Happy "Effing Stupid" Birthday

Today everyone's favorite red-headed "rock star" (term used very loosely) turns the big 2-9 (another GREAT number if you're looking for Sabre-references).

My relationship with Soupy is like a really old, wooden roller coaster, the kind that hurts your head the whole time your on it. At first, I didn't really notice him - he was just the baby d-man who was coming in and out of Rochester, only standing out because of his red hair. Then, Rhett Warrener and he were part of that SARS scare, and I really began to pay attention to Soupy in earnest. After the lockout, he was one of my favorite players because he was one of the few Sabres I didn't have to get to know - I could pick him out on the ice before even seeing his number, which was a big accomplishment for me at the time.

When he put the puck over the glass in Carolina, I yelled numerous obscenities at him, but then I saw his reaction after and my heart genuinely broke for him. When he became an All Star, I felt so proud because it was like he was "ours," he had learned and developed as a Sabre, we got to watch him grow. When he forgot to play defense against Alfredsson in Game 5 of the ECF, all of those good feelings were soon forgotten in yet another rash of obscenities.

Then came this season. In a desperate attempt to make the pain of his unavoidable departure less terrible, I began to nit-pick the Soupster like my life depended on it. At one point, during his whole "I'm gonna play like crap because I'm not mentally prepared to leave" I'll admit to booing him during a particularly bad power play at HSBC. The roller coaster then took another turn on the day he got traded; I actually got teary-eyed watching him get choked up with reporters. No matter how much I was angry at him or hated his spin-o-ramas, he was still our Soupy, and I didn't want to share.

That's pretty much where I am now. I get mad when he badmouths the team that made him what he was because, without the Sabres, he would probably be a figure skater somewhere. However, there is no way in heck he is worth all the money he will make come July - so it was nice knowing you, Brian; don't let the door hit you on the way out.

So, Happy Birthday, Soupy. May your day be filled with spin-o-ramas and bad cover songs. I can't totally hate you because you made this video possible:

Now, don't party too hard...Nobody wants an encore of your December shenanigans.