He's Back!

I know I'm not the only one who has missed Paul Gaustad in the Sabres lineup. He brings to the ice things that I think the team has been sorely missing in his absence (besides good bone structure and nice eyes).

He should help the team dramatically on faceoffs, even if he won't be 100 percent yet. Also, he should help the power play from his position in front of the net. He may not score a ton of power play goals, but his ability to screen goalies should help some more shots to get through (hopefully).

There's something else, too, something that is hard to define about Goose's influence on the team. He's become a definite leader on the ice and in the locker room, and his play this season is really backing that up. He's having a career year, and it makes me so proud to see him having that kind of success. Before this season, Lindy used to say in interviews that Goose had to work on his own game before he could wear a letter. Now that he has his "A," I think it's only made him a better player. He plays with heart and grit every game, but now it's nice to see tangible things like faceoff percentages and goal totals to go along with what I always loved about his play.

This excitement over Goose coming back and the season he's been having was the lead Sabres story in The Buffalo News today. They also mentioned that he's still a possible candidate for the U.S. Olympic team. The idea of my favorite hockey player, my all-guts-no-glory grinder, getting chosen to represent American hockey on the biggest international stage is incredible. To imagine what that would be like for him, someone who never even saw himself in the NHL, makes me so happy. His toughness, faceoff ability, and leadership would really be an asset for Team USA. Plus, it would be great for me personally to just get to look at him on TV for a few extra weeks!