LOVE/HATE...by a dedicated Swords fan

Let me start by saying that I believe I am the biggest Sabres fan there is. I have not missed a Sabres game, in person or on TV, in probably 15 years. I work in an industry that runs 24/7, and have worked every god forsaken shift known to man, and still found a way to watch every single game (thank you VHS and DVR). I have grown up cheering for the likes of Sabre stars such as Gil Perreault, Danny Gare, Mike Foligno, Tom Barrasso, Christian Ruuttu and Dominik Hasek, through some forgotten Sabre gems like John VanBoxmeer, Paul Cyr, Hannu Virta, John Tucker and Dave Snuggerud, right on through Drury/Briere and so on. I am/have been with them thru thick and thin, good/bad or otherwise for over 30 years. Hockey is the greatest game on earth, and I eat, drink and crap Blue and Gold. I am justifying my love for this team because I will no doubt be questioned on it after you read what I have on my mind.

This organization, as it stands right now, is a laughing stock, stinks to high hell, and should be embarrassed by the product they put out on the ice and the apathy they have off it. The last straw for me was the laugher on Long Island on Saturday. They were beaten by a glorified AHL team with an injury prone goaltender who gives out rebounds like hookers give out STD's. They were outworked by players who wouldn't be in the lineup on any other team in the league.  

Is this essentially the same team that won their division last year, and emerged as a number 3 seed? On paper, yes. Take away Lydman and Tallinder and add Leopold, Morrisonn and Weber and it's a wash. Really, this defense should be BETTER, not worse. They are THE worst team in their own end I have seen in a long time. What ever happened to the simple play of chipping it out off the glass? Instead, they ALL think they're going to skate it out, reverse the play or make some ridiculous pass through 8 sets of skates that even Maxim A-force-the-pass-ov wouldn't have attempted. The D-men all look like they've never played the position before, and the forwards don't come back and help. Is Ruff telling them not to chip it out because he thinks they're going to be this big, bad Detroit Red Wing, puck possession type of team? Ruff should compare Detroit's roster with ours, and re-evaluate his style of play, because it ain't even close. The passing on this team is atrocious. They are consistently outworked and outhustled. Some of these guys play scared (Hecht!). The power play is a joke and I can't begin to wonder why Brian McCutcheon still has a job.

If you don't have the personnel to play a certain style, then you better find another style. (I am talking to you too, Chan Gailey!)

Don't think Mr. Regier is getting away with out blame. He is the one who: gave out some of these ridiculous contracts like Connolly $4.5/per, Pominville $5.3/per, Gaustad $2.3/per and Hecht $3.5/per, traded for a washed up defacto captain in Rivet, who skates like he's in quicksand, and in fact it was his career that was sinking when we traded 2 draft picks for him, and gives Lindy 2 lines of soft, lazy, heartless and uninspired "scoring" forwards, and 2 lines of slow, talentless plumbers. Now, don't get me wrong. We DO have some players (and plumbers) that are keepers (Miller-hung out to dry this year, Myers-he'll be fine, Vanek-not his fault he has that contract, Roy-we miss you more than you know, Leopold-great pickup, Weber-meet the new Rhett Warrener, McCormick-works his ass off, Ennis-starting to play smarter, Stafford-it's about time, Montador-deserves a contract extension, and Kaleta-if he could stay healthy). But we also have some players (Tin Man Connolly, Gaustiff, Butler, Grier, Gerbe, Niedermayer and Pominville) that need to go. Somewhere. Anywhere. Darcy's inability/refusal to pull the trigger on a deal, ANY deal, to shake awake the half year slumber this team is in, is maddening. Dude, "hello, is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me..." Sometimes a trade for the sake of a trade is a GOOD thing. I'll trade you my overpayed slacker for yours, and maybe, just maybe, a change of scenery for both these players is just what the doctor ordered. At the very least, it jolts awake the rest of these lazy bastards from their zombie-like existence, and they start playing hockey like MEN. I am so damn sick of hearing the bullshit lip service, verbal diarrhea that spews from their mouths after every game they are outworked in. "Oh, we have to stop giving points away", "Oh, we can't keep letting these games get away", "Oh, we have to do this, or that, or who, what, where, when, blah, blah, blah-bitty-blah!!!!!" Well, guess what? DO IT THEN!!! DO WHAT YOU KEEP SAYING YOU HAVE TO DO, or shut the hell up. This team is a bunch of walking, talking cliches. 

Larry Quinn is almost a memory, thank the Lord, so I won't waste any more space on that douche.

This season is all but finished and they are on the fast track to a top 5 pick. Maybe it's what we need. Who knows. One thing I do know is that come July 1st, the management (whoever that may be) will have $25 million to spend. Let's hope the next GM doesn't mismanage the owner's funds like the current (mis)management team has. And let's hope by getting Regier and Quinn outta here, that free agents will actually want to play here.

I will still watch the games. I will ALWAYS pull for the team/organization, because I know one of these groups of players, one of these years, will bring us a Cup. I just cannot LIKE the current state of this hockey club as a whole. Let's hope the new ownership lives up to the hype, and brings us back to the top... 

...so I can say "good riddance to the 2010-11 Buffalo Sabres".