K-9

This is why I don't let the crazies keep me away from this place. GREAT STUFF!

Passing laws and adhering to them are two separate concepts as our own experience in this country has illustrated as well. The point is that the Russian government felt compelled to make such a radical departure from previous regimes as a result of the will of the people for it to happen. Pretty amazing.

I'm surprised you deign to associate with such commoners.

Communist Russia may have created fear to openly express religious beliefs and driven that expression under ground, but I don't think that's the case anymore. A law passed in 1997 guarantees the right of all Russians the free exercise of religion.

I hear ya. I found it ironic that he cites Russia considering Russia's long history of diverse religious observance. As if communist Russia is the only Russia the world has ever known.

Good call here, too. GO SABRES!!!

You mean they don't really have a purpose as assigned by humans. What purpose do whales have? How about turkey buzzards? Or the Irish?

I think this is a fair assessment. GO SABRES!!!

Retribution depends on who Kaleta takes a run at. He takes runs at other teams' muckers like him. I don't recall Kaleta taking runs at the Crosbys of the league. I seriously doubt Kaleta's presence is a threat to our young players, especially with the likes of Foligno, Kane, Deslauriers, and Bogo to protect them. GO SABRES!!!

Happy for you! I saw 3 in five years as a teenager and took it for granted. 47 years goes by quickly.

I find it funny that the only people saying Eichel is upset about "the leak" are the media and those that choose to believe the reports. Honestly, when you view his presser and listen to his WGR interview, his "upset" barely registers. In their quest to manufacture a slight of McDavid by Eichel in order to further their great rivalry narrative, the media have looked like idiots. GO SABRES!!!

Patty is a fixture in the building. I imagine he's bending the hell out of Bylsma's ear. I hope we find a way to keep him. GO SABRES!!!

Judging from the photo posted on the NHL twitter, Eichel just Bob Beamoned the long jump. Nearly landed outside the pit. GO SABRES!!!

Yes, I forgot Hanifin. GO SABRES!!!

I didn't bring Kassian into this thread, you did by referencing a discussion about him in another thread from years ago. Bragging about what I said? Really? By simply pointing out that we ultimately agreed about Girgensons originally? By adding context to your misleading reference to a thread from three years ago? Have you been laying in wait all this time just to spring it on somebody when they praise Girgensons now? WTF, dude. Is your ego so frail that you need to be complimented about your original insights into Girgensons several years ago? Hey Ghost, GREAT call on Girgensons when he was drafted! But don't try to imply that I was anti-Girgensons when we drafted him and that I am somehow just now coming to appreciate his makeup. Not even close. You'd know that if you were paying closer attention to what I've posted about him the last three years. This thread is about nothing more than a great answer the kid gave to a question during an interview. Period. I find your attempt to make it a comment on something else entirely, pitiful. GO SABRES!!!

Ghost, I certainly don't intend to project anything on to you but how am I to understand your assertion that you'd be OK with sending Risto and Eichel to Arizona for Hanzal and Domi? I mean I took your advice and slowed my mind down to just above absolute zero and still can't make sense of it. I think you're the one seeking to project things around here. GO SABRES!!!

NFW. You may as well just admit your open contempt for Jack Eichel as a prospect. First the little crack about being videotaped while underage drinking and now saying you'd settle for Hanzal and Domi. You either haven't seen the kid play and don't believe the hype or you just enjoy being a contrarian, regardless of the extreme to which you may need to go to. Hanzal and Domi for Eichel. Unreal. GO SABRES!!!

What, McDavid had 4?! Why? It can only mean the first pick overall is being shopped. GO SABRES!!!

Yeah, it's looking like I was as wrong about Hodgson as I was about Kassian at first. Feel free to give me an "I told you so" about Cody for sure. Trading Kassian was still the right thing to do especially because Foligno was already proving he was way more Kassian than Kassian was on a nightly basis in the A and then when he was called up. Not sure why you are conflating the Kassian discussions with this one about Zemgus. Do you long for Team Storm Cloud? GO SABRES!!!

I refer you to post #143 in the same thread. We both ascribed a special character trait to Girgensons. The wiser course I chose at the time was to not burden him with the same kind of unrealistic expectations we were too quick to lay on Kassian. Sorry, Ghost. You'll have to save your "I told you so" for someone else as we were in agreement about his character from the get go. I am still impressed by your sustained sense of optimism, though. It continues to refresh. GO SABRES!!!

After listening to both Eichel interviews from today, my opinion is that any irritation he may have about his remark getting out barely registers. He himself said the remark is not a bad thing at all; it's a good thing. If he's miffed at anything, I think it's the incessant media that tends to make bigger deals out of things. He pointed to another example of that when he was asked about his earlier remarks about not wanting to play in a place he doesn't want to be next year. The media implied it was about being selected by a team he didn't want to play for, when it really was about where his heart might be at, either in the NHL or back in college. I agree with Hamilton's take and that is that both he and McDavid are simply weary from having had to answer the same kinds of questions over and over and over again. I also agree with Hamilton's impression that Eichel is more mature than McDavid when it comes to dealing with the media. Perhaps a better word to use would be savvy, instead. Eichel projects more of an air of confidence in his answers than McDavid at this stage. It's another thing I like about him, too. GO SABRES!!!

My apologies if this was already mentioned elsewhere, but did anyone hear Jeremy White's story yesterday about Girgensons interview when he attended the 2012 Combine? When asked by a team, "What is the one thing that could stand in the way of achieving your NHL dream?", Zemgus replied, "Death." White said it is the all time best answer to that question, ever. And I couldn't agree more. How can anyone not love everything about this kid's commitment to the game? Been saying it since learning he was blocking shots in the third period of a game his team was losing by 11 goals, you can't teach what this kid has. GO SABRES!!!

That looks a lot more like the contrast between a married guy vs. a single guy more than anything. I read a couple articles in the Vancouver Sun a while back and, from the way he describes his devotion to his parents and sisters, he seems to care very much about family. GO SABRES!!!

And all this time I thought it was an homage to Perreault.

Coach Q had them together in game 7 and what a great strategy it was, too. Toews, Kane, and Saad took the opening faceoff vs. the Kessler line and stayed on the ice for all of 4 seconds before Q pulled them off and waited to match them up against Getzlaf's line. The Ducks had no answer as Getzlaf had his worst game of the series being forced to play defense and he just couldn't. But yeah, Kane and Toews usually don't play on the same line, but Q puts them together when he targets something specific in the to other team. Can't wait to see what he does against Tampa. GO SABRES!!!