Archives for May 2006

'Ruff's rise is a significant turnaround after many Sabres fans were calling for the coach to be dismissed three years ago. Quinn didn't budge. "I said, `Some people are mad at you now and would feel good for five minutes, but that's not the way we're going about this,'" he said. "Ultimately, the decision we made was why should we … [Read more...] about Sabres Ruff gaining credit; voted Sporting News' top NHL coach

'Then the Sabres put it all together and played a nearly flawless second period. They outshot Carolina 19-8, finished their checks - and there were lots of them - and scored three times to take a 4-1 lead before a Cory Stillman goal shaved their advantage by one. Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff called it his team's best 20 minutes of hockey of the season and it's hard … [Read more...] about Ruff and ready

'"There's nothing to get down about. I think we're more than capable of overcoming his loss. We have been able to do it all year."' … [Read more...] about Sabres have lead, but defense is depleted

'"Just an innocent hit that left him with the injury," said Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff. "Just one of those freak accidents."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Tallinder out with broken arm

'"You feel terrible for Henrik. He's played tremendous but now he won't be part of the ride," Ruff said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres D Tallinder out with broken arm

'This morning Head Coach Lindy Ruff has confirmed that Tallinder has broken his arm and will be out for the remainder of the playoffs.' … [Read more...] about Tallinder Out For Playoffs With Broken Arm

'But after the Sabres took a 4-1 second period lead, the outcome was still in doubt. Anyone who tuned out after Buffalo took the big lead missed the most outstanding ending to a playoff game this season. The Hurricanes were all over the Sabres in the final minute and came close to forcing overtime.' … [Read more...] about It's never over

'"We just have that confidence that we know we can bounce back from bad outings, from bad games, from tough breaks. It's not something you can teach. It's just in there and we believe in ourselves."' … [Read more...] about Home remedy

'"You got to continue to push them," Staal said. "They do have a couple of injuries back there and you got to work their "D,' be physical and wear them down, and hopefully that pays dividends as the series goes on."' … [Read more...] about Hurricanes lament string of bad penalties

'"That was the tone we wanted to set the whole game through," Gaustad said. "We were physical the whole game, not just that shift."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ hits electrify the crowd

'Drury might be the competitive face of this team, but Briere has come to exemplify the Sabres' resilience. He looks like the kid next door, but with him comes an inner toughness that makes him play much bigger than his 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame - wink, wink - suggests. He's spent his entire career proving he belongs in this league, a little man pleading for respect in what … [Read more...] about Wearing the ‘C,’ Briere brings A-game

'So in the midst of a rare crisis, the Sabres needed someone to extinguish the doubt and remind Buffalo fans that this is no ordinary hockey team. It is a resilient outfit that has responded all year long when confronted with a challenge. What they needed was Drury, who later said that he had "definitely" taken Ruff's challenge to Briere's line as a call to all the forwards. He … [Read more...] about Drury takes charge when needed, as usual

'Henrik Tallinder left in the waning minutes of Game Three against Carolina, succumbing to an "upper-body injury." He walked to the dressing room with about five minutes to go, team doctors hopping from the stands to trail him. "We'll evaluate where he is [today]," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said simply.' … [Read more...] about Tallinder suffers injury

'The disease has reached an advanced state when cities like Buffalo conflate their civic image with that of a for-profit private business. How else would you explain a bankrupt city and county more willing to close libraries and lay off teachers than risk alienating the sports teams by asking them to pay their fair share of taxes?' … [Read more...] about Love of money has taken all the fun out of sports

'During the team's bankruptcy period, the Sabres became a ward of the NHL. "Tom is doing a much better job of running this franchise than we ever did," Bettman said.' … [Read more...] about Buffalo a composite of Bettman’s NHL