Archives for January 2, 2008

'New Year’s Day in Western New York was a day for real people showing the rest of the nation what their community is made of. We did good.'

‘It gives me time to admire the varsity jackets the Sabres’ coaching staff is wearing. With the franchise’s original logo, the jackets are more old school than Gabe Kotter, and I want one.’

'"I lost the puck," Miller said. "I felt like he just kind of threw it back in. I was going to go for a tip check on him and he was trying to get around me."'

'"I'd love to do it again," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought it was very good for the game. It really brings you back to the roots."'

'The Winter Classic ratings also surpassed Wayne Gretzky's final game, which was broadcast on Fox on April 18, 1999, and drew a 2.5/6.'

'The NHL should learn a lesson from this experience as to why an idea like the Winter Classic is embraced, while other recent attempts at selling the sport have fallen flat. The fact is the outdoor game puts an emphasis on nostalgia, and further underlines what tremendous passion professional hockey players have for their sport. The conditions were less than ideal for the fans and the members of the Penguins and Sabres, yet the overall presentation of the game actually benefited from the winter weather.'

‘Pregame activities: Hey, how great is it when you are driving into the stadium at 9 a.m. and folks already are packed into parking lots, hanging out in front of barbecues, fire pits and the like, roasting meat, drinking beer and playing road hockey? OK, nutritionally not so great, but in terms of atmosphere, boffo. Grade: A.’

'Tailgaters were already hard at it in the parking lots surrounding Ralph Wilson Stadium at breakfast time Tuesday. What's that old saying about beer being the breakfast of champions? Well, if that's the case, there were a lot of champions in attendance. Among the ubiquitous fire pits and barbecues, the odd street hockey game broke out.'

'The Sabres would outshoot the Penguins 14 to 2 during that second period but they couldn't find any other way to solve Ty Conklin yet again.'

'The weather: I can't blame anything on anyone individual player after that game. So blaming the weather is an easy cop-out that I'm going to take. The snow falling, the wind blowing and the air turning faces into works of art (see: Sergei Gonchar when he sat on the bench) all made for a horrific set up that the players were all too glad to get out of. But the fans loved it. Because it is Buffalo.'