Buffalo Sabres & NHL: Tuesday Muse Day

Tuesday Muse Day will be a ranting, raving, rambling weekly article relating to all things hockey, with a particular focus on the NHL and the Buffalo Sabres. This is the fourth edition. These are my personal thoughts and opinions; thus, they may not be lucid.

Thank you – to NHL Network for replaying Game One of the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres. It was great being reminded of how fast that Sabres team was, wearing the goathead jerseys, with youthful versions of Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, and Ryan Miller. Max Afinogenov was zipping around (Sabres leading scorer that season), while Mike Grier, J.P. Dumont, Chris Drury, and Jochen Hecht were all working hard. Even Timmy Connolly was looking slick. Defense…wow. Henrik Tallinder, Toni Lydman, Brian Campbell, Jay McKee, Teppo Numminen, Dmitri Kalinin. Who wins the game for the Sabres in overtime? Danny Briere, of course. This WAS a Stanley Cup team, without a doubt, if four of the top six defensemen did not suffer injuries in those playoffs. Thank you, 2006 Sabres, for the great memories.

Tyler Ennis – remains unsigned. This certainly cannot be due to the potential “work stoppage,” as Scotty Hartnell and Mike Fisher just signed extensions with their teams. Dear Darcy Regier, what is going on here?

Bobby Ryan – how are we all surviving without the latest Bobby Ryan-to-Buffalo trade rumors and speculation? These rumors lasted longer than Chad Ochocinco’s marriage…Too soon?

Gary Bettman – is a person that I generally prefer not to talk about. The NHL puts forth a ridiculous offer, and Donald Fehr responds with a counteroffer from the players that was mostly reasonable. Then, Bettman has the nerve to pull out the lockout card at the drop of a pin? After everything he has put hockey fans through, with 2 lockouts in a span of 11 years, and a promise of lower ticket prices that became a fallacy? Dollar dollar bills, y’all. We spend them, you collect them…

Speaking of Gary Bettman – I believe he is the reason those Sabres defensemen got injured in the 2006 playoffs. I do not have proof of this. Although, I can find a photo from 1999 that shows Brett Hull’s skate in the crease, just as he scored his Stanley Cup winning goal against the Sabres…

Michal Neuvirth – has stated that Braden Holtby is “the weakest competition I’ve ever had” in regards to the top goaltender spot in Washington. Just as a reminder, Holtby had a .935 save percentage as a rookie in the playoffs this season…

Traverse City – the prospects tournament has been cancelled. I was really looking forward to seeing the Sabres prospects defend their title from last year. Considering that the majority of the players in the tournament would not be playing in the NHL this season (lockout or not), I am baffled as to the reasoning behind the cancellation…

Dairy Queen – has opened a location in Rochester. Though I am not a fan of fast food, I decided to give it a shot. After braving the 30 minute line, I was greeted by an inept cashier (who didn’t know the menu), and a rude manager. The icing on the cake? They botched the order, and the food was mostly tasteless. Silly me, I thought they would have mastered the art of a burger and a blizzard by now, let alone decent customer service…

Laugh Of The Week – Although legal to film, Tie Domi took exception to Sweden filming Canada’s practice at the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Tournament, and stole the camera from Sweden when they weren’t looking. Domi even left them evidence on the film…

Countdown – The Rochester Americans open their season in 52 days. The Buffalo Sabres (hopefully) open their season in 53 days. There are 122 more days until people find out that the Mayan Long Count keeps being misinterpreted by the media. 12/21/12.