Who'd Have Thought?

by Anne

I can't access Twitter or Facebook on my work computer but I can update my much-neglected little bloggaroo.

So it seems I've started a new job. Six months of unemployment was plenty, thankyouverymuch. We're fresh into week two right now and no end in sight. I'm temping in downtown Buffalo and it is LAUGH A MINUTE FUN. While this job might be wicked boring, at least it gives me time to update this. AND, if Iwork down here, which is right around the corner from the office I was working in when I started this precious little blog's predecessor, I will be a mere hop, skip, and a jump from HSBC Arena come fall. As it's not likely I'll still be working here then, I won't get my hopes up too high.

It's amazing how my playoff frenzied fervor immediately disappears when each and every team I have actual emotional attachment to is eliminated. First we said good-bye to the Los Angeles Kings, who lost in un-ceremonious overtime fashion at the hands of one Cap'n Joe Thornton. Then we bid adieu to the Buffalo Sabres who, it seems, could not recover from their back-breaking game 6 loss to Danny Briere and Pseudo-Pronger. Then the Penguins, who made it farther than anyone would've predicted without their two-headed scoring monster, were ousted by the bandwaggonable Tampa Bay Lightning.

The second round has almost entirely passed me by. Whoops. During the Bruins/Flyers series, I wasn't so much rooting for the Bruins as I was cheering against the Flyers... and a little bit for TimTom. Because, COME ON. It's Tim Thomas. How can you not love Tim Thomas? He CRAZY. And to think the Bruins almost parted ways with the crochety old net-minder last off-season.

It's hard for me to give a hoot about the Western Conference. The only team I actually WANT to win, is the Predators. However, if the Canucks defeat them, I won't exactly weep into my bowl of Special K the next morning.

The truth is, the reason I don't want the Canucks to win it all has nothing to do with the team or their fans or their city. The real reason is because I hate for the list of  "never won"s to get even shorter and my precious little Sabres and Kings are still sitting there, waiting for their turn to eat Special K out of Lord Stanley's cereal bowl.

Alas, if the Canucks win it all, I shall be happy for them and their fans. Totally jealous of course, but happy none the less.

Behbeh Alex Burrows thanks you for your time.



Appreciation

by Anne

Ryan Miller is all ours.

And he's fucking awesome.

One down. 

Fifteen to go.

Let's Go Buff-a-lo!

Bittersweet Symphony

by Anne

There is no more ambivalent time of year than the NHL playoffs. My first exposure to this phenomenon was the Sabres' unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999. I was 13, emotional, and ridiculous. In the intervening twelve years, a lot about me has changed, but my roller coaster emotions during the playoffs have not, and being a tried and true Buffalonian I'm definitely not alone.

For months, fans scream, cheer, rant, rave, complain, laud, and, in general, prognosticate their team's futures and playoff chances.

Then, the blissful day arrives when your team clinches their coveted spot in the top eight teams of their conference. Hooray! Hockey in Late April! Then hopefully May! Then, hope against hope, in June as well! The sun is shining! Food tastes better! There's a spring in your step and a song in your heart. It's going to be a glorious time for the fans, the players, and the city they represent. What could possibly go wrong?

Then, the playoffs actually begin... and so does the stress.

It's no big secret that everything is magnified during the playoffs. The goals are bigger, the wins are riotous, and the losses are soul-crushing.

Every year (ok, well, every year the Sabres make the playoffs) I go through this. I'm a somewhat emotional person. I tend to take the playoffs a BIT too personally.  There are many ways in which I have evolved since the age of 13, but my overt emotional involvement with the Buffalo Sabres in the playoffs will never change.

Are there terrible moments during the playoffs? Yes, absolutely. Are there glorious moments? Duh. Would I trade it for anything? Are you new to this blog? Fuck no!

I'M NOT SCARED.

LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO!!

A Royal Playoff Berth

by Anne

Last night with a shootout win over the Coyotes, the Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth.

Woooo! Let's do a little dance:

 Playoffs, baby.

 This is not unlike my own sick victory dance moves.

With Kopitar and Williams out, the youngin's, specifically Kyle Clifford had to step up, and they did. Clifford scored a HUGE second period game-tying goal that ultimately led to the game-winning shootout. I wouldn't call behbeh Kyle a suitable replacement for Kopi or Willy, but he'll do in a pinch.

There's no way this team goes all the way without Kopi. I adore the Kings fans I follow on Twitter. I love reading their blogs and I love their passion for the game. However, some of them need to see the light and realize that while Kopi isn't the ENTIRE team, the team will never, ever be as good without him as they are with him. Most of them have, but some still cling to 2011 Cup dreams.

I see this playoff berth as an opportunity for the Kings to see players like Clifford in big-game situations. Otherwise, I'm not holding my breath for huge things for the Kings. :(

Because I've been lax, I'm sure you've all missed your daily (ok, weekly...or bi-monthly) love for Matt Greene. Please enjoy that he has been named by his teammates as having the worst car and being the worst dressed. The truth is, he dresses that way and drives that car to make his teammates feel better about themselves when they're around him. He's got to do SOMETHING to ease their stress that he's so much more bad-ass than they are.

Let's Go Kings!

I Need to Listen to Rebecca Black more

by Anne

Yesterday I said it was Thursday April 5. Ummmm, yeah. Tuesday. Do they make days of the week underwear for adults? Looks like I might need them to keep my days of the week straight.

Anyway.

I almost forgot that I re-committed to blogging.

It's amazing how the roster of a team changes so drastically over the years. It really struck me the other night while watching the beginning of overtime against Toronto. I remember the first season I started this blog, Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera had their first significant call-ups to Buffalo and they were nothing short of awesome down the stretch. Reggie came to the team and floundered around a bit but has come off of a benching hot these last few weeks. Weber went down to the AHL and stayed there, mixing in a significant injury and some not-so-impressive 1 - 2 game call-ups over the last two seasons. However, since he's been here recently, we're seeing the player we caught a glimpse of in 2008. He still hits hard, but he's taking fewer bone-headed penalties, and is playing strong defensive hockey in his own zone.

It brings a tear to the eye.

I have developed a soft spot for stay-at-home defensemen. Bonus points for being American, and bonus points for being a Buffalo Sabre. He and Sir Christopher are going to have to work hard in the playoffs to win the title of "Anne's Favorite Sabres Defeseman."

I really can't believe that I'm not going to the game on Friday. What kind of fan am I? When I worked at HSBC Arena, going to games was no big deal. It took me most of this season to realize that not being able to be at every game blows. BLOWS. If I'm still living in Buffalo come August, I'm re-applying to work at the arena. It was one of my favorite jobs. Even if I didn't always love it, you couldn't beat the perks of random player encounters and, most important: knowing people who can hook me up with free beer on occasion.

However, my former blogging partner in crime, S(h)ara is aging another year on Friday so I will be celebrating the Sabres on their march to the playoffs and her birth.

Good night all.

Back.

by Anne

Hey!

I'm re-committing to daily blogging starting TODAY, Thursday April 5, 2011.

My first re-born post shall be to re-dub Christopher "Butts" Butler as "Sir Christopher."

By virtue of your re-emerging bodacious defensive play, and your

first goal of the season (took you long enough),

and specifically your totally sexy (and legal) manhandling of

one Mr. Vincent Lecavalier in the dying minutes of tonight's game.

I hereby re-dub you:

Sir Christopher

May you always be the gentleman and bad-ass defenseman we know you can be.

As I tweeted/posted: I will not count my sixth place eggs until they've hatched. However, in the interim I will go all Paas Easter egg dye happy on them.

Game plan for next year: adjust Vanek's visor so every team looks like they're the Tampa Bay Lightning.

LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO!

March Madness

by Anne

While I wanted to dive back into blogging on a more regular basis, I could not have picked a worse time to do it.

I'm in the middle of directing a high school production of Cinderella that opens the last weekend in March. Therefore, the entire month of March has been dedicated to that.

Unfortunately, the entire month of March is also (at least over the last several years) dedicated to the Buffalo Sabres inching ever closer to 9th in the Eastern Conference. In years past they've been fighting for points to MAKE IT to 9th; this year they happen to be backsliding into the oh-so uncoveted out-of-the-playoffs spot of 9th place.

During most of the last several Sabres games, I have been watching my little darlings act and sing their hearts out... or just stand there and look bored (it depends on the student or the day, or whether or not there was enough pudding in the cafeteria that day or something). I have missed a couple of good ones and a couple of... forgettable attempts.

The Sabres most recent foray into their plan to reach 9th place was a 1-0 loss on home ice to the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course it was. A 1-0 loss on home ice sounds like the worst night of my life. I've been to several of those affairs, but most of the time I was working so I had something to occupy my mind rather than the many expletives I planned to hurl at the Sabres offense for being so impotent.

However, I heard rumblings on Twitter that the effort wasn't ALL bad on the Sabres end. Whatever, how good could it POSSIBLY have been if they managed to score not a single goal in an hour of ice time? I don't mind admiring effort if there's goal scoring to ice the cake of solid defensive play. Yes 40 shots is a lot, no question. Even though I didn't see a single one of these shots, I'd imagine many of them were of the "at the logo on the goalie's chest" type that count as shots but almost never turn into goals.

I need to focus my energies on the show, not on the Sabres. I'd appreciate it if you all could worry about them for me over the next 10 days.

Thanks.