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Archive for February, 2013

NHL – Buffalo Sabres’ 2013 Season

11 Feb

As the 2012 NHL season wound down last year, and it became apparent that the Buffalo Sabres were again going to miss the playoffs, I wrote 2 different posts on this blog, one titled “Why Lindy Ruff Should Be Fired” and “Lindy Ruff’s Last Stand”, both calling for the coach to be relieved of his duties, as that seemed to be the only way this stale franchise could be revived. Unfortunately, both Ruff and GM Darcy Regier are still running the show, and owner Terry Pegula, instead of following through on his promise to pursue the Stanley Cup, has remodeled the team’s locker room and built a monument to the French Connection line, a fitting tribute to the linemates who thrilled fans in past years, but also never won a Cup.

The French Connection 

 

My comment on Ruff after last season was that he should be fired, but that Pegula was obviously enamored with him so he’d be back this year, but would be on a short leash as fans would accept nothing less than a fast start and a team that contends for a playoff spot. Instead, the Sabres have been wildly inconsistent, and have been guilty of all kinds of defensive breakdowns while playing Ruff’s defensive “system”. The roster was remade to Ruff’s liking, as tough guys like Steve Ott and John Scott were added.  The results have been the same, as the team continues to struggle and ranks in the bottom of the NHL standings. In the lockout-shortened 48-game season, no team can afford to play as inconsistently as the Sabres have and expect to make the playoffs. I also noted in that season-ending post that the players were grumbling on locker cleanout day about the way Ruff treats them – the biggest complainer, Derek Roy, was traded to Dallas for Ott – and that the players were grown men and certainly didn’t appreciate being treated like 5 year olds by their coach, with his childish punitive punishments for making mistakes.  I had to shake my head when I read that during a practice session recently, if the players didn’t cover a shooter in time, they were forced to do push-ups. Ruff insisted it wasn’t “punishment”, and none of the players publicly complained, but I guarantee you they’ve had enough of that type of treatment. They need their coach to come up with some answers, which he hasn’t. It’s a shame but it looks like the Sabres will muddle through to another non-playoff year. I can’t see Pegula rationalizing that away and continuing to support his coach and GM when the organization just keeps spinning its’ wheels.

 
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Posted in Hockey

 

Classic Team Logo of The Day

11 Feb

Logo of the Syracuse Crunch, a minor league hockey team, used from 2000 until 2010. The Crunch play in the East Division of the American Hockey League, and are currently affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have always had a reputation as a “rough and tumble” style of hockey team, and in February of 2010, they played in the first outdoor game in AHL history, against the Binghamton Senators, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.

 

Classic Sports Card of The Day

11 Feb

1966 Topps hockey card of former Toronto Maple Leafs star Dave Keon. Keon played 15 of his 22 professional seasons for the Leafs, including on 4 Stanley Cup-winning teams in the 1960s. An eight time NHL All Star, he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs in 1967, and also won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1960. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.