Learning to Love Us: The Craig Rivet Story

First of all, I must offer an apology for my false advertising. Responsible journalist that I am, I got my days mixed up and thought I was going to training camp today when I am actually going tomorrow. Rest assured, tomorrow night there will be a full recap of all the festivities (meaning the stuff I actually paid attention to - like the autographs and how good Poz and Trent look).

Instead of football, tonight my focus is once again on my beloved boys in Blue and Gold, specifically, the newest member of the team, Mr. Craig Rivet (I say "Mr." because, I'll be honest, I've watched some of his fights, and he scares me a little bit).

I'll admit, I was nervous with the lack of quotes from Mr. Rivet after he was traded here. Eternal pessimist that I am, I figured he was not extremely happy about his new circumstances.

My fears were only slightly eased with Bucky Gleason's latest column, featuring the first information from our newest mucker and grinder on his opinion of the trade. I'm torn between feeling inadequate because, once again, someone from a "big city" thinks that Buffalo is just one big zit on the face of New York and feeling happy that he is open and ready for that opinion to change.

To help with his Buffalo education, I present to Mr. Craig Rivet Katie's Reasons Why Buffalo Should Appeal to a Feisty Hockey Player/Doting Dad Like Himself:

1.) Cheap Houses. Mr. Rivet has already experienced that wonderful phenomenon called "If Buffalo was a girl, she'd be a really cheap date." He said he's looking for a 5,000 square-foot house for $2 million. Little did he know that he could get a house twice that size for half the price. If he wanted to spend a little more, he could probably buy the whole town of West Seneca.

2.) It's Good for the Kiddies. I think Mr. Rivet has three kids (if I'm wrong, I apologize), and I know that there is no better place for them to grow up than right here. We have great schools, but there are other reasons why so many players like raising their youngins here (Hank, Toni, Teppo, Spacho, Marty, Lindy...). People in Buffalo just seem nicer than people from other places; it's not hard to teach good manners when you're living in a place that's called "The City of Good Neighbors."

3.) Food, Food, Food. If the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then Buffalo will win his heart in no time. From wings at the Anchor Bar (or Duff's) to Mighty Taco to ice cream at Anderson's, there are never-ending culinary options, from the upscale (The Buffalo Chophouse) to the greasy-but-great (Louie's) to the hockey player staple (Chef's).

4.) The Boys Can Keep Him Young. Bucky wrote that Mr. Rivet is already excited about the young promise of our team. Little does he know just how great a place this will be to hone his leadership skills. He can make sure that Timmy doesn't hurt himself picking up girls at SoHo. He can finally teach Pie to tie his skates. He can make sure that Goose and Pommer don't stay up the whole night watching "buddy movies" and sharing deep secrets. Seriously, though, we have a fun and exciting team here who all really love this city, and I think he'll find that infectious.

5.) We're Pretty Much Canadians, Just Like Him. Buffalo is pretty much a Canadian town, which is exactly where Mr. Rivet grew up. We drink Labatt and Molson's. Our kids grow up playing hockey. There's snow for Christmas. Finally, there's Tim Horton's, and if that isn't a selling point, then I don't know what is.

6.) Buffalo and Mr. Rivet are Kindred Spirits. Hockey is our passion, and much of that passion is derived from everything Craig Rivet seems to be. We love players who work hard, own up to the media, stick up for each other, and lead in the community. This seems to be our newest player in every aspect. His game is about flying under the radar and working hard to be the best player he can be, which also happens to be how Buffalo gets by.

Mr. Rivet, if those reasons aren't good enough for you, just watch some videos of our Parties in the Plaza, and you'll see just how great a hockey town you are now a part of.

Tomorrow morning, I'll add to my "100 Things" list. I figured this was "list-y" enough for tonight.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

While I've been off celebrating my dad's birthday, I've apparently been zapped of all good blogging ideas. Therefore, I shall do what all good bloggers do, steal ideas from people way cooler and more creative than I am (giving credit where credit is due, of course).

Thanks to the fantastic ladies over at Sabretooth's House for alerting me to this swoon-inducing video of Paul Gaustad and Danny Paille playing street hockey with the kids from Camp Good Days. For the ladies reading: I am not responsible for the spontaneous fainting and heart palpitations caused by the viewing of this video.

I can't decide what I like best about this video: how adorably focused Danny gets when he's playing, how excited Goose is that he knows some of the kids by name after working with them for the last year, or how happy everyone involved seems. It's nice to see that Goose and Danny seem as genuinely excited to be playing as the kids do. This combines two of the things I love most about hockey - athletes who genuinely like to help kids and Paul Gaustad.

The next phase of today's post comes from two of my favorite bloggers - M.J. over at My Safety is Harvard and Heather B. at Top Shelf. Both of them have been writing a "100 Things" series of random facts about themselves. I think if two of my favorites are doing it and doing it so entertainingly, maybe I should give it a try. So, if you're desperate for more information about the crazy girl who writes this blog, read on:

My Own 100 Things - Part 1:
1.) I'm one of the few people I know that would choose to live in Buffalo when presented with any other option. Buffalo has been my home for my entire life, and I cannot imagine myself living any place else. When I graduate, I would love to do something to help bring young professionals to Western New York.

2.) I've gone to Catholic Schools my whole life, from elementary school to high school and now in college (Canisius College). However, I have never gone to an all-girls' school, and I never would have survived if I had.

3.) My mother is who I got my love of hockey from. She's been a Sabres fan since 1970, and even traveled to Montreal for a playoff game in high school. Her favorite Sabre of all time? Jim Schoenfeld.

4.) I'm at my happiest when I'm dancing. The list of styles I've dabbled in includes tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, musical theater, pointe, and modern.

5.) I work at a library, stocking the shelves, and I think it's the greatest part-time job on Earth, even if I do get mocked for my "nerdy job."

6.) I'm going to be 20 in about two weeks, but I look about 16. People tell me I'll be thankful for that someday, but right now it's no fun.

7.) I have a sister five years younger than I am, but she is, without question, my best friend.

8.) I'm a classic over-achiever, which is reflected in my dual major (English and Communication Studies) and Honors Program work.

9.) If I could live in any store for the rest of my life it would be Borders.

10.) I've gone to Disney World about 15 times in my life. My favorite park is EPCOT, and my favorite ride is Test Track.

11.) I've only been on a plane once in my life (when I was 3 years old). I think I've seen more of the East Coast by car than anyone I know.

12.) I wanted to be movie critic for about 2 years, until I realized that I'm not critical enough. I still love movies and film history, though.

13.) Now, I want to be a sports journalist, which I'm perfecting by writing for the Canisius paper.

14.) I would try to make my way as a professional tap dancer if I thought I was good enough; Gene Kelly is my hero.

15.) Beauty and the Beast was the first movie I ever saw in theaters, and it is still one of my favorite films.

16.) This summer alone, I've read seven books.

17.) If I could eat dinner with any three people, they would be Princess Diana, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Audrey Hepburn.

18.) My grandfather got a letter to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals as a shortstop. He chose the Army instead.

19.) I read for symbolism even when I'm reading for fun.

20.) I cried when Alias (that spy show with Jennifer Garner) ended.

21.) The best concert I ever went to was Justin Timberlake at HSBC in February 2007.

22.) Ever since I was 15, I can't wake up in the morning without reading the paper at breakfast (usually the sports section).

23.) If I could write papers for a living, I would.

24.) Where most girls spend all their money on shoes or purses, my weakness is good makeup; too much of my paycheck goes to Sephora.

25.) The proudest moment of my life was watching the girls I taught this year perform their ballet dance at our recital. One of the girls had Down Syndrome, and seeing her out there smiling was one of the highlights of my life.

Sorry if I bored anyone. Tomorrow watch for Katie Goes to Training Camp - A Photo Essay.

Football is Cool, Too

Hockey may be my true love, but football was my first love. I was born at the beginning of the "Glory Years" for the Bills to two season ticket holders, and I was watching games with my dad before I can really remember. I always say that I'm a Sabres fan by choice but a Bills fan by genetics.

I'm pretty excited for football season to start. I like going to training camp, which I'm doing sometime next week. I especially love watching all the players come in on the first day like college freshmen with their pillows and laundry baskets.

I have a lot of players that I really can't wait to see develop on this young Bills team - Donte Whitner, Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, and, of course, Trent Edwards. My favorite current Buffalo Bill, however, is Paul Posluszny.

I pick favorite football players like I do hockey players. They have to have that blue-collar mentality and hard-working edge that suits Buffalo perfectly. They have to show a burning desire to get better every game and an intense hatred for losing. Most importantly, though, they have to be good people when it's all said and done.

I feel like "Poz" exemplifies all those things (not to mention the fact that he is incredibly handsome). Then, in today's Buffalo News, I came across this article that further proves why Poz should be every thinking-girl's favorite Bill:

"Posluszny owns a computer but he doesn’t have a laptop, so he doesn’t have
that for a diversion at camp, either. He’s resorting to old-fashioned media to
get away from football; he’s reading a book.
'I’m in the middle of a pretty good book right now, ‘Guns, Germs and Steel.’ It’s about why certain cultures, particularly the Europeans, developed the way they did,' he said.
The book, by Jared Diamond, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1998. "

Poz carries his library in his laundry basket (Photo by James P. McCoy of TBN)

As an English major and part-time librarian, this made my day!

In Sabres news: beloved Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth has been hired as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Thrashers. He'll be missed, but he has to take pride in knowing that he was the one who really crafted the minds and skills of many of the most important players on our team, especially that 2004-2005 Rochester "core." He should also be happy in that he will now be coaching my favorite non-Sabre NHL-er Colby Armstrong.

Finally, a very happy belated birthday to baby-Sabre and everyone's favorite Facebook friend, Nate Gerbe!

He Likes Us, He Really Likes Us

Because I love lists, I bring you five interesting things I learned at Ryan Miller's press conference yesterday (which can be found on sabres.com):

1. Ryan looked good. I don't mean that in a puck-bunny "ohmyGodRyanMillerissohawt" kind of way (no offense, Ryan, I can't get past the eyebrows). I mean, he looked the way I've always wanted to see him look - happy. Summer looks good on him; he looks rested and he may even have added some weight to that supermodel-skinny body he was dragging on the ice for the last few weeks of the season. He looked genuinely happy throughout the whole press conference, which I take to mean he is genuinely happy to be playing here for the next six years.

This adorable photo courtesy of the Derek Gee of The Buffalo News

2. I've found the greatest words in the English language, and they are as follows:

"I'd trade all the money in the world to bring a championship here, and to accomplish something with my group of friends, my teammates."

Hearing Ryan say this literally brought tears to my eyes (I know, I'm a crybaby). It just feels like we've waited for so long for someone to say that winning a championship for us is priceless. As Sabres fans, we've been burned by "fan favorites" who've left us in search of the big paycheck, a quick chance at success, or a bigger name team. For once, we have a star player who understands that the pride of being the first to bring us the win we've always dreamed of will be better than any amount of money.

3. There's a definite method to Darcy's madness. Darcy has always talked about the importance of keeping the "core" of our team together. I believe that, in order for that to have happened, we could never have kept Drury, Briere, and Campbell. Now, looking at it with all that was said yesterday, I'm not sure they were the best for the team in the long run, anyway. Ryan said over and over again that he loves the Sabres because he gets to go to work with his best friends. Those guys from the 2004-2005 Amerks are like family, and what they have is rare in pro sports. They've grown up together, and they've dreamed of winning the Cup together. I can only hope that they get to accomplish that all together because I feel like that would be such a unique and emotional moment for them and for all of us who got to watch them grow together. I think Darcy said it best:

"I do believe that when Ryan signs, Paul [Gaustad] signs and you’ve got [Thomas] Vanek and [Derek] Roy and others, that group is together...The dressing room is a big deal. It’s a big deal to walk into the room and say, ‘I like that guy, I like that guy, I like that guy.’ It’s a bigger deal to say you trust them and a bigger deal again to say you’ll go to work for them.”

4. I fully expect Jason Pominville to be signed before training camp. Now that Pommer is Darcy's number one priority, I can't imagine negotiations will take too long before one more piece of that brotherly "core" is locked up long-term. Jason seems very similar to both Ryan Miller and Paul Gaustad in his loyalty to the team that drafted him, the team he grew up on. He's part of that Rochester group that seems so inseparable, Goose's roommate for the last seven years. I can't wait for the next press conference, announcing that Jason is signed and has been named our fearless leader and Captain. What a difference a year makes, I've gone from fully expecting captains to leave to fully expecting this one to be signed long before he hits free agnecy.

5. Teppo's coming back! I know, I know, Darcy said nothing was final yet, but it's definitely moving that way. I couldn't be happier. I've been chirping about his importance to the team since July 1, and I stand behind everything I said. We need a calming force both on the ice and off of it for these young players still growing into new roles. He can teach our baby d-men so much, and he genuinely likes it in Buffalo. Wait, a veteran player liking it here? I though Bucky Gleason said we were a terrible organization to play for, and no one would ever come here by choice? Maybe not...

As a reward for getting through this novel of a post, I present to you a daily dose of cuteness, courtesy of Goose and Danny Paille at a street hockey game with kids from Camp Good Days:

A Day Later, Still Happy

I don't know if I've ever confessed this before, but Ryan Miller makes me emotional.

I think he even stirs my heart more than Paul Gaustad.

Now before you go checking to make sure this is the right blog, let me be more specific. Goose is my favorite Sabre, bar none. Nothing makes me smile more than the mere mention of Paul Gaustad or his pretty face and hard-hitting play. However, he really only evokes one feeling in me - pure, unadulterated love.

Ryan Miller, on the other hand, has taken me on the complete roller coaster of hockey emotions. I get mad when he lets in a soft goal from the point. I get sad when I hear him talk about losing his cousin. I'm proud when I see all of the amazing charity work he does for kids in Buffalo. I'm amused when he gets snippy with the press.

However, if you ask anyone I know what emotion best describes how I feel about Ryan Miller, they will all say fierce protectiveness. I'm more protective about Ryan than I am about some members of my own family. When he got that shut-out against Atlanta after his cousin passed away, I'll admit that I cried. When other people (like my father) rush to criticize him, I rush to defend him - he's had a rough year personally, he's exhausted, our defense doesn't help. I always want to make sure he eats enough, too.

I have to fight the urge to send cookies to the arena for him.

As you can imagine, all the talk about Ryan not wanting to stay in Buffalo had me nervous. After all the emotion I had invested in him, it would have devastated me to hear that he didn't really love us back.

So, thank you, Ryan. Thanks for helping our fragile psyche one kind word and signed contract at a time. When you said you really love living here, it made me feel justified in believing in how genuine you are, and I know I'm not the only one.

As a Buffalo fan, all I ask is that my favorite athletes love my city with the same passion that I love watching them play. This offseason has made me proud to be a Sabres fan. First, Goose committed to us because we were the ones who gave him a chance. Then, Miller proved that he not only believes we can win it all but that we're a fanbase he'd love to win it all for.

Now that these two have validated me in my emotional attachment to them, I can only hope that Pommer follows suit. Ryan said that the signing of Goose was a big factor in his decision. It only makes sense that Jason would think the same about his roomie Goose and fellow Amerks-alum, Miller.

Only one more of the trio left...They're waiting for you to join the Sabre-snuggle, Pommer!

Happy Day!

To all the whiners who said that Ryan Miller will walk out on the Sabres and run to Detroit after this season...

I wonder what it tastes like to eat your words.

5 more years of Miller!
Ryan's happy, little puppy Max is happy, I'm happy. It must have been a VERY good birthday for Millsey indeed!

Now I must run to dine at my grandmother's house. Ryan's the only Sabre she really knows, so she will be very happy to hear this news. I promise more on this awesome news tomorrow!

Too Many Games...Too Little Money

First and foremost...

This is Danny Paille's happy face. He's happy because we just signed him for another two years, and I'm happy, too! I felt like a proud mother hen watching him go above and beyond the call of duty so many times last year, and I can't wait to see what the next two years will bring with his work ethic and visible passion for the game.

I love Danny because he seems like such a regular guy; so much so that when my friend and I walked past him in the arena after an open skate, we just kept walking. We only stopped after it dawned on me that the really attractive guy in the dress coat looked familiar...kind of like Danny Paille.

If you're craving more Pie after this news, here's a WGR interview with him on Schopp and the Bulldog. I didn't appreciate how they almost seemed to be talking down to him. Now, we in the blogging community talk about Danny like he's a adorable kindergartner leaning to tie his skates, but I think we all know that he's about 10,000 times cooler than we are. However, listen to this interview if only to hear little Danny profess his love for his mentor - Guess who that is...

Danny says that he wants to be a leader just like Goose is, and he really likes playing on a line with him. Well who wouldn't?

In other Sabre-news, the NHL released its 2008-2009 schedule yesterday. Let's just say there are about 20 games I NEED to see, and with my budget, that list needs to get cut to about 4. All I know is that, on October 17, my favorite team in the West, the Canucks, are coming to HSBC. I think I may cry if I have to watch Roberto Luongo, Taylor Pyatt, and Big Bear only from my living room.

Stop by tomorrow as I actively try to figure out which games I simply have to see for my own personal sanity (Canucks, Pens) and which would just be icing on the cake of my season (Do I need to see the Ducks, no matter how much I like Ryan Getzlaf?).

Finally, a Happy Belated Birthday to everyone's favorite hippie goalie, Ryan Miller. For your birthday, Millsie, I virtually give you all the skinny jeans and Kashi granola you can handle. Oh yeah, and that massive contract extension that should have been done yesterday. And if you haven't learned from Soupy's mistakes, I wish you all the hangover remedies in the world.

Little Millsey's all grown up!