Archives for March 25, 2011

‘The autograph signed for the father of a cancer patient proved him a decent man. The subsequent secret hospital visit to meet with the child spoke to the depth of his generosity.’

‘"You’ve got four lines that are producing," Ruff said after practice Thursday morning in the Northtown Center at Amherst. "On different nights you’re getting plays that make a difference in the game."’

‘”There was that renewed sense of optimism from my father,” Corey Martin said. “You could see that little gleam in his eye.”‘

‘“When I heard of Rick’s death, I asked myself why aren’t the guys who played in our era more up to date with their health?” Seiling said. “How many of us are ticking time bombs?”’

‘In an era of gas shortages and layoffs and Vietnam and Nixon, a young Sabres fan was on the ride of his life.’

Preview: Panthers at Sabres, 7 p.m. Friday (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Florida (29-35-10) at Buffalo (36-28-9) (AP)

Florida Panthers (29-35-10) at Buffalo Sabres (36-28-9) (The Sports Network)

Desperate Sabres host slumping Panthers (NHL.com)

‘”Rico is an icon in Buffalo, you know it. He was as good off the ice as he was on the ice. The last memory the fans will ever have of the French Connection being together is when they skated out to greet Terry Pegula who had just purchased the team. Robert wouldn’t come back to the arena because of his battle with Larry Quinn. He is glad that final moment together happened, “We looked at the picture coming off on the ice and I wish it would’ve happened a long time ago, maybe at the beginning of the year where the fans could’ve enjoyed more of the 40th anniversary of the Sabres, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be, but there was something written in a book somewhere above to bring us back here, especially me. You all know I had my feud with the Sabres over the years and to get us back together,(his voice trailed off as he started to sob) it was good.”‘

‘Each person who spoke at the service made reference to Martin’s tremendous sense of humor and his love for pulling pranks on people. They spoke of his love for his wife, Mikey, and their children. They talked about his passion for the game of golf, his Sunday routine which included playing with his dog and visiting friends, and his desire to score goals out on the ice. Robert even left a cigar and a can of Budweiser on the podium in honor of his friend.’