0Posted by Scott Michalak on April 4, 2012 at 8:47 am
This has to be the play of the year for the Buffalo Sabres.
Sabres fans aren't ever going to forget this incredible goal. Welcome to the Sabres' historical highlight reel, Jordan Leopold.
It’s like a really good movie: every time you watch it, you notice something new. Let’s watch this instant classic again:
Wow.
Here’s a quick list of what I’ve noticed so far:
Foligno and Komisarek’s foreshadowing chirps before the faceoff
Ennis’ quick singling-out/distraciton of Komisarek, just before the puck dropped
Komisarek then getting run over by Foligno right after the puck hit the ice
Foligno willfully forcing the puck to the net
Komisarek regaining his feet to willfully drive Foligno into the ice
Komisarek delivers about a dozen swipes to Foligno’s face, as he keeps him pinned
Referee Mike Hasenfratz in perfect position to watch the puck – still loose – under that mass of humanity in front of the net
Tyler Ennis lunging forward to give Komisarek a little cross check across the back
Stafford and Leopold lunging forward and stabbing, almost coordinated, at the puck together
Leafs’ captain, #3, Dion Phaneuf, falls back under Stafford’s stick, giving the Sabres #3, Jordan Leopold, the space for the shot
Arms in the air
Komisarek slowly rising, defeated
RJ going nuts
Fans going nuts
Hey look! Sulzer was on the ice!
Foligno raises his arms in the air, whooping it up, then slowly skates by Matt Lombardi while staring him down
Scrivens’ hapless complaint to the ref about the whistle never blowing (Sorry Scrivens, but for once, the ref got it. He saw the puck, you didn’t. Game over.)
In the replay: watch Scrivens’ head darting about – he never looks down, his hands aren’t even near the ice. He never shows possession, just desperation. The first time he looks down is when he is looking at the puck in the net.
Shoutout from Sudbury! (Marcus played Jr. hockey there from 2005-2001, his father Mike played there from 1975-1979)
Mike Foligno (Sabres and Leafs alumnus icon) and family in the stands, looking stunned
Foligno’s chirp from bench to bench
Wow.
After the game, Marcus Foligno would sum of the Sabres play of the year with the Sabres quote of the year:
“I think the ref was watching how many times I got punched in the face,” Foligno said, “and he was in awe.”
Good job, Sabres! 2 games left: keep that willpower surging, and get this done.
As for me, I’m going to watch this play again. In case I missed anything else.
0Posted by Scott Michalak on December 16, 2011 at 8:32 am
By now, you’re all too familiar with Joffrey Lupul’s tweet-take on the Buffalo skyline.
Now also all too familiar with his grammar. Yikes.
To JoffreyLupul, I say: Well played! You kicked Buffalo fans square in their overly sensitive skyline nuts. Sure, you’re looking at some incredible architecture out that window of yours, and it appears that the sun actually might be shining somewhere, and your grammar was painfully missing the obliogatory “eh?” exclamation, but this quick Buffalo sucker punch on Twitter is the best of the year so far.
Maybe.
(This is a BSN screen-grab from October, 2011.) Boy, they sure know how to get to us. Say, we need one more NHLer to do this so we can do a new "Awards" post. If Chris Neil still unfortunately plays in the NHL, he could be our guy.
Also, to reassure you, Mr. Lupul, we don’t throw batteries in Buffalo (not even waffles). And in honor of your topical snark success story, you’ve earned yourself a few squares on tonight’s Sabres/Leafs Twitter BINGO. I know, I know – it’s what all kids dream of throughout the world while playing street hockey until the sun goes down.
Tonight’s winner receives one of Ryan Miler’s flaming Molotov Gatorades to toss at Lupul during the game! (I know, I said we didn’t toss things here in Buffalo, but we all must follow Miller’s lead.)
The Passion of the Crease.
Fans, get your dabbers ready. Tonight’s gonna’ be a hot one.
(As usual, click on the image to re-size, and click again to re-size once more.)
Good luck, folks! And again, we still need one more NHLer (or ex-NHLer) to tweet something endearingly stupid enough to give us all another BSN Awards post. Consider it an early Xmas. If it happens. (Please let it be Soupy Campbell.)
0Posted by Scott Michalak on October 20, 2011 at 8:46 am
*We’re making this post “sticky” today in honor of Thomas Hockey God Vanek vs. the Habs. Man. This GIF: ALL. DAY. LONG. Go get ‘em, boys.
The list of 2011-12 GIFs has begun.
Thanks to Paul Gaustad, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, and of course, Carey Price’s inability to contain his inertia on the ice, we have our first winner GIF of the season.
“The Vanek Set Play” will undoubtedly make our 2011-12 GIFs of the Season, but why wait? Let’s enjoy it now.
It looks even better in slo-mo:
It doesn’t get any easier looking than that. But bear in mind, this set play wasn’t a fluke. It was a play that the team had actually been practicing.
Montreal Canadiens haven’t started this badly at home since 1938
And that’s just the title! The Habs are in an early season struggle, and Vanek’s goal was a dagger in the heart of Montreal’s effort to get back to their winning ways. Again, from the Gazette:
The chance to end the winless-in-Montreal-since-April-26 skid comes Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The time to pounce is now, against a team that must surely be distracted planning its Stanley Cup parade.
Indeed, the Northeast Division is Bizarro World right now – the Leafs are atop everyone with a nearly flawless 4-0-1 record. Buffalo is a solid second – for now – at 4-1-0. Montreal’s 1-3-1 record has them ahead of the pitiful Senators (1-5-0) by one measly point. If that’s not enough, Boston is just one measly point atop Montreal, at 2-4-0. Sure, the Leafs have yet to play an away game, but the all-important goals for/goal against ratio tells no lies.
Remember the old adage: “You know it’s Spring when the Leafs are out of the playoff picture.” We’ll see.
It seems strange to say that Montreal is entering must-win territory just 5 games into the regular season, but with Toronto in town for a 4 point swing, it’s their best chance to start reversing this reversal of fortunes in the Northeast.
Vanek’s goal was a shocking upset for Montreal fans, but as it turns out, it wasn’t a fluke. As the GF/GA ratio shows us, neither are the Bizarro standings.
Tim Connolly was always under heavy pressure here in Buffalo, be it from the fans who expected more from him and his big contract, the media that constantly clubbed his concussed conscience with “overpaid, underperforming” wallops, or be it from having to constantly prove to himself and everyone else that he wouldn’t break coming off his latest injury.
Sadly, but fittingly, his long tenure in Buffalo ended with all three. He exited the playoffs, injured, after only registering 2 helpers in 6 games. He went without a goal in the playoffs since the 2005-2006 season. The media that criticized him for this was smugly rewarded. While teammate Ryan Miller was left behind in Buffalo to staunchly defend Connolly from all the criticism - calling at least the media part of it a “vendetta,” Tim slipped out of town.
In Toronto, Tim Connolly can expect to see a few (dozen) more microphones in the locker room after games.
But is the pressure over for him now? Not a chance. Now in Toronto, one of the biggest pressure-cookers in the league, he’s really going to be surrounded by strident voices and public opinion for every mistake he makes, and each injury he takes.
At least his steady diet of smack from the fans and media in Buffalo gave him a little crash course for it.
For Connolly, the pressure in a Leafs uniform – one that he still has yet to wear in a game – is already on, and it’s on big time. That article I just sourced (from the Globe and Mail) above citing Miller’s defense of Connolly lasted all but two short paragraphs before it started listing the Toronto Sun’s key words to describe Connolly’s play:
The latest criticism of Connolly, the NHL club’s only major free-agent signing this year, was published in the Toronto Sun this week, suggesting his reputation amongst “hockey people” consists of being “difficult,” a “loner,” a “spoiled brat” and “not a team player.”
Reputation aside, here’s a run-down on what Tim is expected to accomplish in his new home up the Queen Elizabeth Way. A fresh look, from Fox Sports:
Connolly is most likely the next first-line center under the microscope in Toronto, courtesy of a two-year, $9.5 million contract he signed in July. His game will be dissected like his body has been examined. Which, considering how often virtually every inch of his 6-foot-1 frame has been broken, torn or smashed, is a lot.
“I’m just looking forward to my time in Toronto, getting ready for that,” he said about shaking his injury jinx. “That’s what I’m thinking about now. I think the fan support there, it’s just a hockey town. I think it will be just an exciting experience for me.”
For a player whose game is so flashy, Connolly hopes to color Toronto in more subtle hues like penalty killing and fundamentals.
Tim Connolly, signed to center the team’s first line in the offseason, says he’s ready to face the challenge of playing in Toronto — and hopes to stay healthy, something that hasn’t been easy for him during his eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, in the process.
“I’m just looking forward to my time in Toronto, getting ready for that,” Connolly, 30, and known for his skilled play, told NHL.com. “That’s what I’m thinking about now. I think the fan support there, it’s just a hockey town. I think it will be just an exciting experience for me.”
Last season, Connolly had 42 points in 68 games; two seasons ago, he put up 17 goals and 65 points in 73 contests.
In the three seasons that came before that, though, Connolly played 98 games total and developed his injury-prone reputation. Ultimately, that played a role in his exit from Buffalo; the team opted not to re-sign him.
Even the caption under the photo the Sporting News used read “Tim Connolly has been relatively healthy for two seasons.” There is relatively no escape from this history in these articles.
From the Toronto Sun, a newer article noted that some other responsibilities were now on Tim’s shoulders with the Leafs:
Tim Connolly knows he will have to take on a more veteran role this season. Connolly is 30 years old, a more experienced player on the young Leafs squad. “I can bring my experience” he said in an interview. It appears he has changed his attitude since being much criticized by the Buffalo media. He will still need to improve his faceoffs, which hovered at 48% last season.
The Maple Leafs signed Tim Connolly and acquired John-Michael Liles this summer for a number of reasons, and there’s the hope that each will provide some punch to the Toronto power play.
In Connolly and Liles, the Leafs have the potential to improve when they’re up a man or two. But the players have to make it happen.
Here’s a list of what Toronto is concerned about so far:
His age
Face-offs
Making the powerplay work
“Fundamentals”
Bolstering the penalty kill
Providing veteran leadership
Staying healthy
Did I miss anything? Oh yea, the whoe “spoiled brat/not a team player” thing.
This upcoming season is a huge one for Connolly, and I think most fans in WNY wish him well (except, of course, during Sabres/Leafs match-ups).
Still, if the Toronto media has told him anything already, it’s that he better provide a boost to every area of the Leafs organization, or he’ll have a lot of microphones to answer questions into.
As the Brad Richards saga drags on, teams are beginning to set their sights on other options. One pivot, Paul Stastny, has been the subject of trade rumors since February. He’d come roughly $1 million cheaper than Richards: Stastny has a cap hit of $6.6 million per season, (under contract until 2014). Playing on a team heavy at center (and with prospect Joey Hishon making a charge towards the NHL ranks), it is actually plausible that Stastny could be had, for the right price.
A trade for Stastny could involve an avalanche of prospects and picks moving back to Colorado.
