Warriorspikes51 Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Since the lockout, the Pens, Hawks and Bruins have all WON THE CUP after starting the season in Europe. This will be a great experience for our team especially the younger players. I don't think the experiences over there can be underestimated. It will most certainly create a more family like team with the time to bond together. With some new key players coming in, this should help ease the chemistry issues. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 And if I remember correctly, half the teams that started in Europe didn't make the playoffs. Either way, correlation does not equal causation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warriorspikes51 Posted August 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 And if I remember correctly, half the teams that started in Europe didn't make the playoffs. Either way, correlation does not equal causation. Clearly, talented teams have been helped by the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Clearly, talented teams have been helped by the trip. Clearly. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Crotch Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Anyone here planning on going to either of the games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunomatic Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Were the teams that played in Europe and won the cup simply picked because they were teams that were considered 'close' to challenging for the cup? I doubt they would send the New York Islanders or Atlanta or Phoenix. They send teams to europe that are marketable.i.e, talented teams moving in the right direction . If they then go on to win the cup I doubt it was because of the fact they played 1 or 2 games in Europe. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Were the teams that played in Europe and won the cup simply picked because they were teams that were considered 'close' to challenging for the cup? I doubt they would send the New York Islanders or Atlanta or Phoenix. They send teams to europe that are marketable.i.e, talented teams moving in the right direction . If they then go on to win the cup I doubt it was because of the fact they played 1 or 2 games in Europe. Just my opinion. No. Clearly the road trip helped those teams. :rolleyes: Sarcasm aside, I'm inclined to accept your premise. Teams selected to go oversees are the teams that the league wants to market. And the league is going to market teams that they think are going to win and be successful on the ice, consequently the better teams (the ones most likely to go deep in the playoffs) are going to be among those going overseas. The fact that Buffalo was selected tells me that the league is thinking Buffalo is going to become a franchise they can sell to new "customers". Well, that or Terry Pegula's money has influence in league decisions. And I'd be OK with that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 No. Clearly the road trip helped those teams. :rolleyes: Sarcasm aside, I'm inclined to accept your premise. Teams selected to go oversees are the teams that the league wants to market. And the league is going to market teams that they think are going to win and be successful on the ice, consequently the better teams (the ones most likely to go deep in the playoffs) are going to be among those going overseas. The fact that Buffalo was selected tells me that the league is thinking Buffalo is going to become a franchise they can sell to new "customers". Well, that or Terry Pegula's money has influence in league decisions. And I'd be OK with that too. Can you say WINTER CLASSIC next year??? B-) B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobody Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 No. Clearly the road trip helped those teams. :rolleyes: Sarcasm aside, I'm inclined to accept your premise. Teams selected to go oversees are the teams that the league wants to market. And the league is going to market teams that they think are going to win and be successful on the ice, consequently the better teams (the ones most likely to go deep in the playoffs) are going to be among those going overseas. The fact that Buffalo was selected tells me that the league is thinking Buffalo is going to become a franchise they can sell to new "customers". Well, that or Terry Pegula's money has influence in league decisions. And I'd be OK with that too. But why would they want to market that half that doesn't make the playoffs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobody Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Since the lockout, the Pens, Hawks and Bruins have all WON THE CUP after starting the season in Europe. This will be a great experience for our team especially the younger players. I don't think the experiences over there can be underestimated. It will most certainly create a more family like team with the time to bond together. With some new key players coming in, this should help ease the chemistry issues. Thoughts? Should we be worried that it has gone East, West, East? Maybe the Sabres needed to wait until next year to go to Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastPommerFan Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 History Aside, I think this trip is perfect for this team. There are 3 significant new pieces on the team (Ehrhoff, Regher, Leino) and some pieces that didn't play much of the season with the team last year (Boyes, Gerbe, Roy, Grags) so a LOT of team focus and "gelling" needs to occur. Coaches like away games because they strip out the distractions. This is like that theory on steroids. Lots of training time and games, both exhibition and regular season, and everyone returns to the same hotel each night. Then a week off to analyze and regroup before a game against one of our favorite rivals. There are the obvious additional strains of travel, but I like this type of start for this "new" team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Can you say WINTER CLASSIC next year??? B-) B-) Highly unlikely Fletch. The Sabres aren't going to get back into the WC for years, if ever. History Aside, I think this trip is perfect for this team. There are 3 significant new pieces on the team (Ehrhoff, Regher, Leino) and some pieces that didn't play much of the season with the team last year (Boyes, Gerbe, Roy, Grags) so a LOT of team focus and "gelling" needs to occur. Coaches like away games because they strip out the distractions. This is like that theory on steroids. Lots of training time and games, both exhibition and regular season, and everyone returns to the same hotel each night. Then a week off to analyze and regroup before a game against one of our favorite rivals. There are the obvious additional strains of travel, but I like this type of start for this "new" team. I agree with this and the general premise that this trip ought to be very good for this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Highly unlikely Fletch. The Sabres aren't going to get back into the WC for years, if ever. I was really just joking.. but I really wouldn't be surprised to see Buffalo in a Winter Classic in a few years. The Leafs just have to get better so they can do a Buffalo/Toronto game B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korab rules Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Highly unlikely Fletch. The Sabres aren't going to get back into the WC for years, if ever. Why? With all Pegula's dollars and free spending ways, I fully expect Buffalo to be one of Bettman's darling franchises. Especially since he was "instrumental" in keeping the team here for us all to enjoy. I will be disappointed if we aren't back in (not necessarily as host) in the next three years. Pittsburgh has gotten back in already - why not us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RazielSabre Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I think it doesnt change our chances at all, makes a nice change though. I think it's more important for the markets their going to, but it should help the team gel, quite a few new faces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Why? With all Pegula's dollars and free spending ways, I fully expect Buffalo to be one of Bettman's darling franchises. Especially since he was "instrumental" in keeping the team here for us all to enjoy. I will be disappointed if we aren't back in (not necessarily as host) in the next three years. Pittsburgh has gotten back in already - why not us? I'm in agreement with this sentiment. We've got the biggest name in Amrican born players, an owner that's willing to spend money to make an impact, and a couple of the biggest names that moved in the FA period. If this team gets back among the top teams in the league I expect that we'll be one of the "darling franchises" and get all of the marketing associated with it, including the Winter Classic. I could see Buffalo hosting the game in, say 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I was really just joking.. but I really wouldn't be surprised to see Buffalo in a Winter Classic in a few years. The Leafs just have to get better so they can do a Buffalo/Toronto game B-) Why? With all Pegula's dollars and free spending ways, I fully expect Buffalo to be one of Bettman's darling franchises. Especially since he was "instrumental" in keeping the team here for us all to enjoy. I will be disappointed if we aren't back in (not necessarily as host) in the next three years. Pittsburgh has gotten back in already - why not us? I'm in agreement with this sentiment. We've got the biggest name in Amrican born players, an owner that's willing to spend money to make an impact, and a couple of the biggest names that moved in the FA period. If this team gets back among the top teams in the league I expect that we'll be one of the "darling franchises" and get all of the marketing associated with it, including the Winter Classic. I could see Buffalo hosting the game in, say 5 years. The WC is all about TV ratings. Buffalo gets great hockey ratings on a percentage basis, but not on a total # of homes basis because the market is small. The NHL wants to maximize the national ratings, so it is going to have national-appeal teams or teams from big markets like NY, Boston, Philly, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, etc. Canadian cities don't contribute to US TV ratings, so a Canadian team won't be part of it. Pittsburgh is in because they have Crosby (hopefully), which gives them national appeal (although the Miller point is a fair one in this regard). If the Sabres re-establish themselves as a final 4 team every year (yeah!), with Miller as a major star? I could see them getting back in. But I'd expect to see LA (or Phoenix, if they remain a playoff team) vs. Chicago before the Sabres get back in. It's an uphill battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Amerk Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Anyone who has been a part of a sports road trip (or even just a family/friends road trip) knows how much of a great bonding experience it can be. This will be an excellent opportunity for the players to bond and familiarize themselves with each other, and hopefully come back with a family-type of attitude, and determined and committed to making a deep run all season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerme1 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Highly unlikely Fletch. The Sabres aren't going to get back into the WC for years, if ever. While I don't think we will get it again for a number of years it will be solely due to the amount of teams that want it. Why wouldn't the league want to come back here for it? We provided the ultimate atmosphere for it. The snow globe effect, the number of people, the tailgating etc. We started the tradition evidently and nobody has quite lived up to it yet imo. I'm guessing about 5 years should our time again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I was really just joking.. but I really wouldn't be surprised to see Buffalo in a Winter Classic in a few years. The Leafs just have to get better so they can do a Buffalo/Toronto game B-) we could set the game up on lake erie now talk about cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Amerk Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 we could set the game up on lake erie now talk about cool A professionally played pond hockey game? That would DEFINATELY be awesome! We will never see that happen though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cereal Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 The WC is all about TV ratings. Buffalo gets great hockey ratings on a percentage basis, but not on a total # of homes basis because the market is small. The NHL wants to maximize the national ratings, so it is going to have national-appeal teams or teams from big markets like NY, Boston, Philly, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, etc. Canadian cities don't contribute to US TV ratings, so a Canadian team won't be part of it. Was going to say the same thing. No Canadian cities will be involved with the Winter Classic, unless maybe one of the Ontario teams had an American-born Crosby-type player, who has achieved Winter Olympic-type fame. Closest player like this right now, honestly, is Miller....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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