That Aud Smell

The Shnowman with a vague, possibly concerning Tweet.

Was Vanek the type of player you’d make the captain of your team? (The answer is “no.”)

Dahlin/Dahlin. This is also how I felt before the start of the season. I’m less enthused about the choice now than I was in October. There may be too much Vanek in him. Something about the # 26?

Mildly amusing to see Sabre fans getting activated by a Bruins fan. Once I learned and remembered that factoid, I understood what I needed to know. There’s a guy in my office who is a “Bills fan” because he’s lived in WNY for 20+ years and his kids are Bills fans. But he’s actually a Steelers fan. He often drives the *real* Bills fans crazy in the workplace Bills group chat because he’s weirdly critical of the team (and especially Allen) and, although he’s ostensibly a Bills fan … he isn’t, really. And it shows.

NOT involved with la cosa nostra. Ya hear me?!

Do they do more than the restaurant business? Like do they have frozen wing products in grocery stores? Absent that, it’d be impossible.

Wha? He didn’t even hint at somebody getting whacked.

Never forget.

Good take. Morse is the one that cuts to the bone, but it is most likely the correct call (but possibly not). More fwiw - the aggregated consensus mock draft has the Bills all in on WR. Beane’s got 11 picks (and is apparently disappointed to have received a 4th rd compensatory for Edmunds) — I have to believe that he’s planning a small move (or moves) up to ensure that they get a player(s) that they’re targeting. That’s where having a compensatory 3rd would have been more valuable.

Evidently, the big sweat is most likely a function of the altitude.

sorry - who wasted what where? Yeah. There's that. This softened my hardened heart.

One of the best uses of a Halen song ever — i saw the still and i heard it immediately EDIT: Wait. I went and found it online. Did they not use a Van Halen song?! EDIT 2: I found the original on Vimeo. 😅

Apropos of Adams loading up on that 2021 Canada World Juniors team: And Is Adams doubling down on a weak draft class?

Times change. Not so long ago, I might have flamed this take. Now? I substantially agree with it. Except for the RaKru piece. Eff that guy.

Skinner does shoot da puck.

Hey, hey. Simmah down. We already had a conversation today about name calling. Sir! Sir! C'mon, man. If you're not seeing him do those things it must be because he's not even putting himself in a position where he looks responsible for a goal against. The guy is the dictionary definition of a streaky goal scoring who does too much floating in all 3 zones. Grab a torch! Grab a pitchfork! We're running Skinny out on a rail.

Name-calling in general tends to rub posters (people) the wrong way. Seems like you should be able to understand that, idiot.

My recommendation: Say that rather than engage in name-calling. The latter never goes over well.

That '26-'27 cap hit is a bit prohibitive. In theory, though, I am very much on board with this idea. I have come to view Skinner as a poster child for the type of player who puts up numbers on a non-playoff team.

Amen. I was just saying this to someone at my office: Mitts quietly became the team's best forward on the boards. He'd become so strong on the puck. Tough to move. Very difficult to knock off a spot or knock over. It's that aspect of his game that convinces me that he'll be a quality playoff performer.

Where's @Ghost of Dwight Drane with the neck measurement?!

Thompson's being injured, I've heard. And that seems like a certainty. My concern is that he's got some persisting lower back issues - remember last season? - and that his big frame, short stick, and torque and cork one-time shooting style are all putting him on track for a career shortened or compromised by back issues. The coaching and management, agreed 100%. Question though: Cozens injured? This I have not heard.

Maybe the guy on the far right isn't a Sabre? He looks familiar. I infer that this is a group that was on the Canada World Juniors team together.

I think that's Byram, Cozens, Krebs, and ... Quinn? It's not Levi.

The bolded is key here, IMO. People who perform professionally need to manage their energy outputs. Wrt the musician angle, which I think is very apt: As a younger fella (and even a few times as an older guy), I have seen a band perform 4 or more times on a single tour -- often in quick succession (not a Deadhead, but something like that). And it's absolutely true. A performer's level of energy will vary from night to night. It's the mark of true professionals when every show you see from a band has a certain level of baseline excellence. There's a band we saw in New England, two upstate New York shows (including one at Artpark), and then Cleveland a few years back. And we all agreed: That Artpark show was special. They were really bringing it (for reasons unknown). This is a weird take. If we're being honest with ourselves, this is true for all of us in all facets of our lives. To varying degrees, I'm sure. Am I always being the best husband I can be? Always giving 100%? NFW. Sometimes, I'm just killing it. Sometimes, I'm far less than I should be, or could be. And then there's a lot of in between. When I go to worship my God, am I always as tuned in as I should be? Sometimes, I have a wonderful experience and come out re-energized by my faith. Sometimes, I keep wanting to check a soccer score on my phone (English Premier League, no doubt). They're making a solid point. This is the only way, I think, for people who professionally exert themselves in a performative way that is physically and emotionally draining. There's a reason that the touring bands of days gone by (and probably still many now) manage(d) themselves with drugs to get them up and then drugs to get them down. It's damn difficult to do on your own, if you're laying it all out at every single show. They need to learn how to manage their energy -- otherwise, they end up tearing their bodies down with cocaine and codeine pills.