"You have the heart of a hockey player," Chubbs Peterson told Happy Gilmore in the film Happy Gilmore in 1996. The title character was played by Adam Sandler, who is currently on a national comedy tour. One of the stops during his tour was Buffalo.
Recently, Sandler met with several Sabres players before his comedy performance at the KeyBank Center. Sabres forwards Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, Josh Doan, Beck Malenstyn and Josh Norris along with defensemen Rasmus Dahlin, Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins were all on hand to meet the actor, who may have played one of the most famous hockey characters in history.
The Gilmore character may wear a Boston Bruins jersey in the film, but Sandler was gifted with a Sabres jersey with the character's name on the back.
As the Sabres continue to look for an identity they might be able to gather inspiration from Happy Gilmore and its sequel Happy Gilmore 2. And no, the advice is not that all the Sabres players should quit hockey to go play on the PGA Tour.
In the movie, the character embraces his ability and is able to overcome his own struggles to become a champion. Each Sabres player has a unique gift whether it be Thompson finding the back of the net, Tuch's aggressiveness or Dahlin's leadership.
The Sabres organization also needs to find their "happy" place like in the 1996 blockbuster movie
It was been years since both the Sabres and their fans have found a place of contentedness and happiness like the Sandler's character in the film. But if they can focus on the positives in front of them on the ice, they may be able to finally get into the postseason.
Sometimes the best advice is taking a breath, looking at why they love hockey and getting back to the basics. The Sabres do a great job working with Western New York and the fanbase and, if they look at why they love playing on the ice, that might give them inspiration to move forward this season.
These maybe be simple concepts but for a team that has not sniffed the postseason since three U.S. Presidents ago, maybe keeping it simple is the key.
At the end of the film, Gilmore overcomes injuries, rival golfer Shooter McGavin and a TV tower in the way of his final shot to ultimately make the winning putt and secure victory.
There may be several reasons for the Sabres to look at what is in their way as they try to avoid missing the playoffs for the 15th straight year. Yet, they did win their preseason opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets in convincing fashion, 4-0.
If they can glean more from Happy Gilmore, they might begin to get back to their winning ways.