Harrington ( Sabres Beat Writes ) Goes Off

[Night Train]

Turn off the fan. *****t is starting to hit the blades.

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sabres/2013/02/its-time-for-terry-to-talk-today.html

[trapezeus]

i can't read b-low news blogs at work. what are the memorable lines?

I am stunned that the national hockey press doesn't push this more. for the last two years, the expectations were getting higher for this team, and performance is lower. and they still just say that lindy is the longest tenured coach, but never say it like, "how is this happening."

I really hope the sabres make the change in the next week or 2. I can't take a firing during offseason, but a commitment to these players for next year. This season is a waste. with the shortened season, making up ground will be impossible for an inconsistent team. So can the coach and see what you got. and if they still suck, then you have bad talent and sadly need to start over. i can handle that admission. i can't handle another season and a half of waste.

[Mski]

In the wake of last night's fiasco against Winnipeg (http://buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130220/SPORTS/130229990/1004), my interview request is foolish. This is no time for any big picture reflection. The franchise is in complete crisis and Pegula doesn't need to do any perfunctory 10-minute phone interview with me.
He needs to stand in front of me, WGR Radio, the Olean Times Herald, every televsion camera in town and every other outlet that comes in from time to time in Western New York and Southern Ontario and explain what in the world is going on here.

[OpIv37]

I disagree slightly. I don't think Pegula needs to explain what is going on. I think he needs to explain why he hasn't done jack **** to fix it.

Ooooohh Myers and Leopold have been healthy scratches? More Weber and Brennan- that'll learn 'em!

Seriously, that and some line shifting are the only things this team has done to try to fix this cluster****. It's the proverbial band-aid on cancer. Time to get the scalpel and start removing the cancer, although with this disaster of a team, hedge clippers may be the more appropriate tool for that job.

[Mski]

overall spot on commentary

[PTI]

For the most part the media are butt kissers. How many times do we have to hear Ruff is a good coach and Fitz is a good QB?

[OpIv37]

Of course they are butt kissers.

Positive coverage=future access.

Negative coverage=I give the next story to your competitor first.

[gebobs]

I am stunned that the national hockey press doesn't push this more. for the last two years, the expectations were getting higher for this team, and performance is lower. and they still just say that lindy is the longest tenured coach, but never say it like, "how is this happening."
Just shows to go ya just how irrelevant the Sabres have become.

The Sabres franchise is in disarray? Who cares? Our division rivals? Hah! The last time we made some fire in the division, Boston snuffed it out with a good ol' playoff pounding as they set themselves up their Cup run the following year. Since then, the Sabres have dropped off everyone's radar, Montreal and Ottawa are rebuilt and poised to challenge, and perennial patsies the Leafs are even ready for a run. They are all looking at each other and the only consideration they give Buffalo is when do they play us so they can rest their starting goaltender.

Up to last year, I was an ardent Ruff supporter. That position is utterly untenable now. This will make 7 seasons of the last 11 that the Sabres will not qualify and only 4 series wins in those two memorable seasons after the lockout to show for his efforts.

See ya!

[trapezeus]

gebob, his long runs were also a result of incredible goaltending that fizzled at the end. He doesn't have a PP for 6 years. and he doesn't have a team that can make passes on break outs. the number of giveaways is startling.

and what really scares me about ruff is that the amerk teams are decent. players perform. then the come up and stink here, and are never heard from again.

Lindy is a bottle neck, and i agree with Gebob. I didn't really turn on Ruff until last year. watching him passionless behind the bench. and then putting it all together. it was like figuring out the kaiser soze was in our presence all along. "wait, we miss making hte playoffs more than when we do make them?"

And i said in a different thread, i saw the sabre team that lost to ottawa in ECF. Zubrus (playing for a contract), Drury (at his prime), Briere (getting There), (Vanek as secondary scoring), Timmy (as a secondary threat and performing at the time), and they struggled that entire playoff. they still played scared. they still asked the goalie to do everything.

Yes, you need a hot goalie, but when the best goalie in the world and of all time, still runs out of gas in 1998 and 99, it's just not acceptable. He got this pass because nolan was very good and fired, and then he came in and did even better. and we've all been scared to lose him since.

[SabreEleven]

Harrington wants Pegula to stand in front of him and other Buffalo media and explain to us why the Sabres suck...I've had enough talking between Regier, Black, Ruff and the players....I don't want Pegula to talk to me, I want action. Don't tell me what is wrong, just fix what is wrong. Do the talking after you are done sweeping but for cripe sakes, just starting doing something.

[trapezeus]

i saw in another article that Ruff and Reiger have survived 3 ownership changes which is pretty unusual, but even more unusual is that if they are around by mid march, they'll have survived 3 popes! Can someone answer that?

[gebobs]

gebob, his long runs were also a result of incredible goaltending that fizzled at the end. He doesn't have a PP for 6 years. and he doesn't have a team that can make passes on break outs. the number of giveaways is startling.
The breakouts are maddening. If kids I coached in high school blindly threw the puck around the boards half as much as these professionals do, I would have benched them. The passing in general is so sloppy. If the puck is even close to the intended player, it's in their skates. And to make it worse, they don't seem to have the slightest ability to settle it from their skates to their stick.

And defensive zone play is so passive it looks like they are killing a penalty the way they lay off the opposition. Be aggressive. Force them to make a play and there's a good chance they are going to cough it up. But no. The Sabres sit back on their heels and let the other team set up. They aren't moving so when a puck is free, the other team always gets the jump on them.

[trapezeus]

The breakouts are maddening. If kids I coached in high school blindly threw the puck around the boards half as much as these professionals do, I would have benched them. The passing in general is so sloppy. If the puck is even close to the intended player, it's in their skates. And to make it worse, they don't seem to have the slightest ability to settle it from their skates to their stick.

And defensive zone play is so passive it looks like they are killing a penalty the way they lay off the opposition. Be aggressive. Force them to make a play and there's a good chance they are going to cough it up. But no. The Sabres sit back on their heels and let the other team set up. They aren't moving so when a puck is free, the other team always gets the jump on them.

precisely. and what really is annoying is that every two games, the sabres will have a tic tac toe passing play that leads to a goal, and somehow, the team is forgiven by the coaches that all the other passes are terrible. and the fans say, "we see talent"

In my mind, a talented team can send a pass and receive a pass.
the excuse of "we didn't hvae our legs" sceams, "do suicides until they break." They are coasting out of laziness or without heart. Since heart is impossible to measure, skate them until they have the legs to go for 3 periods. And until they show they are capable of skating three periods, skating drills need to be first and foremost.

and frankly, i have no idea what these practices are accomplishing if they don't have the stamina to play three periods, no one can pass or receive a pass, and no one knows how to run a power play, and the defensement don't know where they are supposed to be (ie. not all behind the net). So i would see no harm in skating them until they puke. Once that's cured, then it's on to passing from blue line to blue line.

Those are the two major offensive points. and defensively, no one is physical and no one is in the right spot. Additionally, no one is a shot blocker. I realize skilled shot blockers are hard to find, but when you have one guy who does it well, it totally helps the entire defense and it shuts down the confidence of other offenses.

but when lindy was asked what was the problem he said, "I don't know." I, on the other hand, who don't even watch every game know the issues from watching 5 games this year, because they are the exact issues from last year. That is your incompetency. I could have this team be a 7-8 seed team. And that's all that is expected out of lindy and darcy. how pathetic is that?

[OpIv37]

The Sabres have been terrible about getting out of their zone and about sustaining offensive zone pressure, and I think this leads to a lot of the poor passing. When they get the puck, they are either desperate to get out of their zone or trying to force a breakaway because they know they are one and done at the other end. They get back on their heels and make desperation passes.

Of course, this all falls on Lindy too. His "system" is why they can't clear the zone or sustain offensive pressure.

It just disgusts me that every team we play- even the ones that are as bad as us- seem to do a much Bette job at offensive pressure and clearing the zone.

[gebobs]

"do suicides until they break"
You sadistic bastard!

[trapezeus]

You sadistic bastard!


i realize its so basic, but for 2 years, no one consistently has gas to skate 3 periods? the other teams sure do. and in a 4 games a week, you better get to it.

and after a week of hard skating in practice and games, if you aren't seeing it, then you don't have hockey players you want.

[YankeeInRaleigh]

The breakouts are maddening. If kids I coached in high school blindly threw the puck around the boards half as much as these professionals do, I would have benched them. The passing in general is so sloppy. If the puck is even close to the intended player, it's in their skates. And to make it worse, they don't seem to have the slightest ability to settle it from their skates to their stick.




I've been pulling my freaking hair out watching the attempts at passing i've seen this year. It's like NONE of these people know how to soften the hands and accept a pass. Just....pathetic lack of basics going on here.

[gebobs]

i realize its so basic, but for 2 years, no one consistently has gas to skate 3 periods?
I agree. I'm just remembering, not too fondly, having to do those at the start and end of practices. And remembering, more fondly, making the boys at Canisius do them for me. ;-)