Archives for May 17, 2006

‘Whatever the reason, the Hurricanes lifted that geographical restriction at 10 a.m. Tuesday – making it easier for Sabres fans from outside the Southeast to cheer for their team in Carolina.’

‘The crowd loves that cheer, “Let’s go, Buffalo!” It’s the best “let’s go” cheer of all the teams in the league, because it rhymes. It’s beautiful, which is why it’s their signature. It’s incumbent upon me to use tempo to help them with the emotion of the moment. I can’t change the song, the melody, but I can change the speed. And when it calls for just plain rip-roaring unbridled enthusiasm, then you let it roll and it’s moving fast, and the crowd will move as fast as I move.”‘

‘For Fitzpatrick, who has logged 624 professional games, including 210 at the NHL level, this is his first NHL playoff action since his rookie season of 1995-96 with the Montreal Canadiens. Understandably, he’s savoring every shift. “I feel I’ve done pretty well when I’ve played, and the more I can get in there, the more comfortable I’ll be and the better I’ll be,” Fitzpatrick, 31, said of his emergency role. “You get thrown into the middle of a series, it’s not easy.”‘

‘This is the first of two columns for all of you who are late jumping onto the Buffalo Sabres’ bandwagon. I can’t really blame you — after the trauma suffered by Buffalo sports fans over the past 40 years, it may be difficult to emotionally invest yourself in a team that you are certain will let you down in the end. In fact, if the Sabres lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes, I am sure more than a few people out there will smugly tell their friends, “I knew they stunk all along.”’

‘”I was asked (the other day) what the differences were between us and the Sabres. Frankly, I couldn’t come up with any,” Laviolette said. “It should be great hockey.”‘

‘The series may come down to Ryan Miller and Cam Ward, rookie goalies who so far are having tremendous post-seasons. But with so much in common between the two teams, the ultimate difference will almost certainly come down to the coaches.’

‘”It just seems that every year there’s a new flavour for the NHL,” said Ruff. “And I hate to say we’re the flavour, but a lot of teams are looking around and saying how did they do it? How did Carolina do it and how is Anaheim doing it? And I think there is some common ground there with the youth and the speed.”‘

‘But the Sabres barely blink about the absentees. One guy goes down, another fills in and the beat goes on. It’s been that way all year, and probably will be right to the end.’

‘On the Canes’ website there is an announcement that ticket sales are restricted to buyers from North Carolina and its bordering states.’

‘The Buffalo Sabres come with an all-out attack when the other team is on the power play, in contrast to the Devils’ passive approach. They use their speed to challenge shooters and attack passing lanes, racking up an NHL-high five shorthanded goals in 11 postseason games.’