Archives for December 4, 2006

'When asked why he hit Briere, Ovechkin said "Because it was a game, I don't want to hit him in the back, I just want to give him a clear hit, but he turns and I don't have time to do something."'

‘Throwing out a subpar performance against Washington — mirroring just about every other aspect of Buffalo’s game — Drury has been on a tear since early November, winning almost 64% of his faceoffs in the 13 games before Saturday night. The surge has put Drury in third place in the league in faceoff winning percentage at 59.3%.’

‘“Excuse me sir,” he said. How respectful of him. He called me sir. I’m 24. Ouch. “Can I get a picture with you?” At this point, I was a little creeped out, and quickly took a defensive tone. “Um, why?” I had no idea what to expect as an answer. Did he think I was a celebrity? Did I know him from somewhere? Was he an ignorant tourist who found it amusing that a white guy was eating falafel and hummus? “Because you’re a Sabres fan.”’

'"I have a lot of respect for Ovechkin as a player. I like his enthusiasm," Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller said. "I know the kid has a zest for life and a joy for the game. He wants to be at all ends of the offense, making hits, but that had to be the stupidest hit I've ever seen, and I hope he gets punished."'

'"We were pretty happy with how we responded as a group, Adam and Paul getting in there," Drury said after the game.'

'Sabres Public Relations Director Michael Gilbert said the team is aware of the problems and is in the process of correcting them. "We have several ATMs," Gilbert said. And as of Friday afternoon, as far as he knew, two were down. Gilbert said the problem was mechanical, and they were waiting for parts to come in. He wasn't sure how long that would take. "It's a process," he said. "It could take some time."'

'Regardless, the teams' next meeting, Dec. 26th in Buffalo, is sure to be an interesting one.'