Do you know Ruff's System

[Weave]

I don't think Ruff hates toughness, but I do think he coaches it out of his players. But not overtly. We all know that he expects his players to be in position at all times. And we all have seen how quickly Ruff punishes most players for not being where they are supposed to be, especially players that are new to the organization. And I think it affects some (most?) of the players by making them question whether it is OK to finish a check hard, or pause to take a shot, or answer a challenge. And consequently our players learn that challenges can and usually should go unasnswered and finishing checks means being late to get back into position and noone wants to sit the last 7 minutes of a period.........

 

It seems to me that teams like Boston and Philly have a sort of organic feel to their responses to on ice events. They seem to have a defacto green light to take care of business and perform a little intimidation at times. I haven't had the sense that Buffalo players have a similar green light in a very long time. It seems like the coach has to expressly notify them that the green light window is open. Kaleta seems to have been an exception. Is it because Lindy gave him an exception or is it because he is the only one on the team with the personality to do it? I don't know, and it is a rhetorical question anyway. The one big red flag I have is Paul Gaustad. I definitely recall a TBN article a few seasons ago that explained that Lindy did in fact work to change Goose, had him lose 15-20 lbs and try to make him more of a skater and less of a banger. Given the look of our lineup at the time he was converting the only muscle we had into a taller Joken Hecht. Admittedly, it could have been for other reasons than what I am speculatiing about.

 

That is my take on it anyway.

[TrueBlueGED]

Whatever system we use, when we play Boston, it should not involve allowing shots from the point when Chara is on the ice.

 

I disagree...forcing certain players to block his shots would be a good way to get rid of them for awhile :P

[TrueBlueGED]

I don't think Ruff hates toughness, but I do think he coaches it out of his players. But not overtly. We all know that he expects his players to be in position at all times. And we all have seen how quickly Ruff punishes most players for not being where they are supposed to be, especially players that are new to the organization. And I think it affects some (most?) of the players by making them question whether it is OK to finish a check hard, or pause to take a shot, or answer a challenge. And consequently our players learn that challenges can and usually should go unasnswered and finishing checks means being late to get back into position and noone wants to sit the last 7 minutes of a period.........

 

It seems to me that teams like Boston and Philly have a sort of organic feel to their responses to on ice events. They seem to have a defacto green light to take care of business and perform a little intimidation at times. I haven't had the sense that Buffalo players have a similar green light in a very long time. It seems like the coach has to expressly notify them that the green light window is open. Kaleta seems to have been an exception. Is it because Lindy gave him an exception or is it because he is the only one on the team with the personality to do it? I don't know, and it is a rhetorical question anyway. The one big red flag I have is Paul Gaustad. I definitely recall a TBN article a few seasons ago that explained that Lindy did in fact work to change Goose, had him lose 15-20 lbs and try to make him more of a skater and less of a banger. Given the look of our lineup at the time he was converting the only muscle we had into a taller Joken Hecht. Admittedly, it could have been for other reasons than what I am speculatiing about.

 

That is my take on it anyway.

 

That's a perfectly reasonable take on things. I certainly think Ruff values other things in hockey players above hitting/toughness, I just get annoyed when it's suggested he hates toughness and punishes players for hitting. Placing such a high value on positioning may affect some of the young guys causing them to second-guess their instincts, and he should have a longer rope with them...but if a veteran can't figure out where to pick his spots on positioning vs. hitting, it says way more about the player than Ruff.

[Eleven]

For the relatively recently-joined posters: DeLuca & I don't hate each other. It's simply necessary for us to argue about Ruff once in a while. The existence of the universe depends on the stability provided by the opposing forces.

 

Anyway, back to whether Regier is looking to deal and the ever-growing voices of the crickets...

[SwampD]

For the relatively recently-joined posters: DeLuca & I don't hate each other. It's simply necessary for us to argue about Ruff once in a while. The existence of the universe depends on the stability provided by the opposing forces.

 

Anyway, back to whether Regier is looking to deal and the ever-growing voices of the crickets...

Here is the only thought on Ruff I have left. In 30 years, Scotty Bowman had 28 playoff appearances and 9 SCs with 5 different teams. He would not have been as successful had he stayed with one team the entire time.

[deluca67]

For the relatively recently-joined posters: DeLuca & I don't hate each other. It's simply necessary for us to argue about Ruff once in a while. The existence of the universe depends on the stability provided by the opposing forces.

 

Anyway, back to whether Regier is looking to deal and the ever-growing voices of the crickets...

Agreed on both accounts.

 

I have come to have zero expectations of Team Pegula. Until they prove otherwise I expect them to do nothing more than a token gesture of a move.

 

I read Ted Black's quotes in the Buffalo News, for some reason when I read what Ted Black says in my mind it's in the voice of Larry Quinn.

 

Here is the only thought on Ruff I have left. In 30 years, Scotty Bowman had 28 playoff appearances and 9 SCs with 5 different teams. He would not have been as successful had he stayed with one team the entire time.

One more thought on Ruff. Ruff has been here for 15 years, his greatest success was 12 years ago.

[Eleven]

Agreed on both accounts.

 

I have come to have zero expectations of Team Pegula. Until they prove otherwise I expect them to do nothing more than a token gesture of a move.

 

I read Ted Black's quotes in the Buffalo News, for some reason when I read what Ted Black says in my mind it's in the voice of Larry Quinn.

 

 

One more thought on Ruff. Ruff has been here for 15 years, his greatest success was 12 years ago.

 

Dude, I moved the Ruff stuff (well, at least Swamp's swampy comment) to the Ruff thread...

 

(And I know I'm the jerk who took your qoute, extrapolated the Ruff part, and went with it in this thread. Not your fault at all.)

[X. Benedict]

Gaustad was most physical playing 4th line wing on a team loaded with 7 other potential centers.....Connolly, Roy, Drury, Briere, Mair, Hecht, and Novotny. Nothing was coached out of him. He just returned to center and was added to the PK.

 

This should not surprise anyone that watches hockey for about umpteen different reasons.

 

Ruff doesn't like toughness? Just silly IMO. All coaches want a tough team just like they want a fast team and a disciplined team.

 

As far as I would like to think, Kassian won't be moving to center. He'll have the corners.

[Iron Crotch]

Gaustad was most physical playing 4th line wing on a team loaded with 7 other potential centers.....Connolly, Roy, Drury, Briere, Mair, Hecht, and Novotny. Nothing was coached out of him. He just returned to center and was added to the PK.

 

This should not surprise anyone that watches hockey for about umpteen different reasons.

 

Ruff doesn't like toughness? Just silly IMO. All coaches want a tough team just like they want a fast team and a disciplined team.

 

As far as I would like to think, Kassian won't be moving to center. He'll have the corners.

 

Interesting, of course, that Connolly, Drury, Briere, Mair and Novotny are no longer here and both Goose and Hecht are likely on their way out as pending UFAs... plus Roy is the one everyone would like to see traded. Could Darcy be so incompetent that he doesn't realize the team is in spectacular need of natural centers?

[TheChimp]

I think Ruff coaches his players to remain in position and he teaches them that finishing checks put them out of position. Period. His players get this "system" beat down their throats that preaches discipline and positioning, and we see players who come in rough around the edges trying to become more sound technically, and the problem with that is that they lose their instincts that GOT them to this level. Ruff basically tries tore-make everyone he ever coaches, and with a select few finesse types, it does good things to their game, making them more responsible defensively, if they buy in. But too often, with the role player types, they start trying to learn Ruff's system of positioning and better defensive play and they totally stop hitting because they are obviously told that they just blew their position by doing so. We've seen guys like Peters, Kaleta, and a few others actually praise coach Ruff for teaching them how to refine their game, and amazingly even they don't seem to notice that he took what was their only real value as a player and tossed it in the toilet in order to try to be something they are not. His system is too cookie cutter for the role players to succeed with and we've seen it year after agonizing year. The tough guys are obviously being told to focus on things that they never before thought of focusing on and they stop looking like the guys that came here, and only a blind person doesn't see this.

 

So, you can keep parroting this admonishment for those who say erroneously that Ruff "hates" toughness all you want. It does not change the fact that the guys who come here with skill sets that involve really not much more than toughness and ability to grind in the corners and put bruises on the other team's players eventually do less and less of that under coach Lindy Ruff, and they end up looking like shells of themselves most of the time.

 

Dude's system is too cerebral, if you want it in a nutshell, and alot of his players are simply playing in their heads too often to do what got them here. That's a bad system.

[apuszczalowski]

I think Ruff coaches his players to remain in position and he teaches them that finishing checks put them out of position. Period. His players get this "system" beat down their throats that preaches discipline and positioning, and we see players who come in rough around the edges trying to become more sound technically, and the problem with that is that they lose their instincts that GOT them to this level. Ruff basically tries tore-make everyone he ever coaches, and with a select few finesse types, it does good things to their game, making them more responsible defensively, if they buy in. But too often, with the role player types, they start trying to learn Ruff's system of positioning and better defensive play and they totally stop hitting because they are obviously told that they just blew their position by doing so. We've seen guys like Peters, Kaleta, and a few others actually praise coach Ruff for teaching them how to refine their game, and amazingly even they don't seem to notice that he took what was their only real value as a player and tossed it in the toilet in order to try to be something they are not. His system is too cookie cutter for the role players to succeed with and we've seen it year after agonizing year. The tough guys are obviously being told to focus on things that they never before thought of focusing on and they stop looking like the guys that came here, and only a blind person doesn't see this.

 

So, you can keep parroting this admonishment for those who say erroneously that Ruff "hates" toughness all you want. It does not change the fact that the guys who come here with skill sets that involve really not much more than toughness and ability to grind in the corners and put bruises on the other team's players eventually do less and less of that under coach Lindy Ruff, and they end up looking like shells of themselves most of the time.

 

Dude's system is too cerebral, if you want it in a nutshell, and alot of his players are simply playing in their heads too often to do what got them here. That's a bad system.

Ruff should definitly be fired for trying to make Hockey players out of guys who specialize in playing a position (Enforcer/grinder) that the league is/was trying to push out of the game. Doesn't he know that fans like seeing hits? Who needs to score goals when you can go out and out hit the other team!

 

Kaleta has no real choice but to try and become a real NHL hockey player, cause he now is known as having a reputation, and the league is watching him very closely, anything close to being slightly questionable is going to get called and probably lead to a suspension. Kassian has a similar reputation in the minors right now. Maybe these guys would like to prolong their careers by trying to become more complete players without being suspended every few weeks because they threw a hit that may be viewed as questionable? Nah, gotta be Lindy just coaching the toughness out of them because he has never believed in toughness in hockey

[Koomkie]

I think Ruff coaches his players to remain in position and he teaches them that finishing checks put them out of position. Period. His players get this "system" beat down their throats that preaches discipline and positioning, and we see players who come in rough around the edges trying to become more sound technically, and the problem with that is that they lose their instincts that GOT them to this level. Ruff basically tries tore-make everyone he ever coaches, and with a select few finesse types, it does good things to their game, making them more responsible defensively, if they buy in. But too often, with the role player types, they start trying to learn Ruff's system of positioning and better defensive play and they totally stop hitting because they are obviously told that they just blew their position by doing so. We've seen guys like Peters, Kaleta, and a few others actually praise coach Ruff for teaching them how to refine their game, and amazingly even they don't seem to notice that he took what was their only real value as a player and tossed it in the toilet in order to try to be something they are not. His system is too cookie cutter for the role players to succeed with and we've seen it year after agonizing year. The tough guys are obviously being told to focus on things that they never before thought of focusing on and they stop looking like the guys that came here, and only a blind person doesn't see this.

 

So, you can keep parroting this admonishment for those who say erroneously that Ruff "hates" toughness all you want. It does not change the fact that the guys who come here with skill sets that involve really not much more than toughness and ability to grind in the corners and put bruises on the other team's players eventually do less and less of that under coach Lindy Ruff, and they end up looking like shells of themselves most of the time.

 

Dude's system is too cerebral, if you want it in a nutshell, and alot of his players are simply playing in their heads too often to do what got them here. That's a bad system.

:worthy: i agree with this statement.

[nfreeman]

I think Ruff coaches his players to remain in position and he teaches them that finishing checks put them out of position. Period. His players get this "system" beat down their throats that preaches discipline and positioning, and we see players who come in rough around the edges trying to become more sound technically, and the problem with that is that they lose their instincts that GOT them to this level. Ruff basically tries tore-make everyone he ever coaches, and with a select few finesse types, it does good things to their game, making them more responsible defensively, if they buy in. But too often, with the role player types, they start trying to learn Ruff's system of positioning and better defensive play and they totally stop hitting because they are obviously told that they just blew their position by doing so. We've seen guys like Peters, Kaleta, and a few others actually praise coach Ruff for teaching them how to refine their game, and amazingly even they don't seem to notice that he took what was their only real value as a player and tossed it in the toilet in order to try to be something they are not. His system is too cookie cutter for the role players to succeed with and we've seen it year after agonizing year. The tough guys are obviously being told to focus on things that they never before thought of focusing on and they stop looking like the guys that came here, and only a blind person doesn't see this.

 

So, you can keep parroting this admonishment for those who say erroneously that Ruff "hates" toughness all you want. It does not change the fact that the guys who come here with skill sets that involve really not much more than toughness and ability to grind in the corners and put bruises on the other team's players eventually do less and less of that under coach Lindy Ruff, and they end up looking like shells of themselves most of the time.

 

Dude's system is too cerebral, if you want it in a nutshell, and alot of his players are simply playing in their heads too often to do what got them here. That's a bad system.

 

Repeating a meme over and over doesn't prove it. Neither does calling it "obvious," nor calling someone who disagrees with you "blind" -- especially when the allegedly blind people have demonstrated here over a lengthy period that they are actually pretty astute hockey observers.

 

And your examples don't support your position. How, exactly, did Peters' game change? He was the same designated fighter at the end of his time with the Sabres that he was when he joined. And while Kaleta may have added a bit more to his game, he's still primarily a hitter and agitator. Any brakes on his hitting have come from the refs and the NHL, not Lindy.

[SwampD]

Ruff should definitly be fired for trying to make Hockey players out of guys who specialize in playing a position (Enforcer/grinder) that the league is/was trying to push out of the game. Doesn't he know that fans like seeing hits? Who needs to score goals when you can go out and out hit the other team!

 

Kaleta has no real choice but to try and become a real NHL hockey player, cause he now is known as having a reputation, and the league is watching him very closely, anything close to being slightly questionable is going to get called and probably lead to a suspension. Kassian has a similar reputation in the minors right now. Maybe these guys would like to prolong their careers by trying to become more complete players without being suspended every few weeks because they threw a hit that may be viewed as questionable? Nah, gotta be Lindy just coaching the toughness out of them because he has never believed in toughness in hockey

So,.. where's that scoring you're talking about?

[Koomkie]

Ruff should definitly be fired for trying to make Hockey players out of guys who specialize in playing a position (Enforcer/grinder) that the league is/was trying to push out of the game. Doesn't he know that fans like seeing hits? Who needs to score goals when you can go out and out hit the other team!

 

Kaleta has no real choice but to try and become a real NHL hockey player, cause he now is known as having a reputation, and the league is watching him very closely, anything close to being slightly questionable is going to get called and probably lead to a suspension. Kassian has a similar reputation in the minors right now. Maybe these guys would like to prolong their careers by trying to become more complete players without being suspended every few weeks because they threw a hit that may be viewed as questionable? Nah, gotta be Lindy just coaching the toughness out of them because he has never believed in toughness in hockey

this is a joke right?

Hitting isnt here just for fans, hitting is a huge part of the game. the sabres, in my opinion, are a FAR better team when Pat Kaleta is on HIS game. the team has spark. how could anyone want to get rid of the enforcers and grinders? we want to get rid of the hardest working players and the guys that stick up for your finesse players? i can understand getting rid of cheap shot artists and a** clowns, but there is a HUGE difference. and an NHL without the strong work ethic and hunger/passion for a "W" is not a NHL i will ever watch. and if the league goes that way completely, they will have lost a fan for sure.

go sabres.

[nfreeman]

hasn't pat kaleta said many times that lindy has taught him to choose wisely when to hit, so he doesn't take himself out of the play/ out of postion?

which is fine advice, except if he is giving it to guys that don't check normally, who may take it as a free pass to say they didnt want to be out of position?

i feel like you can't deny when we play a bigger hitting team (bruins) that our hits are way higher than on any other given day. i don't think that players have a switch that clicks in their head to go out and hit more, i think they are told, as part of that specific game plan, to go out and hit a lot to show that team that they are not going to stand for it. and you can see as the game goes on that our hitting decreases.

and was it torres that said lindys system was too complicated to learn or something along those lines? if you want me to try and find quotes i will look, but i feel as thought that was something that was discussed heavily when he arrived out of shape, and played like crap (barely hitting anyone)

 

For the first bolded part -- I would expect that Lindy coaches guys like Kaleta differently from how he coaches guys like Stafford. Kaleta's instinct was to take big runs at everyone, all the time. It was logical to coach him to pick his spots. It's also probably easier to get a guy like Kaleta to tone it down than it is to get a different guy, who doesn't instinctively play a physical game, to crank up the hitting.

 

As for how the team hits/responds -- I think they tend to be reactive to the other team's level of physicality. For the first 6 games of the playoff series vs the Flyers last year, they were just as physical as Philly was. When they play a team like the Habs, though, they don't initiate battles and try to out-hit the opponent.

 

As for Torres -- Lindy's system being too complicated and Torres not hitting are 2 different things. In fact, I thought Torres laid out plenty of kill shots during his time with the Sabres. He's a borderline dirty player and I didn't think that changed while he was here. He wasn't effective because, as you noted, he was out of shape and couldn't learn the system -- but the system isn't "don't hit and get caught out of position" -- it's a system of positioning and passing.

[X. Benedict]

hasn't pat kaleta said many times that lindy has taught him to choose wisely when to hit, so he doesn't take himself out of the play/ out of postion?

which is fine advice, except if he is giving it to guys that don't check normally, who may take it as a free pass to say they didnt want to be out of position?

 

 

Ruff clearly expects Kaleta to hit and play his game. Ruff commented recently that it is the officials that are taking away even Kaleta's clean hits.

 

There is more going on than coaching sometimes.

[TheChimp]

Ruff should definitly be fired for trying to make Hockey players out of guys who specialize in playing a position (Enforcer/grinder) that the league is/was trying to push out of the game. Doesn't he know that fans like seeing hits? Who needs to score goals when you can go out and out hit the other team!

 

Kaleta has no real choice but to try and become a real NHL hockey player, cause he now is known as having a reputation, and the league is watching him very closely, anything close to being slightly questionable is going to get called and probably lead to a suspension. Kassian has a similar reputation in the minors right now. Maybe these guys would like to prolong their careers by trying to become more complete players without being suspended every few weeks because they threw a hit that may be viewed as questionable? Nah, gotta be Lindy just coaching the toughness out of them because he has never believed in toughness in hockey

Hmm, no I guess he should be fired for picking players that, as you put it, have no value just to make them his little project. You wanna put words in my mouth? Awesome. Let's play that child's game.

 

Repeating a meme over and over doesn't prove it. Neither does calling it "obvious," nor calling someone who disagrees with you "blind" -- especially when the allegedly blind people have demonstrated here over a lengthy period that they are actually pretty astute hockey observers.

 

And your examples don't support your position. How, exactly, did Peters' game change? He was the same designated fighter at the end of his time with the Sabres that he was when he joined. And while Kaleta may have added a bit more to his game, he's still primarily a hitter and agitator. Any brakes on his hitting have come from the refs and the NHL, not Lindy.

I only used the two examples of players who openly praised Lindy for teaching them how to be more complete players, when all he did was lessen the amount of times they played tough and we got to see them as shells of their original selves. There are plenty of other players who have come here throwing their weight around though, and we've seen them soften up, while simultaneously looking more and more confused out there, and in their post-game pressers lamenting how they just need to play Lindy's "system", and the team continues to get worse and worse.

 

Hey agree with me or not, I'm nowhere the only person who sees it this way so I'll be happy about that I guess.

[TrueBlueGED]

 

I only used the two examples of players who openly praised Lindy for teaching them how to be more complete players, when all he did was lessen the amount of times they played tough and we got to see them as shells of their original selves. There are plenty of other players who have come here throwing their weight around though, and we've seen them soften up, while simultaneously looking more and more confused out there, and in their post-game pressers lamenting how they just need to play Lindy's "system", and the team continues to get worse and worse.

 

Hey agree with me or not, I'm nowhere the only person who sees it this way so I'll be happy about that I guess.

 

I guess my question would be: when is it preferable to care more about positioning than going for the big hit? Is the big hit always more important than position? Guys like Shea Weber often go games without being credited with a hit, or only 1. Does this make them soft, or simply that they know how to pick their spots? I love when McNabb lays guys out at the blue line, but there is a trade-off when it leads to odd man rushes and great scoring opportunities. I don't think players should never go for a big hit, but I think it's important for them to be able to read the play properly and know whether the hit is the best option. To me, only going for hits is no better than never going for hits, both are negative even if the outcomes are different kinds of negatives.

[nfreeman]

I only used the two examples of players who openly praised Lindy for teaching them how to be more complete players, when all he did was lessen the amount of times they played tough and we got to see them as shells of their original selves. There are plenty of other players who have come here throwing their weight around though, and we've seen them soften up, while simultaneously looking more and more confused out there, and in their post-game pressers lamenting how they just need to play Lindy's "system", and the team continues to get worse and worse.

 

Hey agree with me or not, I'm nowhere the only person who sees it this way so I'll be happy about that I guess.

 

Again -- repeating it doesn't make it true. It wasn't remotely true with Peters -- if it were, he wouldn't have gotten a 2-year deal from NJ. And Kaleta still lays out plenty of big hits. As for Gaustad, although he's been a huge disappointment this year, he played a very physical playoff series vs Philly last year and if nothing else showed up (a day late and a dollar short, to be sure) in the rematch vs Boston this year.

 

Who exactly is on this roster that you think is a naturally more physical player but has had it "coached out of him" by Lindy? Vanek? Pommer? Stafford? Sekera? Roy?

 

I don't disagree that there is a softness problem with the roster. And it's certainly reasonable to hold Lindy accountable for the team's disgraceful performance this year. But blaming Lindy for the lack of guts on this team is silly.

[TheChimp]

Hmmm. No, I'm not advocating the team do nothing but hit. I'm merely stating that it is my personal observation that as the team consistently gets less and less physical and emotional, to the point where they literally ignore their goalie getting a concussion by a purposeful elbow by a guy that probably should have already been a hated rival, I see them simultaneously worrying more and more about their inability to play Ruff's "system".

 

I guess I was just seeing a link between the two trends and blurted it out, is all. No offense meant to you all. Please, carry on being astute. :D

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I guess my question would be: when is it preferable to care more about positioning than going for the big hit? Is the big hit always more important than position? Guys like Shea Weber often go games without being credited with a hit, or only 1. Does this make them soft, or simply that they know how to pick their spots? I love when McNabb lays guys out at the blue line, but there is a trade-off when it leads to odd man rushes and great scoring opportunities. I don't think players should never go for a big hit, but I think it's important for them to be able to read the play properly and know whether the hit is the best option. To me, only going for hits is no better than never going for hits, both are negative even if the outcomes are different kinds of negatives.

 

Shea Weber 46 Games 102 Hits

 

Myers, Ehrhoff, Leopold, Gragnani, Sekera .....5 of top 6 defensemen.......... 197 Games 131 Hits

 

 

Ryan Callahan 47 Games 171 Hits

 

Vanek, Pominville, Roy, Stafford, Hecht, Ennis, Lieno, Boyes, Adam.......your top 9 forwards...... 353 Games 197 Hits

 

 

I see what I see......I know what I know......People tell me what they tell me.......

[nfreeman]

Hmmm. No, I'm not advocating the team do nothing but hit. I'm merely stating that it is my personal observation that as the team consistently gets less and less physical and emotional, to the point where they literally ignore their goalie getting a concussion by a purposeful elbow by a guy that probably should have already been a hated rival, I see them simultaneously worrying more and more about their inability to play Ruff's "system".

 

I guess I was just seeing a link between the two trends and blurted it out, is all. No offense meant to you all. Please, carry on being astute. :D

 

Forgive me for interrupting your free association self-pleasuring session.

 

If you'd care to leaven it with a few facts, please feel free to provide a link or really anything to support your "theory" that Lindy cares more about them playing the system than defending their teammates.

 

Otherwise, just keep blabbering on.

[TheChimp]

Forgive me for interrupting your free association self-pleasuring session.

 

If you'd care to leaven it with a few facts, please feel free to provide a link or really anything to support your "theory" that they are more worried about playing the system than defending their teammates.

 

Otherwise, just keep blabbering on.

You got it. Won't change the fact that your favorite coach blows dead donkeys. Sorry.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Hmmm. No, I'm not advocating the team do nothing but hit. I'm merely stating that it is my personal observation that as the team consistently gets less and less physical and emotional, to the point where they literally ignore their goalie getting a concussion by a purposeful elbow by a guy that probably should have already been a hated rival, I see them simultaneously worrying more and more about their inability to play Ruff's "system".

 

I guess I was just seeing a link between the two trends and blurted it out, is all. No offense meant to you all. Please, carry on being astute. :D

 

It's no use.

 

If people find the Sabres play and management acceptable and/or entertaining...and want to spend their money on the product...that is their right.

 

If people don't have a conflict of interest and honestly can't see the passive upbringing and nature of what has happened over the years, just be thankful these same people aren't making decisions that truly effect your life other than a passive form of entertainment.