Buffalo Sabres Daily: NHL Rules & Christmas In July
Happy Monday, Buffalo Sabres fans! Here in Buffalo, there’s a chill in the air and it definitely feels like fall this morning. Alas, it is indeed only July 28 and we’ve still got just over two months before the NHL season begins — but there’s still plenty going on in the hockey world.
First, from the folks at Bloguin, seven rules the NHL needs to change, including the ‘puck over the glass’ rule and ‘intent to blow.’
Those are two rules I’ve always had a bit of trouble with, particularly the intent to blow. As the folks at Bloguin point out, that leaves a lot of room for subjectivity. In any other world, “intent” to do something wouldn’t be counted as actually doing it, but in the hockey world, if a referee intended to blow the whistle, that goal can be waived off. In addition, these plays cannot be reviewed, which just adds to the absurdity of it all.
I wonder if I can tell my boss that I intended to work today and see where that gets me. Hah!
As July wraps up in the coming days, it’s now less than five months until Christmas. You know what that means – Christmas in July! The NHL is certainly getting in the mood with its new line of festive sweaters. Available on Shop.NHL.com, there’s a couple different “ugly sweater” designs, though none than involve the Buffalo Sabres. I’m not sure whether to be thankful of that or not.
The linked article talks about how ugly these sweaters are, from the bright yellow Bruins sweater to the patterns and whatever other design flaws you’d like to point out…. but isn’t that the whole point of an ugly sweater? I’m a little wild but I think I’d buy one if there was a Sabres-themed sweater, and I’d wear it proudly around the city with no regrets, but that’s just me.
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NBCSN announced its broadcast schedule for the upcoming NHL season last week, and the Buffalo Sabres appear on that list 11 times. This speaks for the team’s ability to draw a crowd, regardless of position in the standings.
As the people at Sports Media 101 point out, the fact that the Sabres will be broadcast nationally 11 times next season is pretty incredible given the lackluster finish last season. But Buffalo has certainly proven itself to be a hockey city, constantly drawing high ratings. Look at the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for instance. Even when the Sabres weren’t playing, Buffalo was high in the television ratings. We love hockey and we’ll watch whatever you give us, but putting the Sabres on speaks volumes about NBCSN’s faith in Buffalo as a hockey city.
Speaking of WNY, not only do we love watching hockey here, once in a while a solid hockey player is produced, too.
Take for instance, 17-year-old Youngstown native Joseph Cecconi. The Muskegon Lumberjacks defenseman was selected to represent the United States in the Ivan Hlinka Tournament next month in the Czech Republic.
He’s the only New Yorker on the roster and was selected after a regional tryout in Syracuse and a weeklong campaign at the Northtowns Center. The Ivan Hlinka Tournament is considered one of the most prestigious U-18 tournaments and can ultimately put players out there in the eyes of scouts and NHL teams for a future draft.