That Aud Smell

Same! Softball, though. I never played anything other than street hockey as a kid. In my situation, the gal was 5 foot nothing and of slight build. Again, this was a bar league softball game. She knew how to play organized softball (same ideas in hard ball) -- i.e., basic base running etiquette and situational awareness. I grew up playing soccer, so I did not have the same understanding. Oof, as I made my toward and around second base. When I crossed home plate a little while later, my own kids (girls (6 and under)) booed me for running over a girl.

This is an impressive inventory, @dudacek - thanks for sharing it. Some of the Sabre teams of my middle school and early high school years (so, running roughly from 83-87) are ones that I recall disliking. That especially goes for those days where Bowman had drafted a bunch of wunderkinds, but all I remember is the girls being in love with Paul Cyr and Sean McKenna, but the team itself seeming like less than the sums of their parts.

As one of my kid’s coaches used to pointedly observe of certain players: “Enamored of a skill set he does not possess.”

This is also arguably relevant to an assessment of Connolly. My remarks above were really directed to "soft" being raised in response to the guy needing season-ending surgery. The above seems like a fair point of discussion. In his career to date, Samuelsson has regularly missed a few (or more) games here, a few (or more) games there. Does he (can he?) not play through injury like other warrior-mentality players do? If in fact he's not playing through the same dings, nicks, and knocks that other players are playing through ... then ... yeah - arguably "soft" by NHL standards? A problem with this inquiry is that we can't really know what he's not playing through.

Thanks for this take. It prompted me to recall how @X. Benedict once dealt with repeated statements here (circa 06-07 and perhaps beyond) to the effect that Tim Connolly played a soft game, was a soft player. X acknowledged that, yes, Connolly was not a physical player as it's traditionally thought about, but that he was nonetheless a physically courageous player in that he routinely placed himself in dangerous situations in order to advance the puck, the play. Nothing soft about that at all. That view fundamentally and permanently changed how I viewed the player.

I find the "soft" talk - both here on this board and elsewhere on teh interwebs (Twitter mainly) - to be ... well, not what I'd prefer to see from fellow Sabre fans. That's putting it as charitably as I can. The player being "injury prone" is a fair discussion, or even observation. But soft? The guy's not soft. He's unlucky, apparently. And, yes, probably injury prone. Dude had to pack it in so that he could get surgery. But that doesn't make him soft.

I went back just now and looked at the official team account's first Tweet about this. They still have it posted with his last name misspelled. The team has the check mark, premium account, or whatever. They can go back and edit that post. But they haven't. They won't. Mickey. Fu**ing. Mouse.

The dead money cap penalty for moving on from Diggs next season would be prohibitive and ruinous. The best hope is that they draft a big upside guy who flashes early and Diggs returns to form. In general, Diggs is a declining WR1 whose game should age well. He’s a route running technician.

The thing that keeps coming to mind for me: Like all pro athletes (good "pros," anyway), these guys are year-round world class hockey players. So I'm confident that, if Quinn's well enough to play NHL hockey, he'll be raring to go -- even if there were only a few games left with Buffalo mathematically eliminated. He'd want to get that run in as he heads to the offseason.

Lol - simmer down. The medical insights of actual physicians - such as @Wyldnwoody44 - are valued here.

Oy. There’s a ramping-up period after a player is cleared to return to play. And I inferred that it’s 8 weeks for a return to play.

Is he, though? Is he? Also: We are left pining for the Danny Gares of the game.

I thought I saw a clip suggesting that the Sabres mixed it up a bit at some point after Quinn's injury. But looking at the box score, I just see some double minors for roughing. What's become of Cozens? He showed clear signs of being a guy who would not put up with that sh1t. Perhaps Adams and/or Granato have him second-guessing/managing that aspect of his game/nature.

When I watched that replay, one of my first reactions was "that kid's gotta learn to take better care of himself." I felt Hertl's play was cheap (not dirty - just cheap (two hands on the numbers and shoving a player towards the boards)), but I also felt that Quinn put himself in a vulnerable position.

possibly. but less so if they remember to shoot da puck.

Lol - I said "kid," but didn't mention she was 21 at the time, injured while playing college ball. I recall the doc saying "Weber B" and "unstable," for sure. [Homer voice] Stupid unstable Weber B. And I take your imparted lesson: These are all situational.

what about fibular fractures that are the result of a "high energy" (?) force and end up displaced? i know nothing, but am not just pulling this out of my behind. one of my kids once had that happen - doc initially called it a grade A (weber?) but then it evolved to a grade B. or something. we'd hoped for a non-surgical healing but then the thing wound up showing as displaced. she may have returned to play a little sooner because she got hardware put in. anyhoo. quinn's my favourite player on the team, so this is a bummer.

Given that there was surgery and an ~8 week timetable, I inferred that it was maybe a fibula fracture (but no tibia). Have our resident MD’s weighed in? If it’s a lower leg/ankle fracture, that should be a clean, complete recovery.

I’m clowning around here. And you were being a bit grumpy!

Mmm Kay.

“Disagreeing” with a question (how?) isn’t answering it. I really hope it’s not a serious injury.

If I’m wagering, I’d bet even money that they don’t crack 90 points. And if I were getting odds, I’d consider taking at or under 80.

American Thanksgiving. Look to where your club is in the standings at American Thanksgiving. If they’re not in a playoff spot then, there is a strong chance they won’t be there at the end of the season either. There are exceptions and outliers, sure. They only prove the rule, imo.

To use an @inkman line: This gave me a sad.