Pimlach

I’m pushing 67. My experience is yes, and yes. 👍 More than ever.

I’ve waited a few days to answer the question here. None of the option fit exactly how I feel about them, it’s probably a little of each I was an AHL Bison fan, then I anxiously awaited the Sabres. I was a kid that roamed the Aud, I was hooked from the first game. Since day one I have followed them closely and attended most of the home games for the first 12 years, until I moved away. I still followed them religiously, using cable TV, cheater boxes, Satellite dishes, streaming, and internet news/forums. I am tired of them right now. Since the unnecessary dismantling of a Presidents Trophy team, to Pegula’s empty phony promises, the Tank, the broken culture, and everything thereafter. I’m so tired of them. Other than the alumni, and much of the first 40 years, there is nothing. RJ is gone, and the last of the alumni that I care about are pretty much honored and gone. There are memories, but none are good in the past 15 years. None. I am disappointed with the organization that they are today. I actually feel bad for the players, but much more so for the fans.

The NHL regular season was definitely better when there were less teams. I think the season needs to be shorter and the playoffs need to end by the end of April. Of course this means less money to distribute, so it won't happen. In the US most cities/regions stop watching hockey when their team is eliminated, then they switch to baseball and golf and the outdooors. Canada probably has a higher percentage of diehards watching the entire playoff but a Canadian team has not won a cup since 1993 and there have been only 6 that even played in the finals since then. This trend cannot be good for the game in the long run. Less teams means more familiarity and more rivalries, it all helps to generate more intensity and better games. Too much expansion ruined the NBA and it is ruining the NHL too. Yeah, I guess I am getting old, but that is how I see it. Less is more.

I was thinking about having Eichel, Reinhart and Hagel right now on this team. Sure, lots of teams passed on Hagel but we drafted him, had his rights, and should have known more about him and maybe at least given him a look. Do you remember when we had Perreault, Martin, and Robert all going to All Star games and Team Canada series? There was no free agency. The GM knew what a good hockey player looked like and how to construct a roster.

Most NHL games, even among the top teams and rivals, are not played at the level of the USA v Canada games. Playoffs can get to that level as the stakes go up. No one player saves a team. Gretzky, Lemuiex (sp), Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane - they all had help, and lots of help. It is sad that they wasted Reinhart and Eichel. They never brought in the right veteran leadership or developed the glue players. None of the GMs and coaches under Pegula were qualified to take on a tear down/ tank and rebuild. None of the coaches were good enough. The players know it, and that is the only reason we cannot get the right players, the Sabres are not a serious franchise. Look at Hagel. A guy we drafted and never even looked it, never had an ELC to play a game in Rochester. Isn’t he exactly what this team needs? Who from Canada’s team offered to take on Matt Tkachuck? Hagel. Yeah, we need a guy like that. He more than held his own too. I guess he fell through the crack of Boterill and Adams? So many good players come and go and the Sabres continue to be irrelevant.

Homer pick. The 3rd star should have been Hellebuyck or McAvoy.

Especially given the limited time they played together.

Cournoyer and Savard. Such tradition. McAvoy, Larkin, and Slavin really stepped up.

Yes. Definitely playing to protect a one goal lead, but not Alamo style . An All Star team that has been together one week and they are executing it well so far. Hope Ruff and the Sabres are watching. Nice work by US to get that clean shot.

He was injured when the selected players.

Only two players on the US roster have more goals than Tage. A healthy Tage would help this team, probably as a winger. He needs to experience this, it would help him grow playing in games of this magnitude.

This game is seriously good. Wow.

Watching the USA and Canada with my brother tonight. Simple pleasures and good times.

Dahlin no ice in OT. I am sure this sounds like sour grapes but Erik Karlsson is again on the ice for an OT GWG against. That's two for two. I guess he took away the pass, and Ullmark is responsible for the shooter, but the guy is a liability on defense, he always has been.

Sweden going to OT. They better play Dahlin this time. I though he had an assist on the first goal but not seeing it.

Ok, the Sabres organization and the Sabres culture is bad right now, but "Sabres Curse" is really a stretch. . ROR, Eichel, Reinhart, etc., did not curse their new teams. They won Cups. We have enough Sabres reality to complain about without making up new things.

Big, strong, physical, skilled and talented, they care … what is the problem?

Lankinen will get the next game. I don’t understand how he didn’t get this one. Would like to see UPL play.

The weather in Buffalo right now. I’m in town for a few weeks, family commitments and such. It’s wet and cold, the sky is grey, lots of ice, then snow, then more ice, then more snow. 6 more days …

Can someone shut Steve Levy up? Just let Gretzky provide more hockey analysis and let PK do his a Bisonette imitation. That would be better. Agree on 5/6/7. He has some value.

Ok. Now stop the politics. We don’t need to be reminded about it, this place is for hockey.

Why are these ESPN guys so surprised that Finland is playing well? It’s a crazy message to think they wouldn’t, especially since they have a defense first hockey culture. These are All Star teams with 3 days of practice.

Brady scores to even it.

Joker puts a floater by a surprised Hellebuck (sp).