hockeyhound

Did you catch when Lindy put Ennis out on the ice with Scott? Lindy put Eniss out there with a bunch of fourth line guys who couldn't skate, and Eniss was able to draw a penalty. I would say that was a pretty creative way to create scoring chances. You are right, I don't want Scott out there trying to be a finesse hockey player but, I do want him out there like he did tonight standing in front of the oppossing goalie. It is aweful hard to move 270lbs.

What is Gerbe true height? What is so stupid about fighting in Hockey? I am not sure Lucic wouldn't fight Scott; did Lucic agree to fight Gaustad because he felt he wasn't threat? Lucic like Hartnell will keep cheap shotting guys until someone stands up to him; when Kaleta came into the league with his bombshell hits, he drew alot of critizism when he shied away from a few fight opportunities. Sooner or later, I think it is inevitable that Scott and Lucic tangle due to the way Lucic plays. I agree with you, just because we have John Scott it doen't mean that it will deter teams from running Miller, it did not stop Phil Kessel. Claude was the exception but if you remember there was a hold over to the next season and Cluade was called into account for his deeds. In my opinion legitamate fights which are meant to police some of the none calls are necessary, and you really do need the guys that are willing and able to get the job finished. Sometime a 2:00 minute boarding penalty is not enough. Orr is a tough customer, and it was good to see that it didn't appear to be a staged fight. It will be interesting to see if Hurricanes Kevin Westgarth takes on John Scott tonight; Carolina is desperate for a win, and the fact that Staal was pissed enough to drop the gloves the other night is a good indicator that tonights game is going to be physical. Let's Go Buffalo!!!!

I would have to agree that the whole goalie interference thing has not been clearly defined; this year I have seen everything from goalies having to make some difficult saves with oppenents all over them, and on the other hand you see a referee call a no goal when a player barely touches Miller. I am not sure where the league is going with the issue; however, once again team toughness is going to be the answer until the NHL referee's figure it out. I liked what Kaleta did to Phil Kessel after Kessel tried the oh I didn't see you in the heat of the momement play. I think what your asking for is a deterent; I think the Sabres have handful of deterent to throw around this year which should allow Miller to consentrate on making saves instead of having to wonder who is going to run him next. I don't think you will ever see that but, you are on to something. When Scott was in Chicago, they would post John Scott up in front of the net whenever they could; I can only imagine how difficult it was for the opposing defensemen to get position on Scott, or better yet, try to clear him out on a rebound scrum. Where did you see that advertised?

Don't be the show, steal the show. Winning everything takes a single-minded, obsessive devotion. Great Quips Spndchz. I don't know if anyone has ever said this but, I would like to add, " if your not in it to win it, then why are you in it at all?"

Excellent picture; it truely demonstrates the physical stature of John Scott, and as some continue to say, the diminutive Nathan Gerbe. I think Gerbe is past all that; however, I have to believe that Gerbe has to have some confidence knowing John Scott has his back. Furthermore, maybe the Flyers and every other club that gets a kicks out of running Gerbe, will think twice before doing so. Big John stud; have at it, I hope Kevin Westgarth is ready tomorrow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=985bd9nTDGA

Would you agree that getting your a** kicked in front of 16,000 people could cause an advantageous or disadvantageous momentum swing. I will agree that players should not just indiscriminately go out and fight; a well timed fight can be very effective, and if one dominates that fight it adds some confidence to your bench; in addition, when the other team sees that their player could not match up, wow extrapulate out a bit. Would you agree that intimidation is a big factor in the game of hockey, and that players that are intimidated find themselves looking over their shoulder which takes awy from the ability to consentrate on their overall game? I believe win or lose people will respect the fact that Scott makes the point that we are here to compete and we are not afraid to get our hands dirty. No disrespect but In my opinion, I there are alot of battles inside the game of hockey that need to be won i.e. winning board battles, winning stick battles, winning physical battles, and winning the high risk high reward one on one fight; all together, if done consistantly and effectivly, many times equal a win on the score board. Yes defending your teamates is important; however, a couple of pushes and a few hard checks does not always deter men like Hartnell, lucic, Orr, etc, and if you don't have the men needed to push back, then the bullies will have no problem running your goalie etc. Sometime the only thing that a bully respects is a good old fashion butt whoppin. In my opinion Scott doesn't have to catch the player; for example, if Keleta hammers Lucic with a big hit, he skates away, and if Lucic comes after Keleta, Scott steps in. Can you see how that can really disrupt the other team? Lucic is forced to pick on someone his own size. If you go on Hockey Fights. Com, its agreed upon that the upper cut was a body shot which makes sense; I did not believe Scott was hit in the jaw; however, we have not seen enough of Scott to determine wether our not he can take a big bunch from a big man i.e. Chara.

Would you agree that we have the players to run him: however, is it not an exclamation point to hammer a guy in a fight, especially at home. Deterrent. Point well taken; what did you think of Scott tracking down a player, and causing the turn over of the puck? Do you really want guys like Stafford facing Thorton night after night; isn't that what we had last year? I liked the fact that Kaleta could hammer Orr with a body check, and did not have to fight him afterwards. Cody McCormick really held his own against Scott awhile back; it was a pretty impressive bout on You Tube. I will agree that a tough guy with skill is preferable but, how many of them are out there? If you cannot aquire the skilled tough guy then what other option is there? Hartnell, Lucic, etc are going to keep coming until they are deterred, and I personally do not want to see Stafford out there ruining his hands on Hartnells helmet. I want him scoring goals.

Thanks for the correction.

What do you think of the new Sabres tough guys? Do you think fighting in the NHL is different now compared to 10-15 years ago? I would think it would be very difficult for John Scott to really be prepared to fight a guy like Colton Orr when he hasn't had a chance to get into the game himself. I know it is not fair to compare Scott to Ray; however, Razor seemed to take fighting very personal, and when he fought it wasn't I throw one, you throw one, will make it look good for the fans, and will go joke about it after the game; If that was the case then Razor really sold it. When men fought years ago, they had an edge; it was like you just assaulted their first born. Maybe I'm trying to say is that there were more incedents of raw aggression rather than "hey, would like to fight tonight"- "I don't know, I had a few many cheese burgers before the game maybe next time." During the Orr vs Scott fight, I thought Orr had the edge in that he was fighting for his life and career rather than its time to put on a show. If I knew I just came off of a major concussion, and the next one could end my career, I would be highly motivated to win the fight rather than trying not to loss. Orr unleashed a heck of an uppercut which I'm sure every eastern conference fighter is going to take note of. I think John Scott is already vulnerable to the upper cut just because of his hieght; I just hope he dosn't have a glass jaw. Maybe losing his first fight is not such a bad thing; if players think that John Scott can be had, then he just might get a few more guys to fight him which ultmately helps him keep his job. Finally, a couple of weeks ago in an interview, Scott revealed his worst fear would be to lose his first fight as a Sabre, and he did; I just hope he stops perseverating, and just unleashes the some raw aggression on the likes of Lucic. :censored: Personally, I would not want to be the next guy to fight Scott; I am sure he will be prepared. Has anyone heard whether or not John Scott has been given a nickname as a Buffalo Sabre.

Last year I was getting used to the Sabres giving away games in the second period; however, today, whala, a total team effort. Way To Go Buffalo!

Wow great, the NHL has one of the most prosperous years ever, and now they are fighing over who gets a bigger piece of the pie. Brilliant! They can all go to Hockey Hell.

Wow, more to it than I thought. I would have to agree that skipping seasons is a disgusting business practice; however, we live in an ever changing world, and it seems that negotiations are always going to be a necessary evil but, I feel like the negotiations should happen on their time, not ours. Does anyone think that an American Corporation is going to bow to an english common law system? Do you think they might have forgotten about all the wars we fought over the issue? The ticket issue is interesting; how many owners knew that there was a high probability that the league could end up in another lock out prior to putting season tickets on sale? If the NHL ends up in lock out, are owners going to refund season ticket holder money, and would ticket holders recieve intrest on their investment every day the league remains in lockout? Is there a claus in the ticket agreement that allows owners to collect millions of dollars of ticket revenue, and invest it as they see fit, and give nothing in return to it's investors? Hopefully something like "We'll take the deal". - spndnchz-

I have not been following the contract negotiations as much as some; however, maybe someone can enlighten me why the league is on the verge of lockout agian. After the previous lockout, Gary Bettman stood before hockey fans and declared how great the contract was that both sides agreed too; he went on to say how their contractual agreement was finacially sound and it was going to be the reason why everyone was going to prosper. What happened? The league et. al. all prospered greatly; the revenue increase was exceptional, and it was said that the league is at an all time high. What is the problem, is it not enough? It seems to me that the big losers in this whole thing are the fans. If it not for the fans, there would be no league, and there would be no hockey. Teams like Phoenix and Dallas have crappy attendance as it is; how is another lock out going to benifit those cities? It seems to me that Bettman and others are taking the fans for granted. When does this end; is all just reality T.V. just to get people talking about hockey, maybe an attempt to get more ratings. When is enough, enough?

The disclaimer in the original post: "I am sure there are a lot of problems that would make this deal impossible; I can think of a couple:" Prior to writing the post, I listened to the WGR Kane interview, and I could Imagine Paul H. drooling over the prospect of Kane coming to play for Buffalo one day. First of all I will not even pretend that I know anything about trades, and the mechanisms behind them. To me it all seems a bit convoluted. I think it is humorus when they use words like "considerations"; to me that word is a bit ambiguous. Considerations: Darcy get's put up in a hotel in downtown New York City with a harem of prostitutes. Think HHHHAAAAPPPPYYY thoughts. It's the All Star Break

It was fun however, it is time to hit the pool, outdoors that is. Just having fun. cya

Other than raw objective data, I can only imagine how they figure out what is fair. The trades Boston made years ago definitely set them apart from the pack. San Jose still has not reaped the benefits.

Tricky business

The individual fans prospective on player valuation has always been interesting to me. Some subjective, some objective but, rarely do I ever see people agree completely.

Are you sure?

If the Blackhawks thought they could still get the job done without Kane, wouldn't it be tempting to deal him off, thus creating some cap space for themselves among other things? Draft pick, and Vanek? I didn't realize this guys stock was so pricey. I would have to disagree, I think Vanek is far more valuable than Kane.

Would you like to see Kane in the Blue and Gold? That seems a bit excessive. Are you saying 1st round draft pick, McNabb and Kassian?

I would have to agree that it is time for Stafford to move on. Would teams consider Drew Stafford in a trade? I am interested in seeing Patrick Kane in the Blue and Gold; however, I don't think a trade like that would involve Drew Stafford's name. I maybe going out on the limb but, I would like to see Buffalo trade Jason Pominville to the Blackhawks for Patrick Kane. Patrick Kane is in a huge slump right now, and after listening to the Blackhawk media, it sounds like he is in a bad way on several front's. It maybe be the away to procure a young talented wing with some attitude. Changing of the guard. Kane and Kassian; looks like a couple of needed fire starters to me, especially when we don't even have smoke right now. I am sure there are a lot of problems that would make this deal impossible; I can think of a couple: 1. Kane would really have be in a bad way with the organization, and be looking to be traded. 2. The Blackhawks are one of three teams that lead the goals for statistic, are they in need of anymore offense? They are in that position without Patrick Kanes production. They can afford to wait for Kane's slump to end. It's never that simple is it?

The fan experience could be a whole new thread. Allow me to preface my comment by saying, I am not big on the in your face fan approach when I go to games. Having said that, my friend and I took the red eye from San Diego to New York City to watch a Sabres vs. Rangers game. * Tim Connolly was hurt that night when Darius Kasparaitis hip checked him and screwed up his knee. My friend is a Ranger fan. My experience at the Garden was fantastic. The fans were knowledgeable and friendly; in contrast, I went to a Sabres vs. Kings game in Los Angeles, and had beer poured on me because I showed a little bit of enthusiasm when the Sabres scored.

The Bruins have a habit of escalating games with their antics. Earlier this year I seem to recall a Carolina game that got out of hand in the third period; furthermore, I think Claude was thrown out of the game. "Milan Lucic was given a 10-minute misconduct at 16:16, which sent Julien into his final rage and he was ejected for protesting what he obviously felt was a one-sided call of the game. In the end, the Bruins were called for 72 penalty minutes to 22 for the Hurricanes." The refs let that one get out of hand just like the Canadian vs Bruin games of last season. Lucic responds by saying that they play a little differently than Buffalo. Buffalo is going to have to get tougher. This is the kind of response I would have like to have seen for the Miller hit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOD-kyvL_J8

When I first saw the hit on Ryan Miller, my immediate thought was, holy s^%$, I was stunned. The sense of shock and awe quickly was replaced by, off with his head; however, what happened next was more interesting. A friend of mine was over at the house watching the game, and he suggested that maybe Miller will turn the hit into a positive thing. Just prior to the game my friend was playing devils advocate when we discussed Millers' performance and how it related to Enroth. I felt that Lindy Ruff was doing a good job of managing the net minder situation; in that, peppering the goal tending duties by increasing the number of starts Enroth was receiving; at the same time, giving Miller games to workout what I felt was a slump. The idea of Miller playing better after the hit swam around in my head while I watched the events unfold. One of the first things I noticed was the clear display of rage, anger, and frustration Miller showed after the hit; I thought, good for Miller, and that's when it hit me, Miller may end up thanking Lucic one day for saving his season. I know it is ludicrous to think that way; is it really? I kept being drawn in by the way Miller swung his stick; it looked to me that if Lucic was just a little closer he might have caught a goalie stick to the grill, mug, puss; whatever, it may have gotten bloody. At this point a little of the, off with the head scenario was lingering, and secretly I thought I wouldn't have minded Lucic taking a few stitches going into the next period. I quickly shifted back to the thought of, is this good for Miller? Miller's anger, outrage and willingness to play and the fact that it seemed the trainer did not think Miller was in any immediate danger, caused me to consider. If I am not mistaken Miller had a run in with a concussion last season. Seeing the trainers out there talking to Miller was a good sign; one has to trust that they have his best interest at heart. My vote was in; Good for Miller, he showed gut's, courage, and heart; that's what I want to see in a #1 goalie. Good for Miller if it causes him to catch fire. In short, I don't want to see my #1 goalie get run; while it maybe true, something tells me this is good for Miller.