Having Fun Again

Sometimes, it can be a lot of fun to be a hockey fan.

I know that it hasn't seemed like that over the past couple of years, but it's true. Hockey is a sport full of unbridled emotion, nail-biting finishes, and players that wear their passion for their sport and their teammates on their sleeve. It really is a fun, enjoyable sport to watch and experience.

I feel like there were times when I had forgotten that over the last two seasons. Watching hockey and writing about it was more of an obligation, and I was often looking for the answers to why things went wrong rather than what went right (many times because things just simply did not go right most nights).

This season has reminded me that being a fan can actually make you happy more than it makes you crazy and miserable. I'm actually enjoying this team more than I'm getting angry at them. I have hope.

Tonight's game was a game that I would have written off as a loss last season with a few minutes to go in the third period. I would have assumed that we would let a tying goal in with moments left to give the Leafs momentum into overtime. But this season I expected them to clamp down in the final moments and get the win, which they did. I honestly wasn't all that nervous, which I think speaks to the amount of faith I have in this team (or the amount of faith I have in how bad the Leafs are against us).

Instead of wasting time being nervous, I had fun watching us dismantle the Leafs again. That's the way this whole season has been for me so far - with the exception of a few games, I have enjoyed watching this team play hockey more than I was expecting to.

You can see it in the players as well - they're having fun, too. I went to practice on Wednesday, and it was the most spirited, loudest practice I'd ever attended. They guys were all laughing and chirping at each other as they went through their drills. There was even an impromptu game of baseball with Pat Kaleta pitching, Goose catching, and Pommer (later Captain Craig) at bat. It was just nice to see that, while they were still focused when running their drills, they are having fun out there together.

And why not? They have the best goalie in the league, a capable backup whose always there to support Ryan (I'm glad we've gotten to see some "goalie love" between them these past two games, too), balanced scoring, strong defense pairings, and the Rookie of the Year (in my humble opinion) playing for the Blue and Gold. There are lots of things to be proud of and excited about with this team.

I know I'm rambling, and it should always be fun to be a sports fan, but sometimes in Buffalo it's not always fun. But thanks to Myers, Miller, and the rest of the Sabres, it's a whole lot more enjoyable now, and I can only hope that it stays fun long into the spring.

The First One

This was the first one this season.

You all know what I'm talking about - the first game that looked like a loss but, miraculously, became a great win. This was the first great comeback this season, the first shootout win, the first game that really had my heart pounding and my hands shaking long after it was over.

It was even more than that, though. It was the first time this season that I've seen the Sabres this happy. I loved their enthusiasm after Tyler Myers poked the puck into the Lightning net. I loved how fast Miller got to their end to celebrate, how Hank practically leaped onto the pile, and how adorable Goose and Myers looked as they fell to the ice in the middle of it all. It was pure emotion out there, pure happiness - and that kind of thing only comes out after wins like that.

It was the first time this season that I was reminded why I love this team for reasons other than the goals they score and the ones they keep from getting scored on them. They looked like a family out there tonight - complete with a new little brother to love. They are so close as a group, and I love moments like that when it is visible - in all their adorably dorky glory.

I love wins like that for so many reasons, but, mainly, I love them because the team loves them. It's nice to sense passion in a team - for the game and each other. What I've liked about this season so far is that this team has not seemed to waver in either category.

Four Things for Four Goals

Four things I loved about last night's 4-3 win over the Penguins:

1. The Sabres beat the Penguins for the first time in over a year. I almost forgot what it was to see Sidney Crosby skate by Ryan Miller and the boys in defeat. It's a beautiful thing.
2. The Sabres overcame a lot of questionable officiating in order to win. The PK looked great and really aggressive, but that may have something to do with how bad the Penguins powerplay was. Seriously, for having all that talent, you would think they would look a little sharper. Oh well, I'm not complaining about that.
3. The excitement our boys showed after the win. That may have been the best Sabre-love huddle of the season. I wish I could find a decent picture of it because it made me feel happy to see them so happy. I especially loved the giant attack that Goose and Pommer unleashed on Ryan that pretty much shoved him into his net. It just showed how much this win meant to them, and I love when they show what a family they are in their celebrations.
4. Paul Gaustad. As I'm sure all of you know, nothing beats seeing your favorite player have a game like that. I'm still trying to wipe the smile off of my face.

I haven't done this in a while (mainly because we weren't winning), but my Unsung Hero of the Game goes to Max Afinogenov. He played a fantastic game last night, and seemed to be out to prove Lindy wrong. For one night, Max, mission accomplished.

Happy Thoughts for a Friday

There is no better way to start a weekend:

*The Sabres just stole another two points yesterday after that improbable comeback in Minnesota. I will admit that I was ready to call it a loss after Miller scored on himself, but, once again, these boys have taught me never to count them out. Not that I like seeing them fall into holes to begin with, but it is nice to feel that they can always find a way out of them. The cardiac kids are back, and, besides the frayed nerves and racing heart, I have never felt better about that.

Royzie proves that white boys can jump; he actually looks like a normal-sized hockey player here.

By the way, my Unsung Hero of the Game goes to the Sabres Defensemen for playing another sound game and chipping in offensively to help us secure the win (especially Sekera, Paetsch, and Tallinder).

*The Bills are headed to Miami for what I think will be a good test of how we're handling our success. The Dolphins have already given the Pats fits, but I think we'll be ready for the "Wildcat" offense. By the way, does anyone else think of High School Musical whenever they hear "Wildcat offense"? I laugh every time picturing Chad Pennington bursting into song and dance while calling plays.

*All signs are pointing to Buffalo being host to the 2010-2011 World Junior Championship. This is such a huge honor for this city, and I can't wait for it to happen. It's about time the entire world saw what a true hockey city Buffalo really is.

*The latest sabres.com interview with Ryan Miller is pretty hilarious. I love that he's able to laugh about what happened yesterday. I especially love when he discusses exactly how he is going to repay his teammates for bailing him out. Somehow, the image of these guys walking through Disney World never fails to make me smile. I especially like that Ryan mentioned EPCOT, which is my personal favorite park:

Am I seeing things, or is that the Pigeon behind Ryan? If so, that means he's pulling ahead in the race to take him home for the summer.

*Speaking of the Pigeon, this week's episode of The Sabres Show contains the intermission feature on the newest member of the team. I love listening to Spacek all the time, but there's something special about how he says "pigeon":

Other things I love about this video include:
The random outbursts and cooing noises while Spacho is talking (I'm putting money on Petey and Mair being the guilty parties)
The bird "flying" by Spacek during the interview
Petey saying that Spacho is a pigeon but he "doesn't really know what that means"
Patty Lalime being generally adorable and snuggling his invisible pigeon

All this adds up to probably one of the dorkiest locker rooms in the NHL, but that's what we all love about them. They can laugh together, joke together, take care of stuffed animals together. They are closer in October than most teams are in April, and that has to account for something. Chemistry matters on a team, and ours is stronger than ever. The proof is in the standings.

Here's to hoping these happy thoughts carry over into a very productive and happy Buffalo sports weekend!

The Sabres are Special

And by "Special" I mean pigeon-toting, ridiculous question-answering, "special."

As many bloggers have already pointed out, the Sabres have apparently decided the perfect incentive for good play is a stuffed pigeon bought for a whopping $9.99 on eBay.

This is why I love this team. They are pretty gosh darn unique.

Supposedly this all began with who else but Jaro Spacek, who refers to his teammates as pigeons and has earned the nickname for himself as well. I really would love to hear him call these big, tough hockey players pigeons in his incomprehensible accent. I'm sure that would strike fear in the hearts of our opponents...

Now, don't think this bird is treated lightly. According to Adam Mair, he gets carried around in his coop on road trips, which I find a hilarious image. All this pigeon needs is a name and his own jersey and he could really be part of the team.

I suppose this makes some sense; if this team really is the family that they say it is, it's only logical for them to get a pet.

However, if and when Goose gets awarded the "Pigeon of the game" won't it be confusing to mix aviary critters?

In other news, they've finally uploaded the "Stupid Questions" segment from Saturday's game to sabres.com. I highly advise everyone to watch this again, paying close attention to the two Patties, Lalime and Kaleta, and their hilarious answers:

My favorite portions of this video:

*Pat Kaleta saying that he wants an athletic girl but has to be hot, too. Sometimes I forget he could be a college boy, and then he says things like this...

*Patrick Lalime not knowing Gilligan's Island and looking so adorable when he's embarrassed by his lack of pop culture knowledge.

*Pat Kaleta pretty much saying he can only count to 21. That's ok, Patty; you don't get paid to count the number of penalties you draw.

*Kaleta and Adam Mair discussing that going out is contingent on many things, especially on whether or not they won the night before. These two laugh like little kids trying to hide something from their parents, which they still are in a lot of ways.

As you all know, I am a huge fan of anything that shows these boys acting like kids, so today was a great day for such findings. As Andrew Peters so eloquently said:

"We’re a bunch of 25 goofballs that just love to play hockey.”

And we wouldn't want it any other way.

I don't think a more accurate statement has ever been said about this team. From pigeons to catwalks to nap buddies, this is a team that is unusually close and down-to-earth. I can only hope that this little, dysfunctional hockey family will get to celebrate their ultimate goal together, and there will be a picture of the pigeon of the game sitting in Lord Stanley's Cup.

Everyone Loves Winning (Especially Thomas Vanek)

But sometimes, there is such a thing as too much love, boys...

I think that this goal celebration may be the best I've ever seen, and I'm not normally one for naming something the best a mere two hours after I saw it on the highlights. Look at it again though and tell me it's not made of all things fantastic:



That's passion right there, ladies and gentlemen. It's passion for winning, passion for the game, passion for sharing the glory with your teammates.

I can't really name an unsung hero because I saw "Legally Blonde" tonight instead of the game (which was a pretty cute show by the way), so I'll just continue the trend of giving Thomas Vanek all the praise he can get. He deserves it, and I think if he keeps playing with this fire he can lead us to great things this season.

Meet the Boys - Part 2

Because I know that all of you were so riveted by my fantasy roster, I figured I would introduce you to my team in my family league.

Some of the players are the same, such as:

Peyton Manning

T.O.

Edgerrin James

James Hardy

Trent Edwards

The new members of the second edition of Poz's Posse are:

1.) Greg Jennings (WR, Green Bay)

2.) Earnest Graham (RB, Tampa Bay)

3.) Owen Daniels (TE, Houston)

4.) Fred Taylor (RB, Jacksonville)

5.) Ahman Green (RB, Houston)

6.) Marty Booker (WR, Chicago)

7.) Randy McMichael (TE, St. Louis)

8.) Rob Bironas (K, Tennessee)

9.) Dallas's Defense and Special Teams

My family was calling my team the all-prison unit because of its "questionable" (at best) character. T.O. is not the humble, modest player I usually love. James Hardy has had a couple of run-ins with the law that, as a Bills fan and fantasy owner, I hope are far behind him. Dallas's defense now has everyone's favorite felon, Pac-Man Jones, which is ok with me as long as he's practicing his dance moves in the endzone and not in the strip clubs. And now, Fred Taylor just got arrested for disorderly conduct. Just throw the Bengals's Chris Henry on my team, and I'd be all set.

In hockey news (wow, it feels good to say that), preseason tickets are on sale! I'm taking my best friends, sister, and cousin to a game, but I'm not sure which one yet. Last year, we went to the game against Pittsburgh where the players all signed autographs afterwards, and it was a blast. I hope they decide to do that again.

Less than a month until the boys are back playing on the ice - I can't wait to see these two adorkable roomies for months on end:

Let's hope that there are a LOT of celebrations like that this season!

Forever Young

Further proof that the Pittsburgh Penguins are really a team of highly-skilled, overgrown Timbits hockey players:

• The pizza in the locker room in between overtime periods, which only would have been better if it would have been Pizza Hut personal pans like you got when you were a kid.


• Their Captain looks 12 when he smiles, which I wish he would do more often.

The Chops are filling in nicely

• Their goalie likes to pretend his water bottle is a super-soaker. Before Game 5 began, Marc-Andre Fleury squirted Al Sobotka, the famous octopus-twirler, with his water bottle. Here, Flower tries adorably to defend himself:
  

  "It was an accident. I just missed my mouth by a little bit," Fleury said. "I don't know. It was just at the game, he does it to us [swinging the octopus]. And after the first two games, I thought I'll give him a little something back. And we won, so it's good."

Flower is impressed with his own antics

Hopefully, the youth of the Penguins becomes their greatest asset tonight. With Gonchar probably nursing an injury, Orpik needing IVs to keep him going, and the obvious mental and physical drain that Game 5 was, maybe age will be on the side of Pittsburgh. Let's hope those tired bodies bounce back a little faster than those of the Wings.

If not, Flower might have to bust out the water bottle on his own teammates.

Waiting for Tonight...

(insert JLo music here...)

Tonight. 8 p.m. Versus or CBC (CBC, thank you very much). Be there.

If you haven't noticed, I kind of want the Pens in this series. However, no longer do I like them just because they are young, speedy, and adorkable. I don't even want them because they have SuperSid on their team.

This is why the Pens are winners, both in hockey and life in general.


Things I learned from this video:

• Max Talbot is more amazing than pretty much everything except the Buffalo Sabres.
• Geno and Gonchar make awesome Russian mobsters.
• I NEED to hear Geno speak.
• I miss Colby Armstrong.

Pens in 6.

At Least These Finals Don't Involve Studying

Are the Sabres playing yet??

Seriously, today is a pretty uneventful day in the hockey world. Last night the Red Wings eliminated the Stars to move on to the Stanley Cup Final, which will begin Saturday night. I have to admit, I turned the game off by the third period. It just wasn't exciting.

And I guess that's how I feel about the Red Wings in general. I have nothing against them personally, but their greatness kind of bores me. I totally appreciate their accomplishments and just how dominating they are, but they're just too stoic for my liking. I like my hockey boys a little quirkier, a little less polished, I guess.

Which is why I'm pulling for the Pens. They just seem so much like the Sabres off the ice - pretty to look at but dorky as all heck when it comes down to it. Detroit is so composed all the time, a team of grizzled vets. Pittsburgh has their share of those too, but they just seem to be enjoying every moment of these playoffs in a way that only NHL youngsters really can.

This is how they are in my head - Detroit is so stoic and Pittsburgh is so goofy. I'm sure there are plenty of young, fun-loving Red Wings...But until I get a picture of someone hugging Al the Octopus (see Max Talbot and Iceburgh in yesterday's post) this is my comparison.

So, I know what you're thinking. 'Ok, Katie, we get that you think the Pens are OHMYGODSOADORABLE! but do you really think they can win this thing?'

And, oh, yes, faithful readers, I do. I think that the momentum Pittsburgh has ridden throughout the playoffs will carry them through once more. I think this will be a long, tough series (wow, cliche enough for you?), but the Pens have the right mix of veteran toughness and young flash. They have speed, but they also have shown the ability to play very good defensive hockey when they need to. Not to mention their goalie has the ability to stand on his head when he needs to as well.

Pens in 6.