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Why is it that Buffalo Sabres fans are whining complainers who are too soft to play in the league when we complain about something, but we’re the unsportsmanlike ones when something doesn’t go in your favor?

Boston Bruins fans are upset over the simple act of Lindy Ruff calling a timeout with 13 seconds remaining in a game that was all but secured victory for the Buffalo Sabres.

It’s only one game but the Bruins saw their fast and dominant start crumble at the hands of a team they have owned in recent years.

Why are Bruins fan’s so upset about the timeout?  Does it make it any different than the Sabres had secured the game?  Does it make any difference that the Bruins still hold place in the standings higher than the Buffalo Sabres?  Or does it matter that Lindy Ruff may have been protecting the players he put out on the ice, from those players that Lindy put out for one of the games final face offs?

From Andrew Thompson at Causeway Crowd:

The Buffalo Sabres out played us tonight. While I know they played a great game, and Vanek was simply amazing. In the end, the Sabres lost my respect. Thirteen seconds to go, a totally secure three goal lead, and head coach Lindy Ruff calls a time out. That was uncalled for coach. Being a sore loser in sports is a sign of bad character, but being a poor winner is even worse.

The problem with rivalries is that things that could be done to end them have a way of making things worse. The Sabres were up in arms last season on Lucic sending Miller to the ground. This time, the head coach of the organization chose to deliberately ‘poke the bear’. The Bruins will be seeing the Sabres again, and the B’s have a long memory.

From an organization that sells memorobilia such as this to their fans.

Following the Jason Pominville goal to make it 7-4, the Buffalo Sabres had Jason Pominville, Jochen Hecht, and Thomas Vanek out for the draw.  Was it necessary for the Boston Bruins to counter with Lane MacDermid?  Did he really need to be on the ice at that moment in the game when all was said and done and we just needed a faceoff to complete the game?

So Lindy Ruff does the only thing he can do to get the right matchup on the ice, he calls a timeout, and sends John Scott and Marcus Foligno – players more in line with MacDermid’s rough and tumble style to finish the game.

13 seconds tick off the clock, game ends without incidence.  Buffalo Sabres pick up two points, huge emotional and motivational win for a team struggling, we move on to the next game.

Thats unsportsmanlike and enough to lose respect over?  Was it really gloating to add 20 seconds for a timeout to protect the stars of his team?

Boston Bruins players and Fans – who recognized that they got outplayed by Thomas Vanek and company for 60 minutes, should be looking at that prior to looking at a 20 second time out.

There are plenty of what if’s in this scenario.  What if Boston’s plan was a run at the Buffalo Sabres in desperation to save face on home ice – as the big bad Bruins couldn’t overrun a team they trampled in the past.  What if head coach Claude Julien sent his player out there to send a message, because he really needed to add 13 seconds of ice time to a guy who played a whopping four minutes of ice time up to that point.  Sure nothing happened as Julien said, but had Ruff not called the timeout what had happened?

It’s not like Ruff is an angel, and hasn’t been down this road before.

Ruff knows what players are capably of in 13 seconds. MacDermid was not out there to try and get a goal to make it 7-5. Have a long memory Boston – this year, Buffalo is ready for it.

From Cup of Chowder:

- Lindy Ruff is a jackwagon. Really, a timeout when you’re up 7-4 with 12 seconds to go? Go home Lindy Ruff.

A jackwagaon? For protecting his players? It’s not like he subbed Pominville, Vanek, and Hodgson back onto the ice to get that all important 8th goal to really embarras you in front of your home fans – Thomas Vanek had already done enought of that already.

Maybe it’s time Bruins fans realize that without Tim Thomas creating headlines for the teams, they have to think of anything to get in the headlines.

It’s hockey, its a rivalry, and since we can’t have bench clearing brawls everytime we meet, something has to be done to foster some hatred between teams other than cheap shots to goalies heads.