ParkMeadow

I wish we could all be like most Bruin fans and ignore them until they are good again!

How about Perreault-Tallon? (I'm showing my age!) ;)

Nolan should be coaching the Latvian team again, as soon as he finishes his work here this season.

I'd bet this Sabres team would be middle of the road at best in the AHL!

It's kind of fascinating in a twisted way to watch the difference between the Sabres and a real NHL team. Sabres try hard much of the time but there is no talent and certainly no system in place to generate any puck movement or flow, unlike the Red Wings. The PK is painful to watch, with all of the Sabres constantly collapsing in a tight box inside the circles, leaving the Wings to move the puck at will. There are never any second chances (and darn few first chances) in the offensive zone. But most significantly, they are just weak on the puck. They need their goalie to stand on his head, and Enroth sure hasn't been doing that since their mini streak last month.

Virtannen is a pest and easy to dislike. Nurse is impressive - skates well and large nasty streak; he could be a good one for Edmonton. I'm most impressed by Reinhart in this tourney. He plays a cerebral game and always under control. Really happy to see him on the PK as well. Fasching could be a great winger for Reinhart. Lots of good looking goalies, especially some who are seeing lots of shots (Germany, Denmark, etc). Keep it coming!

It's like the Geico commercial, "Everyone knows Jack Edwards is an hysterical idiot...". That's not news. The unfortunate thing is that his color analyst on NESN, Andy Brickley, used to counterbalance him a little. Not any more, as he's become almost as pathetic a homer for the Bruins as Edwards. They are unlistenable, so I mute the sound and enjoy watching much more!

I can't believe you wrote that - it's exactly what I said while watching him, "Ritchie is another Zach Kassian..." I love your analysis!

Thanks for the encouragement about posting! I'll watch as many of the World Junior games as my family commitments will allow. It's one of my favorite non-NHL events.

I watched most of the Canada-Slovakia blowout to see how Reinhart's game looks. He made a great no look pass for his first assist, and he seems to see the ice well in the offensive zone. He is definitely not physical on the puck, and I'd like to see him shoot more - which are the same criticisms made by many posters here about his brief time with the Sabres. I did not see any of the games he played with the Sabres (living in Bruins land). If I recall, CoHo had a solid World Juniors, playing a similar style. I think we'd all agree that it'd be a major disappointment if Reinhart turned into that type of pro! At this point, Sam reminds me a lot of Pierre Turgeon. I guess that would not be a bad result, but he would then be an ideal #2 center long term, not a cornerstone. Not a fan of the tank, but who wouldn't love McEichel and Reinhart as #1 and 2 centers? PS I just reread the above before posting, and I realize I sound like Captain Obvious, without a fresh point to be found! Oh well, guess that's why I mostly lurk. Happy New Year to all! I'll be reading often, because this is one of the best sites around!

Who are these guys? Where's the tank brigade?

Myers looked really good especially late in this game and in OT. I think Gorges is a great pairing for him, allowing him to jump up and use his offensive skill set.

Wow that finish gave me coronary spasms! Great heart by the Sabres to come back and tie it, then they almost gave it away at the end. Thank God for Enroth and for the friendly goal post!

You nailed it! Best extra sharp cheddar in my book comes from Canada. Forget the Wisconsin or NY State stuff.

Hi everyone. Long time reader but infrequent poster. I composed a response complaining about getting hurt playing in a "Friendship Tournament" in Montreal a few weeks ago by a Masshole who missed the message about it being no checking. He broke a couple of my ribs, and it's been a very painful three weeks since then. Getting better, but it ain't been fun, as any of you who have ever suffered this misfortune knows. Now I have a real complaint, however. I seem to have lost my post in cyberspace somewhere and couldn't get it to upload to the site. I know I'm a hopeless wretch on the computer, as my kids will gladly tell you, but this is frustrating! Oh, well, no big deal. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Fun one for us old timers! SabreDance nailed the five, I think. Old bald guy could be Clarence (was he around then?) The guy right behind Mayor Sedita looks kind of like Rick Azar's brother, Carlos Carballada, but why would he be there? Looking forward to reading the answer.

I remember Guy Trottier and the rest of the '69-'70 Bisons pretty well, and thanks for posting this. I was 13 and my brother was 12, and our parents let us take the NFT bus from North Buffalo down to the old Aud at night by ourselves, because there were many other adults and families on the same bus going to the game. I can't imagine parents allowing their kids to do this today! The Aud had a haze of smoke filling the air in the upper Grey seats. Besides Guy and Gilles Villemure, my other favorites were Billy Knibbs and Sheldon Kannegieser. I actually do remember a young Mike Robitaille playing for them in the playoffs; I met him as an instructor at Halliburton Hockey Haven the summer before. Great memories!

What is Pierre McGuire going to do? His boys were beat! Who will he have a hard on for now?!!! I will actually enjoy watching the rest of the playoffs even more now that I don't have to worry about whether the Bruins can be beaten...

Turgeon. You do realize that Turgeon scored 500 goals and had over 1300 points, right? Not saying he wasn't any good, but how many Cups did he lead his teams to? He was not the kind of player to build a team around, and he was often invisible (which I believe is how he came by the handle "Sneaky Pete") (Sorry - I couldn't figure out how to cut part of your response and put in the shaded quote box!)

Hey, not to be a party pooper at the McDavid adulation club, but I'm old enough to recall the hype surrounding the last first overall pick the Sabres had. There was even a big article in Sports Illustrated (I think) long before the Sabres picked him, about how he was the next great thing and a can't miss Superstar in the mold of Mario. I'm not saying that McDavid is another Sneaky Pete, but he just might not turn out to be all that he projects to be at age 17. I'm of the mindset that we need to build a solid TEAM of talent, and if we are lucky enough to get him in the process, then hooray for us. But if we don't get him, it should not be a reason not to contend for the Cup within five years.

I'm not thrilled with today's haul on face value either. However, since both Moulson and Halak were UFAs and likely gonzo after the season, getting what we did is sure better than a big fat goose egg. I don't believe anyone can say that Moulson would've re-signed if we didn't trade him, unless we overpaid. And he is on the wrong side of 30 for a forward to justify a huge contract. However, I'd certainly love to see him come back as a FA in July,too.

I disagree. I've seen him in Manchester for last couple years and his development stalled to the point that they moved him to LW. Looks like a Mark Mancari type - you watch him and cannot understand why with his physical tools he can't make the jump to the Bigs. Hope he gets revitalized in Rochester!

Don't know a Fasching thing about the Gopher prospect, but I have seen Deslauriers here in Manchester. I like him, but he has been here a couple of years and not been called up. In fact, they have even played him at wing here in hopes of figuring out what his best postion is. Looks like he'll be an AHL lifer... Hope Fasching pans out.

FWIW,I have seen Martin Jones play several times here in Manchester. I do not think he is a franchise-type goalie. He seems more of a product of the system he is in, where the emphasis is on strong defense and limiting quality shots on goal. Not exactly the Sabres style right now, is it?!

Excellent analysis, and after watching the play live on TV and muliple times afterward from several angles, I agree that Shanny and the DPS got this one right. It was maddening to me to hear several analysts, including on HNIC Radio, ranting the day after the hit things like Wilson deserves at least 15 games, and that he doesn't belong in the NHL, etc. This one was a hockey play, and until they take hitting completely out of hockey, it is not a suspendable offense, IMO.