Coming Home

I'm the kind of person who doesn't ever like to back down from a commitment. If I say I'm going to do something, I do it. If I say I'm going to keep up a blog about the Buffalo Sabres, then - gosh darn it - I'm going to do my best to write regularly and keep it interesting.

Needless to say, I am disappointed with my lack of posting since the hockey season ended. However, when I look at this summer and how I feel right now, on the verge of another season starting, I honestly think taking time off was the best thing for both myself and this blog.

I can't wait for hockey season to start.

I know, I know - neither can anyone else, and those people actually kept up with their posting while I went on hiatus this summer. But for me, this is the most excited I've felt about a sports season starting in at least two years. Last summer, I wrote about free agency, training camp, the World Championships and anything Sabre-related I could get my hands on. By the time October rolled around, I felt like I hadn't really missed the team because I had spent all summer keeping tabs on them.

This summer, I let my disillusionment take hold of me, and I pretty much avoided hockey news except for major signings and training camp updates. I needed a break - I needed to take some time away from the team that broke my heart last season to see if absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

I can honestly say, as my pulse picks up at the mere mention of Saturday's game, that taking a break from both the team and blogging about them has made me re-energized as a fan. Seeing Ryan Miller's face on TV has me gushing like an idiot, reading about Jason Pominville in the Buffalo News today had me grinning from ear to ear (by the way, belated congrats for your top-secret marriage, Pommer!), hearing Pat Kaleta's voice on the radio was like returning to a place that I'd really missed.

I'll have more on my thoughts about the coming season in the next few days, but I just wanted to say that I am officially back in business around these parts. Last year, fall meant pumpkin lattes at Starbucks, picking out Halloween costumes and writing papers. This year, I feel like all of those things have just served to remind me that hockey is coming back.

I worried that taking the summer off would make me apathetic towards blogging and the Sabres in general. The fact that my Goose jersey is already hanging on my door in anticipation of Saturday night says that my fears were unfounded. I can't wait to see the boys take to the ice again, and I can't wait to share it with all of my fellow bloggers and readers.

It was good to get away, but it's even better to be back.