(no subject)
Okay I've been saying this all season, but now that they traded their whole team for Hossa, I will officially go on record as saying the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to win the Stanley Cup this year.
With that being said, I'm just going to copy & paste this entry from my blog.
So although it has not yet been confirmed by my viewing the trade deadline updates on NHL.com (because for some reason I cannot connect to the internet while I’m in chemistry lecture, which I guess means that I should pay attention, but I never do), rumors say that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell has been traded to the San Jose Sharks for a first round draft pick and a nameless player. Why, you may ask, has GM Darcy Regier traded away a two-time NHL All Star for a future draft pick? Answer- I have no idea. I cannot speak from experience, as I am not a GM, or involved in the world of sports agency, but I can speak on behalf of a devoted fan and hockey enthusiast. Buffalo, as a city loves the Sabres and hockey and will always stand by them no matter what players are on the team. As a sort of catch-22, Buffalo fans love the Sabres so much that of course when one of their favorite players is traded away, they’re going to get mad at the man responsible for it.
Regier made some horrible management decisions last year that made the Sabres management team the biggest joke of the NHL since the Hartford Whalers (Yes, I went there). In February of last year we made 2 trades- we traded Geri Novotny to the Washington Capitals in return for power forward Dainus Zubrus. Good trade. Zubrus was not a big scorer, but when he was on the ice, you knew he was on the ice. He had a dominant presence and chemistry with Max Afinogenov that produced for the team. I feel that Zubis’ presence on the team was a contributing factor that got us to the play-offs. Yet, Regier traded him to the New Jersey Devils in June.
Marty Biron. What a complicated player for me to discuss. Biron was just shafted in the NHL as a player. He was part of the team roster for years and he happened to always be surpassed as a starting player. First by Dominic Hasek, and then by Ryan Miller. However, Marty was a great asset to the team in his motivation. This is a guy who is rare to find in the sport world. He sat on the bench and even though we all knew he wanted to be out there on the ice so much, he never let it show. He always supported Miller and he served as a support system for the whole team. Buffalo loved him, the team loved him, and he never really asked for much. So what did we trade him for? We sent him to Philly and picked up Ty Conklin, who inevitably became the joke of the Sabres. Good one, Darcy.
So the June deadline came around and rumors were flying all over the NHL. I think deep down Buffalo had been continually losing respect for the management because of not only Biron and Zubris, but because of past trades as well like Jay McKee and Mike Grier. In the back of our minds, we all knew that it was likely that our captains, Danny Briere and Chris Drury were extremely likely to leave- but who ever expected that we would be trading them both away to break the bank to keep Thomas Vanek? It is obscene that we pay him so much money. His success in last year’s season was due to Danny Briere’s assists as a play-maker for the team on the power play. I understand that agents play a big part and that players also have a say. I understand Drury wanted to go to the Rangers, but I really feel that if offered money, Briere or Drury would have stayed regardless. They stood out as all-stars on our team. Drury got traded to the Rangers, and fizzled. Briere is the Flyer’s best player, yet he is not the NHL all-star he was last season. So what did we get out of the trade season? People feeling sorry for our fans because the management is so poor. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve met people and had them feel sorry for me to be a fan of the Sabres….Oh, and it only took Thomas Vanek 4 months into the season to start scoring goals. Sure, he’s great now, but where was he on our losing streak? Certainly he was not stepping up and earning that money.
So where are we now? A team that was awesome and dominant in the last 2 Stanley Cup playoffs but lost the core of not only its skill, but its leadership. Briere was a leader in the locker room, Drury was a leader on the ice, and Campbell was a perfect combination of both. As a fan of hockey and the sport, I understand that management will make decisions and I’ll learn to live with it. As a Sabres fan, I just fear for the organization. I would hate to see our team return to the team I watched before the lock-out. A team that had the heart, but didn’t have the skill or the fan support. I know that I will stand by the organization no matter what, but I worry that the people who loved the team for being winners, will not support them when they aren’t winning.
So I guess my main point is that yes, I am upset about the trades of not only this season, but seasons past. Yes, I am angry with management. Yes, I understand that its not only our organization but the NHL as a whole. But regardless of where my anger is directed and why, if we’re really the fans we think we are, we would stand by our team and players for the love of the game- because we sympathize with them when they lose, and we celebrate with them when they win. I know no matter who is playing, where the team is, what color they’re wearing, or who is at the game, I am a life-long, die-hard Sabres fan no matter what, and that’s all that matters
With that being said, I'm just going to copy & paste this entry from my blog.
So although it has not yet been confirmed by my viewing the trade deadline updates on NHL.com (because for some reason I cannot connect to the internet while I’m in chemistry lecture, which I guess means that I should pay attention, but I never do), rumors say that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell has been traded to the San Jose Sharks for a first round draft pick and a nameless player. Why, you may ask, has GM Darcy Regier traded away a two-time NHL All Star for a future draft pick? Answer- I have no idea. I cannot speak from experience, as I am not a GM, or involved in the world of sports agency, but I can speak on behalf of a devoted fan and hockey enthusiast. Buffalo, as a city loves the Sabres and hockey and will always stand by them no matter what players are on the team. As a sort of catch-22, Buffalo fans love the Sabres so much that of course when one of their favorite players is traded away, they’re going to get mad at the man responsible for it.
Regier made some horrible management decisions last year that made the Sabres management team the biggest joke of the NHL since the Hartford Whalers (Yes, I went there). In February of last year we made 2 trades- we traded Geri Novotny to the Washington Capitals in return for power forward Dainus Zubrus. Good trade. Zubrus was not a big scorer, but when he was on the ice, you knew he was on the ice. He had a dominant presence and chemistry with Max Afinogenov that produced for the team. I feel that Zubis’ presence on the team was a contributing factor that got us to the play-offs. Yet, Regier traded him to the New Jersey Devils in June.
Marty Biron. What a complicated player for me to discuss. Biron was just shafted in the NHL as a player. He was part of the team roster for years and he happened to always be surpassed as a starting player. First by Dominic Hasek, and then by Ryan Miller. However, Marty was a great asset to the team in his motivation. This is a guy who is rare to find in the sport world. He sat on the bench and even though we all knew he wanted to be out there on the ice so much, he never let it show. He always supported Miller and he served as a support system for the whole team. Buffalo loved him, the team loved him, and he never really asked for much. So what did we trade him for? We sent him to Philly and picked up Ty Conklin, who inevitably became the joke of the Sabres. Good one, Darcy.
So the June deadline came around and rumors were flying all over the NHL. I think deep down Buffalo had been continually losing respect for the management because of not only Biron and Zubris, but because of past trades as well like Jay McKee and Mike Grier. In the back of our minds, we all knew that it was likely that our captains, Danny Briere and Chris Drury were extremely likely to leave- but who ever expected that we would be trading them both away to break the bank to keep Thomas Vanek? It is obscene that we pay him so much money. His success in last year’s season was due to Danny Briere’s assists as a play-maker for the team on the power play. I understand that agents play a big part and that players also have a say. I understand Drury wanted to go to the Rangers, but I really feel that if offered money, Briere or Drury would have stayed regardless. They stood out as all-stars on our team. Drury got traded to the Rangers, and fizzled. Briere is the Flyer’s best player, yet he is not the NHL all-star he was last season. So what did we get out of the trade season? People feeling sorry for our fans because the management is so poor. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve met people and had them feel sorry for me to be a fan of the Sabres….Oh, and it only took Thomas Vanek 4 months into the season to start scoring goals. Sure, he’s great now, but where was he on our losing streak? Certainly he was not stepping up and earning that money.
So where are we now? A team that was awesome and dominant in the last 2 Stanley Cup playoffs but lost the core of not only its skill, but its leadership. Briere was a leader in the locker room, Drury was a leader on the ice, and Campbell was a perfect combination of both. As a fan of hockey and the sport, I understand that management will make decisions and I’ll learn to live with it. As a Sabres fan, I just fear for the organization. I would hate to see our team return to the team I watched before the lock-out. A team that had the heart, but didn’t have the skill or the fan support. I know that I will stand by the organization no matter what, but I worry that the people who loved the team for being winners, will not support them when they aren’t winning.
So I guess my main point is that yes, I am upset about the trades of not only this season, but seasons past. Yes, I am angry with management. Yes, I understand that its not only our organization but the NHL as a whole. But regardless of where my anger is directed and why, if we’re really the fans we think we are, we would stand by our team and players for the love of the game- because we sympathize with them when they lose, and we celebrate with them when they win. I know no matter who is playing, where the team is, what color they’re wearing, or who is at the game, I am a life-long, die-hard Sabres fan no matter what, and that’s all that matters