Will this Summer never END?

By Anne

The Sabres are boring.

Lou Lamoriello and Ilya Kovalchuk and Kovalchuk's agent have created a lot of headaches for people.

Mark Mancari is coming back to Portland. Woo.

Someone effed up the Prince of Wales trophy (Eastern Conference Champs) and wrote the Washington Capitals instead of the Flyers. The running excuse is that the engraver is a moron and wrote the Caps because they won the President's trophy. I mean, they both start with P after all.

Ummm, let's see. This guy standing next to my desk has an incredibly deep voice. It's almost hot. I don't know what he looks like though. Maybe I shouldn't look, it might kill the image. Although it's hard to sound sexy with a Great Lakes accent no matter how hot you might appear to be. Oh, he just said "I seen." That's a real mood killer. Even if it was Greener, I'd be grossed out by someone saying "I seen." Proper grammar is wicked sexy.

Exactly how many defensemen do the Sabres have these days? It seems like a lot but it probably isn't.

I'm taking a kickboxing lesson tonight. It's one-on-one with a personal trainer. I've gained a lot of weight over the last year (effing school stress being de-motivating) and I want to be at least somewhat presentable for my sister's wedding next July. I'm pumped to learn how to kick some butt.

I'm typing this on a Gateway Netbook. It is LAME. I want my Macbook back. I'm not an Apple Fangirl by anymeans (I use a Blackberry and have ZERO interest in an iPad) but it cannot be disputed that my Macbook>>>>>>>>>>>>my Netbook.

Anyone in the Western New York area thinking about selling their home in the next few months? I know just the girl to help you out. :)

Baby line?

by Anne

Tyler Ennis is already up in the blue gold, and now Nate Gerbe and Mark Mancari are headed back up here as well.

I'm fairly confident that while Connolly, Vanek and Kaleta really are injured and need time to heal, that they're being extra cautious with the upcoming PLAYOFF run, and are keeping them on the bench. I don't know the details of their injuries obviously, but I'm guessing that's why these three Pirates have been tapped to come on up to the big club.

I'll be interested to see what Gerbe does this time around. The possibility of Gerbe last season was much more exciting than the real thing. I'm sure no one is more frustrated with his sluggish scoring in the NHL than Gerbe himself. 

Maybe he'll turn it around this time? Shelby of Puck Over The Glass and now a new blog: Sabres Hockey Central pointed out what a fantastic line Gerbe-Roy-Ennis would be. We play Boston tonight, Chara would never see them coming. Literally. It might be awesome. It also might be hilarious. Let's do this.

I really have no thoughts about Mancari. He played better than anticipated the last time he was called up, so hopefully he can keep that up.

Tonight the Sabres take on the currently eighth place Boston Bruins on the road. A team who is in the unenviable position of grasping onto a bottom playoff position with 6th place only two points ahead, and 9th only two points behind. No thank you. The Sabres were in that mix for the last two seasons and it is NOT pleasant to be there. Clinching weeks before the regular season ends is SO. MUCH. BETTER.

Mancari it is

by Anne

It wasn't Tyler Ennis or Nathan Gerbe but Mark Mancari has been given yet another shot at the NHL.

Or, well, he's being given a game or so before he underwhelms as per usual.

 

What number is he going to wear now?

Whatevs, he probably won't stay here very long.

Mark out, Tyler and Nate in?

by Anne

John Vogl posted some highlights of a telephone conversation he had with Darcy Regier today.

He discussed Stafford and Mair blah blah, nothing new. Of note are two things: Mark Mancari wants out and Tyler Ennis wants in.

• Its no surprise that Mark Mancari wants to test out the waters of another NHL club. He hasn't been able to crack the Sabres line-up in his many years here and he isn't currently under contract. There are more experienced players who can fill his type of role for the Sabres so Mancari is lower down on the totem pole here than he might be with another club. I don't particularly care if Mancari leaves. He's a great AHL player but he does deserve a shot at the NHL and he most likely will not get that shot in Buffalo.

• Tyler Ennis has plans to turn pro. Darcy said that Little Tyler plans to sign a contract and start playing in Portland after training camp. At first I was confused, isn't he only 19? Why yes, he is. But you have to be 20 to play in the AHL? What ever is happening here? Never fear, the solution is quite simple, really. Ennis will turn 20 three days after the start of the NHL regular season. This means he'll be hanging out up in Buffalo for a few days before he can officially be sent down to the minors. What does this mean for our opening night forwards line-up? Will Ennis play? Does this mean we'll be hanging onto 14 forwards for a few days? None of these are terribly pressing issues of course, but I'm interested to see how this works.

• From a hockeybuzz.com blog we find that Nathan Gerbe has absolutely no intention of playing for the Portland Pirates this season. He's declared that he won't be playing there. There's no way. None. End of story. He's going to make the NHL from the start of the season. I'm terrified of what will happen to the man's psyche if by some miracle he doesn't make the team. I'm pretty confident that he will and I'm glad to see such bold determination from him. There's a lot of competition for those 12 spots and that makes players play better. There is always someone ready to come in and take your job. Good on ya, GerbeDerby.
  

• Puck Daddy is previewing the season for all 30 NHL teams and he e-mailed a few of we foxy Sabres bloggers (including yours truly) for a few thoughts on what we expect out of the coming season for the Sabres. So you should check that out. I think the Sabres one will be up Friday. He seems to be doing one a day and Wednesday was Atlanta so I assume Boston is Thursday and Buffalo is Friday. I'm sure you probably read Puck Daddy already, but if you don't, you'll find a link near the top of the Blog Roll. Over Here ------------>

I feel no post is complete without a picture. Well, ok, I post without pictures all the time, but today I feel inclined to search one out.

I love this picture
I know this was only a year ago, but doesn't Sir Christopher look a lot younger?
Its the hair
Awwww.

Pirates Lose But it Was Fun Anyway

by Anne

S(h)ara and I were at the Pirates game, both rocking Kennedy t-shirts

Phew. I'm glad I left my tiny white shorts and knock-off Target uggs at home
Seriously, darling, its not that warm outside


Dougie serenaded us
Why was TK not in the starting line up?

This game is best told in fights:


First Parsley (Jimmy Bonneau) fought some Rat


...as Mike Ryan drifted by listlessly


Then these dudes fought
I think this was Mancari roughing up someone


Then there was a brawl
Someone sucker punched Gerbe and he just curled up into the fetal position
He's 5'5", he's allowed


Then Mike Ryan was a douchebag part 1


Ignore Colton Fretter
look at the super full penalty boxes behind him
There were four players in each box to start the 3rd


Then Mike Ryan (#21) scored a pretty slick goal
He's still a douchebag


Because he crosschecked Kyle Rank after Timmy tied the game at 2
We really liked heckling Mikey
Matt Ellis is better anyway


Salty Pete was there


TOO MANY MEN ON THE ICE!

I've never been to an AHL game before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I will say this, I'll take the NHL. These guys were terrrible. I mean even when they were good, they were only so-so. You could easily pick out the NHLers (Kennedy, Ryan, Gerbe, etc.) Marc-Andre Gragnani showed some excellent puck handling ability on the power play. He might've been getting a little too showy but I certainly was impressed by how he moved the puck.

Although Kyle Rank might not be headed for the NHL anytime soon, his tying goal with 29 seconds left in regulation was a thriller. There was chorus after chorus of "SHOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" and Zach Takir did and Kyle Rank redirected it into the net. S(h)ara and I definitely started a few chants of "Peeeeeeeeeeters, Peeeeeeeeeeeters" to heckle the Rats goalie. Unfortunately not a single Pirate scored in OT or the shootout and the Rats walked away with two points.

I couldn't get a picture of it but Dylan Hunter's facial hair is amazing. From here on out he will be known as "Pornstache"

I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's game even more now. NHL hockey > AHL hockey.

I thought Gerbe was hurt because I didn't realize that he didn't just get a misconduct penalty, he got a game misconduct for fighting off of the playing surface with some Rat. He was kicked out of the game according to AHL rule 47.7.

Just to emphasize further the crazy number of fights in this game, here's a screen capture of the penalties summary:

that's a lot of penalties
click to enlarge

So They're Already in Buffalo Anyway...

by Anne

So if, like, between now and Wednesday, if they decide to call-up like Mancari or whoevs to help fill in for TV, how will this work?

The Pirates are already in Buffalo as I type, taking the ice for a practice at 11:00am and the Sabres will practice after. Both teams are playing in HSBC Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Sooooooooo the Pirates have like no defensemen, could we, like, loan them Butler and Weber for Tuesday and then miraculously recall them and Mancari or Gerbe or whoevs on Wednesday morning? I guess so? Will they call them up earlier than that? That would royally screw the Pirates who are already shorthanded and its not like they have travel time to worry about what with getting from HSBC Arena to... HSBC Arena (and not the one in Brazil either).

I'm assuming we won't loan them our defensemen on the off chance they get hurt, but this Mancari/Gerbe/Kennedy situation intrigues me...

This is why the Flyers and Maple Leafs have the right idea, having their AHL team in the same city, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

Prospects Tearin' it Up, All-Star Games and Ruutu Gets Tuu

by Anne

Its been a great couple of days for Sabres' prospects.

First Team Canada, featuring Tylers Ennis and Myers, wins a 5th straight gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa. The Jolly Blonde Giant finished the tournament with 1 goal, 2 PIM and a +5. His smaller teammate, Tyler Ennis finished the tournament with 7 points (3+4), 0 PIM and a +1. Congratulations, Tylers!

Ennis battling for the puck against Kazakhstan


The Jolly Blonde Giant calmly moving the puck against Germany

Also, Mark Mancari has been named to the Canadian All-Star team for the AHL All-Star Game. The AHL All-Star Game is Canada v. Players from Everywhere Else. Nathan Gerbe and Tim Kennedy have been named to the PlanetUSA All-Star team. If y'all remember, last year at the AHL All-Star game, Mancari broke the AHL hardest shot record. Can't wait to see what these guys do! Hooray!

Tim and Nate: Uh, yeah, Mark, weeeee're not on the same team.

In other All-Star news, the Western Conference reserves were announced today and WCBs Rick Nash, Jarome Iginla and Ryan Getzlaf were named to the team. Hooray! Eastern Conference reserves are announced tomorrow and I'm hoping there's at least 1 slug on that roster. I know the All-Star Game is stupid and voting is lame but I enjoy the ridiculousness of the festivities and the feeling I get that I'm having a wild weekend fling with the rest of the NHL while watching the goings on. I'd rather watch this all with at least one Eastern Conference player I won't feel dirty about cheering for (other than Ovechkin).

Also, voting closes soon for our All-Star Rosters. Things are getting close! Don't let your favorites go unappreciated!! Its Wednesday, which is apparently usually the day I update these standings, so here they are:

Eastern Conference Forwards
1. Gaustad
2. Lecavalier
3. Eaves
4. Laich
5. Upshall

Eastern Conference D-Men
1. Ference
2. Schenn
3. Rivet
4. Komisarek

Eastern Conference Goalies
1. DiPietro
2. Lalime
3. Price

Western Conference Forwards
1. Berglund
2. Sharp
3. Nash
4. Toews
5. Cammalleri

Western Conference D-Men
1. O'Brien
2. Liles
3. Souray
4. Weber

Western Conference Goalies
T1. Boucher and Raycroft
3. Huet

There ya have it. Some of these races are extreeeemely close.

Oh yeah, and Ruutu got 2 games for gnawing on Petey, and is now considered a "repeat offender".

I'm convinced no one edits articles on NHL.com. From the above linked article:

It is the second time this season that Ruutu has been suspended this season. On Nov. 12, Ruutu earned a two-game ban for an elbow he delivered to the head of Montreal's Maxim Lapierre in a Nov. 11 game.

Really driving the point home, aren't we "Staff"? I write bad sentences, but I don't write for the NHL.

Good times were had by all.

Mmmmmmm

by Anne

After my one and only class today, I decided to take up some pie baking. I didn't take pictures during the process because 1. my hands were covered in pie making ingredients and 2. I was teaching a 10 year old and an 11 year old how to bake.

Anyway, my Aunt recently moved to Florida to live in some wacky all-inclusive they drive around golf carts kind of retirement community and ALAS she will not be bringing her pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving. Me being the domestic diva that I am, offered to make it. Some how, some way Mom allowed me to make my own pie crust. Like, from scratch. I'd say if my Mom has made 100 pies in my life, 97 of them have been completely from scratch. That's how we do it in this house. Anyway, I decided I didn't feel like doing it myself, so I kidnapped my other aunt's kids and made them help.

One made the pumpkin pie filling (we conceded defeat and bought canned pumpkin, but mixed the spices in ourselves) and one rolled out the crust, then they switched. Our pie crust recipe makes enough for either 1 pie with a top crust or 2 bottom crust only pies. Therefore, we made 2 pies. Pumpkin (personally, my least favorite) and pecan (my absolute favorite).

Oscar decided to jump up and investigate.

Mmmmmmmmm. On Thursday we make the fresh whipped cream.
MARTHA STEWART, EAT YOUR HEART OUT.

Anyway, Big Bear has sustained a bruised shoulder and also a bruised toe. :( He's day to day, but probably won't be out for too long. Provided the injury isn't more serious and they just don't realize it yet, I bet he's back for the game against the Blue Jackets or the next one against the Red Wings.

Sigh, ok so after watching video of his injury, its kind of not totally Brett Lebda's fault that Stevie Bear was hurt. He hit the net and started to fall as he was coming in to check Lebda. Ok, so its technically not Brett Lebda's fault that Big Bear is hurt, but morally, I still blame him.

Back to this blog's name sake team:

I just feel like something's got to give on the Sabres' roster. If Mancari can keep playing the way the played this weekend on at least a semi-regular basis, on what grounds can we justify keeping him out of the line-up and Max and Staffy in? He does their job only Marky Mark does it BETTER. The only nod to Staffy is, of course, experience. He's got ten times the games Mark does, BUT, at the moment only 1 more goal this season.

Big Bear needs some TLC

; )

On a Sunday

by Anne

Last night after the "game" S(h)ara and I (plus some other friends as well) went to Fat Bob's for some delicious tasty food and darts and it was wwwaayyy more fun than that "sporting event".

I can take away 2 positives from last night:

1. Mark Mancari scored his first NHL goal!! Yay!!

2. I did really well in sales

3. ............ if we had been so inclined we could have gone to Level and booed Derek Roy in his face. Even though he scored a goal, it would've been symbolic.

Speaking of symbolic, apparently changing the name of this blog had no effect so I decided to resort to other tactics around the house to express my displeasure.

I have a standings tracker. It hangs over my bed.


I keep track of the divisional standings.
But where is the slug?


He's in the corner, thinking about what he's done.

But my symbolic rage wasn't finished there.

The other day, my Mom went on a field trip with the folks at the workshop for developmentally disabled adults where she works. They went here:


Delish.

They have many fun shaped cookies, including several Sabres' jersey cookies. The choices were Miller, Rivet, Paille, Pominville and:

She opted for Vanek because he's leading the NHL and the one I hate the least at the moment because of that very reason.

However, in spite of the fact that he hasn't done anything to personally offend me recently I was forced to sacrifice him in hopes of catharsis:



I didn't feel that was quite enough...

... so I ate his arm.

I feel a little better.

This 30-17 Bills score at the half is also helping my mood immensely. Trent is looking pretty DARN swaggery, whoever just said that on 97 rock, I wasn't paying attention to who it was.

Aaaaaand as I was uploading photos the 2nd half started and Trent ran in for his 2nd TD of the game. OWWWWWW!!!! That's a 20 point lead, baby!

I'll either write later declaring my immediate plans to move to Chicago or about how much I love Buffalo and my strong desire to make babies with Trent Edwards. WOOO!!!

Matt Greene Appreciation Day

by Anne

Matthew Xavier Greene, my LA Kings WCB is trying DESPERATELY to score those two goals I guaranteed he'd score.

In last night's 5-2 win over the Caps, Ovie turned over the puck in the King's zone, Greener snatched it up and made a great pass ahead to Patrick O'Sullivan who zoomed into the Caps zone and scored!! Weeeeee!!!

That gives him his 2nd point of the season! Woo!! Now he's on pace for 9 whole points in 82 games! Take THAT, Alexander Semin!

I did not make this sign but the person who did and I are surely kindred spirits

Private to Paul Gaustad:

Dear Goose,

I'm sorry you're dead to me. Really, I am. However, Craigory is not afraid to touch a fish:

Oh, I went there.

Watch the latest episode of SabresTV if you have no idea what I'm talking about. I have to admit that as much as I love Goose for his "Grrrr and I love the environment" ways, I love that his Achilles' heel is fish and worms. I agree Goose, fish freak me out as well.

Love,

Anne

oh yeah, and:

MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK!!!! HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Max and Hank are sitting and Paetsch is playing!! yay!!!!!

They're the only ones I have left to love...

:)

Hartford Gets Their Comeuppance

by Anne

HOW 'BOUT THEM PIRATES! Take THAT for beating us in OT, Hartford!

Pirates win YET AGAIN. This time over the Hartford Wolf Pack. Matt Ellis scores his first of the season, TK adds another along with Chris Butler and Mathieu Darche. Mark Mancari adds a helper extending his point streak to 8 games!!! Woooooo!!! That assist notches him one point closer to tying and hopefully regaining the points lead in the AHL. Weeee!! Gerbe and Kennedy are now on 5 game point streaks and Mathieu Darche is nursing a 4 game goal streak. Good. Stuff.

Adam Dennis made 30 saves on 32 shots. We have quite the goaltending tandem. Together they've combined for 12-1-1. The team is tied with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for best goal differential, only 2 teams have allowed fewer goals and only 3 teams have scored more and they lead the league in team points per game. 14 games - 25 points out of a possible 28.

Mark Mancari is on pace to score somewhere in the neighborhood of 62 goals. That's as many goals as he scored in the previous three seasons COMBINED.

Happy Dance!! Next game Friday at Providence.

ETA: I just discovered the Providence Bruins play at the Dunkin Donuts Center and for some reason that made me giggle.

........hi mark

My New Favorite Hockey Team

by Anne

Unlike a certain team that shall remain unnamed, the Pirates continue winning and continue to lead their division.

They've won their seventh game in a row and have earned at least a point in their last 10 games.

Last night they beat the Providence Bruins 5-2. The Bruins are the only team to have beaten the Pirates in regulation, and last night they got their revenge.

Mark Mancari scored YET AGAIN, giving him 11 goals and 24 points to continue his hold on the points lead in the league. He's currently on a 7 game point streak and a 6 game goal streak. TIM CONNOLLY AND AL KOTALIK ARE DOWN, PUT ONE ON IR AND GIVE US MARK. I will hold my breath until this is so. On top of all of his scoring prowess this season, he's only taken 1 minor penalty all season. That's it. His PIM: 2.

Mathieu Darche was the AHL's third star of the night as he earned himself 2 goals and an assist in the win. Kennedy had 2 assists and Gerbe had 1. Adam Dennis stopped 27 of 29 shots and the team has improved to 11-1-1.

My new favorite team ROCKS! And, in case you were wondering, the Amerks continue to be TERRIBLE. They're dead last in their division with a record of 2-12-1.

Also, please go to portlandpirates.com and experience their very brief intro. It's totally ridiculous and totally worth it.

The Pirates Continue to be Awesome

by Anne

Unlike the Buffalo Sabres, their little brothers, the Portland Pirates, have extended their game point streak to 9 games with a 6-3 win over the Albany River Rats!

Mark Mancari scored a goal and an assist, Nathan Gerbe scored 2 goals with 6 shots. Eleven different Pirates had at least 1 point and Jhonas Enroth made 27 saves in the win. Woooo!

Nathan Gerbe has moved to within 1 goal of the AHL goal lead and Mark Mancari continues his point lead with 23.

Maa-aaaark! Come to Buffalo!!!

PLEEEEEEASE?

You can bring Gerbe Derby and TK if you're lonely!!!

I'm really looking forward to the Pirates coming to Buffalo in February. I haven't been able to find any ticket information, anyone know anything?

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!

by Anne

That Sabres game was not thrilling, and we will leave it at that. Props to Timmy for getting his first goal, Ryan Miller needed to rest, and can someone explain to me why Pie didn't play? I just don't understand.

In other, far more sexy news:

The First Annual, or Weekly or Bi Weekly or Monthly or whenever we get around to planning another one Buffalo Blogger get together was tonight and it was pretty sweet. There was, of course, the requisite awkward introductions. Next time: Name tags. It was awesome to put names and faces together with alcohol.

Totally random, but as I was typing that last paragraph a HILARIOUS commercial featuring Jason Pominville and Maria Genero for Delacy Ford came on TV. Basically it ends with Pommer pointing at the camera and half giggling says "Definitely Delacy!" Yes, this is why we drafted him, he's a great pitch man.

Anyway, basically the get together was lots of fun and we should have more of them, minus the MASSIVE surprise party happening right next to us.

Back to the, ya know, Hockey shenanigans:

The Pirates, like the Sabres played back to back games this weeked. However, unlike the Sabres who lost both games, the Pirates WON both of their games. Tonight they won 5-3.

Mark Mancari had a 4 point night (1+3) and has taken sole possession of the #1 scorer rank in the AHL. WOOOO!!!

Tim Kennedy and Aaron Slattengren scored and Mathieu Darche scored twice. Is anyone else itching to see how the Kennedy-Gerbe-Mancari line could do with slugs on their chests? Just tossin' it out there.

Saturday night the Pirates wore a special stars and stripes jersey to commemorate Veteran's Day on Tuesday. This makes the 2nd special jersey the Pirates have worn this season. Will there be more? Can anyone design a jersey or suggest a theme? Is this open to the public? LET ME KNOW, I'M READY WITH MY CRAYONS AND CONSTRUCTION PAPER TO DESIGN YOU A JERSEY. Is there a national My Little Pony holiday? Can we create one just so the Pirates have to wear a jersey that honors it?

Other hockey was played tonight: Iggy scored as the Flames lost to the Blue Jackets. Rick Nash did not score a goal AGAIN. Danny Briere scored in his first game back after surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle (ow), but the Flyers still lost. In spite of my wishing and hoping, every time I check the boxscore of an LA Kings game I discover that Matt Greene did NOT score his 2nd NHL goal. I mean, its been 2 years since he scored his first and only, SO HE'S DUE! He's averaging .086 points a game, so at this rate, he'll probably score his next goal sometime in 2013. I'm not sure if I can wait that long, Matthew.

Yet another shut out by Luongo. Well done, sir. Well done. I really thought I might have more to say about that but, hey! look at that, I don't.

The second Buffalo game in Boston kicks off in less than 2 hours. I'll be curled up in the fetal position until then, hoping the beating isn't too bloody. We need happy thoughts. Let's all enjoy this snap shot of Jaroslav Spacek's long flowing locks from the 2006 Olympic Games:

Flowers, Jaro?
For me?!

Pirates Win Again!

by Anne

Pirates won a big game in Worchester last night to take the lead in the Atlantic division!!

Three familiar players had multi point games: Gerbe (3+1) +1 (first pro hat trick!!!), Mancari (2+1) +2 and Kennedy (0+3) +1. GerbeDerby also had a game-high 6 shots on goal.

I'm just about ready for Mark Mancari to move up to Buffalo. He's really been bringing his game this season and I'd love to see if he can move that into the NHL. I'm obviously looking forward to Gerbe, but he needs more defense before he comes up here. What a difference for Mancari this season. He's a new player in Portland, third in the entire AHL in points with 17 (7+10). FYI, Kennedy is 5th in the AHL in points with 15 (3+12) and 2nd in assists. Gerbe is 6th in points with 13 (10+3) and 2nd in goals.

TK improves his point streak to 9 games!!!

This win improves the Pirates to 7-1-1. WOO!

TRIO OF HOTNESS

Dear Kyle McLaren,

I know the girls of Slightly Saucy love you, especially Soph, HOWEVER I MUST CHIDE YOU. Please do not club Nathan Gerbe in the face with your forearm after the buzzer signaling the end of the 2nd period. I don't appreciate that. Its a good thing Gerbe is not afraid of you. I kind of am, but I am not Nathan Gerbe in spite of my best efforts. I know you're upset about no longer being in the NHL, but Nathan has not yet even reached the NHL, and we in Buffalo hope he will get here some day soon. C'mon, Kyle, he's probably like the same height as your daughter.

Thanks!

You managed to be +2 this game which is impressive. I hope you return to the NHL soon, for Soph's sake.

Love,
Anne

Kevin Weekes nabbed a shoot out win for the Devils tonight against the Lightning, allowing only 1 goal on 3 shootout attempts and making 24 saves in regulation and OT. The real winner tonight was the Devils offense, peppering Tampa Bay with 38 shots through the first 65 minutes of play and scoring twice in the shootout. 1 game down.... 30 games to go....

WCB Watch

Ethan Moreau scored a short handed goal in a 5-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Rick Nash had 1 assist. Helpers are nice, but you're pretty good at scoring goals, Nasher, please get to gettin'.

He hits


And SCORES!!!!

I gave up on the Ducks/Blues game after the first period because Tuesday night's election shenanigans kept me up late and I needed to pass out.

Three days in a row without a Sabres game is wayyyyyyy toooooo loonnnnngggg. Just like all of those words were.

Pirates Roster Photos

by Anne

I love roster photos. LOVE. THEM.

I have a great affinity for players who suffer from RPP or Roster Photo Panic. I summed it up best once in a post about Mike Weber:

*After reviewing his interview yesterday, Mike "Doof" Weber is actually an attractive young gent in a "I think you might try to kill me, but that's kind of hot." way. He, like many before him, appears to suffer from "Roster Photo Panic." More commonly known as "RPP." A disease in which, once seated in front of the camera, you instantly regret every photo that's ever been taken of you. That, coupled with the pressure of the fact that this will be the most widely viewed and reproduced photo of you for the next year, overcomes you and instead of making any facial expression, you simply stare, blind panic at full-tilt, at the camera, hoping some semblance of a smile is on your face, but ultimately fail (see: Stafford, Drew). Although, some still manage to take a humorous photo (see: Pominville, Jason and Campbell, Brian).

So I hopped over to the Pirates website to check out the detailed roster and happened across some (but not all) of the team roster photos. Anyway, after perusing them, I've come to 2 conclusions:

1. Almost every single player appears to have been dragged off the ice, dripping in sweat, toweled off and had their picture taken, mid-shift.

2. Whoever did the lighting hates them all and wants them to look like serial killers (I'm so tired I legit almost typed cereal)

*clap clap clap clap clap*
I mean, A+, Mr. Kostka, you have yet to take a bad roster photo

Aces sir, ACES



Why before this pre-season have I never taken note of Mark Mancari's more superficial aesthetically pleasing attributes?


To me this picture says "I'm Tim Kennedy and all I want to do Is take a shower."
Seriously, did they just pull him off the bench during a scrimmage, yank the helmet off and plop him down?
Timothy fared better in these photos than some of his teammates



Ummmm, Chris....?
Are you concussed?
Did you take a tip from Vanek and catch 40 winks in the car?
Is this definitely Chris Butler and not a homeless man found peeing on the zamboni?
Is his left eye all swollen or is it always like that?
Well, no worries Chris, Millsy's got "wacky eyes" covered, so if that's just swelling, its ok

AHHHHH!!! SEASON STARTS TOMORROWWWW!!!!!! Yay!!!!

A Day in the Life, Day 3

by Anne

The Day started with reuniting me with my camera:

9:02 - and some coffee, tasty, tasty coffee

Having a Tim Horton's actually IN your building is both totally awesome and totally terrible. I keep myself from going there every day, but it's not easy. If it were winter I'd be chugging coffee all day long. Remember! 1 cream, 2 sugar, or 2 Splenda, I don't care.

12:40 - walking to the bus stop, City Hall is neat-looking and art-decco-y

I really need to get a new car.

City Court is GROSS and looks like a prison. Can you imagine working in there?? Those building height vertical black strips are the only windows. Its one of the ugliest structures I've ever seen. Gross.

12:59 - The bus FINALLY arrives

The bus was supposed to come at 12:42. It didn't. The next bus showed at 12:59, with the non-functioning bus that was SUPPOSED to come at 12:42 right in front of it, and not taking passengers. Oh well, I was trying to get there early, so it was no big deal and it was GORGEOUS outside.

1:11 On my walk from the bus to my next work-place destination, I cross the street where Ryan Miller lives. I don't want to be a Creepy McCreeperson and point out exactly where it is or like take a picture specifically of his house. I'm not a stalker. My friend Jill's house is visible in this shot, and my friends Liz and Jenn live right around the corner. It's a happy coincidence that I know where Millsey lives.

1:20 - Arriving at the school where I teach in the afternoons

Buff Sem is a very small private school in Buffalo for girls. It's an old seminary (literally) and you feel kind of like you're in an English boarding school when you walk through it. Everything is carpeted and there's an old grandfather clock in the lobby that chimes very loudly every 15 minutes.

I teach Shakespeah to high school kiddos. I'm an assistant teacher. Word up.

4:30 - Waiting to be picked up under a tree in Delaware Park

It was the absolute perfect weather today. High seventies, low humidiy, cloudless sky, light breeze. Classic Buffalo summer weather. LOVE IT.

4:52 - This lady both wanted and didn't want my help to find some potato chips she had a coupon for at Wegman's. First she wanted me to look down the aisle to see if I could see them because she didn't want to go down there, then when I offered to bring her a bag, she got all offended. Then she wanted me to tell her the difference between Memphis barbecue flavored potato chips and Asian barbecue flavored potato chips. I have no idea what Asian barbecue flavored potato chips taste like, yet she insisted that I offer some deep insight into her selection process. I felt like we were discussing potential draft picks while comparing bags of chips. Which one is stronger coming out of the corners? In the end she went with Memphis. Now she's going to hate them and track me down to yell at me.

6:00 - Isaac the Mac is all better now!!

Yes, that IS the new Jason Pominville wallpaper from Sabres.com. My inner puckbunny is poking her little head out this off-season, just a little. I still love him in a whiny little sister kind of way: "JASON! THE OTHER NHL TEAMS ARE PICKING ON US! TELL THEM ABOUT HOW GREAT THE SYSTEM IS! MAKE IT BETTER POMMER!" kind of way.

9:28 - THE GREATEST NEWS OF THE OFF-SEASON!!!!!!

Happy dance! Happy dance!

I can't lie, with each player movement I read about on NHL.com, I got a little more stressed out about why I hadn't heard anything about Big Bear or Goose or Pie. Grizz too, but not as much. And, I think it was the right move to keep Mancari. He does hold the AHL record for hardest shot. That might come in handy. I really really really really hope that all these boys sign, and it looks like they will. KEVIN LOWE. STAY AWAY. DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID. GET AWAY FROM MY BOYS. STOP LOOKING AT DANNY PAILLE LIKE THAT. HE DOES NOT WANT TO PLAY FOR EDMONTON. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COVETING NATHAN GERBE FROM AFAR. STOP IT WITH YOUR WACKTASTICAL OBSCENE OFFER SHEETS.

Wowee-zowee. Good times. This is fun. Haha.