JohnC

Others have singled out the play of Samuelsson. Just to add to their recognition of his play when watching him the thing that sticks out to me is his efficiency. He plays a strong game but isn't noted for banging because he is so efficient at getting to and moving the puck out quickly. For a young player he plays a mature game. Risto was noted for his big hits but lacked the instincts of where to be positioned. Samuelsson has a cerebral way of playing the position that Risto doesn't, and will never have. I'm really impressed by him.

Because of the cold this was more of a whiskey than a beer game for the announcers.

And at least they comment on the game. Gretzky is arguably the best hockey player in the history of the game. Being in behind a microphone diminishes him.

Absolutely yes.

As you noted it seemed that the game was an afterthought while the focus was on Gretzky reminisces. It was horrible.

The broadcast with Gretzky in the booth was terrible. The broadcast was more about Gretzky's reminisces than it was about the game. I usually like Albert doing hockey games. It just seemed that the announcers were deferring to Gretzky instead of covering the game. The jolly jabs at Jonesy got tiresome and were inane.

The Cozens's hit on Mathews was clean. The broadcasters also said so. I'm not suggesting that you are saying otherwise. Just commenting on the clip.

One lesson that this game demonstrated is when in doubt shoot the puck. A couple of goals by Hinostroza and Krebs were fluky but that's hockey. Anderson was stout and efficient in this game. He was adept at moving the puck to a player to get it out of the zone. If I were giving out stars I would give the first star to Hinostroza. The second star would go to Anderson. I thought Krebs played well and showed more willingness to shoot. I also liked the play of Skinner. Prior to the game the analyst near the benches (Jones) noted that the Sabre bench was active while the Toronto bench was sedate. The play reflected the respective benches attitude. Something is very amiss with the Maple Leafs. Cozens is becoming the fighting spirit on this team. He is leading this team by his hard core style of play. The one negative aspect in playing on outside game is the condition of the ice. It makes it difficult to skate. At the end of the game the camera went to a smiling Pegula. I hope that is a sign that he is very invested in winning. Winning games over the past six games or so offers hope for the not too distant future. I'm hoping this offseason the organization uses some of its abundant assets to add a few more good players.

When watching Krebs play the talent is evident. He is a young player who needs to get stronger. There are episodes where you get wowed by his playmaking ability. And then there are spells where he is outmuscled off the puck and in his defensive responsibilities. Tage, Mitts and to a lesser extent Dahlin struggled early on keeping up with stronger NHL players. It took time for them to get stronger. Now you can see the results where they physically match up with the opposition. And the same issue applies to Quinn. Especially for Quinn and Krebs offseason conditioning is going to be critical for next season success.

The setting wasn't a court where statements have to be scrupulously and antiseptically accurate. His post game comments were made after a hard fought game where he was booed throughout. You don't think that emotions and some resentments can be exhibited in that type of setting? Let's get real here! The fans are entitled to express their feelings. And they do. And players are entitled to express their feelings. And they do. A player is honest in saying how he feels after a hard fought competition. What did you expect? A lawyerly response? He could have responded with an inauthentic pablum of PR platitudes. He didn't. Fans expressed how they felt about him throughout the game; and he expressed how he felt after the game. What is wrong with that?

Any decision you make is your decision. I have a tremendous respect for brave people like you who use their talents to help people in dangerous situations. As you point out the danger level is high now, and it will get even higher. Just a thought but if you wanted to go near the battle area it might be advisable to go to one of the bordering countries where you could help with the refugees and also the wounded who some would end up there. God bless good people like you who serve others while placing themselves at great risk.

I agree that the fans were more involved with responding to Jack than they were to the game. And I consider that to be sad state of affairs. As I said before I was ecstatic about the win rather than some post game comments from a player who stated what he felt. The fans are entitled to express their feelings; and the player is entitled to do the same.

I agree with your characterization. It was well known that Jack wanted out. I don't blame him for not wanting to be part of another rebuild. Sam also wanted out. Risto also wanted out. McCabe was not going to sign here. Jack is in a better situation for himself as are the Sabres considering the situation. It's a business where the parties involved look out for the best interest. It happens all the time in pro sports. I'm not bothered by it. There is nothing unusual about players wanting out of bad situations. That's the nature of the business.

And over the past year it has been quiet like a morgue.

Of course the response was out of proportion to what should have been the main story of a victory against Vegas. I was ecstatic about the win. What a traded player said in an interview after being booed the whole game didn't consume me to the extent that it has a lot of people. People can respond anyway they want within reason. A player is entitled to express his feelings in an interview as well. I would rather listen to a player give a genuine response than a bulll shiiiit cliche response.

I live out of town. Other than a short visit for a funeral I have not been in town for years. I watch most of the Sabre games on Directv's Centre Ice. So what's your point?

Much of the dramatic decline in attendance in Buffalo is due to a decade of a poorly run franchise. Look at the team's record over the past number of years? That's the biggest contributor to the decline in attendance. That's the reality.

The covid era that applies to Buffalo applies to every hockey franchise in the league. I'm aware of the Canadian and border restrictions that impacted our attendance. Compare Detroit's attendance to ours! If you want to look at the numbers then look at the numbers. We are second-last in attendance. That's a reality.

What's pathetic is that the Sabres are drawing 4000-6000 people to their home games. It doubled in size because he was playing in this game. He mentioned it in his interview. It was a critical but true remark. Buffalo ranks 31 out of the 32 teams in attendance. In Vegas, Jack will be playing in front of capacity crowds for the whole season. When a team has gone through 2/3 of the season and the highest attendance is 12,000, that is both sad and pathetic.

I don't disagree with your descriptive word.

The last couple of years the place was half empty and the environment was similar to a morgue. Yesterday's attendance was double the normal size for this year. And the jump in attendance was due to his presence. That is pathetic. You are as usual missing my point. You are right the fans' response is fair game. And so is his response. That's the point!

You are absolutely right that fans have a right to respond in a manner that they want to (within reason). And so does he.

Jack did not have to do the post game interview. I don't care who went out to get him. If he didn't want to do it, he doesn't do it. You got it backwards. The fans have every right to respond in the manner they want. And so does he within reason. If fans can't handle his candid comments, that their problem. He didn't have to do the interview. To his credit he did.

Jack stated what he felt. For some people he was honest to a fault. I have no problem with that. He made a reference in his post game comments about the lack of attendance and interest by fans while he was there. What's sad is not that he said it so much as it is true. There were 12,000 plus fans at a game that was double the normal size. The size of the crowd was double the normal size because he was in this game. It was a barb but it was true. As I said before, fans can boo all they want. That's their prerogative. What I find ironic is that when some shade is thrown back at some of them by someone who was booed throughout the game they act as if it uncalled for. That's nonsense. He's entitled to express his thoughts as others are able to.

I have no problem with him responding in the unvarnished manner that he did. I understand why most fans don't. His response simply reflected how he felt. It's blown out of proportion.