Sabre Rattling

Getting Close to Whacking a Head from the Hydra

Link: Buffalo News - Goalie-to-go looks like Noronen.

As we've been speculating for a couple of weeks now on the Sabres forum at HF it looks like Mika Noronen is the goalie who will be leaving Buffalo in the near future.  This is a situation that has generated more angst than a Goth convention in Tampa... but at least it's been for a good reason.  All three goalies are similarly talented and have had differing levels of treatment at the hands of the Sabres coaches and management. 

Of course, any one of them could have settled this with a solid, confidence-building showing over the past 2+ seasons.  Marty Biron has had to endure playing with some of the worst Sabres teams in recent memory, teams who needed a goalie to bail them out and make the big save at the fulcrum point of the game.  Marty was never able to do so consistently.  Wednesday night against Ottawa, this problem reared its ugly head again when he let one in from Anton Volchenkov with 16 seconds left in the first period. 

Noronen has never really pushed the consistently inconsistent Biron enough to earn the job, though he's had the opportunities to do so, regardless of what some of his strongest supporters may think.  There was always a feeling that Mika never had the backing of the team in front of him.  That, for whatever the reason, the players in front of the net didn't give him that extra little bit of effort that would have won him the game.  I'm convinced Ruff feels this is the case as well, but it also seems that he's willing to accept some of the blame for the Noronen's lack of success:

"I really don't think (Noronen) got a fair assessment from my part," Ruff said, "but I didn't want to spread the assessment so thin that I wouldn't be able to assess where Ryan was at or where Marty was at after the year off.

"You're going on your gut. I didn't want to be thinking "Boy, I wish I would have had him play one more game.' It probably ends up not being fair for one guy."

  In the end, I think Lindy Ruff feels he knows Noronen's game well enough to make a decision about him.  It doesn't matter whether it's fair or not, it is what it is.  It's a tough situation for a guy with his talent and self-expectations.  It's obvious that he wants this resolved so that he can move on.  I'm in favor of moving Mika just so he can put all this behind him.   There's too much history now, too much water under this particular bridge.   

Conventional wisdom is that Ryan Miller has always had the highest upside of the three goalies which has further complicated things.  Of course, the last time the Sabres played he was not-quite-ready-for-primetime.  Ruff's comments suggest he had some doubts about Ryan's ability to handle the NHL game.  Frankly, so do I, but, I'll happily eat double helpings of crow over this particular opinion.

Let's hope that the organization does the right thing by each of these guys who have all been very professional about this.  If Noronen is the sacrificial lamb, make it quick and get something in return for him.  The same goes for any of our excess forwards.  We are already down a 3rd and a 6th round pick in next year's draft and we need all the picks we can get to have leeway for draft-day maneuvering.  The smart thing would be to keep Miller and Noronen and dump Biron.  Get whatever you can for Marty and go with Miller as the starter and Noronen as the clearly defined backup.  I don't see Biron accepting a backup role with a lot of grace.

The last thing I want to be is a fan of a team rebuilding without any up-coming draft picks.

Ta,

Carnie #10: Heading into the Season

Paul over at Kukla's Korner has asked for our thoughts on the perception of the NHL coming into the new season.  Honestly, it's a pretty big task, as it's something I haven't spent much time thinking about.  I'm not a 'big picture' kind of guy, more the "lose the trees for the insects living in the bark" kind of guy.  I know how I perceive the NHL right now, which is pretty positively.  But, living in a place that is the epitome of Not-Hockey Country (North Central Florida) I really don't have any feel for the kind of buzz or non-buzz happening out there. 

My gut feeling, however, is similar to Ben Wright's in that interest in the game in a great number of markets is stronger than it was pre-lockout.  Other markets without a strong hockey presence (those would be the ones Canadians keep saying need to be contracted) will proabably suffer coming out of the gate, but (in the case of Nashville in particular) the franchises with strong teams will recover pretty quickly.  At the same time, though, attendance may be up but revenues will be lower or, at best, flat as most ticket prices have been cut, sometimes drastically in Buffalo's case.  The tough sells are going to be the places with winning traditions who couldn't draw pre-lockout *cough* like New Jersey. *cough*

Paul also asked for some comments on the new marketing campaign, and frankly, I haven't seen enough of it to have an opinion at this point.  From the response over at HFBoards, though, the hardcore fans think it stinks, which is probably a good contrarian indicator, in my opinion.

The media's perception of the NHL has been largely dominated by ESPN's (you really don't want to know what I call ESPN in polite company, it's pretty Un-PC) derisive attitude toward the sport, and  the disassociation with them will not help the average American Football Fan to change his mind, as that is where they get a lot of their information.  Expect even less coverage on ESPN now that they have no advertising dollars riding on pimping the league.  Going the hard route of building a new fan base on a new network is going to take time to see results. 

So far, though, I've been impressed with the way the Sabres have been dealing with the press.  Sabres.com has multiple video and audio interviews available each day post-game/practice.  Both the players and Lindy Ruff have been putting effort into their comments, moreso than previously.  I think they understand the importance of rebuilding a relationship with both the fans and the media.  From a pure marketing standpoint Martin Biron is gold.  He's tremendously charismatic and affable (My wife thinks he's absolutely adorable, btw)/  It's too bad he isn't quite star material on the ice.    The coverage at the Buffalo News has markedly improved since training camp opened and Toni Lydman was acquired.  Coming out of the gate 0-5 however will put the kibosh on the pretty damn fast.  Season ticket sales are already higher than they were in 2003-04, not by much, mind you, but it's a start.

All in all, everyone involved in this sport at this level needed the kind of break we got.  The players, the coaches, the owners, the fans.... everyone.  But, that said, we are heading into uncertain economic times and the NHL may have an extremely steep hill to climb growth-wise because I expect discretionary funds to dry up around the U.S.  Making new friends/fans is going to have to come from the ground up, with a superior bang for the buck.  In my house, the NHL is going to have to compete with my World of Warcrack addiction and I'm a hardcore hockey guy. 

Ta,

What a Shock! Tom B. Hates the Owners

Link: Tom Benjamin's NHL Weblog: Poor Mario.

Ok, this kind of post really ticks me off.  Tom B. does nothing but complain about the state of the NHL now that the labour situation has been resolved, not perfectly, mind you, but resolved.  Nothing is going to make him happy at this point... not even his beloved Canucks winning the cup 4 years in a row.... because then his economic "ideas" (and I use the term 'economic' very loosly) will have been proven false. 

The above-linked post and this one about the revenue sharing system are perfect examples of what I'm talking about when people write before they think.  Mario Lemieux is still lobbying for a new arena and is making his case by saying they are still going to lose $7 million this year.  Tom can't help himself, ripping him for explaining the situation.   Now, I'm no fan of tax-funded stadiums, far from it.  I think it's one of the worst uses of government theft/wealth redistribution, and Tom's commenters who help bring up that issue up deserve some kudos for recognizing at least part of the problem.  But, that said, this is the way the game is played right now and Mario is just doing what he needs to do to try and secure his business in Pittsburgh.  Complaining that Mario and the other owners are 'complaining' and trying to suck up more from everyone involved in this sport is just churlish and adolescent.  Tom's certainly free to comment on it, but when the conversation goes in a direction that is wholly ridiculous it is his responsibility to try and steer it back to reality.

Look at the comments thread, most just pile on the Penguins for 'having spent so much money on free agents.'  Check out this page right here.   Having spent so much money still only brings the Pens payroll up to the 54% projected revenue mark, $28.2 million. $7 million over the minimum.  Sure, they could have spent right at the minimum and pocketed the revenue sharing, but then these self-same people would be ridiculing Mario for not spending enough to bring the fans in the building ("No wonder you're losing money you id10t!") or feeding his dogs with the profit or some other such nonsense.  It's fascinating how Tom B. will spend days defending his latest pet theory about the salary cap or free agency but when blatant stupidity that supports his stance is bandied around he is noticiably absent.  The final commenter understands the situation, the Penguins lease stinks and precludes them from making any money in that arena.  If the city were to agree in principle to a new stadium deal, it would at least give the Penguins a little leverage to renegotiate their current lease and be profitable at the Mellon, possibly obviating the need for a new arena. 

Frankly, I don't really care either way.  I hate tax-funded stadiums.... Hell, I hate taxes, period... for both moral and economic reasons.  But, Mario is just trying to save his business from extinction.  Sure, it's a crappy business, but it's his nonetheless. 

Ta,

Training Camp Updates

So far, it looks like this Sabres camp has been a mixed bag on a number of fronts.  On one hand it looks like Thomas Vanek is that game-breaking forward we've been lacking (and desperately needed) since Mogilny left.  He's already shown some chemistry with co-captain Daniel Briere.  On the other, it looks like none of our three goalies have decided that they are the man for the job.  I've been hearing mixed reports about how well all of them have played from the people I've spoken to who've been able to get to camp or the exhibition games.  Hopefully, either Chainshot or my latest addition to the Sabre Rattling team, KB, will be able to shed some more light on this in the coming days.

While they've won both of their pre-season games so far it is a little disheartening that they were not able to score on a true #1 goalie, Kolzig, on Saturday night.  I did listen to the 1st period of the Columbus game on Sunday night while participating in yet another Fantasy Hockey draft (the annual friends game where I help the newbies and which my wife always seems to win), and the biggest impression I got was how strongly Tim Connolly was playing.  If Timmah! is prepared to play NHL hockey and not Tim Connolly hockey then both he and the Sabres have a much brighter outlook.  The question marks surrounding Tim are covered by the Buffalo News here.

Some of the other pleasant surprises in this camp were how well youngster Patrick Kaleta played.  He along with 5 others were returned to their junior clubs yesterday.    Patrick distinguished himself by throwing the body around with both heart and a little reckless abandon.  Look for him to become a Buffalo fan favorite over the next couple of years.  He's 19 and about to return for a 4th year at Peterborough of the OHL. 

Tonight's game against Minnesota will see Mika Noronen get his first start of the pre-season.  According to the Buffalo News Lindy Ruff has been happy with what he's seen so far from the goalies:

"I thought both of them were very good," Ruff said of the opening goaltender performances. "I thought Marty had a very sound game, made a lot of big saves. Ryan had one screen shot beat him that he didn't see at all, and then a huge scrum in front of the net, where the puck ended up getting pushed over. He was very good."

The important point of that article is the emphasis Ruff is placing on being better prepared than other teams for the rules changes and taking egregious advantage of them.  Unfortunately, if he doesn't get more creative with how he coaches the Power Play that's not going to happen.

There's enough skill on this team to have an effective Power Play but, again, from what I've been hearing the same old problems still exist with it as before.  Not enough movement, too easy to defend, never working to create an opening for the big shot from the point.

I guess Lindy's thinking quantity over quality at this point.  The problem is, though, as in the past, if the team doesn't respect your Power Play then they don't respect you 5 on 5 and give you time and space to work. 

Ta,

NHL Carnie #8

Link: [so.very.obsessed.com: established 2002].

Even though Sabre Rattling isn't represented this week (no one's fault but my own, of course), Heather over at soveryobsessed has posted up the new NHL Blog Carnival for y'all's perusal.  Take a look and do the mouse-clicky thang through all of the great blogs she presents for you.

In addition to the Carnie, Chris Mcmurty over at Hockey Country has his list of the 6 teams we should keep our collective eyes peeled for.  It's a great list, and I love his comments about the leafs.  Jes Golbez also has some cautionary words for Leafs fans as well.  Me?  I happen to thik that using the word interesting to describe the Leafs is akin to the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."

Ta,

Drury/Briere Will Wear the C

Link: Buffalo News - Co-captains: Drury, Briere.

Not much of a shock certainly, and no matter what decision Lindy Ruff made regarding the C there was going to be grumbling from the Buffalo faithful. Seeing as we don't have a traditional #1 centerman but rather an series of #2 guys, it kind of makes sense to have the two best leaders on the team rotate the "C" on a nightly basis.

Drury was brought here to be the Captain but Briere has played his way into that position. Also, it is great to see the continued growth of some of the other players, most notably J.P. Dumont, who is someone three years ago I would have never considered leadership material. But, both Ruff and Regier have mentioned him repeatedly in that context recently, so there must be something to it.

Repeatedly, the theme of training camp seems to be, "Can this team make up for losing Zhitnik and Satan?" And, repeatedly I keep seeing signs that they weren't really wanted around the locker room anymore. There is respect for them, certainly, but at the same time they also stifled the progress of some of the other players, like Dmitri Kalinin.

It may look like a gamble to put your faith in the young guys now, but, eventually for them to grow up they're going to have to play without a safety net. They did this at the end of 2003-04 with Z sidelined with a shoulder, Jeep playing with one arm and Satan suffering from Post Deadline Depression Syndrome. The results were encouraging.

I'm almost convinced that there was a bit of a power struggle in the room as the emergence of guys like Briere, Dumont, Hecht put pressure on Satan and Zhitnik in ways they weren't comfortable with. This is speculation on my part, but pack dynamics are an important part of the psychological make-up of any sports team. That's what is so important about the Captaincy. Right now, the real leader of the Sabres is undecided but both Drury and Briere have the respect of the guys in the room and that should be enough to get this team moving together as a unit and not being pulled in different directions because of past loyalties.

Ta.

Training Camp Opens -- Roster and News

Link: roster_trainingcamp05.pdf (application/pdf Object).

The above link is to the Sabres training Camp Roster as it opened yesterday. The ranks are full and the battles for jobs should be quite strong. Center Paul Gaustad and RW Jason Pominville both have to clear waivers to be sent back to Rochester. If they're hungry to make the leap to the big time it should put great pressure on bubble boys like Ales Kotalik and Taylor Pyatt, two guys singled out by Lindy Ruff of having to elevate their games, especially considering their current salaries.

The Sabres not only have too many goalies but as well, have a veritable plethora of forwards and, at this point, no one really knows who those bottom 6 forward spots will be awarded to. I would be surprised if there is not some kind of trade before opening day to clear out the clutter. With the lockout everyone is a year older than when we last saw them play. The lower tier NHL'ers have that much more competiton for their jobs without having had the benefit of another year's experience.

The big surprise for me at forward is the invitation of 1st rounder Marek Zagrapan (C), but not Drew Stafford (RW). The Buffalo News covers a lot of this here. I doubt very much that Zagrapan will make the team, regardless of his performance at camp. The Sabres brass is very conservative in how they bring their players along. We already have two head cases we inherited from the Isles in Pyatt and Connolly. We don't need any more.

Lastly, in today's roundup there is an article from the Buffalo News about how not upset everyone is that Miro Satan no longer works in Buffalo. Blame who you like in this... Lindy Ruff, Satan, John Rigas, Pope Benedict...the fact remains that Miro was paid to be the leader on the ice and he wasn't. He wanted the role of leader but couldn't deliver. Give me three Adam Mair's any day over Satan.

I'm beginning to get the same feeling about this edition of the Buffalo Sabres that I got early last year about the San Jose Sharks. Give me 20 guys who are hungry and committed and you can do great things.

Ta,

Jeep Retires

Link: TSN.ca - NHL - Canada's Sports Leader.

This should come as no surprise to anyone but after a long and productive career defenseman James Patrick has officially retired.  "Jeep," as he is known in the Buffalo locker room, will officially now be a part of the Sabres coaching staff (as opposed to doing that job in uniform).  Acquired originally as a rental at the deadline in 1999 to add depth to the defense for the playoffs, he's hung in every year to earn a roster spot, even wearing the "C" last year for a stretch.  Known for his off-season conditioning and smarts, at times in 2003-04 he pulled in top pair minutes with Alexei Zhitnik at the age of 40 and posting a +11 on a defensively inept team like Buffalo.  It's been no secret that the Sabres organization adores him and that there's been a place for him in it ready for when he decided to finally hang up the skates.  This is one player who doesn't have bad things to say about them. 

We've been waiting for this moment for a number of years now.  Every year we rack our brains for the "Patrick replacement," and every year he comes to camp ready to win hockey games.  How can you not respect that? 

Thanks for everything, James Patrick.  Here's hoping your example will rub off of on the rest of the defense corps.   If we can get half from Teppo Numinnen, your replacement, that we got from you, then our blueline will be something worth watching.

Ta,

Odds and Ends for the Week

With the lull between the majority of player movement and the opening of training camps there isn't that much to talk about.  So, for posterity's sake I'll just run down the list of things currently happening or rumored to be happening.

Season Ticket Sales Sluggish: So far, the Sabres have sold around 7700 season tickets.  Well short of the franchises goal of 12,000.  The typical reasons are being trotted out: lack of off-season moves, the lockout, etc.  Winning cures this problem.  So, make like Al Davis, guys, and "Just win, Baby!"

McKee Contract talks Extended: The sabres have extended the date for Jay to accept his QO in the hopes of trying to work out a longer-term deal for his services.  Of course, at the same time trade rumors involving him and a goalie have been circulating as well.  Worst-Case, McKee dons the AGH for another year and is moved at the deadline.

NHL.Com's 2 Sabres Articles:  The first discusses the organizations desire to return to the playoffs (who doesn't, I have to ask?).  Going into a little depth about how strong the second half of 2003-04 was and how they'll cope with the loss of Satan and Zhitnik.  The second focuses on the possible resurrection of Tim Connolly.  This would be the last time "the little heart paddles George Clooney uses" will be pulled out on the kid.  For him, his teammates and their fans, let's hope it works out. 

That's all for now.  I'm holding off talking about possible line combinations/defense pairings until camp actually opens and I get a couple of reports from people who have spent some time watching.

With the sheer number of bodies looking to pull on a Sabres sweater this year, it should be very interesting indeed.  Whether the team itself is that interesting once the season starts, well. who knows?

Ta,

Boltsmag -- Katrina Help from Bloggers

John over at Boltsmag (an excellent blog on the Lightning) has put together a great graphic for donating to the Red Cross for helping to mitigate the horror in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and our inept governmental response thereof.  See the sidebar at right.

Please do what you can, and if you are visiting here from your own site, hit this link for the code for the graphic at the right to paste into your own blog. 

It's truly the least we can do right now.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Like a lot of my fellow bloggers I've been overwhelmed by this situation.  Anger, frustration, sympathy, despair... you name it, I've been through it in the past week.  The only rational response is to find some saved capital and help whoever you can with it.

Ta,