In The Crease

Hasek retires — again, but likely for good this time

For the fans who booed Dominik Hasek out of Buffalo — and I was one of them — it's time to step back and forgive.

Hasek retired on Monday, less than a week after winning his second Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings. But it's only natural not to take Hasek at his word this time. By my count, he's retired officially at least twice (1999 and 2002)... unofficially, well, that's up for debate.

Hasek last retired on June 25, 2002, after winning the first Cup he left Buffalo for in 2001. Remember the mood then?

It was forgotten, almost as if it never happened.

Dominik Hasek was seated on a dais in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena for a news conference to announce his retirement Tuesday. Only when a reporter asked The Dominator about the Buffalo Sabres did he acknowledge his old team.

Hasek finally found his Holy Grail two weeks ago when he and the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. He had won six Vezina Trophies as the NHL's top goalie and two Hart Trophies as the league's MVP -- all with the Sabres.

But the Stanley Cup completed his spectacular career.

"I am and I will be a Red Wing forever," Hasek read in his opening statement.

And just like that, the Sabres were rendered the same discarded fate as Chuck Cunningham on "Happy Days." For those unfamiliar with the sitcom: The oldest child of Mr. and Mrs. C was eliminated from the show's consciousness as if he never existed after the first season. -The Buffalo News, June 26, 2002

Hasek added: "I do not feel that I have enough fire in me to compete at the level that I expect for myself.'

On Monday, he said the main reason for his retirement was a lack of motivation. Fire, motivation... sound familiar?

Needless to say, Buffalo fans remember how Hasek forced his way out of town, even telling Darcy Regier that he couldn't take away the good players from the team he was being traded to. (See, the Kozlov years) It was always about Dom. And that worked perfect when he was making 70 saves against the New Jersey Devils in 1994 — but not when he wanted to go an enemy. And that Red Wing "forever" send off stung.

There's no excuse for the way Hasek left Buffalo, or how he treated the Sabres at that retirement ceremony. What you can focus on is today, when he spent the majority of his written speech talk about the very city he left seven years ago. He's 43-years-old now — not that he was young in 2002, but it seems the added years and trials have left Hasek to reflect on how special his time in the Queen City was:

"I had opportunity to play with some incredible players… Dale Hawerchuk, Pat LaFontaine, Grant Fuhr, Dave Andreychuk, Alex Mogilny, Michael Peca and Miro Satan. I want to thank them for all the great work they did in front of me, and helping me to be more successful.

And I will never forget Richard Smehlik and Alex Zhitnik, who played more games in front of me than any other two defensemen. I cannot thank them enough for helping me to have the level of success I could only have dreamt of before we played together.

But it was John Muckler who gave me the chance to be a starting goaltender. I don’t think I disappointed him. But I can tell you, tell all of you for sure, not much of the success would ever have happened without John’s support and encouragement. I want to thank John very, very much for all he did for me in Buffalo and in Ottawa.

Buffalo Sabres president Larry Quinn had helped me through many tough times. He has always stood behind me. I could always turn to Larry for helping hand and thought and in tough times. ...

I want to thank Larry for being there, for being a good friend, as well as congratulate him for his success in selling out 80 Sabres games in a row. That’s not easy to do.

And Mitch Korn, my goalie coach in Buffalo who worked with me to help me adjust my unique style to be more effective in the NHL. Mitch never tried to change me, but he just helped me to be a better goalie. Thanks Mitch.

I would… Buffalo… to our family make many friends who helped us a lot. Unfortunately, I can’t name them all today. I will always remember the fans. Buffalo is a small market, but they supported us in huge numbers. I will never forget the many sold-out games in the old Aud, and especially at the HSBC Arena. They pushed the team forward and helped me in some ways make every save.

Leaving Buffalo was difficult. But in 2001, I knew if I was to win a Cup, I had to move on. I decided on Hockeytown, and I asked for a trade to Detroit and Buffalo agreed to make.

...

"Last time I was talking here, I didn’t mention Buffalo too much, just because it was a different time. But today, it was a great nine years. And now I’m with the Wings, I’m very proud to be a Red Wing also. These are two places in my life that will always stay in my heart."

I almost burst out laughing when he mentioned the Zhitnik/Smehlik pairing. Did anyone else have a goatlord flashback? Those are the days the still-boiling Sabres fans need to remember now. When Hasek and shutout coincided on a nightly basis. When Slinky for a spine wasn't just an old "priceless" Mastercard commercial. When Hasek was winning games for the hometown team, even though they had little business doing so on many nights.

It would be an embarrassment if Hasek's number was not retired next season at HSBC Arena. It doesn't hurt that Larry and Dom sound like they're still buddy-buddy. I don't doubt people will boo — fans just booed Daniel Briere this past season and he wanted to stay. But it's the right thing to do, and it's the right time to do it.

As long as Hasek is truly retired this time, of course.

Complete Audio of the Hasek Press Conference | Video:

Perfect timing for Hockeytown

The Tigers are 10 out. Pistons are talking break up. Detroit sports space is ripe for a takeover.

Enter: The Red Wings, winning their fourth Stanley Cup in 11 seasons.

Suddenly, a sobbing Andreas Lilja was lovable. Darren McCarty received the biggest cheers at the Hart Plaza rally. One million people showed up — in 90-degree plus heat — for a hockey parade in June.

Revival talk in Hockeytown may be premature. But almost everyone is coming back next year and there's cap room to spare.

There's guaranteed to be a lot fewer empty seats next year at Joe Louis Arena. They're not the Steve Yzerman-led teams that Detroit fell in love with. But winning matters — not winning in the regular season or rounds in the playoffs. Big silvery things and silky new banners. And that's why the Red Wings have a marvelous opportunity to recapture the hearts of Hockeytown.

I haven't seen this many people wear red in a very long time. There's lines to grab Stanley Cup paraphernalia at Dick's Sporting Goods. Car flags are flying.

WDIV reporter Katrina Hancock was right when she said Pittsburgh Penguins fans were more rabid this postseason:

But if the Red Wings play their cards right, she'll be proven wrong come October.

Under pressure, Babs and Therrien laugh it off

Shocker — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Maxime Talbot had nothing funny to say Friday at practice, the second off day between Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup final.

But it still seemed like a late-night comedy club inside Mellon Arena, courtesy of coaches Mike Babcock and Michel Therrien:

Babcock:

Q.  Will you give us your understanding of Holmstrom's injury and his chances of playing tomorrow?
    
COACH MIKE BABCOCK:  What are the rules?  Do we have to talk about the injury or just what part of the body or what do we have to do? (Babcock turns to Frank Brown, VP of NHL media relations.)
   
Q:  The type. (Brown responds)
    
COACH MIKE BABCOCK:  I do a lot of stuff with kids cancer, and there's a thing called HIPAA compliance where you can never reveal anything about the person, (Babcock speeds up here) how come we have to do it in the League?  (Laughter.)
    
Oh, anyway, Holmer's just got — Holmer's got the back of his leg, the hamstring.  He's got a little problem there.  We think he'll be fine. He's a tough guy.

Therrien's turn:

Q.  You mentioned before the nervousness of 19  and 20 year olds in the Stanley Cup Final.  Do you think your team maybe gets more of a boost by the crowd here than maybe Detroit does at home?
    
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN:  It's tough to say.  It's tough to say.  It seems like we skate well.  The last game, before the game I was complaining about the obstruction.  And for good reason.  For good reason.
    
I can't sit here and say there's no obstruction.  I'm not going to lie.  If there's obstruction, there's obstruction.  If there's no obstruction, there's no obstruction.
    
When I see this about 13, 14 clips that I've seen that I could tell there should be a penalty regarding the book, I'm expecting   I know how it is.  I'm not expecting they're going to call 14.
    
The last game was a little bit better.  But there's still places to improve.  But that's the truth.  It's not something that I'm preaching.  It's something that we base our team with speed.  And if we can allow us to use our speed, we're going to get effect.  And that's normal.
    
I'm expecting next game the obstruction call, they're going to call it.  I still believe there's some space to improve again.  Because I saw when you break down the game, I know it's a fast game.  When you break down the game, you'll see that there's a few times that they should have been called.  And calls are important. You need those calls.
    
If you don't get those calls at the right time, it could change the momentum of the game.  And you could send a power play at the right time.  If the right call is made and you could get that big goal, get some momentum to your team.  When you don't have it, it could be tough.  And that's why it's crucial. You need breaks to win hockey games.  Obviously you need effort and all those types of things.  But in the meantime, you need to get the right calls.

Q.  I appreciate that answer.  I was asking more about do you think your team, being as young as they are, get a boost from the crowd here at Mellon arena as opposed to maybe Detroit feeding off that at home?
    
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN:  I understand your question, but I want to say my point, too.  (Laughter. Huge smile from Therrien.)
    
We like our crowd.  (Laughter.)

   

Okay, so it's really better seeing it on video. Regardless, it's been amazing to watch Mike Babcock's press conference transformation in these playoffs. Every series he's gotten more refreshingly honest, relaxed and confident. Experience, right?

It was also great seeing Therrien have a little fun out there. He looked dazed and confused in his post-game pressers in Detroit, but he was a gem today.

Hopefully Talbot is back to his old self tomorrow, too...

Even the Final can be funny

Okay, so a SCF where only one team scores is not that funny. But these two moments - from the last two days - keep me laughing:

Memorial Cup Presentation: I've seen this at least five times now, and I've laughed every time.

Marc-Andre Fleury's spill: I was there. And I loved hearing how funny his teammates thought it was, too.

So keep your head up. The Finals aren't over yet — there's still some more fun to be had.

Detroit: Hockeytown or not? The Freep can't decide

Mitch Albom's column ("Wings come out big, so why don't the fans?") on Wednesday attracted a lot of attention, especially on sports talk radio here in the Motor City.

Albom didn't have any earth-shattering statistics to back up his opinions. They weren't even original — writers took shots at the Red Wings all season as rows of empty seats piled up faster than the $9 tickets sold (the marketing tool the Wings were using to woo fans back).

Those tickets, like the slap-in-the-fan's-face "Joe Bucks" post lockout, didn't work. For the first time in memory, Red Wings are pushing season tickets sales. According to the boxscores, every Wings playoff game in 2008 — unlike 2007 — have been sold out. But there's been empty seats, too many seats to use the excuse that people are in The Olympia Room boozing.

Album summed up his disgust with the fans after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against Dallas this way:

"OK. End of lecture. I don't know if those tickets weren't sold (bad) or just not used (worse). I know only that if the Wings win seven more games, if they capture the Cup, if they keep up this excellence and they do it with this many empty seats, we don't deserve the name Hockeytown. And it'll be our loss."

But who would they be losing the title to? Yea, the Minnesota Wild have sold out every season at the Xcel Energy Center. Buffalo tried to grab away the title of Hockeytown, but hockey fizzled slightly there this year. (Maybe once the Bills leave for Toronto that will change...)

But it's increasingly difficult to bill Detroit as Hockeytown. It's not the town it used to be. It's a Tigers-sometimes Pistons-maybe Michigan or Michigan State football-but rarely Lions-and occasionally Hockey-town now.

As a hockey fan, this is troubling. It speaks not only to problems in Detroit, but also the league at large. But more ridiculous than empty seats at playoff time is the story The Detroit Free Press ran the next day on A1:

"Hockeytown is having a rebirth. ...

Thursday night, Joe Louis was nearly full by the end of the first period. A free T-shirt promotion had created long lines at the entrances and the crowd arrived unusually late. Yes, there were empty seats, but nothing like the recent past.

No one is suggesting this team is shoving aside the Hall of Fame-laden squad of 2002 in the pantheon of Detroit's memorable championship runs. That was the year the team had Scotty Bowman as its coach, and players including Yzerman, Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Luc Robitaille, Sergei Fedorov and Dominik Hasek.

But consider: Playoff ticket sales are up by about 1,000 per game compared with last year. The Wings were the No. 1 page on freep.com in April and gathered twice as many page views as the Pistons. They even beat the Lions.

And for the first time in five years, Detroit's FSN affiliate reported an upswing in the ratings. Last year, the station averaged a 3.6 rating during Wings games in the regular season, the lowest in the history of the station. This year, the number jumped 34% to 4.7.

TV ratings for NHL games have jumped 30% across the country on all of FSN's affiliates. Not so stunningly, said Greg Hammaren, FSN Detroit's senior vice president and general manager, the biggest rating came for a Wings game.

'And it's not even close,' he said. 'It's hard not to like this team.'"

This is disgusting. Yes, Albom is a columnist and the aforementioned story ran in the news section. But this feels wrong. The Freep hasn't been immune from the Wings ticket bashing this season. Running that column and then that front page story the next day just reeks of a phone call made from a dark office in Joe Louis Arena to the Free Press brass.

Either way, the jury is still out on whether Detroit still merits being called Hockeytown, USA. It didn't look good yesterday, when Versus TV crews had to round up fans outside the Joe to produce the "crowd" shot you saw before the game. And the storied octopus is oddly thrown from the same spot in the arena at the same point during the anthem every playoff game.

But the Wings are up 2-0 in their series against Dallas. The Tigers are struggling. And the Pistons aren't garnering the same buzz, either. The Lions are still the Lions.

So maybe there is hope for Hockeytown yet.

---

SHOW PHILLY SOME BROTHERLY LOVE: I'm not even fighting it any more — I'm a Sabres fan cheering for the Flyers.

Need another reason? Elliotte Friedman just did a Marty Biron profile on "Inside Hockey" prior to Game 2 between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on CBC. Best quote? Biron, talking about his son, Jacob. His son tells him the same thing before each game — tell Danny Briere to score a goal, have another shutout and bring me home a puck. He talked about Game 1 against Montreal when that didn't happen, and Jacob wouldn't even talk to him.

Great stuff! Sabres fans have to love the Briere-Biron connection; Biron also mentioned how Brian Campbell used to hide his goaltender pads in the locker room, while Marty would hide Campbell's stuff in the ceiling tiles.

In Tom and Larry We Trust?

Buffalo Sabres fans — pretty much any professional sports fans — want desperately to trust their team's front office. Those suits have a lot of say in whether a team wins or loses during the season, postseason and offseason. And just like coaches, they rarely get praise when things go well — usually the players steal the limelight then. But when things go south, poor draft choices, poor trades or poor contract negotiations are to blame.

Most franchises have their share of good and bad. I'm bias, but the Sabres franchise has joined the dark side on more than one occasion in recent memory. Former owner John Rigas is now in jail. The team almost left Buffalo and went through bankruptcy under the watch of Gary Bettman. Buffalo businessman Mark Hamister was supposed to save the franchise, only to back out at the last minute.

Like an angel from heaven, Tom Golisano flew in, bought the franchise and kept the Sabres from fleeing to southern Ontario, Las Vegas... wherever. He also brought in Larry Quinn as managing partner. Quinn, who was president and CEO of the Sabres prior to the Rigas era, "oversaw" the Ted Nolan/John Muckler debacle and was fired when Rigas assumed control. (Not up on Quinn's antics? Business First ran a great feature on him in 2004.)

We didn't know much about Golisano in spring 2003. Now, we know he's a good businessman (Forbes estimates the franchise worth at $162 million, while Golisano reportedly bought the franchise for $92 million). But questions about his hockey decisions came to the forefront once Daniel Briere and Chris Drury skipped town last summer, and Brian Campbell was traded this spring.

When the team went to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals in 2006 and 2007, Golisano was everywhere, always on the jumbotron at Sabres games. This year?

"I’m still wondering who appeared at more Sabres games this season, Drury and Briere or owner Tom Golisano. The guy was absent most of the year before showing up for the team photo Monday (at the end of the season). Apparently, he had other commitments."-columnist Bucky Gleason, The Buffalo News, 4/8/08

And Tuesday, The Toronto Star ran this story:

"Billionaire Jim Balsillie contacted the owner of the Buffalo Sabres about buying the team earlier this season, a sign the Research in Motion co-founder is still seeking an NHL franchise after two previous high-profile flameouts.

Balsillie phoned Sabres owner Tom Golisano around Christmas, according to a source familiar with the matter. Golisano indicated he would be open to selling the club – but not if Balsillie intended to relocate it."

Oh, are you comforted by the fact that he wouldn't sell unless on his own terms? Because yes, there's all these local Western New York buyers waiting around.

True, the validity of this report is suspect. But Golisano's grace period was officially over July 1. Same with Quinn's.

Sabres fans have always had the right to distrust the front office. It's just a shame that trust was broken again so quickly.

------------------------------------------

GOOD NEWS: It does exist! In the past two days, Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier has signed prospects Nathan Gerbe (Boston College) and Feliz Schutz (German Elite League). I know nothing about Schutz. But I personally witnessed Gerbe's greatness at the Frozen Four in Denver this year, and boy, excited is an understatement. Kevin Sylvester has a terrific interview with Gerbe on Sabres.com.

Tim Kennedy (Michigan State) is next on Regier's list. Kennedy, who just finished his junior year, could elect to become a free agent after next season if he cannot agree to terms with the Sabres.

Broad Street Dilemmas

I hate the Flyers. I wasn't around in the Broad Street Bullies days, but it doesn't matter. I had 1997, when I was still a Red Wings fan. I had Legion of Doom. And John Leclair's phantom goal, when Sabres fans learned that scoring through the side of the net is not only legal, but also series-changing.

Even one of my proudest moments as a fan came rooting against the orange and black. Amidst a 10-game winning streak to open the 2006-2007 season, the Sabres destroyed the Flyers, 9-1. Ken Hitchcock fired. Bobby Clarke resigned. Life couldn't get better.

But that was then. Now, former Sabres - former Sabres most fans absolutely LOVED - wear that evil sweater. They get cheered and booed by fans wearing "VENGEANCE NOW" t-shirts.

Despite all this, I'm struggling, as are many other Sabres fans. How can you hate Daniel Briere's face? The one that can't grow a playoff beard. He's leading the playoffs in scoring. When he scored last night to recapture the Flyers' lead, I screamed in agony. But I'm not sure if it was sincere. Because at the same time, it reminded me of Briere scoring against Carolina in Game 6 of the 2006 conference finals, which is as far from Philly hatred as you can get.

And then there's Buffalo-backup-now-Philly-starting-netminder Marty Biron. It's Marty. Goofy, loveable ... he's still the same, but he doesn't wear a goatlord anymore. Oh, and all of a sudden he's the biggest story of the playoffs. He looks borderline cocky (which of course, can't be true, because he's Marty) in the crease, but with good reason. He's been outstanding.

And that's just the Flyers/Habs series. The other Eastern Conference series has not just my favorite ex-Sabre, but pretty much my favorite player of all time, Chris Drury. He looked as if he popped his shoulder out of its socket the last game, but struggled back to play in the third period. In Game 4, I just watched him crouch on the ground to block a shot, cringe with pain, and then skate gingerly to the boards. But then he opens the door and sits on the bench, like nothing happened. Just like when he tied Game 5 with 7.7 seconds to go against the Rangers last year. Same Drury, different jersey.

So here's the dilemma: as sports fans, do we cheer for teams? Or do we cheer for individuals?

Or is it possible to do both without driving yourself crazy?

Fellow Michigan grads say they pick their NFL team based on which one has the most former Wolverines, probably since many Detroit natives couldn't find the strength to root for the Lions. This has always sounded absurd to me. But is it?

Cheering for the Sabres through the dark years, could you really have a favorite player? If you did, they probably left, retired or got traded. You were more worried with losing the TEAM. That's when I became a sports fan in camp one, leaving behind my individual player allegiances. I practically disowned Dominik  Hasek and Michael Peca.

Could there be middle ground? Can you root against the Flyers, yet cheer for Briere and Biron? It seems mathematically impossible. If Biron stops everything and Briere scores, Flyers win. (The Rangers will probably be eliminated this week, if not tonight, so I'm not as concerned with Drury.)

In sports, you can try to control your emotions. But in the end, it's just like love. Your true feelings will show through. I wonder if that's finally happening to me, and if it is, whether I can be a Sabres fan and live with that.

LIVE: Emotions on Trade Deadline Day

Okay, there are too many emotions and thoughts going through my head post-Brian Campbell trade not to blog about it:

12:57: On TSN’s TRADECENTRE, James Duthie looked like he was going to cry post-Brian Campbell interview. Great, now all I need is the broadcasters breaking down, too. That helps.

12:59: Caller on WGR:

“They’ve lost their two best forward and best defenseman in one calendar year. Who does that?”

Thank you. You need to worry about your top guys first (think Detroit’s GM Ken Holland), and then fill in the pieces. Don’t give me bullshit on how we need to save money to sign Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville, etc. – those are the guys you can fill in. You can’t fill in Chris Drury, Daniel Briere or Brian Campbell. They are the core.

1:03: I so need to eat lunch.

1:17: What happens to the Sabres power play now? Does this mean Dmitri Kalinin automatically gets a much bigger role on the team? Scary. And get ready for the triumphant return of the Nate the not-so-great Paetsch.

1:26: Just realized the Red Wings are playing the Sharks on Friday night. I'm ready to pull my hair out.

Oh, and what happens to the Brian Campbell  sweating commercial?

1:35: Yes, I hate that Campbell was traded. But how can you not be excited about his first Drew Remenda interview on Shark Byte?

Who is going to be the Sabres captain? Shit the Capitals are just picking up tons of people (Cristobel Huet, Sergei Fedorov, Matt Cook).

2:02: Less than an hour left. Have we seen the last from Regier and Co.?

2:15: More talk about the "future" on WGR. Tell me about potential, too. The last two years, it was beautiful to be a Sabres fan because for once in a long time, you could think about the present. Too often, you're left looking to the past, or hoping for the future. You're always being pulled away, plucked from the here-and-now because you just can't stay in the present. It's just too painful.

2:40:

"It was the greatest thing ever for two years ... and now it's gone."                                                                            -Bulldog on WGR 550

Brokenhearted is the word of the day. Of the year. Of the past two years.

3:00: Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh. Wow. Lots of scoring.

Still, Pittsburgh hasn't proved anything past the regular season. They were atrocious in the playoffs last year. Hossa has 35 points in 55 playoff games, all with the Senators. Can Marc-Andre Fleury really rebound for the playoffs? Or is Ty Conklin for real? I'm not placing any bets - the Penguins are young, inexperienced, and I'm not sure how much they learned from the Ottawa series last year except that they had no business being there.

3:22: I thought I could get a lot done today. Stupid. Between WGR 550 and TSN TRADECENTRE, the day is almost gone.

Ken Holland finally makes a move, acquiring Brad Stuart. I used to be a big Stuart supporter back in his San Jose days, but is one of those "potential" guys that never really panned out. Definitely a minor move.

Al Montoya (and Marcel Hossa) land in Phoenix. Interesting collection of Wolverines assembling in the desert, with Hobey Baker-hopeful Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik joining the squad next year.

3:28: WGR finally got the Campbell audio up. Too bad Sabres.com didn't put video up. I know the official sites are half news, half marketing, but as a Sabres fan, I need time to lament Campbell leaving. Best stuff from the interview:

“I allowed them to call me Soupy, and that was fine."

"The disappointing part is that we didn't bring the prize home to Western New York."

Campbell describing scoring last week in Toronto, and Lindy Ruff subsequently tapping him on the shoulder and smiling, as being one of the best moments in his time in Buffalo.

"I can't sign for a three-year deal like that. You see what happens in the NHL. A person almost lost their life here a couple weeks ago. Life is short."

Keep tabs on the Sabres? "Yea, obviously. The coaching staff, everybody. It goes down the line. Everybody."

Mike Grier, Briere, Drury: "Wish I wasn't in that setup of names there."

"There's still potential in that (Buffalo) locker room."

"I've loved every minute of it, and I hope they enjoyed watching me play.

Don't boo me when I come back. C'mon. That's all. Don't boo me, c'mon."

"I'm a human being. I have friends here. That's basically what it comes down to."

And for a few laughs on Deadline Day: Steve Bernier aka Big Bear introduces himself to the Buffalo fans.

"I'm 22 years old, and I play right wing. I'm 6'2'', 220 pounds."

4:04: Here's another pipe dream: Maybe Buffalo will be so awful without Campbell the rest of the season that Regier/Golisano will have a change in heart about long-term contracts.

The ex-Sabre list: Brian Campbell, Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Jay McKee, Marty Biron, JP Dumont, Mike Grier...

4:07: Wonder how Ryan Symth is feeling in Colorado. Last year this time, he was the crying player at deadline time. Now it's Campbell on the verge of tears. Wishing there were more Mats Sundins out there, willing and wanting to stay with "their" team. True, Sabres management has royally screwed over players and failed to sign players at the right time, right price. But Campbell ultimately can make the decision to stay, whether it was this morning or July 1.

4:15: Per TSN: number of trades: 23, players: 43, draft picks: 22. Fourth busiest deadline day in NHL history (1-2008, 2-2006, 3-2003).

Mike Schopp: "I think they needed a forward." Yea, that's what happens when you lose Briere, Drury, Zubrus, Grier and Dumont. It's not like they don't need defensemen, either. The pickings on the farm are getting very slim.

Buffalo left with another "next year"

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

This was the team that was supposed to change the Buffalo sports landscape forever and deliver the championship-starved city a Stanley Cup.

But we were wrong. At least for now.

It was essentially the same team as last year, minus a little grit (Mike Grier, Jay McKee) and scoring (J.P. Dumont), plus a year’s worth of playoff experience and a healthy defensive unit. The one thing that stayed constant was the core, the chemistry — the thing that most Sabres fans believed set this team apart from talented teams of the past.

But even that wasn’t enough to get the Sabres past whatever was ailing them. From the start of the playoffs, they never completely found their groove. One period they had, the next lost it. The power play struggled mightily. One-on-one battles were lost. Desperation wavered. Yet they made it back to the conference finals to finish what they had started last season.

Ottawa was ready. They remembered being eliminated by Buffalo last year. But the Sabres seemed to have forgotten what carried them to the conference finals a season ago. They relied on a Presidents’ Trophy and a quick-strike offense rather than hard work. And even when they did put forth their best effort, the passes weren’t crisp, the defensive coverage wasn’t sound, the confidence lapsed — the cerebral aspect of the game was missing. So when a few bounces didn’t go their way, the series was lost before it ever really began.

Unfortunately for Sabres fans, who rallied around this team in a way even I couldn’t imagine, another long summer lies ahead. Rather than reminiscing about a team that finally brought a championship to Buffalo, they’re left wondering if management can afford to bring back a team that could win it all next year.

Numbers don't lie, and even if they did, it's not over

Thirteen-percent.

That’s the number of teams in NHL history that have successfully returned from a 2-0 deficit to win a series. But don’t bother telling the Buffalo Sabres the odds of beating the Senators. Even as recently as Saturday night, Daniel Briere led another late-game comeback. And how probable was it that he would score with 5.8 seconds left?

What was the probability that four out of its top six defenseman would be knocked out last spring? Or that the Sabres would have won their first 10 games this season?

Try this: how many times has Buffalo won four of five games this season? 35 times. (Thanks to Brad Riter for this stat!) Two of the last four teams that won the Stanley Cup (Detroit—2002, Vancouver and Carolina—2006, Montreal) made the charge back from 2-0, albeit in the first round. Buffalo tied its 2001 series with Pittsburgh, winning twice at the Igloo and Game 5 at HSBC before dropping the final two games — both in overtime.

There’s been many times where the fans (including me), have hesitated, or even stopped believing. But this is the team that taught Buffalo to believe again. To not expect losing and heartbreak go hand-in-hand with being from The Queen City. So I’m still believing. And it’s not over: