Sabres and Amerks to reunite?

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It seems the Buffalo Sabres’ short relationship with the Portland Pirates may not last much longer.

Sources have said Sabres owner, Terry Pegula is close to buying the Rochester Americans.

This is an interesting development considering the Pirates have had moderate success since the Sabres took over, while the Amerks have floundered under their affiliation with the Florida Panthers. By purchasing the Amerks, Pegula would basically be paving the way to reunite the two franchises.

I have to say his would be an ideal situation for the Sabres. Their prospects would be 90 minutes down the road (again) and it allows the team to strengthen regional fans anywhere east of Batavia. Not to mention it would allow the Sabres to have full control over their farm system, a useful tool in player development.

Based on he timing and info provided I have to think this is very real. If that is the case we may be witnessing the beginning of Terry Pegula putting the puzzles pieces together in his master plan for the Sabres.

Thrash on the move? Atlanta in talks with True North

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The eyes of Winnipeg are affixed firmly on the Atlanta Thrashers. After the City of Glendale dropped an additional $25 million to keep the Coyotes for another season, the Winnipeg spotlight turned east.

The Coyotes are safe for another season and the Thrashers are drowning in debt. So much so that their owner is looking high and low for prospective buyers. However, most sources have identified True North Sports and Entertainment as the group that will step in to purchase the Thrashers. Now it appears as if it is only a matter of time before hockey returns to Winnipeg.

This entire situation is tough to digest. On one hand I thought the poetic justice would have been perfect had Phoenix gone back north. Not to mention the fact that the Coyotes are struggling so much in the desert. I also have  a similar opinion on the Thrashers. They have no fan support and are just draining money from the league, it is time for a change. However, you hate to see any of the 30 teams struggling, no matter how silly their location is.

So, as Winnipeg prepares to embrace the return of the NHL I feel at ease with the situation. It is a city that should never have lost their team to begin with and well suited to support an NHL franchise (at least from a fan perspective). The lack of corporate sponsors is an issue, but I hope it is something that can be overcome. If hockey is to return to Manitoba, I am ready to applaud the move. The next question is, who fills the vacant spot in the east? Continue reading →

2ITB NHL Conference Finals predictions

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One thing that is safe to assume about the NHL Conference Finals, you will see two very different series. The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning both think defense first most of the time. While the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks are both deep with scoring depth.

It is also probably safe to assume both series will go at least six games. The rusty vs. run-down debate will probably run rampant. However, both teams out East have had long lay-offs while only San Jose has really no chance to settle down.

#3 Boston Bruins vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning


Boston has the ability to push the Lightning around. The Bruins are deep on defense and are long on big, angry forwards. Tim Thomas has also been spectacular throughout the playoffs. Tampa has gotten great goaltending from Dwayne Roloson and their grinders have been extremely effective. If it comes down to goaltending I would lean towards the Bruins. Thomas has been too good to bet against. In addition he has played bigger as the situation has become more tense. The Bruins forwards are good. Their top two lines are great scorers and their grinders have been excellent. Chris Kelly has been an x-factor of sorts as he has found ways to score big goals in both rounds. Zdeno Chara is the easy guy to point out on defense but Dennis Seidenberg has been stellar all playoffs. He may be the best defenseman the Bruins have right now. Continue reading →

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round two recap

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I was 50% with my second round picks, that leaves me at 8/12 for the playoffs thus far. The second round wasn’t nearly the epic that came with the first eight series. However, the Western Conference managed to provide a few decent moments before the conference semi-finals wrapped up. Otherwise, two sweeps left most wanting more out East.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#5 Tampa Bay Lightning defeat #1 Washington Capitals 4-0


I was fairly certain that Dwayne Roloson and the Lightning weren’t capable of continuing their magic from the first round. However, Washington reverted back to form from early in the season. Alex Ovechkin was a ghost and Michael Neuvirth was average. Tampa Bay has found scoring from their big guns in addition to their role players, namely Sean Bergenheim. They face a steep climb against the Bruins, probably the most physical team in the 2011 Playoffs. Turning point: Tampa’s 3-2 overtime win in game two. Took first two games in Washington. MVP: Sean Bergenheim – 4 goals, has 7+1 through 11 playoff games thus far. Continue reading →

Interesting development in the Coyotes situation

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I haven’t been doing too much reading about the Coyotes pending sale recently because I simply stopped caring. It became very monotonous to read the same thing over and over. So, I waited until something concrete developed. Finally, something did. I will defer to the TSN article for all the details.

I’m not sure if the city council vote could be viewed as a “Judgement Day” of sorts, but it is certainly a big step for the Coyotes future in Glendale. All signs seem to be pointing towards a positive vote. That means the city will give the NHL $25 million more to keep the team in the Desert for another year. Thus giving them another 365 days to figure out a sale agreement with a potential buyer, no matter who that may be.

The fact of the matter is that this is nothing more than a band-aid. The city is going to give away millions to keep a team that loses millions every season. It is time to face facts, there is a small number of passionate fans in that city, but there aren’t enough to support a NHL franchise. I understand that moving a team for the second time isn’t the solution to all the problems. However, it seems as if the Phoenix experiment has failed and it is time to evaluate a new future for the franchise.

On to game seven

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When I said Detroit would take San Jose in seven games I envisioned a back and forth series, not a wild three-game comeback by the Winged Wheel.

The Sharks were 16 minutes away from locking up the series in game six last night. Funny, the Sabres were about that far away in game six as well. No matter, the Red Wings scored three unanswered goals and sent the series back to the Golden State for a seventh game. The Sharks also had a pair of two goal leads erased on Sunday, at home, in game five. Continue reading →

‘Zags sick lax goal

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Gonzaga’s insurance marker in their WCAC lacrosse championship win was rather unique. Have a look:

The goal secured a 10-8 victory over Good Counsel. I’m sure people are going to ask, “where is the goalie”. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Good Counsel had set up a ten-man ride to try and get the ball back to tie the game. Good job by Gonzaga to have a play to negate a ten-man ride and a player who can hit the cage from 80 yards. This thing has officially gone viral, you know because even Sportscenter was showing lacrosse. Usually you need the Final Four to take place for such an event to occur.

Tom Modrak sent packing

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The Buffalo Bills made a personnel decision many thought should have been made at least a year earlier. Tom Modrak was relieved of his duties as VP of College Scouting.

In fact, Mr. Modrak will no longer be with the organization at all. This ends a decade of average drafting based, at least partially, on advice from the team’s former number one scout.

Just to highlight some of his handiwork, Aaron Maybin, Donte Whitner, John McCargo, J.P. Losman, Mike Williams and three different running backs. Of course, not all of these picks can be saddled squarely on Modrak’s shoulders. But it is safe to say his scouting staff and influence in the war room had something to do with it. Add to that the fact that the Bills haven’t had a largely successful draft class under his watch; you’re eventually led down the road of termination.

This is a strong move by the organization. Many have pointed out that this is the time (after the draft) that scouting staffs see turnover. Additionally, many have said that the reason he wasn’t fired last year was due to the fact that it was the first year under Chan Gailey and Buddy Nix. Basically Modrak was given a grace period before being shown the door.

Fans should be glad he is gone. There is little doubt that he orchestrated a great deal of the poor drafts the Bills have had in the past decade. Obviously the new regime has identified the people they should keep and the one they need to jettison. While this won’t expedite the rebuilding process, it does offer a ray of hope that the team will begin to draft well once again.

The only depressing part of this story is that this guy was able to stick around for 10 years. Perhaps if this move had been made a few years earlier the fan base wouldn’t a massive gray cloud hovering over them in the form of a three year rebuilding project.

Goose and Grags at the Worlds, Aces back to Portland

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Since the Buffalo Sabres’ departure from the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs their players have dispersed to various locations. The “Black Aces” like Jhonas Enroth and Mark Mancari have been sent back to Portland to help with their playoff run. Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Gragnani and Paul Gaustad accepted invitations to represent their countries in the IIHF World Championships.

Gaustad recently joined Team USA for yesterday’s 4-2 win over Norway. Gaustad logged two penalty minutes and was given an ‘A’. It should be interesting to see if Gaustad’s time with the US will help him gain some additional experience against the best in the world and in clutch situations. Having another player with big-game experience will be huge moving forward. Continue reading →

This Nix guy seems to know what he is doing

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Two days of drafting and the Buffalo Bills appear to be a much better tam than they were on Wednesday.

Obviously the selection of Marcell Dareus was an easy decision and will help the team from get go. However, Nix made two more choices on day two that appear to be wise. At least on the surface.

Aaron Williams, a versatile CB/S was Buffalo’s second round pick and it seems safe to assume he will fill the spot left by free agent, Drayton Florence. I didn’t love this pick. Williams was projected as one of the better safety prospects in the draft, but I have never been a fan of the “he can convert to safety at the next level” line. It doesn’t hold water for me. That being said, the Bills were in a bit of a tough spot with most of the big-name quarterbacks off the board. I am certain this pick would have been Christian Ponder had he survived. Continue reading →