With the Bills season almost upon us, I thought I’d chase another phone wallpaper project. Here’s the Cold Front – the name given to the Bills’ fearsome defensive line. This should work with most cell phones. If not, let me know and I can make the necessary changes. Continue reading
Author: Chris Ostrander
Buffalo Bills Training Camp Bingo
We’re one practice into the 2015 edition of Buffalo Bills Training Camp and we’ve already had a few lowlights from the QB competition and a juicy quote from the team’s new running back.
Since Shady McCoy dropped the orgy bomb on us all I thought it would be fun to toss together a few Bingo boards for us all to play along with through camp. This is going to pretty much be for fun but should someone either cover their board or something maybe I’ll grab a prize or two to send your way.
The rules are simple. Any and all of the squares must be covered based on something that occurred at camp starting on August 1 and beyond. The one caveat to this is the Orgy quote, consider that a bonus free space. But from this point forward keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything interesting coming out of camp.
A couple of the squares are sort of left up to your discretion. For example, the Rodak, #OneBuffalo and #BillsMafia squares can kind of be covered by anything of your choosing. Since we’re having fun with this, try to choose something really ridiculous for the choose your own adventure squares.
That being said, grab one of the three boards below and have a little fun this year at camp. Continue reading
The Instigator Podcast 4.8 – Brandon and the Sabres
After a short hiatus, Chris and Tyler are back to discuss Russ Brandon’s new position with the Sabres, a quick chat about the Bills entering camp and the NHL’s looming expansion conundrum.
Building Buffalo Episode 6: Buffalo’s Growing Soccer Culture
Chris and Tom are joined by Ben Tsujimoto and Russ Andolina to discuss the growing profile of soccer in Buffalo along with both the current and future outlook for our club, FC Buffalo
Development Camp stream would be an easy win for the Sabres
The Sabres are hosting their annual Development Camp this week, perhaps you’ve heard. The week’s festivities will be capped by Friday’s Blue-Gold scrimmage and Sunday’s three-on-three tournament.Development Camp stream would be and easy win for the Sabres
So far there have been all sorts of #fun and #engaging parts of the week as we’ve seen grainy videos shot at terrible angles of prospects doing hockey things. Friday’s scrimmage will provide fans their first chance to see Jack Eichel (and all the other prospects) in game action. It’s a quasi-debut of the franchise-altering prospect and the team is all but guaranteed to out-draw last year’s scrimmage which had fans seated in the upper deck of the arena.
The only way you can see the game, however, is to make your way to First Niagara Center. Tickets are $10 and proceeds are going to charity. All-in-all this is a good way to capitalize on an event that will come with plenty of fan frenzy while giving back to the community. Unlike last season, the Sabres will not be providing a stream for Friday’s scrimmage which has disappointed a fair segment of the fanbase. Particularly those who don’t live in Buffalo.
The reasons for the Sabres failing to stream Friday’s game haven’t been made public. I imagine the reasoning is close to the justification Lewis Black once gave for the lack of a national energy policy.
Because it’s hard. It’s really hard. Makes me want to go poopie. – Lewis Black
Grading the Sabres: Murray at the Trade Table
There’s no doubt that Tim Murray has put a definitive stamp on the Buffalo Sabres roster in the year and a half that he’s been on the job. He’s managed to proceed with an aggressive pragmatism that has kept the Sabres active on the trade front while maintaining a strong foundation through the draft.
Murray has made 16 total trades by my count since taking over. They range from tent-pole blockbusters to minor-league transactions. But everything has rolled together to get the Sabres to where they are today; on the cusp of leaving the tank in the dust and returning to the ranks of contenders.
They aren’t there yet, however. If they managed to ascend to 10th this season it would be a minor miracle considering their lowly 2014-15 season. However, the last four months have been filled with exciting acquisitions that will affect Buffalo’s on-ice product both in the short and long term.
I’m expecting at least one more trade from Murray before training camp begins at the end of the summer as he’s still lacking a capable top-four defenseman and it appears as if the shallow UFA market is all but dried up. While we wait to see if Murray adds to his lengthy list of transactions, I’ll take a look back at his deals in an all too early ranking of his trades to date. I will rank the trades numerically and on a scale of zero-to-five scowls – since everyone likes to poke fun at Murray’s serious demeanor. Continue reading
The Instigator Podcast 4.7 – Waiting on the Frenzy
Ryan O’Reilly officially inks his deal with the Sabres and we discuss what direction Tim Murray may head when it comes to shoring up the Sabres blueline.
Murray’s makeover moves forward with aggressive draft day moves
It was a whirlwind of a weekend for Tim Murray and the Buffalo Sabres as Buffalo’s GM maneuvered to acquire a new starting goaltender, a legitimate top-six forward and a potential franchise defining talent with the first three picks at his disposal.
The selection of Jack Eichel was all but guaranteed the moment the Oilers card was pulled during the draft lottery. But trading for Robin Lehner, David Legwand, Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn was hardly an expectation. The new acquisitions, coupled with this week’s signings, set the stage to push Buffalo’s rebuild forward significantly.
In January I wrote about the arsenal of assets Murray had at his disposal. At that time Murray held five of the first 60 picks in the draft along with a boatload of prospects at various levels of development. Today his roster is drastically altered. O’Reilly, Kane and Eichel are set to redefine the team’s top-six while Zach Bogosian and Robin Lehner will be vital pieces on the backend. Murray’s moves at the draft table completed a vital step of the rebuild and should push the Sabres firmly on the path back to competitiveness. Continue reading
The Instigator Podcast 4.6 – Lehner Acquired Ahead of Draft
Tune in for a final run-through of where the Sabres will go in this weekend’s draft along with a breakdown of how the Robin Lehner trade could work out for the Sabres.
Building Buffalo Podcast – Sitting Back Sipping Some Beer
We welcome our first guest to the Building Buffalo Podcast as Matt Kahn of Big Ditch Brewery joins us to discuss Big Ditch and their part in the revival of downtown Buffalo. Tom and Chris also spend time talking about the vital role beer played in Buffalo’s past and where it fits in our future.
Two in the Box 