musichunch

I don't think you need to know too much about how the world really works to figure out what's going on. I don't know that Pegula is a fanboy and I question if he was ever a fan of the Sabres. What I do know for sure is that he LOVES his cronies. And that he only bought the Sabres shortly before probably the worst pedophilia scandal in US history. Remember in 2011 when everybody involved with Penn State and Second Mile was a SCUMBAG. Well what changed? Pegula made billions of dollars in an industry that will probably be compared to Big Tobacco in a decade or two. And I also know that nobody ever heard of him before he showed up here as a "hero" and "savior". I also know that you are absolutely not allowed to criticize him on this forum. So it frankly doesn't matter if Ghost starts a thread here or somewhere else, it's going to be silenced and attacked, and some of the people attacking you are probably getting paychecks directly or indirectly from the Sabres organization. Not all of course, there are many people who truly believe in Pegula, and more importantly want to believe in him. I understand that people want peace and harmony and don't want to scare away a "good" thing. But silencing people and trying to cover things up and pretend that certain things don't exist is not the way to do it.

Appreciate the kind words guys. I was annoyed by the Drane comparisons when they happened, and annoyed by the overall "aha! I'm so clever for figuring it out" attitude to them but I also get why they happen. He was vocal on the Pegula stuff and I'm like a mosquito to a flame when it comes to questioning the true motives of billionaires. I agree that we think alike. I wasn't chased off as much as I've become disillusioned by sports lately. If I told you what I really think about sports, people would skip past the tin foil hat memes and send me straight to the loony bin. But that's how it is. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't banging my head against the keyboard with the Evander Kane/racist stuff. And I criticized Eichel about a month too soon apparently. Fans weren't ready for reality yet. I do believe there are some very shady conflicts of interests on this board as well as TBD so that makes me hesitate to post many of the things I'd like to. But I haven't yet given up on the NHL like I have with the NFL so I'll be around every so often, just maybe not as often as before.

Yeah, Deslauries knew what he was getting himself into. He got beat down yes, but I'm sure he gets respect from everybody for standing up to the 6 foot 7 guy. I liked Kane standing up for himself when he got pushed in front of the crease. That defenseman regretted pushing Kane almost instantly.

Dallas guys are great. I watched their feed the first game. Very knowledgeable and respectful of the other team. Gave us our due when we earned it. Diplomatic on the outside, homer on the inside.

Man, what a stinker. Did anyone have a good game tonight? I liked Deslauriers fighting the biggest guy on the other team, getting his head caved in, but never giving up. He's got big ones.

I disagree with you guys. I think Ray is great at what he does. We could have a lot worse.

Never watched him on NHL network. I'm just going off what I saw during the Blues game. And he was nervous and quiet, and I could barely understand him. Since when is strong command of the English language > insight? Dalai Lama packs stadiums and English is his 2nd or 3rd language. It's the content, not the delivery.

He hasn't been the same since getting manhandled a few games ago. He's lost some confidence to stand up for himself, and as a little guy, that's NHL suicide. Something nobody likes to talk about is that IME, people lose respect for the bullied party. For all this "stop bullying" talk, many people actually look down on those who don't fight back. It's a natural reaction. I think the fans are subconsciously feeling that too. I thought he started the season out playing the best hockey of his life. He hasn't been the same since the injury and now he's lost some confidence. He's always been a passive personality, hell he looks like a million stoners I know, but I'm willing to give him until the trade deadline to prove himself again.

I agree. Every time I watch the local broadcast I realize Ray is a very good color commentator. He provides true insight and he can see what goes on on the ice. He's 10x better at his job than Steve Tasker IMO. Brad May was screwing up. I remember during an intermission a few games ago May was sitting with Duff and was naming three players and said "Player A, Player B, and.....what's that guy's name again?" Duff just started laughing, but in amazement. His first game I thought May had something, but he's just gotten more stiff and reliant on the script. Biron looked nervous, talked too quiet, and I had difficulty understanding what he was saying through his accent. He needs to speak up and talk with more confidence. Hopefully that will come.

I wasn't really around for this thread and started reading some of the last 20-30 posts. I just found it funny how defensive the mods are about Pegula. Dropping ad hominems and then saying they weren't really ad hominems. Moving the goal posts because their "authority" gives them the power to do that. I joined this forum less than a year ago because I found the level of discussion here higher than at HFboards and lately I've been seeing how cliiquey, censored, and self-moderated it is. At times it makes me question if the interests of some of the posters on this board expand beyond pure fandom. I just can't respect a forum where a moderator who has the ability to ban users acts the way nfreeman did at the top of this page. How can you rest easy knowing you are getting a fair shake? I really thought this was a place where we can talk about a topic like Pegula potentially being just like nearly every other billionaire, and not just a perfect Godly savior. A topic of discussion that is almost brain-dead obvious to those who can take even a 1 centimeter step back. But guess not, the mods won't allow it. This is not the "thinking mans" forum I thought it was. It's a "you can think but only if it's in the interest of the Sabres organization" forum. Wasn't there a saying "To learn who rules over you, find out who you are not allowed to criticize".

I provided specifics. The problem is that I didn't provide specifics you liked to hear. I provided specifics relevant to me and my experience, rather than yours. As for the race card and the whole ROR/Kane comparison. I felt like it was elementary school logic. The type of crap that gets upvoted on Reddit. Surface level logic that falls apart once you spend 15 seconds thinking about other variables.

Let me copy and paste from my post about 10 minutes ago:

Nothing to you. Something to me.

Gut reaction. Personality type. Consistent history of being a pain. Narcissism. History of dealing with people with a very similar personality. No sense of having changed at all. Just a general feeling of "it's a matter of time". I know everyone wants some sort of evidence but I don't know how to give it to you. I believe in intuition and that's how I feel about him. I'm barking up the wrong tree by posting this on a Sabres board, I know. But I've been a fan as long as most of you so I don't care. I'm just going to say how I feel about it. I don't get off on having rose-colored glasses anymore. If I think Eichel has been a little non-chalant lately I'm going to say it, if I think Pegula is into it more for the money than the team I'm going to say it, and if I think Kane is a potential locker room cancer I'm going to say it too. I don't feel a need to "protect" anybody anymore. I'm not all negative. I love ROR's play. Maybe he's a scumbag DUI driver, who knows. I just don't think something like that affects a locker room as strongly. I think this board underrates Ennis. Girgs is a future captain. Eichel has the talent to be a smaller-sized Mario Lemieux. I wish there was another black guy on the team so I can somehow show that I don't care about race but there isn't. I think Mike Grier is a swell guy, if that helps. Bailey seems fine to me. I like what PK Subban did with the children's hospital. I think Sammy Watkins was correct to call out Bills fans, I forgave Freddy for the drag racing thing immediately, I like gospel music. Don't know what else to add. If a group of white people want to accuse another white guy of being racist just because they don't understand his point of view. Then whatever, do it. I guess that's America in 2015. I want to add that I watched lots of Percy Harvin videos when he got signed by the Bills and liked him immediately, and he has a far worse reputation than Kane.

You can view his personality/actions anyway you want, but I know at least in my case, it has nothing to do with race. That's what got me going in this thread. As for O'Reilly the Tim Hortons thing struck me as an isolated incident right after getting a $60M contact. Maybe I'm just racist, who knows.

Good point. My worry with Kane has been not only that he won't respond to authority, but that he will try to be authority himself. Who's going to tell the guy in the video below to mind his own business? https://youtu.be/MLqpw_uKyds?t=9s Nobody liked Pat Kane as a person. Even before the rape thing. I don't remember Derek Roy ever being kicked off a team by his teammates. And Drake is one of the most famous musicians in the world right now.

Easy fall back answer. It's his attitude, his personality, his "vibe". It should be noted that Byfuglien, who's black himself, led the brigade to kick Kane out of Winnipeg. Check out his Instagram. Where I'm from most people would consider him a douchebag if they knew him. If he didn't play hockey he would most certainly be hanging out on Chippewa wearing an Affliction shirt, hitting on girls outside Bambino's. Instead he's dating L.A. models, "accidentally" being interviewed by TMZ, and taking helicopter rides to Toronto the night before a game. Sure, it's not "off-ice antics" in the same way that most sports fans (young to middle-aged white guys) think of it. He's not getting DUIs, punching girls, and getting into bar fights. But he has a strong personality that changes the composition of a locker room, and it's questionable that it's in a positive way. I'm frankly annoyed that the race card is being pulled out. He's lighter skinned than Drake, for God's sake and Drake is half-Jewish.

Ennis. Someone said Deslauriers and I think he's a dark horse for it.

The feeling I got during the game was that it wasn't intentional.

I'm liking McGinn more and more. The guy just finds a way to get on the scoresheet.

It's early but from everything I've read about ROR's work ethic, he's definitely a lead by example type. Girgs on the other hand, I feel, has the natural ability to be a more vocal, active captain. It's clear to anybody watching player interactions that he is always in the center. ROR should get a C, and Girgs should get an A for now. Give the other A to anybody but Kane. Hopefully in a few years Girgs will improve enough to get the C. Or have a co-captain situation.

Good to know you speak for everybody. And good to know you know what I want.

Fair enough. I just feel like he can do more. I know he's a sacred cow here so I'd just like to know why people disagree, rather than just be dismissive. I can imagine what relentless day to day ass-kissing can do to an 18/19 year old. I just don't want him to turn into Bure/Kovalev.

Why don't you elaborate instead of being dismissive.

I mean he's a rook playing his 10th or 11th game. He's got too much to learn before he gets frustrated at his linemates. He's not a grizzled veteran.