RangerDave

I believe the first part. However, I don't think he was ruined by the lousy acquisitions. If he didn't have Masshole tendencies to begin with, he would've gravitated to the "good guy" acquisitions like Gionta rather than the "bad boys" you mention. I have played on teams and stayed away from those who were not good influences on me. Eichel could have done the same. Eichel, being able to be influenced by these guys, showed what underlying character he really had.

The thing I noticed with each of the interviews is that every player is smiling! How different is that this year?

My wife and I would have loved to attend the game last night. However, we had long-standing tickets to see "Spamalot". In the play, they did make a great reference. Toward the end, they finally find the "grail" under the seat of one of the crowd. They bring her up on stage and thank her for helping to find the grail. They tell her that her name will be remembered forever, alongside the names of Josh Allen and the "incomparable Rick Jeanneret." The crowd applauded when he mentioned RJ!

True. It's just a shame that the product he was announcing has been so diminished over the last decade. Fans only seeing/hearing RJ over that time may not be able to truly appreciate how special he is when the game he is calling matters and is exciting. We got only a glimpse of that toward the end of this season.

Sadly, I don't speak gibberish.

For the purposes of our future draft pick, I will submit that Dallas did not cheat so much as the refs blew the call. Therefore, I can root for Dallas with a clear conscience (for this game only...)

In my opinion, Skinner is FAR from being a Marchand. I detest Marchand. I like Skinner. And it's not because he plays for the Sabres. There are plenty of Sabres I didn't care for because they were like Marchand. Players like Barnaby and Kaleta. Skinner is not in their company. I see it as Skinner being competitive and vocal. I don't see him as someone who is making an idiot of himself. Time could prove me wrong, but Skinner is not an idiot to me. He is having fun and playing hockey the "right way", just with a lot of passion. And by "right way", I mean his focus is on hockey skills like skating, passing and scoring, not on pestering the opponents to the point of exasperation. That is just a by-product of his competitiveness.

I don't know whether it was the French Connection, or the 74/75 playoff run to the Stanley Cup finals that really made me take notice. Probably both. Perreault, with his end-to-end rushes, was a thing of beauty. The games against the Flyers were epic, especially the "fog game".

The Sabres have been playing much more entertaining, and successful, hockey lately? What do you think has caused the most improvement? Most likely, it is all of these factors, but what do you think has been the biggest cause?

Soccer has a rule specifically against "ungentlemanly conduct", but of course they don't carry sticks. Many players, however, are very emotional and let the world know when they are unhappy. I can't recall a time when a player was issued a yellow card for the equivalent of smashing a kick. Maybe kicking the ball back into the net after they are scored against? Just not the same without an implement (stick, club, racquet or bat) to attempt to break.

I agree that he was throwing a temper tantrum. I don't blame him for being upset with himself. It was a bad play that cost him the game. I wish he would have found a better way to vent. It was definitely poor form. On the other hand, when you try to break your stick with one slam and it doesn't break, what ya gonna do? Try it again (and again). I'm not sure that warrants a penalty as it wasn't directed at anyone but himself. If you are a parent watching with your child, make it a teachable moment.

Imagine if they put boxes in the Bills parking lots where people who smashed tables had to sit for 2 minutes. That would be a riot! 😄

"Russia invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine for no reason." Is this propaganda? If it is not, it is awful enough on its own to warrant all the wrath that Putin gets.

In my opinion, there is a difference. The fans in the crowd pay good money to watch the game. The players, on the other hand, are paid (handsomely) to do their jobs. Part of their job is to act as good ambassadors for their sport, at least it should be in an ideal world. Many players do. I also don't condone booing players, unless they do something awful during the game.

Owen Power doesn't do pushups. He pushes the Earth down.

How long before entry to Canada do you have to get the test? When flying into a lot of countries, you can get a test within 72 hours of entry. If that is the case for driving into Canada, if you get tested there before entering the US, wouldn't it still be valid for returning as long as not more than 72 hours have passed?

NYSrapidtest.com currently has 4 sites open with another on the way. 5897 S transit Rd Lockport NY 14094 2339 Union rd. West Seneca NY 14224 1012 Payne Ave North Tonawanda NY 14120 680 Old Liverpool Rd. Liverpool NY 13088 I've heard prices can be $65 to $125, but I can't find the current price.

I first read his books like Red Cell and Task Force Blue. I was highly captivated at the daring, courageous, and to-hell-with-the-rules attitude he displayed in order to get the right things done. I couldn't read his books fast enough. I then read his autobiography Rogue Warrior and was hugely disappointed. As a real commander, he was a straight arrow, no nonsense boss who didn't allow dissent or alternative thought. He kicked people off the Seal Team for questioning a policy. A policy! Not even a direct order. He portrayed himself in his fictional books as someone who questioned everything. Either he was the antithesis of his book character, or he thought he was the only one allowed to disregard orders. Either way, he was highly disappointing as a person after the buildup of reading his books.

I don't know about that. The Pegulas just did sell their home! 🙂 Doesn't that usually mean they are moving? Terry and Kim Pegula sell waterfront condo in Buffalo - Buffalo Business First (bizjournals.com)

Well, if he's gonna get that far, he might as well complete the Gordie Howe hat trick with a fight, eh?

In order to make the playoffs, our goalies have to consistently outplay the opposing teams' goalies. They don't now. And it is obviously more difficult to find decent goalies than we all hoped it would be. That said, as Sun Tzu would say, "If you can't upgrade your goaltending, degrade the opponent's goaltending." Remember all of those trades the Sabres have done "for future considerations"? I say we degrade the opponents by giving them our current goalies as payment in full for those future considerations! "Hey New York, remember that we took Johnny Boychuk for future considerations? Well, we've considered it and here is Aaron Dell for you. Good luck with that!"

Why the "Rush"? 😉

I think the change of scenery he needs is for the Sabres to have better players, especially goaltending, around him. He is still a very talented, and young, player who will be an important part of a winning team here in Buffalo once we get the right other components. Trading him now would come back to hurt us when we get more (better) players later. I'd rather he learn from his mistakes here and commit to doing the things he needs to in order to get better as the rest of the team improves. I don't think he is a bad egg like some others we got rid of may have been.

If I give him a few frowny faces, does that drop him down below 10,000 so that I can then "like" him again so that I can be the 10,000 person to "like" him? Maybe we can all be the 10,000th person! 🤪 Thanks, dudacek! I really like your insights.

Are you sure she didn't think you said, "Excuse me while I kiss this guy"? That could earn a blank stare....