The Sabres invited the general public out of the rain and into the First Niagara Center for a glimpse of the squad as they participated in an open practice session.
Lindy Ruff and his coaches used the night session to get the team read for the European roadie. They worked on 4 on 4s, PP, 5 on 5 entries, and offensive zone time.
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I'm told that Pat Kaleta took a Thomas Vanek shoulder to his chin during a scrimmage last night. Kaleta was dazed as he left the ice. Rubbin' is racin'.
Kaleta is expected to be ok and will likely be on the ice today.
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I fully expect Lindy Ruff to name Thomas Vanek team captain when the team lands in Germany on Saturday. The vacant captaincy hullaballo has been swirling around Buffalo for the past couple weeks of training camp. Craig Rivet was the last full-time captain of the Sabres, however, Ruff used the "A's" committee for the duration of the 10/11 season and Playoffs.
Earlier this month, I shared my thoughts on why Vanek has earned the right to wear the "C" in Pegulaville. In case you missed the piece, here's an exerpt:
Vanek, the uber-talented sniper from U Minnesota, has matured in his tenure in Buffalo. Some still view him as the youngster from Austria who's blessed with all of the skill and grace as a world famous Lipizzaner Stallion. It took Vanek a while to find his comfort level and consistency.
Vanek is a changed man. He's now married, and has three children, including infant twins, at home. He's grown up before our very eyes. He's an intelligent, humble man who is never satisfied with his performance on the ice. He's a prefectionist, and he wants to lead his team to victory every night. He scoffs at the notion that his current team looks great on paper. Vanek will tell you that the game is not played on paper. Its played on ice. Vanek's maturity and awareness are always front and centre when you speak with his. He does his best to put his team's success in the proper perspective. He's not one to break his own arm patting his own back.
Vanek's family was recently jolted by the the terrible news of the death of Josef Vasicek in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl airline crash. Vasicek was the brother of Vanek's sister-in-law.
I recently read the below statement on thomasvanek26.com
The Vanek-family mourns the loss of Josef Vasicek, the brother of Thomas’ sister in law.
The news of the tragic crash in Russia reached Thomas during a training session in Minnesota. He immediately contacted his family and is deeply affected by the tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families and friends of the crash victims. In the name of the Vanek-family we want to thank you for your condolences and ask you for your understanding that there will be no direct statement from the family as of right now.
I feel badly for the loss that Vanek and his family are living with. There can be no way to prepare for the loss of a loved one in such a tragic fashion.
Adversity is a subject that Vanek knows a thing or two about. He's been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. Vanek's hockey life in Buffalo hasn't always been gum drops and lollipops. He's had to endure his fair share of adversity and consternation. He's been benched for ineffective play on more than one occassion. You'll recall Vanek's stay in chateau bow wow during the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals versus Carolina. At that time, Ruff cited Vanek's conditioning for his inability to skate like his hair was on fore for a full 45 second shift. Ruff was not impressed with Vanek's output, so he parked him. Vanek was none too pleased to be skating with the Sabres "black aces" in the ECFs that season, however, he did not bitch and carp about his benching. He heard his coach loud and clear and went back to work. He rode the bike, he power skated, he went home to Minnesota for the Summer with a fire in his belly. He committed himself to getting himself into better physical condition. He wanted to prove to his head coach and teammates that he was capable of change, and that he was not a one-trick pony. To his credit, Vanek has evolved his game. His play away from the puck is impressive. He wins more wall battles than he loses. He back checks with regularity. His stick is active and is always in a passing lane. He denies opponents time and space by using his feet to tighten gaps.
Vanek's offensive production got him drafted. He's an all around player now, who can be counted to perform 5 on 5, on the PP, and while playing on the man-down unit.
In 05/06, his rookie season, Vanek impressed with his 25 goals and 23 assists in 81 games, however, he was -11. Ruff was not happy with Vanek's play away from the puck and let him know about it.
In 06/07, Vanek blew us all away with his 43 goals and 41 assists. He finished the regular season with a sizzling +47. In 16 Playoff games, he scored 6 goals and added 4 assists. His team would lose to Ottawa in the ECF.
On July 1, 2007, the Sabres were dealt a killer blow when captains Chris Drury and Danny Briere, were signed to lucrative contracts in Manhattan and Philadelphia, respectively. Vanek would have to produce offense and defense and he'd have to do it while playing against other team's top six forwards, not against the third and fourth lines.
In 07/08, Vanek would 36 goals and 28 assists. He was a -5. His team missed the Playoffs.
In 08/09, he scored 40 goals and added 24 assists. he was -1. Again, the sabres missed the Playoffs.
In 09/10, he would scored 28 goals and add 25 helpers. He was +9. He was Buffalo's best player in the Boston Playoff series, that is until Johnny Boychuk wiped him out and injured his knee. Vanek's season was over after 3 Playoff games. The Sabres would go on to lose to Bosoton in round one.
In 10/11, Vanek scored 32 goals and added 41 assists. He was a +2. He would score 5 goals in the seven game loss to Philly. Vanek's role on the Sabres changed last season due to necessity. Long term injuries to Pominville, Connolly, Roy, and Stafford had depleted Buffalo's offense for large chunks of time. Vanek stayed healthy and was able to contribute to the Sabres offense while adding more defensive and special teams responsibilities to his repetoire.
I've always been fascinated by Vanek and his upward ascent. His skill level puts him in the NHL's elite echelon. His eye-hand coordination is uncanny. He scans the entire 200 by 85 with relative ease. He sees plays before they develop. His shot his strong and stout. He takes a beating from the Prongers, Charas, and Phaneufs of the world for his selfless pursuit of loose pucks in the blue ice. Vanek gets hacked, slashed, gashed, smashed, and trampled under foot while camping out in the enemy end. You never hear him bitch about it. He wears the bruises and scrapes like badges of honour. He once told me that the welts and contusions only hurt when his team loses. The guy is an inspirational leader. His teammates love his valor and unselfish play. He plays the game the right way now. he's changed his approach and his team is better for it.
Lindy could take the path of least resistance and sew the "C" on the sweater of Robyn Regehr for the foreseeable future. That kind of move is understandable. Regehr looks and plays like he just walked off the set of "Braveheart". Big, nasty, and accountable.
Personally, I like promoting an orgaizational guy to wear the "C", as oppoosed to slamming it on a free agent acquisition. Gaustad is a perfect candidate to wear the "C", however, he's not a 18-20 minute per game guy. Besides, he's in the last year of his deal. Jason Pominville is a character guy, however, can he lead a team for a full regular season and the Playoffs?
How did the Craig Rivet Experiment work out for the Sabres?
In life, physical and mental pain builds character.
The captaincy is not a personality or popularity contest. Look around the NHL and you'll notice that the player that is most valuable to his team is the captain. The "C" symbolizes he who has made the most amount of sacrifice and endured the adversity, and is always front and centre for his team.
For that reason, I feel strongly that Vanek is ready to wear a "C" on his sweater.
Ruff has rotated the "C" in the exhibition season-- Gaustad, Roy, Pominville, and Leopold have all worn it. Vanek has yet to. I don't expect Ruff to make Vanek the captain for the Washington exhibition game on Friday night. I think the coach will opt to reward another veteran player who has had a solid camp, like Tyler Myers.
Ruff told the Buffalo News Wednesday night that he's going to wait until the team lands in Europe to officially name his captain for the 11/12 season.
My money is on Vanek. He's earned the right to lead this team to a Stanley Cup.
I'm curious to know your opinion.
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Here's the list of Sabres captains in the team's 41 year history.
Floyd Smith 1970-71
Gerry Meehan 1971-74
Jim Schoenfeld 1974-77
Danny Gare 1977-82
Gilbert Perreault 1982-87
Lindy Ruff 1987-89
Mike Foligno 1989-91
Mike Ramsey 1991-92
Pat LaFontaine 1992-97
Alexander Mogilny (Due To Injury To Pat LaFontaine) Nov. 1993 - Apr.1994
Michael Peca 1997-00
Stu Barnes 2001-03
Miroslav Satan Oct. 2003
Chris Drury Nov. 2003
James Patrick Dec. 2003
JP Dumont Jan. 2004
Daniel Briere Feb. 2004
Chris Drury Mar. 2004
Daniel Briere 2005-07
Chris Drury 2005-07
Jochen Hecht Oct. 2007
Toni Lydman Nov. 2007
Brian Campbell Dec. 2007
Jaroslav Spacek Jan. 2008
Jochen Hecht Feb. 2008
Jason Pominville Mar. 2008
Craig Rivet Oct. 2008 - Feb. 2011
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I want you to go to the below link to read "Greetings From Pegulaville", an excellent blog that dissects the "CX", or, "customer experience" that Terry Pegula, Ted Black, and the entire Sabres organization recently delivered to its season ticket holders.
http://jacobsmediablog.com/2011/09/29/greetings-from-pegulaville/
The author, Ralph Cipolla, is a Buffalo boy living in Michigan. Give him a Twitter follow
@ralphjmedia
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@HockeybuzzGarth 
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