalo center Tim Connolly has one goal in his past 28 games. He has two assists in his past 17 games.'

'Buffalo's non-existent offense and sloppy defense kept the Penguins in the game, but Pittsburgh did little to take advantage until Kehoe bumped Kovalev up to the top line. The Penguins wasted golden scoring chances, made mind-numbing turnovers, took silly penalties and lost countless crucial faceoffs in the early going.'

'Once the puck hit the ice, Lemieux took a wild swipe at the puck, rifling it past Gratton, past two Sabres defensemen and past a motionless Mika Noronen in goal. It was the first time in his illustrious career that Lemieux scored off the draw.'

'The Penguins had been on a 0-10-1-2 streak in home games they trailed after two periods.'

'The game drew 16,569 fans, even though Buffalo is not an especially attractive opponent and the Steelers were playing at Tampa Bay. The Penguins even added a promotion to help ticket sales, which is why Patrick said he was gratified but not worried about Monday's attendance. "Not with Marty Straka Bobblehead Night," Patrick said with a smile.'