The Sabres Observer
Confessions Of A Former Ruff Apologist
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/20/13 at 11:12 AM ET
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Buffalo isn’t a city known for feeling a lot of heat in February, but don’t tell that to Lindy Ruff and his 27th place hockey team.
I’ve spent much of my hockey time, over the past 16 years actually, defending Ruff as the right man to coach this team. But with each passing season of failure, each half-hearted effort on the ice, the hope tank has slowly been leaking.
For many, it’s now empty. One by one, some of Ruff’s most ardent supporters - fans, writers, talk show hosts, older folks who grew up watching him give his heart as a player, are raising the white flag. I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard sentences beginning with “I think Ruff is a good coach, but…”
No matter how much people like and respect Ruff, and how highly they think of his abilities, everyone has a breaking point.
I confess that I’ve finally reached mine.
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Crosby Fulfills Dream Of Terminally Ill Boy
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/18/13 at 11:02 AM ET
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From Dan Dakin of the St. Catharines Standard,
Though Crosby typically never meets fans before a game – especially an afternoon game – he read Rowan's story and wanted to meet him. There wasn't enough time for a post-game meeting, so he made an exception and spent 10 minutes with the family Sunday morning at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
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Busting The Compacted Schedule Myth
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/14/13 at 10:42 AM ET
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Are you a frustrated Sabres fan? Tired of wasting time by the water cooler arguing about Thomas Vanek's ice time or Tyler Ennis' lack of faceoff proficiency? Want to look hockey-smart in front of your friends and co-workers? Approach them with this ice-cold nugget of trivia:
What are the Buffalo Sabres currently doing, from February 1st to April 8th, for the third straight year?
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Sabres Observer Radio: Ruff Times
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/12/13 at 11:00 AM ET
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The Sabres look worse than a 5-7-1 team, and head coach Lindy Ruff is getting more heat from fans and media in Buffalo than he ever has since taking the job 16 years and 4 presidential elections ago. The hearty discussion here is not only about if Ruff should be replaced, but also if owner Terry Pegula would even consider making such a move.
In this week's edition of Sabres Observer Radio, Joe Pinzone of Buffalo Wins and I are joined by sports talk host Sal Capaccio of Sabres flagship station WGR SportsRadio 550.
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Black On Ruff, Pursuit Of Free Agents
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/08/13 at 10:14 AM ET
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Darcy Regier may have given the impression that Lindy Ruff ain't goin' nowhere if the Sabres' season continues trending downward, but Ted Black was far from willing to use that vernacular when I spoke to the team president last night during Buffalo's 5-4 shootout win over Montreal.
Black's refusal to declare the coach as untouchable isn't a news flash for folks who heard him echo that sentiment during his radio show Thursday morning. When I asked him last night if Ruff ran the risk of being fired before the end of the season if the team continued to struggle, his theme was the same.
"We'll cross that Peace Bridge when we get to it," Black said. "It wouldn't be fair to anyone right now to jump ahead and lay out what we would do."
It's been quite a couple of weeks for the former member of Mario Lemieux's senior management team in Pittsburgh. After a glorious and somewhat surreal honeymoon with a rabid Sabres fan base which began two weeks short of two years ago, the ugly part of the marriage is now beginning to run its course.
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Pardy’s Glorious Opportunity
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/05/13 at 03:52 PM ET
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With apologies to Jhonas Enroth, I don't think there's a man with more of an opportunity in tonight's Sabres - Senators game than defenseman Adam Pardy.
After being waived at the start of the season, injuries and overall poor defensive play by Buffalo necessitated recalling the guy who has been hovering around ninth on the depth chart. But there's a little more to this story.
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Talking Sabres With Panthers Insider
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/02/13 at 11:37 AM ET
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Thanks to Kevin Rogers and Florida Panthers play-by-play announcer (and Buffalo Sabres alumnus) Randy Moller for having me on the Panthers Insider Show on Miami's WQAM 560 earlier this morning to preview Sunday's Sabres-Panthers matchup.
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Marchand Schools Us On Respect
by @DaveDavisHockey on 02/01/13 at 12:27 PM ET
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“Yeah, [Lindy Ruff] wants to be a big shot, and that’s not the best play to do. That’s pretty disrespectful. If he wants to be like that, that’s fine. We just have to move on.” - Brad Marchand, after Ruff called a timeout with 14 seconds left in last night's 7-4 Buffalo win over Boston.
I don't know about you, but I'm certainly relieved. It's good for the game of hockey that we were blessed with comments on this outrage from the man who knows more about respect than anyone.
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Sabres Observer Radio: Putting On The Foil For Boston
by @DaveDavisHockey on 01/30/13 at 03:28 PM ET
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In this week's edition of Sabres Observer Radio, Joe and I discuss Buffalo's four-game losing skid, the value of defensemen pinching in, an unsettling thought I have after watching two games against the Leafs, the Grigorenko decision, and preparing for a Thursday game that's been circled on the calendar for quite awhile.
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Grigorenko Staying With The Sabres
by @DaveDavisHockey on 01/29/13 at 12:17 PM ET
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From The Buffalo News Sabres Edge blog,
Darcy Regier has just announced Mikhail Grigorenko is staying the rest of the season. Regier said Grigorenko will be in the lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
continued, including audio from Regier, Grigorenko and Lindy Ruff.
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About The Sabres Observer
Dave Davis has covered the Buffalo Sabres for various NHL accredited websites and newspapers since 2003. He was the senior writer and Sabres correspondent for The Fourth Period, covered hockey for Western New York Sports and Leisure Magazine, and has had articles featured on NHL.com, FOX Sports, Yahoo Sports and in New York Sportscene. Sabres news and notes can be found on his Twitter page.
Davis originally garnered media attention in 2002 as leader of a lobbying campaign working in unison with potential buyer Mark Hamister attempting to secure state financing to keep the Sabres in Buffalo. In 2004, Davis was briefly back on the airwaves - this time reaching the finals of the inaugural "WGR Rookie" sports talk competition. After a few years of "syndicating" his articles on various sites, along with doing some internet radio work, Davis now devotes his new media efforts to bringing quality Sabres related opinions and content to Kukla's Korner.
Email: dd@kuklaskorner.com Twitter: [@DaveDavisHockey]
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