‘Dineen and the rest of the Pirates’ operations staff will spend the next two weeks at the Sabres’ training camp before returning to Maine for 10 days of practice prior to Portland’s Oct. 11 season opener at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Dineen will get a chance to observe how the Sabres play the game under Coach Lindy Ruff, entering his 11th season at Buffalo. "This is a good opportunity for us to get to know each other better," Ruff said in a telephone interview. "(Dineen) can ask questions of me and I can ask questions of him. We can learn from each other."’