While I'm not too excited about the Sabres defense this fall, every day that passes brings us closer to the start of the NHL season. And this season is the debut of (drumroll) Sidney Crosby. He's already been crowned as hockey's savior, but now he's starting the "rounds" -- last night, Crosby was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This is big. I can't even remember the last time (maybe when a player brought the Stanley Cup with him) that a hockey player was on a major U.S. late-night show.
And he represented the sport well. Dressed in a sharp, pinstriped suit and very well-spoken, Crosby was mature and impressive, especially for a 17-year-old. If Crosby lives up to anything near his expectations, it's no doubt in my mind that he'll be a great ambassador for the game in the U.S., much the way Wayne Gretzky was. Nothing sells a game like a superstar, or even a superstar in the making (see: LeBron James).
The funniest part of the segment was when Crosby told Leno that he's never been to Pittsburgh, but that he was going next week. Leno then showed a cheesy, chamber of commerce promo video of Pittsburgh circa 1970. Children ran down the hills to the background of an announcer proclaiming, "America's great renaissance city."
Crosby also recalled pelting his mom's dryer with pucks, practicing his shot growing up in Nova Scotia. Leno brought a dryer on to stage for a little reenactment. Crosby missed the first three shots, but then landed the second two. He was poised; everything was lighthearted and fun. I'm cheering for him, as long as he doesn't score too many goals against the Sabres.
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Darcy Regier finally signed a player on Thursday. Ex-Dallas Star Teppo Numminen joins the Sabres back end. I'm a little concerned about his age (37), since I think James Patrick already has the old man role covered. But Numminen does add experience to the group of youngsters.
Still, one signing does not let Regier off the hook. On WGR this morning, he indicated that most of the free agent defensemen had already been taken. He's looking at trades to possibly add a player or two. Does that mean the Sabres are not interested in Roman Hamrlik? I'm guessing Hamrlik either wants too much money or a long-term deal, two things that would scare Regier away. I love how the Sabres let go of Alexei Zhitnik, only to be on the hunt for veteran defensemen. He was right here, baby. Played in the organization nine and half years, knew the system and was a cornerstone of the Sabres defense. It's still killing me.
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Bob Dicesare of The Buffalo News had a thoroughly depressing column today:
"The Sabres miscalculated, and they miscalculated badly. They should have signed Satan to the qualifying offer of $3.8 million and then, if they were so inclined, dangled him as trade bait. They should have realized that the value of players who can skate and shoot had expanded, or at least held fast, now that the league is welcoming back the days when the Yvan Cournoyers sizzled up and down the wing unimpeded. Which overlaps with Regier's playing days, by the way.
It seemed like a bargain when Satan was available to the Sabres at a 24 percent discount from the season last played. It stood to reason that players of his ilk would be coveted in a league that is determined to rid itself of obstruction once and for all, a league that expanded the offensive zone by 4 feet from goal line to blue line, thereby increasing the demand for skill players, particularly those with a knack for producing on the power play.
The Sabres were holding onto something special in Satan, and their response was to let him flee, and to do so, worst of all, without securing a return."
Dicesare makes a good point here. Although Regier claims there was no trade interest prior to free agency, I've got to believe teams assumed that Buffalo wasn't going to tender him a qualifying offer. Especially near the end of last season, Satan seemed to really fit with the power play and the new, more offensive system the Sabres were playing. Yes, I know there were scoreless streaks. But Satan wanted to stay and he was an asset that could have been packaged with another player (Marty Biron, anyone?) to get another defenseman.
But the biggest hit Dicesare made was on Regier. It's deserved, in my opinion:
"A trend has emerged, and it's not the stuff of which Stanley Cup dreams are made. Regier painted himself into a corner with goaltender Dominik Hasek and dealt him away for a song. He realized a meager return after the Michael Peca holdout, neither Tim Connolly nor Taylor Pyatt having produced to a level anywhere near commensurate with Peca's abilities. They held tight to defenseman Alexei Zhitnik through the trade deadline of the season last played, even though the writing was right there on the wall. If the NHL won its labor war, if the Sabres could backtrack to a payroll more to their liking, then a workhorse defenseman like Zhitnik was going to price them away on the open market. It was inconceivable the franchise could have competed for his services while electing to operate, in this case, some 25 percent beneath the salary-cap ceiling. What's clear is the Sabres have squandered four premium assets, which is no way to build a small-market contender."
NOTE: I'm leaving for California tomorrow, but I'll try to update the blog as much as possible. Until then, GO SABRES!
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