Friday, July 3, 2009

Of Pigeons and Punches

I knew the Sabres were going to lose Jaro Spacek. Any time a player gets close to free agency, fans of this team have to know by now that the player will more than likely be gone. It's a sad fact, but one I think we've all come to live with.

Did the Canadiens overpay for Jaro? Time will tell, but, sometimes I get sick of Darcy saying we got someone for "a bargain." To me, that doesn't imply great management as much as it does a low league interest in a player that we picked up.

Jaro Spacek was one of my favorite Sabres, but it took him a long time to get there. I absolutely hated him after the 2006-2007 season (as many fans seemed to). But things changed, and Spacho grew into a leader for our boys - both by example with his hitting and in the locker room. At every open skate I've gone to, he was teaching things to the younger defensemen and joking around with all the guys to get them loose. I'll miss being entertained by his antics on those mornings at HSBC.

Anyone who knows me, though, knows what I will miss most about Jaroslav Spacek. I will miss that garbled, booming, broken English coming through my speakers during hockey season. Whether we won or lost, an interview with Spacek always made me smile because it was like hearing the Cookie Monster tell me about how to "shoot puck, score goals."

I'll miss the texts from my friends letting me know that he was on TV, and I'm sad that I never got to hear him in person. I hope Canadiens fans appreciate his voice for the gift that it is.

I guess I shouldn't be so sad about losing a player if the best thing about him was his vocal resemblance to a character on Sesame Street...

In appreciation for his years as a Sabre, I present my favorite Spacho interview. Get ready, pigeons!


Now that my "Farewell Spacho Time" is over, I suppose I should welcome the newest Sabre, Steve Montador. He may not be as offensively gifted as Spacho (I hope Darcy addresses this), but he does add some more toughness to a pretty soft blueline.
Anyone who punches Chris Neil in the face is ok with me!