25-26 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Knights vs Hurricanes Series Thread

[muppy]

I'm hopeful for a LONG entertaining series if nothing else. I don't have a strong rooting interest either way.

☮️ what say you?

 

[Pimlach]

I’m going for Vegas.   I do not like the Canes although I respect their organization   

Eichel winning isn’t ideal, but that is penance for Terry, not me.  

[JohnC]

3 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I’m going for Vegas.   I do not like the Canes although I respect their organization   

Eichel winning isn’t ideal, but that is penance for Terry, not me.  

Eichel acting in his own best interest worked out marvelously for him. The moral of that era/saga is that dysfunction has consequences.
 

That previous era of futility is thankfully over. The Sabres are now in a good situation where it is not delusional to consider us serious Cup contenders for the next number of years. 

Thankfully, the present is mostly about discussing our elevated expectations and not about recriminations over our self-destructive  past.

[Weave]

I’ll go to bed early.  Neither of these teams are interesting to me.

[GASabresIUFAN]

I am sorta rooting for LV just to see Leafs fans tear their hair out as Marner wins a Cup.

[inkman]

39 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I’m going for Vegas.   I do not like the Canes although I respect their organization   

Eichel winning isn’t ideal, but that is penance for Terry, not me.  

I wish I could shake the negative feelings I have for Jack. If he was even a modicum of likeable, I'd probably be in his camp. His Masshole arrogance is just too much to overcome.  He's a spoiled brat that had everything handed to him and acts with impunity.  

[Ctaeth]

19 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I am sorta rooting for LV just to see Leafs fans tear their hair out as Marner wins a Cup.

This does have some appeal 😂

[Archie Lee]

I basically like everything about the way Carolina approaches and plays the game, and a deep dislike for the sort of "us against the world" manipulative BS that Vegas trades in.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Archie Lee said:

I basically like everything about the way Carolina approaches and plays the game, and a deep dislike for the sort of "us against the world" manipulative BS that Vegas trades in.

I don't understand your "us against the world" characterization coming from Vegas? They have won the cup and are unafraid to make bold moves on the player and coaching front in pursuit of the big prize. What's wrong with how they conduct their business? 

[inkman]

34 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I don't understand your "us against the world" characterization coming from Vegas? They have won the cup and are unafraid to make bold moves on the player and coaching front in pursuit of the big prize. What's wrong with how they conduct their business? 

Minus the whole circumventing the salary cap thing they are prone to employ 

[JohnC]

26 minutes ago, inkman said:

Minus the whole circumventing the salary cap thing they are prone to employ 

They certainly stretched the cap 🧢 system. So what. They did what they needed to do to win without technically breaking the rules.

[Archie Lee]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

I don't understand your "us against the world" characterization coming from Vegas? They have won the cup and are unafraid to make bold moves on the player and coaching front in pursuit of the big prize. What's wrong with how they conduct their business? 

Shutting out the media; Torts acting like a spoiled brat at the apology press conference; not letting Cassidy interview; Marner being unable to win with grace and throwing shade on his old team; Eichel supporting that Marner was mistreated in Toronto. That’s just the last two weeks. 

[msw2112]

I'm struggling with this one.  I don't care for either team/fanbase.  That said, one of my best friends lives in Vegas and he and his wife have become big Golden Knights fans.  We went to a game with them a few months ago and had a great time.  So I could support the Knights for their sake.  They supported the Sabres for mine.  But the Eichel thing is out there and that team has had so much success in such a short time period, they really don't need another Cup.  Another of my best friends lives in Carolina (Raleigh).  He's Buffalo born and raised and a huge Sabres fan, but his son was born in Carolina and likes the Canes (nothing wrong with that), so I could throw my support there.  I'm old and hold a grudge, so 2006 still bothers me.  Carolina doesn't need another Cup either.  Too bad a team like Minnesota isn't in the mix (good team, nice fanbase, haven't won one, etc.), which I could get behind, or a team like Boston, who would be extremely easy to root against (no need for an explanation).

I guess I will just hope for an exciting series with lots of close games and some good hockey.

Edited Tuesday at 08:42 PM by msw2112

[eanyills]

I’m going with Carolina. By and large, I don’t really hate anyone on the team. Taylor Hall, meh, whatever. The captain who scored the winning goal in ‘06? A little salty but I like him as a coach. You give it all or you don’t play for them. Aho, Jarvis, Slavin, Stankoven, Blake, Ehlers, Miller, Staal? They seem like a likable group of above-average talent lunchpail players. I can get behind that.

And I like their intensity all over the ice. They might not have the best finish but they don’t sacrifice offense for defense while being aggressive defensively.

Carter Hart doesn’t play for them either, which helps.

Edited Tuesday at 09:02 PM by eanyills

[JohnC]

21 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

Shutting out the media; Torts acting like a spoiled brat at the apology press conference; not letting Cassidy interview; Marner being unable to win with grace and throwing shade on his old team; Eichel supporting that Marner was mistreated in Toronto. That’s just the last two weeks. 

Torts was fined by the league. He didn’t get away with anything. And most people in this room know that I’m contemptuous of Torts on how he usually comports himself.

Why would you have problems with Jack sticking up for one of his teammates? I have no problem with that. In fact, I find it admirable.

[That Aud Smell]

I never know how I skew about a series that means nothing to the Sabres until I'm watching.

My sense is that I will hate watch in hopes of seeing Las Vegas get shellacked.

[TageMVP]

They both have cups who cares 

If one of them didn't have a cup, I'd want the cupless team to lose 

[Taro T]

They're still the friggin' Whalers.  Regardless of how far they try to run from green and New England with their ugly Red Army knock offs and living in the land of the LTL and overly sauced barbeque; they're still the friggin' Whalers.

'85 was an abomination.  How does a team miss the playoffs with a 0.500 record when only 5 teams out of the entire league miss them?

Pat Verbeek's still a pencil necked geek.

Too bad the Sabres didn't get to play them so that after they lose this time Ol' Camelfaced Brind'amour could whine once again about Lindy Ruff just like he did when they beat the Eulers way back when.

#### those guys.

 

[RETURNTOGLORY]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I am sorta rooting for LV just to see Leafs fans tear their hair out as Marner wins a Cup.

Much like us Sabres fans when Jack won his 😉

[rickshaw]

Do the Sabres need to give Staal approval to wind up the siren for a competing team?

[PromoTheRobot]

Just now, rickshaw said:

Do the Sabres need to give Staal approval to wind up the siren for a competing team?

Unlike the drum, you have to be in some kind of shape to crank that siren.

[Nacho Libre]

2 hours ago, TageMVP said:

They both have cups who cares 

If one of them didn't have a cup, I'd want the cupless team to lose 

This is the way 

[rickshaw]

Regarding who to cheer for? My wife and I have frequented Vegas a lot in past 10 years (not so much since 51st state garbage) and we cheered hard for Vegas as our “other” team. Then Jack got traded there and it just ruined the vibe.

I hate Carolina as I’ve always done and now it’s tough. I certainly appreciate how good Jack is and am moving on from that time but I just can’t cheer on a guy like Carter Hart. As a father of a daughter I just have issues with that part of his past. So who am I rooting for? I’ll go Carolina. But I do kinda miss cheering for Vegas. We were there outside

T Mobile one playoff and it was so much fun. 

Edited Wednesday at 12:24 AM by rickshaw

[Nacho Libre]

Just now, rickshaw said:

Regarding who to cheer for? My wife and I have frequented Vegas a lot in past 10 years (not so much since 51st garbage) and we cheered hard for Vegas as our “other” team. Then Jack got traded there and it just ruined the vibe.

I hate Carolina as I’ve always done and now it’s tough. I certainly appreciate how good Jack is and am moving on from that time but I just can’t cheer on a guy like Carter Hart. As a father of a daughter I just have issues with that part of his past. So who am I rooting for? I’ll go Carolina. But I do kinda miss cheering for Vegas. We were there outside

T Mobile one playoff and it was so much fun. 

What we really need is an exciting, 7 game series

[gomper]

McCauly. Ugh.