Oooo Sweet Nuthin....

And this is what he said
Oh sweet nuthin'
She ain't got nothing at all

Well, so far, its been a great regular season so far in western NY. Wins are being pulled out of nowhere, points are getting piled up, and Buffalo is winning for the first time in years.  But, if i may paraphrase the immortal words of Velvet Underground, Buffalo ain't got nothing at all.  Lets say Buffalo wins the division. Whats it really worth?  Nothing.  Win the conference?  Not worth a damn.  Win the president's trophy?  Ooo, look, a worthless piece of hardware.  Don't get me wrong, this team has proven alot, they've stuck together, played hard, and won games in all sorts of ways.  They've proved their regular season mettle and gone on played a way all the media and most fans didn't think this team stood a chance of playing before the season started: With heart, determination, and a will to win we haven't seen in Buffalo in a long time.  But in the end, all of this is worthless.   What matters, more than anything, is how this team does with all the chips on the table.  If Buffalo grabs the #1 seed in the east, what will it matter if they are outed in 6 games by some plucky underdog with a hot goalie?  All the cries of "I love this team" and "This team is special" will mean nothing if this team doesn't fight its way through some hard fought rounds and come out victorious.  Ask Chris Drury what the goal of the team is.  Or ask any Ottawa fan what a good regular season means.  And my best guess is your going to hear the same thing.  The regular season don't mean shiznit come late april and may. 

The best thing I can bring myself say about this regular season is that Buffalo has put themselves in a position to do well in the post season.  Buffalo is probably going to get home ice for at least one round, a great accomplishment.  But home ice is something that can be snatched away from you if you drop the 1st home game in any series. My real hope is whatever comes out of the locker room no matter where they stand at the end of the regular season, that we hear "well, we really haven't done anything yet" or "This is nice, I'm proud of it, but this isn't our goal".  I don't want to see crazy celebration if Buffalo clinches they division, conference, or the presidents trophy. I hope the team really understands what is important for this club, and that making the playoffs/winning the division/winning the conference is simply a means to an end, not the end itself.  Judging from the past experience of Buffalo playoff teams with Ruff at the helm, I really think that is what we will see.  A calm, controlled team who understands that this 82 games has been mearly to put themselves in a spot to succeed come late april. And that, for me, is very comforting. 

Comments

[Tom L]

.... and that, gentle readers is the first in hopefully mnay such pieces by the inimacable mdoak, who I've invited here to help me out and provide a counterpoint (punch?) to my normal ramblings and vague schizophrenia.

Welcome aboard, MD, and great job... I agree completely that this team has done nothing more than raise it's own expectations to nothing less than the first major championship in the history of professional Buffalo Sports(tm).

Ta,

[Jerry C]

There would be nothing better than to see a subdued Sabres team as the wins keep coming. Picture this, taking 4 of six in the first round, HBSC is in a frenzy and the players solemnly shake hands and skate to the locker room. Quotes afterward revolve around avoiding mistakes, it is only one series or the job is not finished yet. Focus, determination and good coaching drive this team and that is what will take us through the post season. Here’s to watching the Sabres in June!