Hold Your Head Up

I never want to see Ryan Miller this dejected again. My heart can't handle it.To see how much emotion he put into that performance, to see how much he cared about representing his country well - it broke me. He deserved all the happiness and accolades in the world, and I wished that he could have found comfort in at least getting the silver when most people didn't think the U.S. would medal.

But he didn't find comfort in that, and, as Sabres fans, I don't think we expected or wanted him to. Miller is a competitor of the highest degree, and I only wish he could have been rewarded for that with a gold medal. The tears in his too-expressive eyes told us all that this game meant so much to him, and it was so painful to see someone who so deserved to win come out on the losing end, when someone who's already accomplished so much (Sidney Crosby) added another layer to his legend.

Though Crosby's legend continued to grow, I think Miller's did, too. Or maybe his legend just got started. Either way, the whole world knows about our little best-kept secret now, and I couldn't be happier. To see the entire focus of America on the skinny, scruffy goalie that we call ours was truly something special. We got to share him with the rest of the country for a couple of weeks, but now he's ours alone again. I'd like to think we may have picked up a few more supporters along the way, though.

I hope what the rest of the country learned about Ryan Miller is what we in Buffalo have always known - that win or lose, he is a class act. This is the goalie who chose to stay in Buffalo and said that he would give up the money to bring a championship to this city. This is the goalie who helps so many sick children in memory of the cousin he loved so deeply and lost so young. This is the goalie who has captivated the Olympics-watching nation with his calm, kind demeanor and intelligent, focused persona.

Ryan Miller has earned all the happiness he can get out of this Olympic experience, which is why I was so happy to see him at the closing ceremonies:

Photo courtesy of Reuters

To see him smiling and enjoying himself, capturing memories of this amazing experience, made me so happy. He looked proud to be an Olympian, as well he should be. He has made an indelible impression in people's hearts and minds across America, and I hope people know that they weren't just rooting for a great hockey player; they were cheering for a great person as well.

I may have been sad to see silver in Miller's hands today, but I think I'll be okay with it come June, if that silver in his hands is from the Stanley Cup. I know it's a long shot, but if the past two weeks have taught me anything, it's that we should all be believers in "Millercles."

Who Else Would I Write About with Nothing Going On?

I have nothing of substance to say about Wednesday's debacle in Tampa. The Sabres put forth a strong effort (mainly in the second and third periods), but it seemed like everything that they could do wrong, they did...and then they did those things again. Bad pinches, at least one iffy goal (Tampa's fourth) by Ryan Miller, and an inability to clear the puck did them in. Still, though, a 7-3 January record so far is none to shabby. I just wished they could have entered the All-Star break with a win.

Speaking of the break, I hate that there is nothing to talk about. No football and no "real" hockey makes for a very boring time for bloggers.

What better way to cure that boredom than yet another Paul Gaustad tribute?

I've been fortunate enough to have been sent the January newsletter for Camp Good Days. As most of you are aware, this is Goose's favorite charity, and the work he does with them is one of the reasons I love him as much as I do. I encourage you to go read this short article on his latest cookie baking adventure with them and check out the adorable pictures!

What I love most about Goose's charitable side is that he never makes himself the center of attention or acts self-important in any way. He's willing to have a bag of flour dumped on him if only to see these sick kids smile. I get such a kick out of seeing professional athletes look as happy as the children they're helping when they do work in the community. This is certainly the case with Paul Gaustad; sometimes it's hard to tell whether it's the kids or Goose that's having the best time!

After reading about Goose's latest "culinary endeavor," I found myself on the Camp Good Days website, where there is an excellent piece on exactly what Paul Gaustad has done for these kids since he teamed up with the organization in 2007.

I thought myself an expert on all things Goose-related, but even I didn't know just how involved he is in making the lives of these kids even a little bit better. My favorite part of the article discusses how Goose makes time to contribute to the organization even during the busy season:

"Since then, Paul has taken time out of his busy schedule to visit campers in the hospital, or if he were on the road, he would call some of our Camp Good Days kids who were having a rough time just to chat."

The notion that Goose would take the time to rearrange what we all know is a very structured schedule for hockey players on the road in order to call a little kid struggling with illness just makes him an even better person in my eyes (which is saying something).

I guess all I really wanted to say in this post is that the involvement of hockey players in charitable organizations is one of the things I love most about this sport, and Paul Gaustad has gone above and beyond the call of duty in this involvement. While so many people have already mentioned his growing leadership role on the ice, I love to see that he has become a leader in the community as well.

Tomorrow, I will post my own All-Star roster. Look for some perennial M&G favorites to be included for no reason at all (kind of like the real thing in some ways). Tonight I'm off to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet re-unite in Revolutionary Road, which got snubbed by the Oscar nominations committee. We'll see if the slight was deserved (which I somewhat doubt).

It's Okay, Really

Well that was a heartbreaker.

It's not your fault, Ryan. 42 saves on 46 shots is pretty gosh darn impressive once again.

I was pretty upset about losing 4-3 in overtime to the Habs right after it happened, but I'm surprisingly calm about it now. I guess it's because I expected a pretty ugly loss, so the mere fact that we got a point (and for the moment have sole possession of the 8th seed) is fine with me.

There were plenty of things to be happy with tonight, enough things to make it a loss that was far from deserved. The team played with heart, taking and giving hits (especially the Carubba Collision ice one by Stafford) and skating with good speed for the second game in as many nights. Despite the 5-on-3 and 4-on-3 goals, the PK unit was impressive and aggressive.

My unsung hero tonight goes to Andrej Sekera. There was a shift not long before his goal where he kept the puck in the offensive zone for an unbelievable chunk of time. Though we didn't score on that shift, his hard work was rewarded with his first goal of the season a few minutes later.

There were some things not to like, though. I'm going to take the "no comment" road on the officials tonight. I'll just say that if Matt Ellis got a goalie interference penalty, then Montreal should have gotten one on the second goal. There are only so many penalties you can kill off before they bite you in the behind, and that's what happened tonight. Some may have been more warranted than others, but we still needed to make it more difficult for the refs to call anything.

Derek Roy had a nice goal, but he also deflected in the first Montreal goal and failed to clear on the shift that led to their third goal. Max made another "Max-tastic" play in OT, passing it back to an unprepared Sekera when he should have tried to "make like a gravedigger and get it in deep" (Harry Neale's words, not mine).

All in all, though, the boys overcame sure exhaustion and iffy officiating to get a point against a difficult rival.

Now, as promised, I present a sappy analysis of my favorite thing about these last two games, and that is this clip from this weekend's Sabres Show:

If you haven't seen this clip of the team visiting kids at Children's Hospital, I suggest you do so now. I have it saved to my DVR to watch whenever I get mad at the team. It reminds you that, even if they lose, they are some pretty great people even if they are not always great at hockey.

From Sekera's smile talking about the kids to the surprisingly human and - dare I say - sweet side of Tim Connolly, it was nice to see the guys without kids still get into the visit with all of their hearts. It was especially nice to see Nate Gerbe begin to make his mark in the community like that.

What really struck me, though, was how much this visit meant to the guys who are fathers themselves. I couldn't tell who was more excited with the coloring time, Toni Lydman or the kids. Captain Craig brought a tear to my eye holding that little baby and talking about how important it is to bring joy to these families.

I guess I'm just saying that there are moments when I'm really proud of this team, and usually it has to do with something special done off the ice rather than on it. So maybe that's why, for tonight, the image of Toni Lydman in a Santa hat next to a sick little boy is sticking with me more than Kovalev's goal.

Why Am I Only 20?

I really don't care much about not turning 21 until August. I'm not much of a drinker or a party girl, so it usually does not bother me that I still have eight months until I reach the legal drinking age.

Except today - today it bothers me a lot.

You see, today Ryan Miller announced the third annual Catwalk for Charity, which you have to be 21 in order to attend.

Look at this video and see exactly why I would want to attend:

There are about a million reasons why I need to go to this, especially this year, but I'll narrow it down to a few:

1.) I'm obsessed with the 1920's. Really, it's a problem. I wrote my first 20-page paper on the influence of flappers in American culture, which I'm thinking of writing my college Honors thesis on as well. My favorite book is The Great Gatsby. Ryan, you couldn't wait one more year for this theme?

2.) According to Sabres Edge, there will be a costume contest for best 1920s look. I was a flapper for Halloween last year and found an even better dress this year (at Target of all places). Maybe I'll just shell out the $35 bucks and wear it around my house pretending to be cool. It wouldn't be the first time...

3.) Also on Sabres Edge is the reveal that all of the guys will be taking part in this dress-up game as well. The image of Goose and Pommer in pinstripes with fedoras is enough to make me feel lightheaded right here. If any of you reading attend, I better see pictures!

Honestly, this event is one of the reasons I am most excited about turning 21 (is that sad or what?). I would love to see all of the guys just goofing off and being themselves, and knowing that the money goes to a great cause doesn't hurt.

I hope some of my fellow bloggers or readers will be attending this year, for the reasons stated above. I expect to hear some stories about Ryan getting his runway diva on and Timmy trying to pick up a scantily-clad girl in fringe.

In other, real news, the Sabres called up Matt Ellis and Chris Butler for tomorrow, with Nate Gerbe being placed on injured reserve. I can't wait to see Butler out there; he could be no worse than Paetsch was last night. Chris was also really nice to my little cousin on the red carpet, joking around with her and taking the time to sign her shirt.

Welcome to the big club, Chris (great hockey hair, by the way)!

Finally, yes, dear readers, I did go to the game last night, but I've decided to put as much effort into my recap as some of the guys put on the ice last night.

*The seats were great - Section 118 Row 13 (thanks again, Uncle Keith), and it was nice to be surprised by seeing so much of my wonderful family there.

*Kaleta scored, my father couldn't have been happier. Then, Goose scored, I couldn't have been happier. That was the first time I've ever seen either of them score in person, so it was pretty cool to see my favorite find the net right in front of me (well, on the other side of the rink...)

*My unsung hero for last night is Goose because he scored, he always looks like he cares, and the seats I had allowed me to see just how much directing he does out there. He really is a leader; he has a great mind for the game (if only his hands and feet could catch up - but I love him anyway!).

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!

20 For 26

This is the face of clutch...

...and it is a very nice face indeed.

Not only did Thomas Vanek take over sole possession of the league-lead in goals, he did it on a goal that his team needed in order to put away one of the Beasts of the East.

Vanek also had some great defensive plays last night that are making me wonder just how good he is going to be in this league. Yes, I just said "going to be." Sometimes we forget that he is only 24, and the best may still be yet to come for him. As of this point, I'll just stick to being glad that we're getting the best that he has right now because it's pretty fantastic stuff to watch.

Another thing I love about Vanek is that acts like he's been there before. He's never the showboat, always the professional. He'll accept praise when it's due, but he's more than willing to face the media and take the blame when he messes up on the ice. I think last year taught him a lot. He's a lot older than his years, with a wife and son to prove that observation. I think some of his teammates could learn a little from their younger Sabre-brother on how to act like grown-ups (yes, I am talking about Derek Roy).

Now I must return to studying for finals. Two more to go (both English writing finals - ugh!), and then I'll be done for the semester and ready for much more blogging!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Things that I'm thankful for today, as a Buffalo sports fan:

*Waking up this morning with both the Bills and Sabres as winners in their last games. It feels like it's been a long time since we've been able to see that.

*Knowing that the guys I'm cheering for are both good players and good people. Whether it's Brian Moorman's PUNT foundation or Donte Whitner's work with the United Way, the Bills are working to endear themselves to this city that loves them so much. With the Sabres, their charity work is one of the reasons I love them beyond all reasonable limits. Between Ryan Miller's Steadfast Foundation, Goose's work with Camp Good Days, Thomas Vanek's new partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, and all the other work these boys do for Buffalo, it makes me happy to know that not all professional athletes are selfish jerks. We're pretty lucky when it comes to having people on our teams that are easy to root for.

*Goose being reunited with his roomie and BFF Pommer on a line yesterday. I didn't see the game, but I do like the way they play together. Goose adds a little toughness to Pommer's finesse.

*The fact that I finally decided on a jersey, and let's just say that I think Goose would be happy with my choice of a certain nap buddy of his:

I hope I look as good in his jersey as he looks in a tux.

I promise to have more on the extreme soul-searching that went into this decision sometime tomorrow.

*The fact that, hopefully, Derek Roy is remembering how a puck gets shot into a net.

*The wonderful reception I've got in my first few months as a blogger. Seriously, I cannot thank all of my readers enough. I started this as simply a place to release the emotions that tend to well up in me over our sports teams. I never expected to have people respond so kindly to the things I write. It's nice to have a little place to call our own as Buffalo fans, and I'm thankful that it's populated with such great writers and readers. Thanks again everyone for making me feel so welcome in this little world.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families!