Bring Out The Hate-O-Rade

Sabres fans have been having a great time since January, haven’t we? At one point this team was last in the league and now they’re in a playoff spot. Terry Pegula took over as owner and the little changes have been adding up, whether it’s the carpeting in the locker room or playing RJ’s goal calls in the arena, the team just feels more professional.

Why would this stop the same old crowd for coming out of their holes and wagging their fingers, saying “I told you so” after a bad loss? Two late third period goals and an overtime goal put down the Sabres and they “escaped” with 1 point, and here comes that angry mob yet again…

I’m not trying to make this an attack on Jerry Sullivan. Yes I am. I noticed that aside from a wonderful article commemorating Rick Martin, the Buffalo News columnist hasn’t written a column about the Sabres since February 23, one day after “Pegula Day” when the new owner had his infamous first press conference. Terry Pegula had a meeting with the local media (IE – Sully and Bucky) and asked them not to be so negative toward his team. Am I the only person that noticed a distinct lack of articles from the guy that writes after just about every game. Interesting note: the Sabres have been doing kind of well since then.

It’s really no different than the “Mister Softee” calls on the Whiner Line or the fans that boo the team off the home ice. We’re a fanbase of momentum and skepticism, probably because we’ve been burned so many times in the past. No, wait, there is a difference. Those fans paid good money to see that game, the Mister Softee callers get a kick out of hearing their voices on the radio, while this is the work of a supposed professional news columnist who gets a decent paycheck. Whereas I’m just some jackass that writes op ed columns for a blog in my spare time.

Second paragraph in starts with:

"“Then they turn into the same old Sabres and make you want to slam your head against the nearest wall.”"

I’m sure we can’t give any of the credit to Blake Geoffrion for scoring a hat trick, nor to Martin Erat for being a clutch goal scorer. If it was Thomas Vanek who scored 3 to force overtime and Jason Pominville to net the OT winner, every critic would be saying how this team escaped again and didn’t play a full 60 minutes. Give credit where it’s due; yes the Sabres got beat, but they got beat by one guy who put the weight of tying the game all on himself.

In the end there will always be nay-sayers who can’t wait to point the blame and say, “I told you so! This team isn’t a winner.” When the Sabres get on a roll, these guys go quiet. Dormant. Waiting. And once the team lays an egg which, as Kevin Allen pointed out on twitter, happened twice to the Blackhawks last year, they pop out of their pout holes and proclaim that their skepticism was justified.

"“It was not a night to wander onto the precious new team logo in the middle of the room.”"

Be sure to take a shot at the new owner that asked you to lay off his team, Sully. That’s right, really give Terry Pegula and Ted Black a haymaker for trying to fix this team with peripherals. Tim Connolly’s still on the team and people have to know that you’re not happy about that. If you can’t criticize the team when they’re doing well (yours truly) then you lose all credibility to call them out when they have a bad game. Being a paid professional and having locker room access doesn’t make up for a lack of class in that department.