Reflections on a loss

Winnipeg Sun : The Sabres are a team that uses its speed up front to great advantage, but also relies on a solid defence not only to limit the demands that are put on the forwards, but also to get those forwards started on their way. When the Sabres lost Dmitri Kalinin in the conference semi-finals against the Ottawa Senators, they immediately faced a considerable hurdle. But as it turned out, that was just the beginning of the sorry saga. Another defensive stalwart, Teppo Numminen, was lost in the second period of the first game of the conference finals. Numminen courageously tried to make a comeback in Game 6 but couldn’t do it. In the interim, Henrik Tallinder went down with a broken wrist. And finally, last night came the ultimate blow — the loss of Jay McKee to an infection. After this litany of unfortunate circumstances, the surprise was not that the Sabres finally lost the series to the Hurricanes, but that they held on as long as they did. These were not just peripheral players. They were the core of the Buffalo defence. Eventually, it will be forgotten that the Sabres suffered all these setbacks. Future hockey fans will simply look at the statistics and record it as another exercise in futility for a team that has never won a Stanley Cup. But those who remember this occasion with some clarity will say that despite the final result, this was perhaps the most heroic Sabres team of all time. So far.

tsn.ca by Bob McKenzie : Forgive the fans in Buffalo if they’ve developed a little bit of a persecution complex. Maybe all those lost Super Bowls and Brett Hull’s foot in the crease have something to do with that, but there was a difference this time in Game 7 against Carolina. In 1999, the Sabres felt they were victims of a bad call, a call that should have been made on Hull for being in the Sabres crease, but wasn’t made. It was supposed to be the year of zero tolerance for the in-the-crease rule, and it turned into a day of infamy for the Sabres. On Thursday night, the Sabres were the victims of a bad rule. In this case, it was the rule against shooting the puck over the glass. Brian Campbell was called on it in the third period, and Rod Brind’Amour scored the eventual game-winner on the resulting power play. There’s a big difference between a bad call and a bad rule. Make no mistake, there will be lots of debate about this rule after the season. Many, including Scotty Bowman, have suggested before Campbell was caught that the rule was too punitive, and that officials should be able to use some discretion. I will only say this – I like the rule the way it is because I think it opens up an even bigger can of worms if you start asking referees to read a player’s mind to determine intent. This way, it’s cut and dried. Everyone knows what the rule is, and though they may not like it, if you put the puck over the glass, you are going to the penalty box.

theglobeandmail.com by Adam Proteau : In 1999, the Sabres were done in by the dumb skate-in-the-crease rule. Seven years later, their Battleship was sunk by the dumber puck-over-the-glass-for-a-penalty rule. This franchise seems to be the lab monkeys on which the league performs its wonky experiments. Hats off to the Hurricanes for digging out of a third-period hole en route to a 4-2 win. But here’s to the deflated, physically decimated Sabres as well. Lindy Ruff’s crew took Carolina to the limit and gave their fans an amazing ride all season long. They deserved a better fate.

AP : ‘You can hold your head up,’ coach Lindy Ruff added. ‘Those guys in the room are a special group that never used an excuse all year long.’ Blame the injuries, but not their desire. Lost in the defeat is just how much the Sabres overcame this season. This was a franchise that was three years removed from declaring bankruptcy and saved by B. Thomas Golisano, who purchased the team and kept it from folding or relocated. And this was a team that was discounted during the preseason for being too inexperienced, and knocked for failing to make any marquee moves. The Sabres responded to win a franchise-record 52 games, doing it in the first season the NHL eliminated ties. They clinched their first playoff berth since 2001, ending the franchise’s longest drought. Buffalo was just as impressive in the postseason, eliminating Philadelphia in six games in the first round and then dispatching top-seeded Ottawa in five tightly played games, all decided by one goal. Buffalo’s 11 playoff victories were the second most in franchise history. With rookie Doug Janik’s goal Thursday, the Sabres had 21 players register at least one point and eight notch game-winners. Goaltender Ryan Miller also showed promise in his postseason debut, finishing 11-7 with one shutout. With a young group that featured 13 players making their NHL playoff debuts, the Sabres are confident they have an emerging core that can be successful for many years to come. ‘Obviously, it stings right now and it should,’ co-captain Chris Drury said. ‘But Lindy touched on it already. Hopefully, it’s just the start of something.’

I certainly hope it is the start of something… The club deserves better than it has got thus far… go SABRES!

Sigh

Well – Sabres are out. I don’t think the better team won, not by a long shot. A great season for the Sabres! They will be back next year! Hopefully they can stay healthy. Go Oilers, Carolina doesn’t deserve the Stanley Cup.

Hurricane season ends tonight

Hurricane season ends tonight

Enough said. Go Sabres!