tom webster

I'm still waiting for these fans of Nolan to explain why he can't even get an interview anywhere else. And as far as players keeping quiet in support of TN, they all have guaranteed contracts. They could care less what management thinks of their opinion. Over and over they talk about what a great guy he is but how the team is looking forward to more structure and professionalism.

Isn't it funny how your mind plays tricks on you as you get older. I can't tell you how many times I could have sworn something happened in one game I was at when it actually happened in another.

Gil Perreault, OJ Simpson and Bob McAdoo. The Golden age of Buffalo sports as the argument could have been made that those were the three most exciting athletes playing their respective sports at the time. I remember when the NBC announcer asked Phil Esposito if anyone would break his goal scoring record and without hessitation he said Gilbert. Good times.

Thank you, K9. At this point I'd just assume leave it alone anyway. It got a lot more play then I expected.

Could be

And that's a very valid point. If you are doing it right, depth becomes cyclical. You need to identify which players will fill your top 5 or 6 and then move the rest when their value is at its highest point.

I was using him as an example of the kind of player TM would be looking at not necessarily targeting him. Actually a young defenseman is exactly what they are looking for. They are pretty well set in their top 4 and are looking to swap young depth players because of how deep they are upfront

I think he is on record as saying that he will move the picks but for a young players two or three years ahead of the player he would be drafting at 21. Think Kirby Reichel or someone along those lines.

Its a great take but its nothing new. People have been talking about coaching killing the game since the days of the New Jersey Devils. This along with a league that believes that parity leads to a financially healthy league gets you the kind of game we have today. Once guys like Yzerman and Lemieux become a bigger voice at league meetings, maybe then we will get a league that wants its star offensive players to excel.

It would make sense that Babs had comitted to Buffalo and when he wife couldn't be convinced that he went back to his friend Shanahan to bail him out so he didn;t have to go back to Detroit with his tail between his legs. I'm not sure we will ever hear the whole story but I can tell you that certain members of the Sabres' hierachy are not as forgiving as TM. Anyone who may have been out for lunch at the right place when the Babcock presser was on knows this all too well.

How many pkayers have to publicly rip Nolan begore you admit he is not a good coach? 3,4,5?

First, You are right, nobody should question your fan loyalty. Second, While I don't agree with your conclusions regarding the tank, I understand your mis-givings. I, too, have a hard time accepting the notion that you should ever want to lose or benefit from it. I made my peace with the process. Maybe I'm rationalizing because I want to be one hundred percent behind my team, I don't really know but I respect the opinion shared by you and others. Finally, You could not be more wrong with regards to the presser. He was talking about communication between a coach and a general manager within the context of reports that one of the reasons Babcock went to Toronto was that Murray wanted complete control of the roster and a coach;s job was to coach and nothing else. It had nothing to do with Nolan. Others, like PA make the claim that his answer regarding what he was looking for in a coach was a veiled shot at Nolan and while I disagree with that as well, I can see that as a possibilty. Anyway, I hope you find yourself forgetting all this when the Sabres challenge for the Cup. Sports should not be so much work.

Heavily Persued? We got him for a 2nd, most contenders were cap strapped, and he was willing to go anywhere but Toronto and knew Montreal didn't want him. Knowing that one of his best friends was heading here didn't hurt as well. That being said, he was playing well and is a solid 4/5 defenseman.

Other then Ehrhoff, I think these names prove my point.

I thought what he actually said was that even old school coaches wouldn't say that but you may be right. I think he has actually gone out of his way to be diplomatic when discussing TN. The players, however, have been pretty open about Nolan's coaching shortcomings.

Again, how what "things" are done? I understand differences of opinion but there seems to be no basis for your feelings. I agree he still has a lot to prove but I have seen nothing to question his sincerity or integrity.

I have to ask, I just listened to the interview and I'm not sure what reference to Nolan you are talking about?

If you are going to question a man's integrity you should at least give reasons for it other then you don't like the sound of his voice.

He was saying that Murray came off great and citing it as an example as to why they should make him more accessible.

I guess it could be argued that Buffalo did make him the highest paid coach just not in the way I thought.

MacLean had a fair amount of success, has good pedigree and was the hot coaching candidate a few years ago. I like guys like him. A lot of times its that second gig where it all comes together. In the end, I'm fine with all the names on the list as long as it's not Torts.

I'm as excited about the Sabres future as anyone but name someone other then Moulson and McCormick that had a choice and came here. The Sabres continue to get the second tier college free agents, European free agents and now coaching free agents. Winning may change that but for right now, it is the truth.

I agree that he has looked great but remember CoHo lit this tournament up last year.

I voted for increase size of nets, reduce pad size and implement three second rule. However,it has been my contention that the NHL has no desire to make changes because they believe that like "loser points," low scoring games create a false sense of parity which they believe plays a role in the growth of the game.

I have taken a lot of abuse over the years for feeling the same.