Archives for August 2015

‘”It definitely helps when you have a top-end center like that,” Ennis said. “When you have a franchise guy. It’s nice that he’s a big centerman, especially with the skill that he has. With Jack, I haven’t heard a bad thing about him. I hear he has Ryan Getzlaf’s passing ability combined with Mike Modano’s skating.’

‘”I bought my first horse when I was 20 making $250 a week at a horse sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I haven’t been to a sale since,” Murray says. “Most of my life, I have been involved to some degree — it’s my interest outside of hockey. I just love when the yearling catalogues start coming in.”‘

‘According to two NHL sources, the Sabres are trying to lure former Toronto and Nashville blueliner Cody Franson by offering a two-year contract. Franson, who turned 28 on Aug. 8, has been linked in the rumor mill this month with teams such as Boston, Pittsburgh and Columbus but is almost certainly seeking a multi-year deal. His has played on one-year contracts the last three seasons. He made $3.3 million last season.’

‘“I think it’s like Edmonton right now, there is a lot of turnover and changes in coaches and we have some high-end prospects coming in and there is a lot of optimism,” Ennis said following a session at Perry Pearn’s 3-on-3 camp Thursday. “It’s really exciting, we made some really good moves, I think. I feel like the rebuild is finally coming to fruition. It’s been a tough couple of years but it’s going to be worth it, because we have a lot of great players and a lot of guys to be excited about, coming in.”’

Amerks announce 2015-16 regular season schedule (Amerks.com)

‘The Sabres had 96 percent of season ticket holders renew their tickets for the 2015-16 season, marking the 10th consecutive year featuring a renewal rate higher than 90 percent.’

‘“The fact that we had such a high rate of renewal from our season ticket holders is really a testament to the direction our organization is headed,” Sabres president Russ Brandon said. “There’s a tremendous amount of excitement surrounding our team and we can’t wait to get on the ice.”’

‘“A vast majority of my successes happened within this 5 acres,” Bylsma said. “A vast majority of my learning and education in sports happened in this 5 acres. We didn’t travel to Detroit. I didn’t get lessons from somebody. It happened here for me. I’ve won a lot of major championships, but they’ve all been in this backyard.”’

‘O’Reilly’s next court appearance was set for Sept. 10.’

‘The Sabres can make things interesting and will be in the mix for the postseason for the majority of the season, but will ultimately fall short. Still, they’re on the right track and after the worst two-year stretch in team history, fans will likely just be happy to see their team competitive again.’