Ek’s Note: I will be posting my blog later this morning, but for now I really wanted to introduce our new Sabres writer. Hank leaves some BIG shoes to fill, but there may be no one better than Brad Lohr. You already know him from the board as Lumberhacks and I absolutely love his writing style…as I’m sure you will too. Please join me in welcoming him to what will be a fascinating Sabres Off-season….to be sure!


This might be my new slogan –

The Buffalo Sabres….

We will be herd….

I hope it is.

Parody is a funny thing but it is not to be used lightly in serious situations. Sometimes we use it to deflect the pain, sometimes we use it to deflect the puck over the glass so we can take a breath and the crowd can as well. Reset the play. Start over. Drop the puck. Make sure the patron who almost got doinked is no worse for wear. Growing up near the Canadian border it's “the good old hockey game” forever. Oh, by the way, it ricocheted off her boyfriend’s beer and landed at the feet of a kid four seats over. After an aggressive dive in the moment of glory it was retrieved but reluctantly given to the youth.

Fans cheer in conjunction with a jumbotron approval. Thank God for the organ. Those of us growing up in Western New York are spoiled by the tradition because we are hockey tradition. We are comingled with southern Canada, from the inception of our hockey team we have shared the sport with them, not taken it for granted. Punch Imlach, Tim Horton, days gone past. Geoff, not ”Jeff” Sanderson faking Cujo out of his mind. (I think his undergarments might have left the building) We also can’t disregard Razor’s salute to Hasek. You never understand when you are in the moment until it's over. The organ always plays till this day. “Daaa daaa daaa da da”, “Let's go Buffalo”. The Fog or Kate Smith will never stop it.

It won’t stop John LeClair scoring a goal through the outside of the net and it won’t stop Garth Snow from losing his mind. JR can throw water bottles from the press box because he can’t lace them up anymore. It doesn’t matter. No matter how much the Sabres anger people we are still relevant in the community of the NHL. The organ still plays. We sing and salute both national anthems. Claude from Quebec even used to stop by once in a while to blare his trumpet hanging from the glass. We are hockey. We always have been. We are part of the true North strong and free. We respect it, we embrace it, and we are thankful to be part of a region that knows what hockey is all about.

Whew, definitely should rewrite this but I am going to decide against it. I am a homer “Doh!”, but I do realize that there is still hockey being played and I embrace it. Every team that is still in this pursuit of one of the most relevant sports trophies in the world has paid the price. I look forward to the day when the blue and gold are challenged. I believe that we are in good hands and that conscious decisions have been made. “Baby Steps” Bill Murray once said. Sabres fans, I think we are ready to get around a lot easier. I have been optimistic when things were not good and I can admit that. What has transpired over the last year however is encouraging.

I am proud to be your new beat writer and am open to all comments and criticism. I would like to evolve my craft by listening to what people have to say. The looking glass can be a kaleidoscope, I hope in the end we can all see something beautiful together.

For quite some time we have not seen a group that only needs a few pieces interchanged to have a recipe for success. We are there.

Tough decisions have to be made and in the next few months, we will analyze what should possibly be done. Fan favorites or soldiers loyal to the organization might have to be replaced. We have talent waiting in the wings. We have not been in a better place structurally for a long time.

This is our team. We can’t get tired of them. It is not in my DNA and I surely will never pass on to my kids the possibility of being a fan of someone else. We have lost a generation; we are not doing it again. Being angry with something you love is natural. If we tear it down it is because we want to lift it up.

Lastly –

We all have seen what goaltending can do but in reality, it is not a science.
A savvy trade brought us somebody who has already developed and has had the opportunity to gain valuable NHL experience. Timing is everything. Our management and coaching staff handled it with professionalism.

Enough with the arbitrary comments from all involved. 27 has the athleticism and mental toughness to be prolific. He is a unicorn. Sometimes you have to make the leap. We have not done it for some time. Get over the proper designated paths mantra. Walk with a strut on this one. Commit.

We will have no stress with Strauss. These genes are not bought from a backup bargain bin hoping to get you through the hard times. We can wear this pair on back-to-back nights and on any occasion. Trust the fabric as well as the process.

Thanks.

Bradley

Aka: Lumberhacks

P.S., has anybody watched number 9 go through the motions? He is talented and will get his points but he will never be what he could have been.

Tuch your children into bed tonight, we did well.

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