PASabreFan

They listed 41. Dom was 42. But I stand corrected.

Rather than style, personality or intangibles, I was thinking more along the lines of how you want your team to play the game. Think Lou. There's Lou's way, which I'm sure can be tweaked from year to year. But Lou hires a coach who's going to coach Lou hockey, and the players follow. To start, what are the principles that are applied to build a team? From the goalie out? Center spine? Mobile defense? Adams looks at where the league has been, where it is and where it's going. Who are the Buffalo Sabres?

The problem is that the Hall of Fame is itself bloated. Jim Kelley, Rudy Migay, Jerry Korab. Maybe to the Pegulas' credit, no one's been inducted since 2012 when Rick and Dale went in. Hindsight is 20/20 (or 1980). If you could start from scratch you'd have a ring (or rink) of honor for most of the people in the current Hall of Fame, your HOF would be the cream of the crop and of the COTC you'd have 11 and 39 in the rafters, although it's hard to argue with retiring a number of a player who died while still a Sabre.

I've had many over the years. This might be my forever pic.

It's not my main criticism, but it's so poorly worded. How does one "improve on" challenges, for example?

It's not possible, but I'd really like to see 20 games next fall before deciding on the guy.

I guess I'd be more overt and honest about it. Just lay it out.

Gold Ring Sponsors.

Although Jame was joking, maybe you could take all the stuff that's hanging up there and make them smaller and put them in less prominent locations and just have a huge Cup banner in their place.

I'd like to see that ceremony.

To both of you: does winning just happen accidentally then? Then you're golden, for awhile anyway? More specifically to the topic at hand, do you want to hire a coach who fits the current players' styles and personalities? Mittelstadt might have openly lobbied for Granato after the game yesterday. Great, but then what happens when Mitts and others like the coach until they don't (again)? The tail can't wag the dog.

That's getting closer. What Kevyn needs to figure out is how to get the right guys for the situation the franchise is in. Do they give any thought to pyschologically profiling prospective players? Who wants to be part of rebuilding a historically bad hockey team in a small Rust Belt city, with bad weather etc.? It's a rare breed of cat. Cozens sure seems to fit the bill.

What are the principles though? That was Kevyn's chance to elucidate them.

Take a step back. How should it work? Think of the most successful sports franchises? Are they swimming around looking for a philosophy or a style? Or has the philosophy been long established and everything fits that philosophy? Terry and Kim clearly aren't equipped to construct the wellspring from which everything else flows. That's why you need a hockey czar. Don't like that idea and want the GM to be it? Fine, but then GMKA's "What is a Sabre?" was a mish mash of pish posh. Where does that leave us? The players fit the coach. The coach fits the GM. The GM fits the philosophy, which has staying power despite the people who come and go. Examples? The Pittsburgh Steelers are a good one, I think. Blitzburgh. Run and stop the run?

Hopefully not — although the devil on my left shoulder immediately tells me I can't argue against mediocrity and living in the past and for blowing the stink off a stagnant franchise and still argue for Rick's return. What I think the RJ50 culmination was all about was a franchise that has so little to celebrate finding something obvious to celebrate. Dev tells me it was PSE going almost over the top so people couldn't say Rick didn't get the proper sendoff. Based on the VP's recent comment and Rick's comment on hoping to work with the crew again, I honestly think it's up in the air and it's the same scenario of lo these many years: Rick and the Sabres will sit down and try to work something out this summer. Health could be a big factor. Brawndo can chime in, but that bruise under his eye was concerning. And the other night when Rick thumbed his nose at Rob, his hand was all discolored. Maybe just aging skin or maybe he's on blood thinners or something.

I am but an innocent rural Pennsyltuckian.

It's interesting how the informal nominations line up with the Top Contributors feature, where people get a vote when you give positive feedback to a post. I'll put Doohickie over the top based on his "votes" in the past month and week. Solid meme work and he often checks my cynicism. (I eventually toss him off with one hand and stickhandle with the other, but he tries.)

Taro, Thorny, MODO and Dudacek join the pantheon of greatness. (If I've lost count, please correct me.)

Yearning?

What, this guy isn't good enough for her?

That's the idea, eventually.

Rick said after the game, in so many words, he hopes to return next season. He thanked the crew in the booth, the people in the truck and the camera operators before saying, "...hope that I'll have the opportunity to work with them again."

So far, LGR and Brawndo have secured spots in the poll. Taro and MODO need one more poster to nominate them. Thorny, Pimlach, inkman, dudacek and Doohickie need two more. Others were mentioned, but I don't think they were nominations per se.

You're listening to Sabres hockey... on GR-55 Off to work. I hope I don't catch wind of any kind of Rick announcement.

Craig Laffey was the victim once. By the way, I have a pic from the Aud of a Je-Je-Je-Je-Jeanneret sign.