Excitement turned up to 11

If I am the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres these are 5 things I would do to help my team win and bring some interest to the team so the good people of Buffalo will have something to cheer for.

1. Sign someone, anyone that has proven scoring ability and is in the prime of their career. Maybe letting a former 40 goal scorer go when we still owned his rights for 1 year was not the best decision. Trade him at least. Get some cash, a bag of pucks, a $1 (ala Ray Sheppard).

2. Get into a public feud with Larry Quinn. There is nothing that gets the fans and NHL interested in the team more than when there is an interoffice war. The last time that happened (circa 1997) management had it's house cleaned and the Sabres were the embarrassment of the NHL. This time let the stories about who is sleeping with who make it into print.

3. Go on a "Scouting Trip" to South America bringing back Inca gold and stories of befriending the local indians and how you wrestled an Anaconda off of Don Luce. Your locker room street cred will go through the roof with the Indiana Jones clique.

4. Take Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt out for a ride into the country. Stop by the side of the road and let them out. Throw a stick into the woods and tell them "Your free now" It's called cutting your loses. These guys may have potential but I don't see them growing anymore in Buffalo.

5. Set up a dunk tank at HSBC arena for the remaining home games between February and April after the Sabres have been officially ousted from the playoff race. The GM will the one being dunked in the tank. Did I mention that the tank will be set up outside?

Hecht signed for 3

Jochen Hecht is signed for three years. Three more years in Buffalo for the player that was a dominating force the last month of the last season hockey was last played. He is the type of player Sabres fans want to cheer for. Just like Chris Drury, Hecht never takes a shift off, a problem some associated with the mercurial Miroslav Satan. This is the direction Darcy Reiger is taking the club. This is what the Sabres fans can look forward to in the future as long as Darcy Reiger is in charge. We will sign our own, build from within. The Sabres will be at best the Minnesota Twins of the NHL, playoff contenders every year, or at worse the Millwaukee Brewers , only getting fans exicited when the team occasionally reaches the .500 mark.

This is not a bad team the Sabres have. They finished above .500 in the toughest division in hockey in 2003-2004. Reiger is going all in with this strategy. He has let go his top scorer and top defenseman this offseason. The Amerks of last season will be called on to fill these gaps. Tomas Vanek will certainly be closely watched by Buffalo fans. He has ignited their imaginations since winning MVP honors at the Frozen Four when it was held at HSBC arena.

Unlike other teams, the Sabres remain largely unchanged from the previous season. With such a large movement of players to different teams, the Sabres should have an advantage in the chemistry department. The Penguins have made quite a splash during the offseason, acquiring a ridiculous number of high priced talent. If these players can't play together, all of these aquisitions will be for nought and the Pens will be on the outside looking in come playoff time. The Sabres don't have those concerns.

This may put a rosy picture on bad situation but it is what Sabres fans need to deal with. I think if the Sabres miss the playoffs again this year Reiger will be gone for sure. That is one thing Sabres fans certainly will not miss.

Bertuzzi Punishment too Short.

You could not escape it. The evidence of hockey hooliganry was pasted all over the media. This was an evident so barbaric that not just sports media outlets were showing the video but even national media could not ignore the atrocity. What I am talking about is the Todd Bertuzzi attack from behind on Steve Moore.

The nastiness and lack of human decency shown by the attacker required the NHL to come down, and come down hard on the offender. The indefinite suspension allowed Bertuzzi and the rest of us to wonder, How long will it go? While it appeared that the NHL was finally reacting to the violence in the game, it was all just an act. 20 games is all Bertuzzi will sit out. Steve Moore is still recovering from the injury. He may never play again. Todd, the ice is waiting for you. The fans of Vancouver will welcome you back.

Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season after the Brawl in Detroit. Shouldn't Bertuzzi's suspension at least match Artest's? Artest crossed a line by attacking fans. Bertuzzi intentionally hurt someone and broke their neck. Should Bertuzzi's suspension really be the same length as that of Kenny Roger's pre-arbitration shortnened suspension of 20 games for attacking a photographer.

People pay to see atheletes compete that are at the peak in their sport. No one pays to see someone get killed. It won't be until there is a death on the ice that the NHL will finally toughen up on the Bertuzzi's in the game.

Could it be Bertuzzi's star status helped hasten his return to the ice? There has always been a perception that the higher paid players can get away with a little bit more. It's a shame.

The Great Coach?

Wayne Gretzky, the most decorated, highest scoring, and most popular hockey player of all time is stepping behind the bench to coach the Phoenix Coyotes. The same Phoenix Coyotes that have failed to win a playoff series since the move from Manitoba. This is the Sun Belt, and if Wayne Gretzky can't get the people of Phoenix excited to see some hockey, nothing else can.
Wayne won't be skating at any of these games. He won't be a Reg Dunlop, the timeless player/coach of Slapshot fame. Will people care if The Great One is only behind the bench? There are more questions than answers when it comes the latest decision by Mr. Gretzky. He already answers one by saying "Why not"

This is a man who has been succesful at everything he has touched in hockey. His playing days aside, he has managed to bring olympic gold back to Canada and build a new arena in Phoenix. There is no reason to believe he will not have the same triumphs as a coach. Sure, there will be doubters. The list of reasons could fill a sheet of ice. Having Wayne Gretzky, the greatest ambassador the game has ever known, visiting hockey arenas across the NHL can only be good for hockey.

To the doubters that say he has little coaching experience or he doesn't now what he is doing, remember that no matter how many X's and O's you draw as a coach they have to respect you and want to play for you. What player would not want to play for The Great One?

Only Time Will Tell

The Bluejackets, Penguins, and Oilers have all started the initial free agent period of the new CBA making some blockbuster moves. What separates these 3 teams from some of the other teams making a splash in free agency like LA, Philly, and Chicago is that these teams were crying poverty before the lockout.

Either these teams are now confident that they will be able to now make money in the new econimic landscape or they are walking off a cliff into salary mismanagement oblivion. While no one can guess if the the salary cap figure for next season will go up or down, the possibility that it could move down makes it hard to compute some the longer term deals teams have been signing players too. Most egregious is the Blue Jackets signing of Rick Nash to a 5 year 27 million dollar deal. Under the new CBA, this is the salary Hari Kiri the Islanders commited when signing locker room cancer Alexei Yahin. If Nash continues his Henri Richard Trophy winning performance of the 2003-2004 season and builds on that, Doug MacLean will look a genius. If not the good citizens of Columbus will have a hockey team that is saddled with a player that is using up 1/8 of the salary cap and not living up to expectations.

This behavior is risky. It offers instant gratification for the fans while disregarding long term concerns of the frachise. I love it. More GM's should be looking at short-term gains when their job security is already tenuous. If you are going to field a bad team anyways, at least give the impression you are trying to get better by taking a salary cap risk by signing a Sergei Gonchar or Paul Kariya. The beauty of the Kariya signing is that it is only for two years. If Kariya tanks in his first season, no big deal. He's gone in a year. The salary cap risk is kept to a minimum by the shortness of the deal and Kariya gets a chance to increase his value for a young exciting team.

Darcy Reiger tried to make the big deal but he was a couple years early when he traded for Drury in 2003. At the time he Sabres needed a deal to show fans they were serious about being competitive. The results were mixed. They need that type of roster move again to bring back the fans soured by the lockout. At this time of year, anything short of a blockbuster trade or a ten game winning streak will fail to draw media or fan attention away from the Buffalo Bills. It is a common adage that Sabres season doesn't start until January, when the Bills are done. The Sabres can't afford a half season of interest.

Pens and Isles

The latest in the line of free agent deals may raise some eyebrows not because of who signed but where. Sergei Gonchar's 5 million dollar a year deal is not with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers or Colarado Avalanche. It is with the Pittsburgh "We need a new arena or we are going bankrupt" Penguins.
This sends two messages. One, How bad do the Penguins really need this new arena? and two, Where are they getting the money to do this? The presence of a new owner answers the second question, but the first is much more complicated. With a number of resolutions being voted down by Pennsylvania taxpayers for a new arena the word was that the Penguins would soon be shuffling on to greener pastures. Maybe that will still be the case but after trading Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Kovalev and anyone else that resembled a star the managment intended this to be a needed step to maintain financial solvency. Maybe a team can spend poorly and still benefit from the new CBA. Perhaps this what the Penguins are hoping to exploit.

I have not seen the language of the new CBA but revenue sharing (if that is really an accurate term for the funds starved NHL) will be between the top teams and the bottom teams. Maybe if a team overspends their budget they will be bailed but by teams that actually make money. This is extreme circumstance but the idea is possible. No NHL team makes enough money that revenue sharing would clear up the finances of a team that is even 1 million in the red.

Alexei Zhitnik, Miroslav Satan and Michael York are trying to complete a New York Hat-Trick by playing for each NHL team in the state of New York. These three are the newest editions to Mike Milbury's New York Islanders. The signing of Satan forced the trade of Michael Peca to Edmonton for Michael York. If I am an Oilers fan I am happy right now. With Chris Pronger and Michael Peca on the ice, Edmonton will be one of the most fiercely competitive teams in the league each night. The last time Peca had a year off he had one of the best seasons of his career. With the physical style of play Peca is known for, a year off is the only way he ever truly recover.

Michael Peca is a fanastic asset to any team but I don't understand how the man can be traded twice if he is the heart and soul of the team. Money was an issue in Buffalo and the salary cap was the issue on the Isle. In both cases the teams that traded him are poorer for doing so. Michael Peca is the type of player you need to win in the playoffs. After the Islanders recent early exits from the playoffs, Milbury may have felt he needed to shake things up as he is known for. Maybe trading Roberto Luongo was not one of his finer moments, but the man is willing to try and make changes rather than sit on his hands.

Satan no doubt will be motivated to produce after leaving Lindy Ruff's system. I expect a big year from him. I also expect him to have a more physical presence. He has something to prove this year and will be a leader on the ice. He may not lay down the bone shattering hits of a Michael Peca but he may surprise you.

Alexei Yashin is entering his fourth year in the witness protection program. If you see him, please direct him to front of the net. He hasn't been seen their in ages.

As has been suggested in the Buffalo News, and I agree, Aaron Miller will probably be a Sabre by the end of the week. The Flyers signing of Petr Forsberg will set in motion Jeremy Roenick's trade to the LA Kings and most likely a trade of Miller to Buffalo to free up salary for all the Flyers and Kings.

Goodbye Satan

While I am not surprised I am saddened by the lose of Miroslav Satan from the Buffalo Sabres. I realize economic may have played a role but how often will you be able to find a 40-goal scorer on the free-agent market without having to pay top-dollar for him. He was the most talented player on the ice everytime he suited up. Softhands, the saucer passes, the finesse. These are know gone to the highest bidder. The Sabres will receive nothing in return.

What I may miss most are the goal celebrations. Whether it's rolling on the ice to symbolize he got the monkey off his back or taking his glove off and faux-dialing a cell-phone, each was unique and completely out of the blue from a player who usually seems to do his best to blend.

Wherever he ends up I will still be a fan. I wish him the best and hopefully he will end up on a winning team.

Chris Drury will be the new whipping boy for the fans disappointment in the teams performance. As the new highest paid player on the team it only seems right the he should now shoulder the burden once carried by Miro. If anyone noticed, Drury had a very disappointing first season with the Sabres that was overshadowed by Miro's lack of production. Jochen Hecht had one less point in 11 fewer games.

In other news, The Atlanta Thrashers signed Bobby Holik to a three year 12.75 million dollar deal only $500,000 less than what the LA Kings signed Pavol Demitra for. If a career third liner that never scored more than 65 points in a season can make 4.25 million a year, maybe the asking price on Satan wasn't so high afterall. That 65 points came eight years too. In what is supposed to be the new "wide open" NHL, I can't see how a grinder can make that much money. I don't blame the player for taking the money though. Make it while you can.

This just in,The Florida Panthers can no be officially called Mapleafs South.