More Than Ready

There are a lot of questions, and tonight won't answer them all. It's just one game, but that's the thing - it's a game. After a long summer, it's hockey time again.

It's time for goal horns and breakaways and Lindy Ruff press conferences. It's time for honking with Goose and wearing your favorite jersey and Roby's words of wisdom. It's time to cheer and boo and scream expletives at opposing players and sometimes our boys too.

Miller's ready, and so am I.

Let's Go Buffalo.

Tonight's the Night

I really have no words to describe what I'm feeling today. I've been trying to articulate it for days, but I just can't seem to get it right.

I'm nervous and excited and thrilled and giddy. My heart is pounding when I think about tonight, and I've had a smile on my face since the moment I got up. I couldn't fall asleep last night, and I couldn't wait to wake up this morning.

I have my Goose jersey on, my camera in my purse, and my tickets waiting at Will Call. I have all of my plans for getting to the game straightened out with my dad, including a stop in the Plaza. I read the entire playoff section in the paper this morning.

I'm just ready. I think we all are. After three years, we're just ready to get back to the arena, back to the Plaza, and back to postseason hockey.

Let's Go Buffalo.

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!

Finally

Opening night of hockey season is one of my favorite nights of the year. It's like Christmas morning - you could get disappointed with the outcome because you ended up with crappy sweaters instead of the iPhone you wanted, but, in the end, the outcome is almost secondary to the feeling the day brings.

Opening days for sports teams bring out a sense of community like no other day (except the days of playoff games, but those days haven't happened in a while around these parts). At work today, I wore my Pominville shirt, and I had at least 10 people - from grandfathers to moms to little boys - tell me how excited they were for the season to start. It's a day when hope still reigns, and the idea that this year could be the year is still more than just delusion.

We might win tonight, but we might lose, too. What I love about this very moment - an hour before the puck drops - is that wins and losses have no real place yet. This moment belongs to the hope that this game is the start of a journey that will lead to a place that no Buffalo team has ever reached. This moment belongs to the excitement, the nerves, the thrill of being a fan.

Tonight, a new season begins. There are a lot of things we will never expect that will happen, but there are some things that we know will, and I can't wait to see them:

Paul Gaustad jumping to the defense of a teammate

Mike Grier - my favorite Sabre before I found Goose - scoring a hard-working goal and reminding all of Buffalo why we loved his heart

Pat Kaleta rattling the board's and an opponent's body to the thunderous delight of the HSBC Arena crowd

Thomas Vanek scoring a goal that makes the netminder look like a toddler pouting in a corner afterwards

The population of Pominville getting its first resident

Craig Rivet pounding some poor soul into submission for looking at one of our guys the wrong way

Ryan Miller breaking his usual stoicism after a big win with that huge smile that makes him look like a little kid

The list goes on and on, but you get the gist. Some may say hockey season doesn't start in Buffalo until the Bills are done, but I say they're wrong. Hockey season starts now, and I couldn't be more ready.

Let's Go Buffalo.

They're Back...

I never thought I'd say this...

Thank God Patrick Lalime is in goal tonight.

No offense to Jhonas Enroth, who I'm sure is a great kid, but we need someone who has at least, at some point, proven that they can handle tending goal in a game as big as this one is for our team. Even though he may not be the ideal goalie for us, Lalime has experience, which Enroth simply can't supply.

This is what I like to see - Lalime by the net with the puck not in it

In other news of the joyous variety, it seems that Thomas Vanek is not only back skating but skating well enough to move his timetable up for his return. What was recently deemed another two weeks has been moved to one.

Next Wednesday. I don't know about you, but I got a little emotional just thinking about seeing that Austrian face (behind his cage) mercilessly screening goalies again. I'll give you a second to wipe your misty eyes.

Still no word on Ryan's ankle, but it should make the situation even a little bit better having Vanek back out there. We counted on him so much at the beginning of the season, and I have faith that he could really help this team just when it needs help the most.

Mail Bag

Dear Marshawn Lynch,
I've tried really hard to like you; honestly, you have no idea how hard. Last season, I was willing to forgive the whole "hit-a-random-lady-with-you-car" thing because people don't exactly abide by proper street-crossing etiquette on Chippewa. You play hard and battle for us in every game, which is something I've always admired about you. While it's tough for me to embrace guys who act irresponsibly off the field, I was willing to accept that incident as the accident it was, and you were on the verge of becoming a favorite of mine.

This, though, this I can't excuse. One time, it's an accident. Two offseasons in a row, it's a habit, and it's not what I want in a player that I root for. Faces of franchises should not be getting high in a car where police could pull them over - not to mention faces of franchises should not have loaded guns in their car.

So I guess I just want to say that it's over, Beast Mode. I think we could have had something great together with our player-fan relationship, but you know what I wanted in a favorite player. I'm not shy about it - I like "my guys" to play with heart and to use that heart to help make Buffalo better away from the game, too. "Good players and good people" is an often used tag over here for a reason; there are plenty of role models for you. On your team alone there's Brian Moorman, Poz, and Donte Whitner.

If you want another example of how to act like the Buffalo superstar you could become, look no further than Ryan Miller. There's someone who always represents his team and his city in a positive way. You could have been loved like that here, Marshawn, but I'm not so sure that can happen now.

Sincerely (hoping you won't go to jail),
Katie

Dear Paul Gaustad,
I'm so happy to see you back on the ice tonight. As Ryan so perfectly put it, I just like this team better with you in the lineup. You bring the desire and heart that I felt were lacking against Carolina and will be much needed tonight and from now on. You've shown the ability to change a game with your physical play and sheer will to win, and effort like yours can make a huge difference on a team that likes to take some nights off.

Here's to staying healthy for longer than a few weeks! I can't wait to see the havoc that you and a healthy Rivet can cause.

Love always,
Katie

Dear Nate Gerbe,
I know you were trying very hard to score for me, as in the absence of Goose I latched on to you as my interim favorite, but I'm glad that you're heading back to Portland for a while. You were painfully pressing against Toronto, and some time in the AHL should remind you that you can score regularly like you so desperately want to. The NHL is a different animal, but I have faith that you can really succeed in Buffalo. Just remember, points will come but not if that's all you measure your play by. You have the ability to be a playmaker, but numbers aren't always the most important thing (example: Goose). In the NHL, you can't let anything take away from your effort, and I was afraid that you were getting too distracted by not scoring goals.

See you soon (I'm sure),
Katie

Dear Buffalo Sabres,
Just win. I hate the Flyers. You need the points. It can't get more simple than that.

I'll be watching,
Katie

A Rare Occurrence

The title of this post isn't just in reference to the score of last night's Sabres-Oilers game. Yes, putting a 10-2 hurting on a playoff team on their home ice is something we hardly ever see from any team, much less this Sabres team.

It's also not in reference to the fact that the Sabres were actually one of the lead stories on ESPN last night and this morning. I was actually going to take a picture of the crawler because we know that's not going to happen too often.

No, the title of this post is in reference to the fact that the Sabres played so well last night and made me feel so comfortable that I actually fell asleep in the middle of the third period. I'm sure some of it had to do with the book I was reading for class today, but I genuinely liked the feeling of not thinking that I had to stay on the edge of my seat the whole game. I liked the idea that when I opened my eyes, we would still have a commanding lead, and maybe a few more goals to boot (which we did).

Let me put one thing out there: I am an extremely nervous hockey spectator. Ask anyone who has ever watched a game with me; I am biting my nails and twirling my hair until the final horn sounds, maybe even hyperventilating at points. So thank you, Sabres, because tonight I was able to watch a hockey game and truly enjoy it. Sometimes I forget how nice it is to see a game start out good and finish even better.

Drew looks ready for a nap...I guess scoring a hat trick takes a lot out of you.

I guess I can't decide what really happened last night. Were the Sabres really that good or were the Oilers really that pathetic? At this point, I honestly don't care because I think that the Sabres were good enough - maybe not "10 goals good," but good enough.

The team played with fire and passion from the first 10 seconds on. What was most impressive about that fact was that this was the type of game that we used to lose and lose badly. Coming off a five-day break, flying across the continent, enduring the time-change...we've heard those excuses before. I think the thing that made me happiest about last night's game was that we didn't have to use those excuses, and that is real sign of maturity coming from a group that we all thought would never really grow up.

Another thing that I liked about last night was the fact that the team didn't really go back into old habits once the score started going up. Sure, there were pretty plays, but they weren't at the expense of sound hockey and playing as a unit. The forwards covered for the defensemen when they were pinching, and the forecheck was relentless (I was especially impressed with Clarke MacArhur in this area last night).

My unsung hero of the game goes to Ryan Miller. In a blowout like that, goalies often get forgotten, and in the moments when the Oilers put on the pressure, Miller stood tall. In a game that will be remembered for its offensive fireworks, I'll remember some excellent goaltending as well.

The only bad thing about last night was the lack of close-ups on my new favorite Oiler, Andrew Cogliano. I developed a serious crush on this boy after an interview a few weeks ago on Hockey Night in Canada, where he was extremely well-spoken and surprisingly funny. The fact that he was the fastest skater at the All-Star Skills Competition certainly helped him stay in my mind:

Tonight, the Sabres face the Calgary Flames, one of my favorite teams in the West because of how hard they play every night. It also bears repeating that the man I consider the ultimate NHL Captain will be out there against us tonight:

If I was a guy, Jarome Iginla would be my man-crush.

I don't know how I feel about the outcome for this one, but I guess if last night taught me anything, it's that I shouldn't count these boys out.

PS: If anyone knows where I can find the picture they showed on the broadcast of baby Staffy in his Oilers jersey, please let me know; that was too cute not to have on my computer!

I also heard this morning from Paul Hamilton on WGR that Stafford was awarded the Pigeon of the Game, and he was doing postgame interviews with it on his shoulder. Is it just me, or is that image hilarious?

Game Day Notes

I really thought that the semester's end would signal an intense revival of the blogging spirit, but I've been so busy Christmas shopping and working extra hours to pay for said shopping that I haven't kept up my part of the bargain. Sorry about that...

Tonight the Sabres face the Devils for the third time this season and the first at HSBC. I will be there tonight, thanks to my fantastic Aunt and Uncle (Uncle Keith, I know you read this, so thanks again!).

I'm taking my dad tonight, and this is the first professional sporting event we've ever seen together in person without the whole family to keep us restrained. I'm actually really looking forward to it.

My dad is insanely excited for this game because his favorite player will be making his return to the ice.

Patty's back!

My dad fully admits to having a "Man Crush" on Patrick Kaleta. He loves everything about what Patty does on the ice. Any time he crushes a guy along the boards or goads someone into taking a dumb penalty, my dad always responds with a loud "I love that kid!"

Patty better bring a ton of energy tonight because he is replacing someone who had a ton of his own. Poor little Nate Gerbe will be sidelined for about two weeks with an upper-body injury following a hit by Jamie Langenbrunner on Saturday. Get well soon, Nate, because I can't wait to see you score your first NHL goal!

I'm really going to miss seeing that tiny #42 jersey shooting up the ice or battling in the corners and usually coming out with the puck. He brought a lot of heart to a team that was lacking it when he got here. I can only hope that someone lets Langenbrunner know that what he did was not cool (I'm taking to you, Mair and Goose).

Speaking of Goose, does anyone else find it somewhat funny that he is "freak-accident boy" on the team. Seriously, if you look at his injuries, the only one who may rival him in absurdity is Timmy. Let's list a sampling, shall we: severed his tendon with his own skate, got hit in the eye so that it swelled enough that he couldn't get a contact in to play, injured his hand while fighting in the preseason, and, finally, got hit in the face with a puck when James Patrick was shooting it in during practice. Oh Goose, you were probably that little kid in school who sprained their ankle tripping on the pavement while walking to the bus (oh wait, that was me...).

In other Goose news, many thanks to my Sabre Sister Dani from Sabre Kallisions for informing me that Goose got into yet another flour fight this year while baking cookies with the kids from Camp Good Days. If anyone can find better pictures or video of this, please email it to me, so I can bask in the sweetness that is Goose helping kids:

Sorry for the terrible quality, I had to scan it from the paper, but I think the cuteness still comes through.

This year, Goose brought along Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville to help out. More Nap Buddy bonding time is always a good thing, and I love that Thomas is getting involved in the community more than ever this season.

Ryan Miller and Pommer were also helping out at the Carly's Club Christmas party this week. It truly does make me happy to see them doing such good things for kids who really need it. We're lucky to have such great additions to the community on this team.

On that note, I hope you all are enjoying getting into the holiday spirit. Yesterday I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas and tomorrow I plan to sit down for the first of probably 5 viewings of It's a Wonderful Life (my favorite Christmas movie).

I'm not sure where I'll be sitting tonight, but if you see a short girl in a Goose jersey with a guy rooting especially hard for #36, that would be my father and I!

Game Night

Tonight marks the first trip for the Atlanta Thrashers to Buffalo this season. It also marks my first regular season game at HSBC in the 2008-2009 campaign.

This means that I get to see the mighty Jochen's return to the ice for the first time since the Islanders Game; it will be so nice to have his defensibly responsible self back out there with Pommers!

I hope to see a lot of this happening tonight

I also get to see Captain Craig's return to home ice after he proved that he is, indeed, Super(defense)Man in New Jersey. I swear, sometimes I think I see the shirt with the "S" sticking out under his jersey. The last game I went to, he kicked the tar out of Ryan Hollweg, and I really hope he does the same to someone tonight.

For those of you who have read this blog since the summer, yes, I did pick this game for a reason, and that reason is...Colby Armstrong!

I love Colby almost as much as Sidney Crosby does, so this is the first game I'm going to where I actually genuinely like a guy on the other team. It makes me really excited that I get to see him probably do nothing except get penalties (which is all he does on my fantasy team), but I don't care because, for some reason, he just makes me smile.

Hopefully before I get to the arena tonight, I will know whose lovely face I will not be seeing on the ice. Will it be Timmy still nursing his sore groin (which begs for comments about Chippewa that I will leave to your imagination)? Will it be Matt Ellis placed on waivers again (I hope not)? Will Drew Stafford be sent to Portland for his lackluster play? Personally, I think it's this last choice - sorry Drew.

So if anyone else is going to be there tonight, stop by Section 307 and look for a really short girl wearing a Goose jersey.

PS: To whoever found this blog by looking for "best grinder ever hockey" I believe the answer you're looking for is Paul Gaustad.

Class of 1970 Reunion

Tonight's game between the Sabres and Canucks promises to be an exciting one for two reasons:

1.) It's a matchup between the two members of the NHL Class of 1970 who don't get to see each other very often.

2.) It's a game between my favorite team and my favorite Western Conference team.

My feelings for the Canucks are hard to explain. Back when I decided I needed a Western team to follow, I noticed that I really enjoyed their games when they were on hockey night in Canada. Coupled with the fact that I knew they were "born" the same year as the Sabres, I decided to begin following them as my Western Conference favorites.

There are a lot of things to love about the Canucks. They have an awesome retro jersey:

I just really like the colors for some reason

They have the Sedin twins on their team. I find the idea of twins playing on a line together almost unfair (having twin cousins I do believe in "twin telepathy") but still pretty sweet. I especially love when commentators describe their plays using their first names: "Henrik passed it to Daniel, then back to Henrik..." Yes, I am amused by the smallest things.

They're taking good care of Steve Bernier and Taylor Pyatt, making puckbunnies all over Buffalo sigh with delight.

Oh Big Bear, how we miss you and your adorably broken English.

Finally, the Canucks have given me the star player (so far) on my fantasy hockey team, Alex Burrows. Burrows is my favorite Canuck because he lives up to being a true mucker and grinder. He makes due with what he has, plays solid, two-way hockey, and he's a physical force:

He's not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone, and he's one annoying guy when he gets down to his game. I just hope he doesn't get under Captain Craig's skin; I wouldn't want Alex's pretty face to get destroyed,

In short, I like the Canucks a lot. However, I LOVE the Sabres. I hope we capitalize on how tired they'll be after beating Detroit in OT last night (with the game-winning goal scored by a certain #14). I feel that if we just stick to the game we've been playing, we can beat anyone on any given night.

Also, of course it shakes out that, because I desperately need to see this game for my own personal well-being, I will be unable to see it. I'll be at Shea's, hopefully getting updates on my phone whenever someone can text me them.

3-0 feels great, but 4-0 would be even better. Let's Go Buffalo!