That Aud Smell

Y'all oughta make like Dennis Miller and eschew obfuscation. (1000 internet points if you can provide Miller's rejoinder on MNF to the fan's sign that displayed that message.)

The weight room piece was definitely part of the Drury lore -- but maybe it was related separately. Drury was a mufugger. And a winner. That's a new one for me. I recall reading a story about how he cracked the whip for some weight training after the team had already been through something (a game? a practice?).

My sense is that Dahlin is the closest this team has to someone in the Drury mould.

Bro.

The regulars here are like old drinking buddies (or whatever) in that we tell the same stories, reference the same facts/factoids. The one that comes to mind here is the story about how Drury took a virtual baseball bat to Brian Campbell's boom box. Turned the thing off and told him to keep it off. Then, looking around the locker room, told Campbell to get his ass into the weight room. If memory serves, this was after a game (or possibly a practice). Even at the time in hearing this, I remember reacting like "yowza - what a d1ck." Nate MacKinnon, anyone?

Infamously, Captain Clutch could be and very often was an unpleasant, demanding as.shole of a teammate. This group clearly needs someone like that in their midst. There's too much of the same kind of guy on this roster. "Good vibes only," etc. My brother in Christ. Please no.

Stick tap to @bob_sauve28 for an unprecedented hound's breakfast of reaction emojis. (Robyism alert, @PASabreFan.)

It's done. Over. Nice guy. Capable of being a very good hockey coach in certain high-level settings. I'd even venture to say that he's a good person. I like how he views the game of hockey and, by extension, how he approaches life. I'd really prefer that Adams exit with him.

And maybe ol' Cliffy? I'd trade a case of Blue Light for a copy of that picture of Cliff taken at that facility opening event where Cliff was shown weirdly (hauntingly) peering in through a doorway. (Whither @Ghost of Dwight Drane.)

Hmm. Interesting. Birds of a feather? I've previously theorized that Pegula's rubish nature made him an easy mark for bamboozlers like Rex Ryan and RaKru (tm pending @PASabreFan). I had not considered that he'd be attracted to those same qualities himself. Maybe so. P.S. I have a vague memory that it was Kim who advanced Adams' cause, since he was, at that time, working the business side of Harborcenter (??).

I don't disagree on the contract being ill-advised. Laughably so. But that has everything to do with the people managing the franchise, and very little to do with the player. What was the rush? The rush to crown him an immediate top-4 stud. The rush to push him into big minutes over the course of a long season. The rush to cement him in the big club's lineup. The rush to pay him huge money over a long term. What. Was. The. Rush. The more I reflect on it, the more I conclude that Adams is a greenhorn and a rube. Not that I particularly care for this sort of sentiment (because, in general, I say eff what others think), but I think it's fair to guess that his roster management is being laughed at in NHL circles.

That'd be sort of sweet, tbh. Agreed 100% re the balance.

I agree with this sentiment. IMO, when fans see an apparent lack of effort, a lack of intensity, what they're actually seeing is failed or failing or fading confidence. The difference between success and failure at this level of hockey -- the highest in the world -- is quite thin from shift to shift and game to game. Moments of indecision can and will make you look awful. I'm sure there's something to the idea of "these guys just need a kick in the a.ss", but I think that's quite limited. This is a bad NHL team. I'd love to see a new coaching staff come in, turn it upside down, and get some of the mojo back. Also, I'm officially done with and out on Skinner.

Man, do they ever. I know it's been fun to dunk on them because, well, they're the Patriots. But that team that the Bills played on Sunday is far from a bad NFL team. Their defense, for one, is a fooking problem. That's a nasty unit. Onward!

I mean I guess.

Gross. Really gross.

Fair point. There probably is respect there. It’d help if EJ didn’t stink.

I don't think Erik Johnson is apt to have much clout with this group. Sure he's had big success in his career, including a Cup. But he's new to this scene. His play stinks out loud. Young guys on this team are apt to have some mix of (1) feeling bad for him because he's decrepit (by NHL standards) and (2) thinking to themselves "yadda yadda, old man."

I see the wisdom in "just play hard everywhere" on the ice. OTOH, I have the sense - unconfirmed by hard data or compiled film study! - that the Sabres of this season have more conservative positioning in their own zone and are also slower to make the transition from their own zone into the neutral zone - and that last season the positioning was more aggressive and the zone departures were faster and more hopeful (?) - to the overall detriment of team defense. That there's a fairly clear distinction between playing defence and playing offence. The transition between the 2 happens fast, of course.

Such a def beat. I love the story about how the Beastie Boys - ragged NYC punks (punk rockers?) who were steadily becoming rappers - started hanging out with this weirdo Rick Rubin at his NYU (?) dorm and Rick played this song for them - explained how it could back a massive rap record.

5:38 mark. So, the reporter (Koziol?) had a big windup of a question where he says/posits everything that appears in the Koziol tweet (along with some other things) and then Granato simply says in response: You nailed it. Not great.

This is an important qualifier. I will try to do the same.

I am with this 100%. I read this and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. FFS. Granato is on record saying that his master plan was to get this young core understanding how to score in this league -- "hard to do - best league in the world" he was heard to observe -- and that defensive responsibility and 200 foot concepts would be folded in from there. Now he's backtracking. Ahhh, fuggit. Back to shinny. I'm not sure what the problem is -- if it's a problem with the GM assembling a roster that can't play a substantially complete and winning brand of hockey (which firewagon hockey is not, afaik), or if it's a problem with the HC who can't get this group to play with more overall defensive responsibility without sacrificing their offensive identity. Regardless of whose responsibility it is, at bottom, this sort of statement seems disqualifying of the HC. He's gotta go. "I said that what we did last year was a sign of growth, but would not be good enough going forward, that we would have to evolve. Now ... I think we're just gonna go back to what we did last year."

Maybe? Idk, man. I think this particular iteration of the Sabres might struggle to crack 70 points. It might be sad, but I'd take it in a heartbeat. It's the only way forward from here.