Punch

Honestly, I didn't think you were intentionally insulting either me, the US or North American hockey fans in general--- I just think your tone comes across a tad bit condescending at times. Having said that, your attempt at clarification doesn't really change the context of your earlier comments but your observation is fair enough. You didn't really address any substantive part of my reply, but my basic points are: In the US, there is as much (or more) distaste for retributionary tactics in sports as there is support. It is not apparent that retributionary tactics are less common in sports popular in the UK, such as football, where it is, in fact, rampant. I realize we disagree, but to clarify: bringing a knife to a gunfight is a surefire way to get your goaltender killed--- the nature of player protection in any team sport is "eye for an eye" Old Testament Wid, Wild West style judgement. Even if Gaustad defends Millers ASAP (which he, or someone, should have done), Lucic has the pleasure of concussing Miller and kicking Gaustad's ass. Nothing is gained. The fact the Sabres had no player capable or willing was a deep organizational flaw that has now been corrected, on paper. (as an addendum from your last post) The debate on gun control in the Century 16 thread is probably evidence enough that the issue is deeply divisive in the US. The NRA is interested more in generating proits for firearms manufacturers and lobbying politicians to ensure those profits remain high than it is in protecting the rights of citizens to "bear arms". I'm not necessarily anti-gun, but politics is politics and I don't think the NRAs motives are a true reflection of the conscience of the people. Ice Hockey is quite possibly an amalgamation of stick and ball games present in First Nations and those brought over to Canada by British soldiers. We also have Lord Stanley of Preston to thank for introducing the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup (made in Sheffield and purchased in London) to the world's greatest sport in it's organizational infancy. There are several strands of the UK intertwined within the DNA of hockey. So basically, extrapolating from a previous post of yours I can safely say we agree that the New Wave of British Heavy Metal is ###### awesome and we should probably be mates---- and I'll leave it at that.

The Red Wings wanted Ryan Suter, but they didn't get him. Then, they turned their attention to Matt Carle, but they didn't get him either. Now, they're rumored to be chasing Keith Yandle--- the point is, the Red Wings have a distinct need for D with the retirement of Lidstrom and are working their way down the food chain of available quality D-men starting from the top. If the Sabres see a viable need for a legitimate tough top 6 power forward and they strike out on the best available (Doan), they move to the next one until the law of diminishing returns sets in and it's no longer worth the price of doing business. So yes, at some point they halt their search once it is evident an upgrade to their current roster is not available at a reasonable price. Pretty basic stuff.

If the Sabres are truly "all-in" on acquiring Doan but he stays in Phoenix/signs elsewhere then Malone is a logical Plan B to serve a similar role--- IF he were truly available. Rumors began circulating about his availability around the trade deadline on Sportsnet.ca and TSN, and Bucky Gleason actually mentioned Malone in the News as a potential target for Buffalo a few weeks ago. It doesn't mean he's available but I'm sure Stevie Y. is open to the conversation. Having said that, the injuries are certainly a concern although he's still produced despite being banged up. 20 goals last year in 68 games at 32 years old. If they were looking for D, I would probably move Leopold--- though I like Leo--- but probably not Sekera. I don't know what Malone's value would be considering he's signed until he's 35 and physically wearing down, plus I believe he has a NTC. Now that's a very interesting notion. He's a guy that can also be effective at center in a pinch. Sekera is, on paper, such a perfect fit for Detroit. I'm curious about Darren Helm, as well.

Ryan Malone has been rumored to be available for awhile.

@Sabrebuzz Garth received an email reply from Doan's agent Terry Bross: "Buffalo in mix putting together travel plans tomorrow (Sunday). Will advise when I know plan." http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=45867#.UBcyH2WXmV4.twitter

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/2012/07/30/20120730coyotes-free-agent-shane-doan-talks-potential-buyer-greg-jamison.html Nothing particularly new, aside from confirmation that Doan and Jamison have spoken... however, it was not on Friday as promised, but rather at least a day later. No official word on whether Doan and Bross were aware the call would be delayed but it comes across that they were not.

You don't really seem to have a point. Career ending injuries? Huh? Suggesting that the difference between US and UK culture is exemplified by a "moronic" sports tactic is what I considered to be somewhat of a slight. You can say you don't like football or the Premiership, but my point is it isn't a cultural difference between the prim & sporting UK and the thuggish brute US. It's certainly ok to have a difference of opinion--- but no offense, I think you need to watch a little more hockey before you continue pontificating in such a condescending manner.

Maybe we are and maybe we aren't quite--- what Tootoo did could have resulted in injury, but it didn't. If the Sabres had even just crossed through the crease and bumped Thomas it might've been enough--- he wouldn't need to suffer an injury for a message to be sent. But running a goalie is very much a "damn the torpedoes" type of action. It's not necessarily the intent to injure, but the consequences of the run are irrelevant--- taking the shot is what sends the message, the possibility of injury being the danger hanging in the air. RE: Miller's concussion--- to Lucic and the Bruins, the concussion and it's longterm effects were icing on the cake, and it could be argued that if Miller doesn't get concussed, the Sabres may have had a chance at the division title in what was an off year for the Northeast. Yeah, I kind of figured as much, but when I saw my quoted post I realized it sounded like I was advocating ignoring Lucic altogether so I just wanted to clarify. Watching the team's response in realtime was like watching the Zapruder film, again. You know exactly what you're seeing before it even happens, but you still can't believe the total lack of response as everyone just nonchalantly stands around. There should be a Pavlovian response as if they'd watched those events play out 1,000 times. Fielding a team which collectively had approximately ZERO survival instincts is... uncanny.

I'm not suggesting they shouldn't have fought Lucic immediately after the fact--- on the contrary, I believe they should have. But it is not the ultimate deterrant to goaltenders getting run.

If you swing a stick at someone there is a realistic chance you could break their neck, in fact, I would think it more likely an injury would occur than not--- there is also no situation during the course of a game where swinging a stick in the air would naturally occur. Running a goalie is not necessarily done with the intent to injure, per se, and is something that is a common risk during the flow of every game. Every single player buzzing around or driving to the net has the potential to crash into the goaltender, including his own teammates. It is an eventuality for which all goaltenders are prepared. Of course it would have been wrong, but you're incorrectly equating retaliation with thuggish violence. I'm sure you're using hyperbole when saying "beating Lucic to death with a stick" but there is a big difference between an immediate emotional & visceral response and a calculated message being sent. Fighting Lucic is part of the equation, but not the final deterrant.

Prefacing what is essentially an insult with "I respectfully disagree" doesn't really equate respect. I find your response to be a bit bizarre because retaliation in soccer/football is not any less common than it is in hockey, in fact, it is arguably more common in the English Premier League than it is in the NHL. There is nothing intrinsicially found in US culture that demands this type of retaliation, either (nevermind the fact player protection is essentially a concept that evolved out of Canadian "culture"), as a matter of fact, it is generally not palatable to most US media outlets and casual fans. As I said earlier, it is indeed a bit foolish, but it's not blood lust, it's a form of policing. That's so far off base it's impossible to respond to it. The Bruins obviously felt it was OK to take a run at an immobile defenseless player. Then, Jordin Tootoo felt just as comfortable doing it in Miller's return. There's literally only one way to stop it and it isn't fighting Lucic. If you'd like, you can start a petition or write a letter to Gary Bettman.

That is basically correct.

He's a right handed shooter, but aside from a brief experiment at Center out of necessity, he's a career LW. It's possible he was moved to the left side because of Selanne and Perry and I don't think it would be out of the question to try him or Vanek on the right side.

You have to do both. Lucic and Chara expect to scrap, but when your actions on the ice bring your teammates into the equation you then become accountable to your whole team. That's why a guy like Sean Avery is out of the league. Fighting Lucic is necessary, but it's like emptying a missile silo at a military installation. If they had crashed into Thomas then they would have had a nuclear deterrant. Protecting your goaltender is very much like the Cold War, and yes it's just as foolish.

Very interesting and thorough blog post by the Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline with 61 Thoughts on Rick Nash: No. 5 = ... There were instances last season, before the trade stuff started, when other NHL players were directly advising Nash to leave. One player tells The Dispatch: “I skated over to him before a faceoff and just told him ‘you have to get out of here. Put your agent to work and get it done.’” Many were surprised last February to learn that Nash had asked to be traded. From what I can glean, players around the league were only shocked that it took him so long. http://www.bluejacketsxtra.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2012/07/61-thoughts.html?

Either Vanek or Ryan would have to flop over to the right side, anyhow--- they're both career LW in the NHL. Both are righties though and Vanek has had some success at RW in the limited stint he was tried there, so who knows.

I read a separate article this afternoon about Wayne Gretzky visiting Bellevue with vague comments about bringing an NHL team to Seattle. The ultimate revenge for Gretz would be to snag the 'Yotes and bring them up north.

I do have reservations about Doan's age, but I think it's a risk worth taking. He could potentially have a transformative effect on our young players, not unlike what Tim Horton did for the young players in the franchise's early days. That whole group, particularly Schoenfeld, would say he helped shape them not only as hockey players, but also as men. Certainly, the Mario and (theoretical) Doan signings are means to accomplish different ends as far as correcting fundamental organizational flaws, but IMHO both can make a fairly big impact.

Some snickered at the Bills for giving Mario $100mil, but in that case the money is an investment in the D line as a whole--- that contract make Dareus and K. Williams much more valuable, not to mention Merriman, Anderson, et al. If the Sabres are worth $169mil, they'd be worth $200mil with Doan.

Those in the media reacting to this tweet are basically preemptively laughing at whichever team pays it. IF we made the offer AND no one matches it/comes close AND it's true--- the Sabres will be a punch line for awhile, but I'd be fine with it if he comes as advertised.

Semin is "generating almost zero interest around the league" because he waited this long to sign by choice for the best deal or because you are privy to specific behind the scenes contract negotiations? I agree he's lazy and has a bad attitude, but Carolina paid him $7mil because that's what it cost them to get him. Maybe he would have taken $5-6mil to play in Pittsburgh or Detroit--- and we may need to similarly overpay to attract Doan, which was my point.

Carolina now looks to be about halfway between the Leafs and Flyers, though similarly built--- fast & skilled forward group, shaky D, and talented but inconsistent goaltending. The Leafs goaltending is in much worse shape, but behind the Philly/Carolina D corps it may be difficult to differentiate them.

For the same reason the Sabres would need to overpay for Doan.

It was reported that Heatley phoned Parise about playing in Minnesota much like Crosby did on behalf of the Pens. It hasn't stopped trade rumors from circling around his head but it does lead one to believe he has a vested interested in remaining a Wild-ian.

Sabrenoise later hedged his bets with these followup tweets: SabreNoise ‏@sabrenoise @gunnersfan6 one of my sources had said it a few days ago. But you never know he could change his mind if Regier gets another player. For those asking I have a source that told me about the Doan comment, like I have said a million times I will not reveal my sources but if a Few things change with the team he will reconsider. Who knows he could change his mind. #SmallMarket #YoungTeam