msw2112

As I recall it, when the Marlins and Rockies joined MLB, the Buffalo franchise was a finalist and was very close to getting the team. The main factor in Buffalo not getting the team was the size of the market, both from a population and corporate HQ standpoint. I don't think the Rich family backed out at that time. I believe that they LATER said that it was probably best that they didn't get the team due to the financial picture. I'm a little fuzzy on the whole Expos situation, but I was no longer living in Buffalo at the time. Perhaps it was THEN that Rich declined due to the finances? I'd guess that other markets would have been in play at the time and I am sure that MLB preferred Washington, D.C. (where the franchise ended up - the Nationals). The truth is that the Buffalo market is probably not large enough to support a MLB franchise. 80+ home games is a lot of tickets to sell and without a really deep pockets owner or a huge local TV contract, it is hard to field a competitive team, which means it's that much harder to sell tickets. There are some exceptions, as occasionally Milwaukee, Minnesota or Pittsburgh will be good (Milwaukee right now), but 1) those markets are larger than Buffalo; and 2) those teams are not able to sustain that level over a long period of time.

Left out of all of this is Phil.

We gave up a 1st round pick for Lehner, so expectations were high. He performed poorly and a goalie's poor performance stands out more than any other player on the ice. He suffered from mental illness, but the organization, fans and media were not aware of it. Buffalo is also a small market with a passionate fan base, which follows its sports teams very closely. If you perform poorly in a highly visible position with high expectations, it's going to be unpleasant. Buffalo is also a place where people are charitable, compassionate and take care of those in need. Ask Darryl Talley. It's a bit difficult to judge exactly what Lehner is saying the article: is he saying "Buffalo is a bad place" or "Buffalo was a bad place FOR ME DURING THE TIME I WAS THERE?" If it's the former, Lehner can go F himself; if it's the latter, I'm fine with it. He needed a fresh start elsewhere and good on him for making the most of it.

Perhaps I am dating myself, but I would compare Tage more to former Sabre Adam Creighton. A talented, tall-lanky first round draft pick forward. Never really developed in Buffalo, but I think he landed in Chicago and had a decent career with the Blackhawks. Max was smaller, more slender and extremely fast and quick. He used to skate circles around the offensive zone and carry the puck for long periods of time, eluding defenders who couldn't catch him. An electrifying skater and stickhandler. He was a good player and had some productive years. Unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to get to the net and finish, or he could have been a great one. While I cannot think of a close comparison, perhaps Tyler Ennis, a little bit. Perhaps someone can think of better comparison. Tim Connolly?

Don't forget Warde Manuel, currently Michigan's AD. Football program has done well since Manuel took over (although still needs to get over the Ohio State hurdle) and the hoops program has been fantastic. Other sports have been generally good too. Below is a snippet I found online about Manuel's days at UB: "Manuel was responsible for the hiring of Turner Gill as the head coach of Buffalo's football team. Under Gill the team achieved its first winning season and first invitation to a post season bowl game since the program joined NCAA Division I athletics in 1999. Manuel has helped change Buffalo's image and marketing strategy. Immediately after he took office, Manuel replaced the old "Bull Head" logo with a sleeker, more modern bull. Manuel also increased the athletics budget from $11 million to $25 million within three years of his hiring."

I understand Oats' decision and respect it. I'm still disappointed, as he had a good thing going with the program, which he may or may not be able to replicate at Alabama. Regardless, he'll get a minimum of 2-3 years with a huge paycheck, regardless of how things turn out.

This pretty much describes my situation an thought process too, although I didn't shell out for NHL.tv (and I'm glad). If the team was in contention for the playoffs, I would have purchased the Center Ice package for the final stretch of the season. Instead, I will watch any games televised in my area if it is convenient for my schedule (on NBCSN or NHL Network), but I am done planning my evening around watching this team.

I live outside of the Buffalo area and do not subscribe to the NHL Center Ice Package. I used to sign up in February, after the Super Bowl, to enjoy the playoff run. I was hoping to resume doing that again this season, but there is no point in spending my time and money for this product. I do believe that the organization is trying to improve the team, trying to win and get to they playoffs, but they have not found the right formula. I would love for Housley to be successful for a couple of reasons: 1) He is new blood in the coaching ranks and not a re-tread like you see all over the league; 2) he played a large part of his HOF career in Buffalo, so it would be a great story for him to come "back home" to lead the team to success. That said, I just don't see it happening. The team has shown that when they give full effort for 3 periods, they can play with anyone, but how often do we see this? I will remain a loyal fan, but until they get this right, there will be limits to how much effort I will put into supporting the team.

I think we can pass Carolina (and right now we're only 1 point behind with a game in hand), but ultimately, we will likely fall just short. The team is better than it has been, but still lacks in a few areas and the competition is too strong.

I like E-Rod and always wondered why he wasn't drafted. The only 2 reasons I can come up with are 1) his size; 2) playing with Eichel may have counted AGAINST him - scouts believing that he was simply the product of playing next to Eichel, but didn't possess enough individual talent. He has certainly proven that not to be the case, as most of his production for the Sabres has been without Eichel on the ice. Let's hope he can keep up the solid play and have a productive career for the Sabres as a middle-6 forward.

I want Dahlin to win and think that because he plays a more difficult position and one that inherently has lower offensive numbers, that he has a shot. The fact that he is only 18 is irrelevant. The award goes to the top performing rookie, not the best rookie for their age. My sense is that Pettersson will probably win due to his better offensive numbers anyway. It's kind of like the Heisman trophy - it usually goes to the best QB or the offensive player with the best statistics and not to the BEST PLAYER. Charles Woodson over Peyton Manning is the one exception that comes to mind, but otherwise, it is QB/offense all the time.

Thanks! I have been a little more active on the Bills board the last couple of years, but now that the Sabres are competitive again, I am spending a little bit more time on this board. I have been a fan since the early 70's when my Dad had season tickets and I went to games as a young kid sitting on his lap. I don't live in Buffalo anymore, so I don't get to see as many games as others that are posting, but I keep up as I can and I might, after a hiatus of many years, purchase the last 2 months of NHL Center Ice after the Super Bowl so I can enjoy the playoff run! The wife doesn't go for me having the NFL and NHL packages simultaneously and frankly, that's probably a good thing because I would be a neglectful husband and father if I did that. Go Sabres!

Some of our recent wins were in OT or shootouts, where our goalies last year, particularly Lehner, were terrible, so yes, I do think that our goaltending is much more reliable than last year. Also, despite decent statistics, Lehner tended to let in really bad goals, or goals at the worst possible times, which was really demoralizing to the team. This year, it's the opposite. The goals that our goalies give up tend to be earlier in the game, when we still have a chance to come back and not back breakers late in the game or in OT/SO.

It's still early, but based on returns so far, my hat is off to JBotts. Not only did he bring in talent, he also brought in the right type of character guys to help with the psyche of the team. He also was bold in moving out guys that may not have been good for the psyche of team. Hutton is a huge plus in the character department. I read that O'Reilly is having a good statistical year in St. Louis, but they are near last place and just fired their coach. I don't have time to do the research, but I think that he had good stats in Colorado, but the teams he was on were terrible and improved dramatically after he was dealt to the Sabres. Perhaps it isn't a coincidence. But back to the original premise of the thread, the Goalies this season are definitely contributing from both a talent standpoint and a psychological & chemistry standpoint.

I'm still trying to figure out what happened to that $1.

He's strong, has great hands and elite hand-eye coordination, so with a few years of experience under his belt, his improvement makes a lot of sense. Ironically, his best face off last night may have been one that he "lost" - and then stepped up, took the puck and feathered a perfect pass to Skinner for a goal! I didn't see the game, but enjoyed the highlights on NHL Network. I wondered if that goal made the Sportscenter top 10, as it was a pretty slick move that you don't see very often.

Rico was my favorite player as a kid. I would agree with others that he may not be a HoF candidate due to the relative shortness of his career. If he put up the same stats over a longer period of time, he would likely have had more consideration. Also, he may have been overshadowed by playing with Gil. RIP, Rico.

I really like Kane as a player and I have no idea if these allegations are true, but there's no doubt that he has a history of off-the-ice drama that has now followed him to a third team. The Sabres are trying to build a new culture and I agree that it was the right decision to move on from Kane and to actually get something for him. They now have removed the Kane drama from their environment, they have acquired a 1st round pick (and a good player for Rochester), and have freed up cap space to spend on others, such as Skinner. I am in favor of how the team handled the situation.

I don't know what the Detroit GM situation is right now, but that was the first thought that popped into my head.

Trade looks like a win-win. Pens dump some salary to clear out needed cap space and the Sabres add a much-needed quality NHL winger. As a throw in and as part of the salary dump, the Sabres also got an overpaid veteran D. He can be the 7th guy who sits in the press box and jumps in when there are injuries. They have the cap room to absorb the salary. The Sabres only give up a 4th or 3rd round pick, which, in the NHL, isn't worth that much to begin with. The percentage of hits in the 3rd and 4th round is pretty low. I like it.

Rick Martin. Big slap shot and scored 50+ goals back in the day! As to the most hated, there were a lot of guys drafted in the Scotty Bowman era that had really high expectations but never panned out. I don't dislike them as people, but was just frustrated that they never really amounted to much.

I agree as well. I liked Kane as a player, but he was going to be a UFA and either he was going to leave and we would have gotten no return, or he would have commanded a huge salary to stay. Whether or not his personality was a good fit for what the team is trying to do in the future is debatable, and he has had some injury issues, but the UFA situation is undeniable. Theoretically, we still could re-sign him after the playoffs, when he will be a UFA, but most likely, he will get more money elsewhere and/or elect to play in a more cosmopolitan market than Buffalo. I love Buffalo and a lot of NHL (and NFL) players do, but it isn't for everybody. The Kane situation is quite similar to the situation the Bills faced with Sammy Watkins last season. In the end, the Bills made the right move by trading him. They got a decent return (2nd round pick and the services of a decent CB for 1 season) for a player they were certain to lose in Free Agency for nothing. He ended up getting something like $16 million from the Chiefs, and there's no way the Bills would have been able to match that, given their variety of needs and their salary cap situation. And even if they wanted to match the Chiefs' offer, there's no guarantee that Sammy would have accepted it.

I'm shocked and impressed that Phoenix made the top 10. Although the Coyotes finished the season strong, their attendance is always low. It is a combination of factors: a poor team, an arena that is in the far west suburbs while a lot of the hockey fans live in the central city or east suburbs, and a non-traditional hockey market. I understand Buffalo being on the list with no horse in the race, but Phoenix is a real surprise. Maybe that's why the league has bent over backwards to keep the franchise from moving.

O'Reilly is not having a good year so far, so his play/production so far this year don't justify his hefty salary. That said, the rising tide lifts all boats. The team seems to be getting a grasp of Housley's system of late and the team is playing better hockey (with mixed results in the W-L column). As the team improves as a whole, the individuals on the team are looking better and stats are improving (Eichel, Reinhart, Okposo, etc.) O'Reilly is a good hockey player and as the team plays better, he will play better. If he remains a part of the team, he will eventually get back to his expected level of play and will justify his salary.

Seems like a fair deal for a guy with some upside. He was a 1st round pick for a reason. He has some grit, some speed and some scoring ability. He showed well a couple of years ago and his development seemed to screech to a halt under the previous coaching regime. Let's hope he can regain his form with the new regime. If so, this contract could be a bargain. If not, teams need veterans on the 3rd and 4th lines whose contracts don't break the bank and I think that Girgs and this new deal fit that bill.