darksabre Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=pa...rticleid=387685 Perched above netminder Patrick Lalime?s stall is a bit of motivation for the Buffalo Sabres. ?It?s the pigeon of the game,? Adam Mair revealed. Proudly displayed, with a Sabres logo on each wing, is a stuffed turquoise bird that currently serves as a unique incentive for the team. Awarded following each game to the player who had the biggest impact on the night, the bird has become quite popular around the Sabres locker room. Ales Kotalik received the inaugural pigeon following his two-goal performance against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 17 as Buffalo claimed a 5-2 victory. Lalime earned the second award Saturday night as he stopped 35 shots in Buffalo?s 3-2 shootout loss to the Thrashers- with the pigeon making its first road trip of the season. ?We put him in his coop, his little cage, and took him to Atlanta,? Mair said, as the bird held a dual purpose as both a motivational tool and a good luck token. But while Kotalik and Lalime have each enjoyed the bird for a few short days the original pigeon ? ?the head pigeon? according to equipment manager Dave Williams ? is none other than Jaroslav Spacek. ?When I signed here two years ago, I was in the plane and Danny Briere [said] they needed a fourth player to play cards with them,? Spacek said. ?They couldn?t find anyone so I said, ?Okay let?s go pigeons? Let?s play cards.? That?s how it started everything.? Spacek continues to use the pet name for his teammates and has affectionately been referred to as ?Pigeon? ever since. But it was Williams who decided to take the nickname to the next level by ordering a bird on Ebay last week, beginning the unusual tradition for the bargain price of $9.99. ?It flew in all the way from California,? Williams said. ?Original feathers and everything.? The team still has to make a few adjustments to the rules. ?It?s a group decision,? Mair said regarding who determines the winner each game. ?It?s usually pretty obvious who wins it, but if there?s a discrepancy, it?s the equipment staff and the training staff who decides? or maybe it's the previous pigeon.? ?It?s a work in progress," Assistant Equipment Manager George Babcock retorted. The bird will continue to be awarded after each game, and placed in the locker room stall of the winner. According to Spacek, the team is keeping tally of the winners and whoever receives the most ?pigeons of the game? at the end of the season will keep the stuffed animal for the summer ?Last year we had the tomahawk in Chicago,? Lalime said, who spent 2007-08 with the Blackhawks before signing with Buffalo as a free agent this summer. ?You always have something to make it interesting and have some fun with it as well. ?It?s a fun thing that we do and it really shows the character we have in here,? Peters said. ?We?re a bunch of 25 goofballs that just love to play hockey.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two or less Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 I vote Ryan Miller for Pigeon of the game for last night. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 As long as they don't have a chicken head of the game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Is it possible to get some pigeon #%^$#! on the slug attached to the bird? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 I love seeing stuff like this. They need to enjoy the game and it's a sure sign that they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_otto Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 I think it would be kind of cool if the players could put something on their helmets like some teams do/did in college football. Like whoever earns the pigeon, first star, etc could add a small crossed swords decal to the helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drulloch Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Very nice to see the players having FUN....been a while for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 i missed this until just now - i like it a lot. i also love the idea of pigeon decals being added to players' helmets - classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted October 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 i missed this until just now - i like it a lot. i also love the idea of pigeon decals being added to players' helmets - classic. it could be stickers of poop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisky Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 You could have stickers that look like bird poop so it looks like you just got dive-bombed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodfella25 Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Spacek saying "OK, let's go pigeons" is one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. Just because it's Spacek with his funny accent. This is great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted October 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Spacek saying "OK, let's go pigeons" is one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. Just because it's Spacek with his funny accent. This is great stuff. Spach talking is one of the best things ever. I cross my fingers every game that they interview him, because it's always priceless. "jaaa well i joost took uh da puck and pass uh to roy an den pommers pass to me and uh i shoot and it go in de net. vaz good shot i guess." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetweenThePipes00 Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Spach talking is one of the best things ever. I cross my fingers every game that they interview him, because it's always priceless. "jaaa well i joost took uh da puck and pass uh to roy an den pommers pass to me and uh i shoot and it go in de net. vaz good shot i guess." :D perfect! That was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobody Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Spach talking is one of the best things ever. I cross my fingers every game that they interview him, because it's always priceless. "jaaa well i joost took uh da puck and pass uh to roy an den pommers pass to me and uh i shoot and it go in de net. vaz good shot i guess." :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I'm guessing Roy got the Pigeon last night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodfella25 Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Spach talking is one of the best things ever. I cross my fingers every game that they interview him, because it's always priceless. "jaaa well i joost took uh da puck and pass uh to roy an den pommers pass to me and uh i shoot and it go in de net. vaz good shot i guess." Haha that's pretty much a flawless transcript of a Spacek interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnabov Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Spach talking is one of the best things ever. I cross my fingers every game that they interview him, because it's always priceless. "jaaa well i joost took uh da puck and pass uh to roy an den pommers pass to me and uh i shoot and it go in de net. vaz good shot i guess." You are totally fluent in Jarospeak - perfect!!! I always call for my wife to come listen when he's being interviewed (isn't it funny he seems to get more ice level camera time than anyone else). Spacek's insightful delivery and the Sabres brilliant play is finally winning her over as a hockey fan - good thing seeing as we're coming up on our 10th anniversary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Farcey Tucker Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 As long as they don't have a chicken head of the game... Hell, I'm glad it ain't a turtle head... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Hell, I'm glad it ain't a turtle head... That would be schitty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Farcey Tucker Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 That would be schitty... :w00t: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Spacek saying "OK, let's go pigeons" is one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. Just because it's Spacek with his funny accent. This is great stuff. Actually, because Spach is one of my favorite Sabres (and has been since before he was a Sabre) and my older one calls the Pens the Pigeons as derogatorially as an 11 year old can get; I think that is truly classic. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdexchange Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Spacek's insightful delivery and the Sabres brilliant play is finally winning her over as a hockey fan - good thing seeing as we're coming up on our 10th anniversary! It took my wife almost a decade as well...now she's a pretty hardcore fan. :wub: Keep at her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Spach talking is one of the best things ever. I cross my fingers every game that they interview him, because it's always priceless. "jaaa well i joost took uh da puck and pass uh to roy an den pommers pass to me and uh i shoot and it go in de net. vaz good shot i guess." Nice impression and I couldn't agree more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 i think this guy wound up in the wrong hockey barn, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohiofan Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 HaHa! Nice find Aud Smell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 i think this guy wound up in the wrong hockey barn, no? That's a good omen for tomorrows game. It is tomorrow, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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