K-9
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Posts posted by K-9
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I'll bet money that Gionta, Gorges and Moulson end the year here.
And well beyond, too. They are linchpins in the rebuild.
GO BILLS!!!
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Nice choices to be sure. Kinda what everybody thought except perhaps Moulson. Gionta will do as a placeholder until Girgensens assumes the reigns. And I thank God Stafford wasn't selected. Can't have an ocassional floater that takes shifts off serve as an example for all the young players on this team. Anybody else see Stafford blocking shots when down by 10 goals in the 3rd period like Girgs?
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This. I want some games that thrill me this year.
I want the Sabres to be on a 3-game winning streak with Boston coming to the FNC and to be looking forward to the game all day.
I want Enroth to seize his long-awaited shot at #1 by the throat, even if it means JJ50 gets the biggest I-told-you-so in Sabrespace history.
I want Myers to approach his potential and for Risto to play like Myers did during his Calder season.
I want Stewart to explode in his contract year and to pummel opponents on occasion.
I want Reinhart to look like the natural.
I want Pysyk to play like Teppo in 2005.
I want Nolan and Trottier to make me believe.
I want hockey that I care about.
I just felt it move.
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I think the notion that a coach doesn't have to understand analytics at all is a fallacy. Yes, a big part of the current work in most sports is player evaluation and thus handled by the General Manager, not the coach. But an underrated aspect of sports analysis is evaluating tactics.
Since the sports data revolution started with baseball, there is a great example about how analytics have not infiltrated the managers the way they have the front office. This has a profound effect on day-to-day tactics. Managers will, almost every day, refuse to use their best relief pitchers in the highest leverage (most important) game situations because it's not a "save situation." Team's regularly blow leads in the sixth, seventh, or eighth inning with an inferior relief pitcher on the mound while their closer, inarguably the best reliever on the team, watches because it's not a save situation yet. It's infuriating. It's especially infuriating because baseball, with it's rich history and incredibly large sample size, has a system that can tell you, in real time, when the high leverage situations are! Having your best relief pitcher enter the game at the start of the ninth inning with nobody on base is almost never the best use of his skills. But the current generation of managers have grown up being told that is how you use a bullpen and so it remains.
Now to hockey. One tactical situation that is starting to get noticed by the stat heads in the dump-in versus the carry-in entry into the offensive zone. Willfully turning the puck over to the opponent at a very high rate using the dump and chase method is incredibly inefficient compared to the carry-in.This article sums it up nicely:
http://www.si.com/nh...-chase-strategy
Can any of you image a traditionalist like Nolan, who is all about the effort, would ever advocate for a lower rate of dump and chases?
I think analytics lends itself to baseball in ways it doesn't to other team sports. Baseball, while a team sport, is really an individual vs. another individual and the team element really doesn't come into play. Contrast that to football, where you have 22 moving parts on every snap and those moving parts are interdependent. There are just some things that statistics can't predict and those things typically require a trained eye to do so. Analytics have their place in hockey to be sure, but I can understand why a coach wouldn't ever be a slave to them.
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Unfortunately, we see advanced stats used to try to prove that a mediocre player is actually a good one way more often than we see it showing us a player that we already knew was good, was actually good.
I agree with this. I can't think of a player that wasn't considered good become good because of his favorable analytics. If a player is good, his stats will usually back that up over the long term. In the short term and in the absence of those established analytics, I'll trust a scout's and coach's ability to assess his potential based upon their criteria which usually includes their opinion that a kid can play or not based upon what they see on the ice.
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This was posted at TSW by PromoTheRobot. I thought it was funny and merited a spot here. Thanks, Promo.
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Anyone see what Rush Limbaugh had to say about Robin Williams' death? Or Lewis Black's retort?
complete ignorance in my opinion, and that's Rush but it is not excusable though.
I just checked it out. Rush basically says Williams killed himself because leftists are always angry at something. I stopped listening to that wind bag 21 years ago and I'm not surprised by his utter lack of insight and compassion. He's sub-human and I don't mean that as a dis to lower primates. Loved Black's retort.
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GP/G/A/Pts/PIM/aTOI
70/8/14/22/14/15:19
70/11/24/35/4/13:39
The top line is Zemgus's first NHL season when he was 20 and on the worst team in the NHL
The second line is Pavel Datsyuk's first NHL season when he was 24 and on the best team in the NHL
He probably will not become a 90-point HoF defensive centerman, but he very well could become a 60-point Selke guy. Pretty solid guy for what essentially cost us Goose and a mid-round 2nd. This is the player I am most excited to see grow this season.
Same here. I can't wait until he's named captain. It's only a matter of time. And he'll have a TON of locker room cred because he'll be one of the new core that makes the team his own. And he won't be afraid to do it, either. Unlike Vanek, Roy, etc. who could hide behind the veteran leadership of Drury/Briere and then crumble when it was their turn to take the reigns. And something tells Girgs won't put up with less than 100% effort at all times.
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There's a company around here that builds towers (I assume like private windmills, radio, etc.) that has "We're proud of our erections" plastered on the side of their trucks. I couldn't decide if that was a positive or a negative. I applaud them for being a bit bold, but it might be a bit too juvenile to trust them.
Back in the 70s when I worked summers building stages for stadium rock concerts, we had T-shirts printed up that read "Wild Buffalo Erection Company." They were a hot item on those tours.
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Was TV faking the injury in the bruins series because he was on the take?
More at 11:00...
It's much more effective when you put the FOX News spin on it:
"Some people are wondering if Thomas Vanek was on the take when he sat out the series against the Bruins. Could he have faked an injury? Some people may think so."
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So I was just thinking, since Buffalo's last championship in a major sport (AFL 1964 and don't tell me AFL doesn't count because I'll cry if you do), what other US cities have had complete droughts? Here's the list I came up with without doing research:
Cleveland (also 1964)
San Diego (never)
Nashville (never--but a short time frame)
Sacramento (never--but only one sport)
Columbus (never--but a short time frame and only one sport)
Charlotte
I thought about Milwaukee, but the Bucks actually have one.
I think that's it. Is it really that sad? Please, Sabres, do something about this!
Not for nothing, but we also won the AFL Championship in '65. So we haven't quite suffered as long as Cleveland.
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Ehhh, the CHL's prosperity IS good for the prospects. And the AHL and NHL. Just because fans may be itching to have person A here or there, doesn't mean the fact that league relationships may prevent such moves is a bad thing in the grand narrative. Fans just don't like it because they're impatient.
Muscle is always in one of three states: building, breaking down, or atrophying.
Which state is a superior player in when he plays inferior competition night after night?
It's not about impatience, it's about what's best for certain players. Some just aren't best served when forced to play against inferior competition.
It's nice that elite prospects can sell tickets in the inferior league, though.
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I'm not disagreeing, just pointing out that the CHL owners are trying to sell seats and merchandise (and TV ads? I don't know if they have TV contracts) just like any other team. They're not going to let the 60 best players (cause really, what team isn't going to move their two best prospects into the AHL?) walk away.
Of course you are 100% spot on here. Dollar trumps what's best for the prospect, unfortunately.
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It's not about protecting the players, it's about protecting the CHL. If all the 18 and 19-year-old prospects that show promise moved to the AHL, the CHL's quality goes down. Personally, I could care less about the CHL's quality, but I understand where they're coming from.
So it's more about the league and less about the developmental best interest of that handful of players that are legitimately TOO good for that level of play. It does nothing to serve them in terms of development. The vast majority of kids that need to return to juniors could still do so. But there are a few that need to go where their games can flourish. I could even argue that the competitive level of the CHL actually goes down by having players far superior for that level of play. Teams should get at least 1 or 2 exceptions to designate for AHL assignment.
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It'd be interesting if teams were allowed to put 1 or 2 players under 20 in the AHL.
Agreed. I'm on record as thinking this agreement between the NHL and CHL is a bad rule and actually hurts some of the players it purports to protect.
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I agree with you on how he will be used. I disagree with you on wanting him to go back to juniors. He will gain nothing by going there again other than resentment at having to play at that level again.
If only there were a league where a player that's too good for juniors but not quite ready for the NHL, could learn and develop his game.
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Based on that, I hope SOMEONE on the Sabres staff is an Xs and Os guy. Highly motivated players without a system will never be successful
I think it was chz that first postulated Nolan was gonna be the coach to develop the young players and be a place holder until our version of Bylsma is hired.
GO BILLS!!!
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Let's ask What proof exists that hockey decisions were not made by the hockey department?
And I will allow that the first phase of Pegula's ownership witnessed hockey decisions that seemed to have been driven (if not made) by Pegula, and not so much by the head of the hockey department. To wit, the Tyler Myers deal.
There's a new sheriff in town, though.
Is the inference here that Darcy didn't want to tie up his young star defenseman when he did, to a cap friendly deal, vs. TP making the decision? Again, I think it's a case, as is USUAL, that the hockey department needs to make sure the business side is on board with the commitment of resources. At the time, the Myers deal was hailed as good foresight by an organization looking to secure their young stars. This is a good thing.
The 20/20 hindsight applied in view of Myers' struggles since then is not relevant. Just throwing that out there because it's all after the fact.
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On the business side, fine. If TB's negotiating a new broadcast deal, or they're changing concession companies (yeah, right) or whatever, sure, he and his people present it to the Pegs. I have never liked the analogy that the hockey side is a business like any other, and of course the owner should be involved.
Do you see the hockey side as a totally separate entity from the business side? One with complete autonomy from the rest of the corporation? If the hockey department needs resources to accomplish goals, do they just get them from itself? I'm honestly trying to understand your broader point here. If your expectation is that the hockey department exists in a vacuum that should just be left alone, I don't see how that's sustainable in the business model.
And I'll ask one more time: what hockey decision to you feel wasn't made by the hockey department?
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I just don't want non-hockey people making hockey decisions. It's such a no-brainer, I'm always a bit stunned when I get disagreement. And I'm the contrarian!
What "hockey" decisions do you think have been made by non-hockey people? It's a bit of a stretch to suggest that because an owner sits in on meetings with his GM, scouts, etc. that he is making hockey decisions when all he's doing is keeping abreast of what's happening and perhaps inquiring as to what may be needed financially or organizationally to achieve hockey related goals. The exception to the rule is an owner that DOESN'T sit in on meetings with his various staffs, regardless of sport. It's unheard of.
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I liked the Terry we heard about before Pegula Day. I even liked Terry up to, "Lindy ain't…" The rest of the day was just weird, like Terry blaming the Buffalo News for the "quit" in the 2010-11 Sabres.
I would have loved to have written a different version of Pegula as owner. I followed the facts — and the money. You have a team that had to go crazy on July 1 to get to the floor. No one would have believed that on that February day three years ago. No one.
See the Trial thread. I lay out the facts and the truth. If you can't handle it, too bad.
But could it have been done any other way? Whether ownership meddles to an unacceptable point is irrelevant in the face of realizing a core had reached it's ceiling and was well past diminishing returns. Pegula inherited a team that had been built into a Presidential Cup winner by DR and LR and it's perfectly reasonable to want to give them the chance to do it again given that past success. It didn't work. There are no shortcuts. In order for transformation and growth to occur, the team had to be dismantled. I doubt it was easy for Terry to accept this at first, given his fanboy passion for the club. But the rebuild is well underway now, so if there's any meddling going on, it's being channeled in the right direction. I don't think meddling is going on relative to the hockey decisions we've seen TM make recently. But if those decisions WERE born out of meddling by the owners, then we've got some genius hockey people disguised as owners.
The Pegulas know when to insert themselves into a business process and when to let their delegates take the reigns. If that was through trial and error as meddlesome owners, then I give them credit for learning the lesson. But I doubt it was.
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The problem is, the Sabres organization themselves keeps those for the national guys, quid pro quo. Back in the day, Jim Kelley and crew would be on year 25 of building sources and info the old fashioned way....having drinks at the bar on road trips, the telephone, riding the team charter....you didn't have this instant gratification circus of today.
What can Hamilton or Bucky get you about Vancouver or St Louis in a timely fashion? Nothing. In 1986, it wasn't like that...and the national guys would have to wait 24 hours or a week to print, so they weren't the same assets. Now Ted Black can send an email to McKenzie at 9:43 am saying that interest is high in Tyler Myers...a tweet goes out from McKenzie at 9:48....then the likely suspects in relevant cities start retweeting and forming their own hypothesis like Tatar/Mantha for Myers...yada yada..... Meanwhile, maybe not 1 GM has called about Myers, but McKenzie just did the Sabres bidding. In return, when the Sabres actually do have a trade on the table, ted gives McKenzie a courtesy email so that he can look good.
Society is a Sh!thole unfortunately, and the fans are wading in it with a pair of Crocs on.....
I agree with this, with the exception of society being a schithole. Back in the day, relationships were built and maintained the old fashioned way as you suggest. But just because the media delivery process has changed, the idea of building relationships hasn't. If you were viewed as hostile back in the day, you were shunned in the hotel bar, just as Bucky is shunned now.
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He was indeed, although he only had it a couple of hours in advance.
He also deserves credit for being mostly right about the Black Sunday CF.
My biggest beef with Bucky and the rest of the local media, is that they never seem to know anything in advance (or more in advance than a couple of hours, in the case of DR and RR being canned and PLF and TN coming in). We never hear about trades, FA signings, draft picks, etc. ahead of time. Other cities' local media have much more of that.
I think that's because the Sabres have deliberately blackballed Bucky and, by association, the rest of the BN. He's on their schit list and it's must irk him to no end.
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I don't think it's nitpicking to disbelieve that a group of literally millions of people can be painted with a broad brush.
In fact, I'll go one step further: I think that pretty much every fan base of every team is more or less the same. Don't believe me? Sit in the nosebleeds in the upper deck at the Ralph, and then do so at any other NFL stadium. It's the same group of drunken meatheads wherever you go. Or listen to the dudes who call in to local sports radio in any city -- it's the same mix of some good comments with a ton of clueless trade proposals.
The big spread, IMHO, is in the quality/tone of local sports media. Some cities (like NYC and Boston) have mostly really sharp, on-the-ball journalists covering their teams. Others (like Buffalo) have mostly 2nd-tier mediocrities. Then there are some, like Toronto and Montreal, where you have a large component of British-royalty-gossip-rag types covering their teams.
Good insight here.
I don't know whether to be comforted or frightened by the fact that sports fans everywhere are essentially the same kind of people when it comes to their teams.
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GDT: Columbus vs Buffalo, 7pm
in The Aud Club
Posted
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but Reinhart looked like he knew where to be from a positioning standpoint most of the night. He's never been an explosive player so I'm not expecting that out of him. Not a terrible performance by any stretch. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in the next eight games, preferably with bigger wingers who can create space. At least get Stewart on a line with him.
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