SHAAAUGHT!!!

How is it possible to fail miserably at something for 10 years while leaving several key questions unanswered, and expect to have the support of a community to lead this team out of the abyss they have fallen into? You can't expect it. And if you do, shame on you for not having the people around you to bring this to your attention, or for the unwillingness to hear the constructive criticism before it turns destructive. We know you love hockey. We know you love the Buffalo Sabres and want nothing but success for them. It takes A LOT more than that. It takes a dedicated team of people that have years of hockey acumen, people that have seen wins and loses, people dedicated to the sport and the team - not a title or a paycheck. Most importantly, it takes the willingness to know what one is, and is not, capable of. Let me be possibly the first to tell you this: you are not capable of owning or running a successful professional hockey team. Maybe it's because there is a degree of expertise necessary to find success in professional sports that is difficult to quantify , especially complicated sports like hockey that require multiple skillsets and a extensive organization that has to operate globally. Maybe it's because the ownership group has taken on too much responsibility and is not prioritizing or delegating effectively. Maybe it's because each team in this league has it's own set of circumstances and nuances that need to be considered to achieve success. No reasonable person expects a winner right away. It is wonderful when it happens, but most of us have been around long enough to know it rarely works like that. So we had patience and appreciated what you did to keep the team in Buffalo, to revitalize the harbor, and to invest in the future of the sport. That can only last for so long and now we are at the 10 year mark. I recognize you don't owe us anything. We didn't help you achieve your success, just as we aren't responsible for your failures. Whether it's because you haven't been able to find the right people, or you just haven't listened to the right people, you should hear this now: we are done with this team and this organization. Because, at this point, we don't owe you anything either. No more games, no more merch, hell, I cancelled cable TV this team is so bad. Face it, this team isn't going anywhere and at this point you are only devaluing your initial investment. We thank you for what you have done, and we hold you responsible for what you have done. It's time we both move on. You'll always have a place in our hearts. Sincerely, A guy on the internet

Are the Sabres still playing games? How can they even field a team WHEN THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SHOW UP THIS SEASON?

Isn't Claude Julien now available too?

Future GM material for sure

I'm refreshing my browser every 5 minutes expecting a presser announcement for this afternoon. If he isn't fired today than he isn't getting fired this season, which just shows how inept and paralyzed this organization STILL is. Who would want to sign with this team in the off-season if they did nothing? They knew 1/3 of the way in the season this wasn't going to work so they damaged 30 NHL players career numbers while wasted another season trying to figure it out with the same failed pieces? I wouldn't want to work for, or invest my time or money, into a company like that.

I just cancelled my Spectrum TV package this morning because there is nothing left to watch on TV. It is disgusting that this season was a step backwards for this organization. Fire Ralph. Fire Kim. Make Eichel a player/coach for the rest of the season so we can fire him later too. I've seen more entertaining and competitive dumpster fires.

And here is the Ralph interview about Skinner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb3y4oVLOVY

Jeff "I love being a Sabre" Skinner's interview released an hour ago: https://youtu.be/4hcwAHxR-m4 Edit: it is a real link from the Sabres youtube page. I just don't know how to get it to show the thumbnail...

It's like signing Ovie and them putting him in front of the net on the PP. You're not going to get the same numbers.

No doubt he loves to play. I've always been curious if he, like so many other hockey players (from PeeWee to the NHL) just got burned out after an entire life of training. Here's an article from 2013 about him and Dumba and the "sacrifices" their parents made: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-roulette-why-some-parents-devote-everything-for-the-infinitesimal-chance-of-getting-their-kid-into-the-nhl

New Wave Bluegrass Hi guys. So I've been on a pretty big blues and bluegrass kick over the last two years and I've started to discover some really good younger bands that shred. Billy Strings and Marcus King are two of my favorite right now, which has lead me to start to diving into Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats. Any other recommendations for newer bluegrass that shreds and isn't too "twangy?"

Priority seems kinda straightforward, no? 1) Medical Professionals/Essential Workers - since they see a higher number of opportunities for infection and their work is critical to maintain health and/or safety 2) People with higher likelyhood of mortality if infected (50+ years old, asthma, etc) 3) People with higher opportunities of exposure (people unable to work from home, family members of those in groups 1 & 2) 4) Everyone else who wants it I think professional hockey players falls into number 3 This would all be a moot point if there was some sort of coordinated and honest effort from leadership at the federal level from day 1 to support the development and distribution of the vaccine. I've worked in strategic planning for global supply chains for 20+ years and it was clear this was mismanaged from the beginning: from initial funding, through the coordination of distribution through the states, it has been very messy and we've seen varying degrees of success. It feels a little dishonest to make this a battle between elitism of athletes and regular people...

I expect Hutton to start tonight since they had a 3 day break before last nights game, and another 3 day break after tonight. I also expect Hutton to have a big game to prove he is 100% back to form. It's a bit silly that people are still giving him a hard time about a undiagnosed medical issue that severely impacted his play last year. It's a new season and he looked ok in Game 1 ,and solid in Game 3. Hopefully he keeps building on that.

It blows my mind that a cancer research organization has to rely on advertising to ensure continued funding, instead of using those advertising dollars to do more research or treating patients. And now I have to join the masses and ignore this truth to fully enjoy the 2021 version of the Sabres. Well played economic overlords. Well played...

These are fair criticisms on RK. The strategy is apparent (maybe*), but the effectiveness is still TBD. My concerns lie within RKs perceived "stubbornness." His unwillingness to bend, or make changes to his strategy, especially in a shortened season, could handcuff progress and productivity of players (like Skinner). I think most fans believe he should have put Skinner back on the 1st line early last season. *The end game for management with Skinner this season might be to make him unhappy enough with his role to to agree to go to Seattle. This way they can get away from that contract. Not sure if JBots being there will help or hurt this cause...

Chemistry, usage, and performance over the first 3-4 games should give us a good indication if he will be playing on the 2nd line with Stall and Skinner, sheltered minutes on a 3rd line, or back to juniors. I'm not sure with a 56 game season if the coaches leash will be long enough to warrant a 9 game look if he doesn't show promise right off the jump...

Canada's passing was atrocious for a championship game. The guys definitely looked fatigued in the 3rd period and the US team's defensive game plan was executed well. Cozen's game wasn't great but he still had an excellent U20 tournament. I'm excited to see what he looks like with NHL linemates.

thanks man!

I launched a podcast last week with a couple buddies about what it's like behind the scenes in playing in local bands and working as a cook. So far it's mostly been music-based stories. Besides the intro I'm just working behind the scenes, which is awesome because my son is doing all the video editing. It's still pretty raw since we've never done this before but you should get a couple laughs out of it. I didn't realize how crazy we actually were until we started doing this... New episodes every Wednesday. Once the season starts up there will be definitely be some hockey stories on deck.

Lots of talk about inappropriate cultural appropriation this offseason. on a hockey bulletin board... for a US team... playing a Canadian sport... You can't make this ***** up

Unfortunately I agree the temperament has been bred out of the game. That doesn't mean it is ineffective though, and if lower skilled teams start having success against higher skilled ones by having someone who's not afraid of missing a group text start hitting people with ill intent then we may see it bred back in. I'm pretty sure this is what Dalton Smith wishes before blowing out his candles every year...

Short-term loses will not impacted the expected value of the franchise unless you are looking to sell one in the next year or 2. The NHL is the least developed out of the 4 major sports so the expected value 5+ years out will more than cover any short-term loses. The expected ROR (rate-of-return) is the only thing at risk here for 80%+ of the owners and the only organizations at risk of insolvency are poorly run ones that are already over-extended on their books through their own mis-management. No one should feel bad for the stakeholders in these organizations, or expect the players to bail them out.

Anyone else playing Chel on xbox1? I just picked up NHL21 on Black Friday. My normal league (239hockey.net) already started their season and the new one doesn't start until January. Going to start grinding games out to level up at night. Let me know if there's any interest and I'll make a sabrespace club.

And this is exactly why the "money problems" the owners are talking about is a farce propagated for negotiation purposes. These owners can easily procure investments or obtain a line of credit based on the expected value of the franchise when the loan term is over. Having to tap into one of these cash inflow options potentially reduces their ROI, even if only temporarily. But that could be the difference between getting that second super-yacht or building that 6th home so I totally understand their concerns...

Kinda glad I only popped in once before today on this post. Maybe everyone is catching a bit of the cabin fever. A couple points I've picked up along the way from reading fortune cookies: 1) it's ok if people don't agree with you; opinions are subjective by definition 2) not everyone is always going to agree with you, and that's ok, because see #1 3) people approach situations from different perspectives, which is typically the source of #2 4) you may disagree with the assessment and value others assign to the beliefs used develop their opinion, but we already knew that from #3 5) getting angry or upset about someone else not adhering to your set of beliefs about line combinations or salary projects demonstrates a concerning lack of understanding and empathy and I recommend you review points 1 through 4 again Thanks for playing.