I despise this team

[Kong]

This is my blast of hellfire, my rant. I've been a Sabres fan since 1970 and I think I've earned this right.

So many examples of bad characters on the Sabres the last few years magnified by how bad the team has been run since milky-eyed Terry Pegula and his grasping trophy wife bought their way in. No one believes in or fights for each other on this team. Cozens the rookie is the sole example. We have players who will play for one team but not for us. Eichel and Hall may be talented but they are two of my least-favorite Sabres of all time. Hall is a straight-up mercenary; can't stand the sight of him... All along it seems he wanted to get dished to a contender at the deadline and his passive-aggressive indifferent play landed his ticket out. Eichel...there's something about him, save all those flowers for the nurses, that makes me want to puke. Eichel is so negative, I don't want to hear one more word coming out of his mouth.Shut up! Okposo seems to be a nice guy but he fleeced the organization with his contract. How can he hold his head up with pride when he knows the team is paying him a king's ransom and he doesn't have the ability to play anymore, yet he stubbornly hangs on. We're still paying Ehrhoff $900K a year for the next six or seven years...Matt Moulson was paid approximately $7.95 million to only play 14 games with the Sabres from the start of the 2017-18 season through the end of his contract June 30, 2019. I still can't stand some of the guys who left: Kane and O'Reilly being among the top. None of these guys have any class. Then there are all the nobodies on the team. Then there's the "management team." I won't even get into that through the years. Ville Leino and Slava Kozlov move over.

I can only hope that somewhere down the line Cozens will emerge as a leader who will fight for his guys. What humiliation we've had to go through as Sabres fans since the Pegulas bought in. Used to be we were the small market that could. Now...we're the runaway laughingstocks of ice hockey.

Edited May 30, 2021 by Kong

[Thorny]

The concept of Cozens 

[PASabreFan]

My stomach churns every time I have to REALLY like a post and am forced to click on one of Terry's STANleycups.

[Pimlach]

Lots of pain.  The last really likable team had co Captains, Briere and Drury.  That was 15 years ago.  

 Ownership errors, lack of leadership, poor drafting and player development, and continuous change.  

Edited May 29, 2021 by Pimlach

[LabattBlue]

I feel your pain. I’ve also been a fan since 1970.  All my frustration with the team is directed at the Pegula’s, and I don’t see even a spec of light at the end of the tunnel. Just sell the team already.  😞

[Indabuff]

3 hours ago, Kong said:

We're still paying Ehrhoff $900K a year for the next six or seven years....

JFC.  I didn't realize that lamprey is still getting paid by the Sabres. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

No one is forcing anyone to be a fan, so there must be something much more to it than wins and loses.

The bottom line to me is that the string of GMs since DR have not done a very good job.  I think if TM had not been such a communication doofus we very well may be in a much better place had his plan been seen through.  Then again, there is no way to know.

 

[inkman]

24 minutes ago, Indabuff said:

JFC.  I didn't realize that lamprey is still getting paid by the Sabres. 

Handpicked by T-Pegs himself 

[PromoTheRobot]

Thanks for checking in.

[Radar]

3 hours ago, Kong said:

This is my blast of hellfire, my rant. I've been a Sabres fan since 1970 and I think I've earned this right.

So many examples of bad characters on the Sabres the last few years magnified by how bad the team has been run since milky-eyed Terry Pegula and his grasping trophy wife bought their way in. No one believes in or fights for each other on this team. Cozens the rookie is the sole example. We have players who will play for one team but not for us. Eichel and Hall may be talented but they are two of my least-favorite Sabres of all time. Hall is a straight-up mercenary; can't stand the sight of him... All along it seems he wanted to get dished to a contender at the deadline and his passive-aggressive indifferent play landed his ticket out. Eichel...there's something about him, save all those flowers for the nurses, that makes me want to puke. Eichel is so negative, I don't want to hear one more word coming out of his mouth.Shut up! It's all trash. He's also one of the ugliest people I ever saw...I know, not his fault.  Okposo seems to be a nice guy but he fleeced the organization with his contract. How can he hold his head up with pride when he knows the team is paying him a king's ransom and he doesn't have the ability to play anymore, yet he stubbornly hangs on. We're still paying Ehrhoff $900K a year for the next six or seven years...Matt Moulson was paid approximately $7.95 million to only play 14 games with the Sabres from the start of the 2017-18 season through the end of his contract June 30, 2019. I still can't stand some of the guys who left: Kane and O'Reilly being among the top. None of these guys have any class. Then there are all the nobodies on the team. Then there's the "management team." I won't even get into that through the years. Ville Leino and Slava Kozlov move over.

I can only hope that somewhere down the line Cozens will emerge as a leader who will fight for his guys. What humiliation we're had to go through as Sabres fans since the Pegulas bought in. Used to be we were the small market that could. Now...not so much.

You could have left out "trophy grasping wife". No need to go sexist there. Anyway I understand the frustration. I also have been with the Sabres since inception and I'm frustrated by the overall franchises lost direction. I also believe as I hear you imply that the makeup of this team is needing an adjustment. Not sure as much in the " core" as in the overall depth. You need a mix of talents not building with just this or that. That's why when the term identity is used I'm not sure what some mean. That's why the good organizations have a vision of the "team" play and the pieces that compliment each other to create a team not just a collection of individuals with talent.

[Radar]

50 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

I feel your pain. I’ve also been a fan since 1970.  All my frustration with the team is directed at the Pegula’s, and I don’t see even a spec of light at the end of the tunnel. Just sell the team already.  😞

Have a feeling that's not going to happen. I'm hoping they will trip into a leadership like they seem to have with the Bills.

[Pimlach]

12 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

I feel your pain. I’ve also been a fan since 1970.  All my frustration with the team is directed at the Pegula’s, and I don’t see even a spec of light at the end of the tunnel. Just sell the team already.  😞

Yes.  I go back to the first season too.  I loved watching the AHL Bisons of the late 60’s much more than the last 10 years of this team, barely an NHL team. 

I like the Pegula’s as people.  I think they have done great things for the city.  Unfortunately the Pegula Sabres era is a complete disaster.  

They started poorly by setting up with a bloated and confusing organization with unclear lines of authority.  They were hasty in hirings and they overpaid for free agents.   They blew up their first regime and declared “need better communication”.   They bring in two up and coming people in Botterill and Housley, but they should have valued experience too.   Krueger?  He was an imposter and his hire is a huge embarrassment.   Now even more change leads us to todays skeleton crew of front office neophytes and the goal of being “economic”.   Our two best players want out and likely even more want out.  It’s hard to build a team in this environment.  The players talk.  

I think they want to build a winner, they just don’t know how do it, or who to trust.  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

12 minutes ago, Radar said:

You could have left out "trophy grasping wife". No need to go sexist there. Anyway I understand the frustration. I also have been with the Sabres since inception and I'm frustrated by the overall franchises lost direction. I also believe as I hear you imply that the makeup of this team is needing an adjustment. Not sure as much in the " core" as in the overall depth. You need a mix of talents not building with just this or that. That's why when the term identity is used I'm not sure what some mean. That's why the good organizations have a vision of the "team" play and the pieces that compliment each other to create a team not just a collection of individuals with talent.

I agree with all of this, starting with the aweful 'trophy wife' comment.

I suggest @Kong edit that out.  Just terrible.

[LabattBlue]

5 minutes ago, Radar said:

Have a feeling that's not going to happen. I'm hoping they will trip into a leadership like they seem to have with the Bills.

It’s not the Bills leadership(Beane and McD) as much as it was lucking into Josh Allen.  Think about where that team would be today if they had ended up with Rosen instead of Allen?

 

That being said, there is no easy turnaround for the Sabres.  Best players want out, greener than green GM who was hired because the owners are “comfortable” with him, still have a gutted off-ice hockey staff, no HC, goaltending is a mess, etc...

[dudacek]

So considering they dumped Kane and O’Reilly and and Hall and Moulson, and they’re about to dump Eichel, and Okposo is probably in his last year, I read this as you’re a fan of the recent direction of the franchise?

In fact, all you probably need is a Pegula divorce to be flat out happy?

[Radar]

2 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

It’s not the Bills leadership(Beane and McD) as much as it was lucking into Josh Allen.  Think about where that team would be today if they had ended up with Rosen instead of Allen?

 

That being said, there is no easy turnaround for the Sabres.  Best players want out, greener than green GM who was hired because the owners are “comfortable” with him, still have a gutted off-ice hockey staff, no HC, goaltending is a mess, etc...

Well we could say that Josh Allen is to the Bills what Jack is to the Sabres. I think Beane and McDermott are working closely together and see the team as a whole and are building it with pieces to support Allen on offense. Defense works same way. I agree that gutting went too far although with a larger staff we still were terrible. So now we're being terrible with less overhead. We have to hope Adams and Karmanos and the coach can resemble the Bills management team. Terry/Kim let them do their thing and hopefully do it well.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kong]

On 5/29/2021 at 11:42 AM, Pimlach said:

 

I think they want to build a winner, they just don’t know how do it, or who to trust.  

Then get the hell out.

On 5/29/2021 at 11:51 AM, New Scotland (NS) said:

I agree with all of this, starting with the aweful 'trophy wife' comment.

I suggest @Kong edit that out.  Just terrible.

If it was a man, it would be a grasping trophy husband. She is what she is. And here I was worried that posters would be offended by my expression "milky-eyed" Terry Pegula.

Edited June 1, 2021 by Kong

[Sabel79]

[Radar]

7 minutes ago, Kong said:

 

Then get the hell out!

 

If it was a man, it would be a grasping trophy husband. She is what she is.

Sorry but I have no idea how some of you can make personal assessment of people you don't even know. I appreciate fair criticism.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Radar

[Kong]

35 minutes ago, dudacek said:

So considering they dumped Kane and O’Reilly and and Hall and Moulson, and they’re about to dump Eichel, and Okposo is probably in his last year, I read this as you’re a fan of the recent direction of the franchise?

In fact, all you probably need is a Pegula divorce to be flat out happy?

I don't like big mistakes for one decade straight. I don't see that ending. If the Pegulas (no apostrophe) divorce, there's no reason to be happy. She'll take him for all he's worth and own the team(s) by herself. 

 

3 minutes ago, Radar said:

Sorry but I have no idea how some of you can make personal assessment of people you don't even know. I appreciate fair criticism.

I buy into results or extreme lack thereof. I don't buy into personal assessments of people. Bottom line, the Pegulas are incompetent at hockey. 

[Broken Ankles]

32 minutes ago, Radar said:

Well we could say that Josh Allen is to the Bills what Jack is to the Sabres. I think Beane and McDermott are working closely together and see the team as a whole and are building it with pieces to support Allen on offense. Defense works same way. I agree that gutting went too far although with a larger staff we still were terrible. So now we're being terrible with less overhead. We have to hope Adams and Karmanos and the coach can resemble the Bills management team. Terry/Kim let them do their thing and hopefully do it well.

 

 

 

 

 

You could say that but you’d be wrong, dead wrong.  Josh Allen is making his future in Buffalo. Jack Eichel is making problems for Sabres management because of his reticence of a future in Buffalo.  One is dedicated to improving each day and striving for excellence.  Including off-season team building.  The other is convinced  his greatness couldn’t be the reason for teams lack of success and is using a controversial surgery to buttress a trade.

[Radar]

4 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

You could say that but you’d be wrong, dead wrong.  Josh Allen is making his future in Buffalo. Jack Eichel is making problems for Sabres management because of his reticence of a future in Buffalo.  One is dedicated to improving each day and striving for excellence.  Including off-season team building.  The other is convinced  his greatness couldn’t be the reason for teams lack of success and is using a controversial surgery to buttress a trade.

Okay. Guess I was thinking on field/ice. Yes, I agree that Josh appears better teammate from my perspective which is from  a far obviously. Community wise I guess I haven't had any  base to assess that.

[mjd1001]

I think a team being likeable is down to 2 simple things. Winning, and beating expectations.

If your team wins the cup, obviously fans are going to like that.

The second part is beating expectations.  Out of the Lockout, the Drury/Briere team was so likeable because they didn't have expectations on them right away coming out of the lockout and they were very good. Almost anytime a team does better than what is expected...even if it still isn't great, they are more likeable (a lot of people on this board 'liked' the team at the end of the year, simply because they exceeded the expectations that were set in the first half of the year).

If you think of some of the 'least' liked teams in any sport..often they don't have much to do with pure wins and losses, but rather the lack of wins compared to expectations.  If the Jets and the Packers were both to win 8 games this  year, I'll be the jets fans will like their team a LOT more than packers fans, because it is about how you perform compared to expectations.

[Zamboni]

There’s fair criticism, and then there’s pure immature ignorant insults. I’m seeing both in this thread. Edits should be in order. Keyword … should.

[Broken Ankles]

Did the phrase “grasping trophy wife” trigger the algorithm for PA’s auto-like?