Author: Chris Ostrander

#SabersMerfia – Lets not take things too seriously

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Twitter is an interesting tool. If used properly it can be a great new gathering source for a sports fan, politics fanatic or someone who just wants to keep up with the Kardashians. As someone who is immersed in sports, I happen to use Twitter to not only connect with fans but to keep up with breaking news.

During games Twitter is always a great barometer for how fans feel (track a Bills or Sabres follow list for evidence) along with a haven for those breaking down the game as it occurs. Bills fans have even spawned their own little group called the #BillsMafia that grew from the Stevie Johnson “why God” tweet and has now become a banner for certain fans to rally behind on the social media service. In fact, many players use the hashtag as well.

No matter what you feel about the #BillsMafia, it has become kind of fun to use the hashtag #BerlsMerfia as a way to joke about the consistent #becauseitsbuffalo ways of the city’s beleaguered football franchise. However, there is no such group for the Sabres. But this may be a good thing. Continue reading →

Sabres on their way after two wins

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Well that was a fun couple of days, no? A 5-2 beat down of the Flyers followed by a near textbook road win against the Leafs and the Sabres have gotten off on the right foot for this shortened 2013 season.

Sunday’s opener was about as sloppy as expected, as the Sabres and Flyers plodded through forty minutes of fairly average hockey before the Sabres third period explosion put the game away. The one takeaway from that opener was seeing the rust on both teams. Even with a game under their belt from the day before, the Flyers still looked sluggish in many ways along with their hosts who were playing their first game of the season.

The Sabres did do plenty of things right, however. They engaged physically from the opening faceoff, scored the game’s first goal and maintained composure after falling behind in the second period. Drew Stafford’s unexpected fight was pointed to as the spark that drove the Sabres into the third period and their scoring surge in the final frame got the job done.

Defensively there was plenty to improve upon in front of a strong outing from Ryan Miller – who benefitted from two disallowed goals. Special teams was a bright spot as the powerplay was clicking and the penalty kill did great work outside of allowing Claude Giroux to wire a one-time home for Philly’s second goal of the game. Continue reading →

Sabres first five will come quickly

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With five games over the next seven games, the Sabres will know exactly what they can come to expect from the condensed 2013 NHL schedule. Rather than scrambling to provide specific previews for each and every game this season, it is more likely that you will see a look at each week of the season as it begins.

The Sabres open at home today against the Flyers and follow with games against the Leafs, Hurricanes (twice) and Capitals. Here are a few things to keep an eye on as the Sabres and NHL hockey returns. Continue reading →

The Legend of Taro grows

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The Legend of Taro Tsujimoto is one of hockey’s most intriguing and humorous anecdotes. While the Sabres are still waiting on their first Stanley Cup championship, this is one piece of history that other NHL teams cannot lay claim to.MKT_59FIFTY_TOKYOKATANAS_3QL

Now, New Era has unveiled a limited edition cap to honor the legacy of Tsujimoto and his fictitious club, the Tokyo Katanas.

For those of you who aren’t fully educated on the legend, Tsujimoto was the 11th round selection (183rd overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 1974 NHL Draft. However, Tsujimoto never existed. The selection was made up by Punch Imlach as a form of protest over the tedious draft process of the league in the 70s.

As the story goes, Imlach sent a secretary to research common Japanese names to apply to the player he would select from the Tokyo Katanas – somewhat of a translation to Tokyo Sabres. The selection appeared in numerous record books before the hoax was discovered.

The New Era cap is a 59Fifty with the Tokyo Katanas logo adorning the front and the “team” wordmark on the back of the cap. A pair of katanas (or sabers) appear on the bottom portion of the brim. They also have a t-shirt to go along with the hat.

Personally, I think the hat looks phenomenal and I fully plan on adding it to my already overstocked collection. While the logo is more of an honor to the samurai, it works well and would certainly fit right in on a hockey uniform – fictitious or not.

The one thing about this hat is that it will only be available for a short time. So get down to the New Era Flagship store before you miss out on this piece of Sabres history.

Stadium renovations are a win

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The plans for the renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium are officially public and they look pretty darn good. These renovations are part of the new lease agreement and this should serve as the official bridge that will carry the Bills from The Ralph to a new stadium.

Any new stadium talks are in the very early stages and can’t be taken all the seriously at this point since the main group promoting their plan remains without any backing or support from any outside entity. While that stadium plan is certainly ambitious and should be pursued, it seems like quite a longshot at this point in time.

Based on how the new lease was constructed and some of the comments made by those involved in this process (both with the County and Bills) it would appear that a new stadium is indeed part of the long-term plans for the franchise. For the time being, making sure that The Ralph is habitable for fans is key. Call it putting lipstick on a pig or a band-aid for a gunshot wound, but these renovations are not only necessary and they look good.

The two most visible additions will be the Welcome Plaza on the west end of the stadium and the addition of two videoboards on the east end of the stadium. Additional renovations to the concourses and gates also appear to be part of the gameplan. Continue reading →

Sabres centers to serve a pivotal role

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One thing that Darcy Regier has managed well for the past few years has been his draft strategy. Glaring organizational weaknesses have been addressed in recent seasons via the draft and this approach has led to an impressive stockpile of talent in Buffalo’s prospect cupboards.

June’s draft was certainly no exception as the Sabres took what may have been considered to be a calculated gamble on Mikhail Girgorenko followed quickly by Zemgus Girgensons in the first round. The two selections immediately added two big, talented centers who each possess a unique skillset. In fact, each forward drafted by the Sabres in June had spent time at center entering the draft.

The addition of Grigorenko was perceived as the solution to the lack of a true number one center on the Buffalo roster. Only three days into training camp and Grigorenko has drawn plenty of attention for his play with many thinking that he will have staying power on the roster. It might be wise to ignore Jerry Sullivan’s rambling, contradictory column and instead focus on the other two posts done by Chris Ryndak and Kevin Pritchard on Girgorenko’s chances to make the final roster for the Sabres. Both Ryndak and Pritchard hit a home run with their analysis.

Looking at the makeup of the Sabres roster and assuming that Grigorenko will be a major part of it this season shows quite a different depth chart than what the team had as late as April of last season. Between the trade deadline and draft the Sabres transformed from a team with questionable center depth to one with the capability of having an effective set of nine scoring forwards.

Moving Tyler Ennis to center and the continued evolution of Cody Hodgson has primed the Sabres with three blue chip talents down the middle of the ice. So long as Grigorenko sticks around and the trio arte put in a position to succeed, the Sabres attack should be quite impressive. Continue reading →

Burning questions as season looms

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With training camps across the NHL set to open by this Saturday, at the earliest, the Sabres will be bringing in plenty of familiar faces to be evaluated for the 48 games that will be played in 2013.

Unlike a traditional training camp and preseason, this abbreviated version will keep the position battles to a minimum and many roster spots will go to the usual suspects. This is particularly good news for some veterans who may have otherwise had to claw for a spot on the 23-man roster and this also eliminates the ability for youngsters to make a statement as to if they belong in Buffalo for the duration of the season.

With every team in a similar situation, there is bound to be a league-wide struggle with chemistry. The teams that will be successful will be those who adapt and overcome any issues they have once the season gets going. The biggest struggle, outside of chemistry and fitness, will be those teams that hit any sort of losing streak. With a shortened schedule against conference foes, wins and losses will be magnified and any streak will be magnified that much more.

As the Sabres look to take advantage of the shortened season and build on an interesting offseason, here are a few questions that will likely have an impact on the season. Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast 2.4 – Back in Business

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As hockey returns, so does The Instigator Podcast. Eric and I discuss the return of hockey, the US triumph at the world juniors and play plus/minus in our return to the airwaves.

Coming back to hockey, ever so slowly

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With the lockout now resolved, hockey fans everywhere can rest easy knowing that the game they love will indeed be returning for an abbreviated season.

Getting past the pain, frustration and other negative feelings created by this work stoppage will be difficult. In fact, many fans probably won’t come back during the shortened 2013 season. I’m even at a bit of a loss in terms of where I stand as the season is set to begin. I’m certainly glad that I’ll get to watch the Sabres and maybe even catch a few games live. But at the same time the lockout left me with a very empty, lethargic feeling about the NHL and hockey as a whole. Continue reading →

Bills lease opens the door for new digs

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Seven more years of the Buffalo Bills. Seven years to end the playoff drought, to find a quarterback and maybe even win a Super Bowl. The new Bills lease has granted a stay of execution of sorts for a team that was once rumored to be on the hot seat for relocation.

Really what this lease does is provide a seven-year (possibly ten) window for this franchise to build a new stadium and cement themselves in Buffalo permanently. Of course building that stadium will be more than just a difficult mountain to summit.

The new lease has some safe and reassuring features built into at while also containing its fair share of confusing wrinkles. The $400 million buyout is no small fee, especially when combined with whatever the NFL charges for relocation fees for a new owner. The seven-year buyout is a big factor, especially for those who were truly frightened at the thought of the Bills leaving town.

Of course, the window for a much more affordable $28 million after year seven should make fans more uneasy, especially if there is no new stadium in sight. It is a safe assumption to think that the lease was worded to spend a year or two on feasibility and design and the next five on construction of a new stadium that would leave a miniscule opt-out for the team to slide into their new digs after year seven. Continue reading →