agilen

Me too This was my favorite: Manon

It sounds like it might be next Thursday. They will have a big press conference after the deal is ratified, and they want to do the lottery when they are on TV. Barring any snags in the ratification process, the draft will probably be on the 30th.

Actually, the league would not want him in Toronto at all. First of all, the kid is from Nova Scotia, and he is a Habs fan. He doesn't like the Leafs any more than we do. Second of all, the Leafs will sell out hockey no matter what. What they really need to do is get him in New York, where there is a _huge_ market for sports, but not a large enough following. If they had a superstar, the potential TV revenue is quite large. So, if he goes to the Rangers, then yes, the fix is in. Otherwise, I'd say it was a fair lottery....sucks to be the rangers if they actually get him fair and square

No, it won't be different for each team. Its going to be 54% of league revenues, divided by 30 teams. The Rangers will not be allowed to spend more than the Sabres. The reason you hear the figure "$37-$39 million" is because we aren't sure yet whether benefits (medical, pension, etc) are included in the cap number or not. It should be all made clear by next Thursday, when we should hear the press conference and the "re-launch" of the NHL.

In fact, it opens things up on the power play. What you'll find in college is that a team on the power play will hang a guy around the other team's blue line. The defense has to respect the hanger because there is no two line pass rule, so you really can't kill off a power play by holding the puck down in their corner. It makes the attacking team get the puck in faster and get set up. Power plays in the NCAA tend to be a lot more exciting than most NHL power plays.

We still have Brierre, and Afinogenov if he comes back from Russia. We'll see if we still have Satan, and Hecht has shown some flashes of brilliance in the past. I'd say there is a good deal of scoring potential on the Sabres now. God, how long has it been since we've seen a sabres team that can put the puck in the net?

There have actually been some rumors for some kind of centre ice deal. Might be free in the beginning of the year, or maybe free for this year if you sign up for next year as well. Either way, i'll buy it if I still live outside of Sabres country come October.

Well Folks, it is the day we've all been waiting for....the press release came out about 2 minutes ago http://nhl.com/news/2005/07/230330.html

I think Scott Neidermayer may be on the FA market this summer. The Sabres might be in the position that they can afford pretty much anybody, so things should be interesting. I think they will shore up the D, as there is actually a good amount of up-and-coming offensive talent on the Sabres.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=130240 TSN is reporting it as done. There should be a press release later today, and the ratification process will begin. Once that is done (probably not until next week), there will be a press conference. LETS GO SABRES!!!

Does it say "Official Canadian beer of the Buffalo Bills" under the Labatt logo and above the Bills logo? I've got two of those. I got them from Benchwarmers in Ithaca, NY last year (i think i was watching the second Jets game there.) It was one of those buy a pint, keep the glass and get cheap refills deals.

Depends on your situation....personally, I'm in a similar boat as Fez, where I'm the only one who knows my particular piece of the puzzle. That means if anything breaks in the middle of the night, or when I'm out at a party, or driving to work...nothing can get fixed until I get there. I'd gladly trade my job security for having someone else who knows my stuff, because life really sucks otherwise. Then again, I haven't got a family to feed (or a mortgage to feed), so getting canned wouldn't bother me as much. Some days, I can't wait to find a construction job. Sure, you have to work in the rain sometimes, but it can't be that bad. You get exercise all day, you are outside, and when you get home from work, you don't have to worry about work. As I mentioned above, never underestimate the value of work not following you home.

I highly doubt that he'd go to Columbus. Yes, they may end up with a very slight advantage in the lottery, but still, it will be less than a 10% chance for them to get him. Plus, he has a $10+ million contract waiting for him in Switzerland, so if he isn't drafted by a team he wants to play for, he will demand a trade or leave for Europe for a couple of years.

It may think that you are in the UK for some reason...maybe some strage hiccup in routing is sending you there. Google does try to guess the country you are in and redirects you as appropriate. Are you going through a proxy? You might want to check to make sure no spyware is sending you through a proxy in the UK....

Guess they forgot about it after that 2004 attendance Anyway, it may be something of a moot point; Crosby is talking to a Swiss team about a rather large contract. The rumor is that he is using this as a bargaining chip, if he is drafted by a team that he doesn't want to play for. He'll either demand a trade, then just go to Switzerland if he doesn't get it. I'd imagine that he wouldn't use this option if he were picked by any canadian team, or a big market US team. But if a small market US team got him, he'd demand a trade. I think he'd play for the Sabres though if we got him, because of the proximity to Toronto and the opportunity to play a key role on a team that should be a contender quickly.

This has to be thought of more from a marketing perspective than in normal drafts. Crosby could be the next Gretzky (or the next lindros, who knows), but if he is great, its important for the popularity of the NHL that he is on a big market team, especially the Rangers. There are so many people in New York who aren't really hockey fans, but if they had something to get excited about, they'd be watching. OTOH, places like Toronto and Detroit probably shouldn't get him, because they already have most of their potential market as fans. The worst thing that could happen would be for him to go to a team like Carolina, where there really isn't a hockey market. Even if he were great on a team like that, there wouldn't be the coverage and excitement about hockey that the NHL desperately needs.

There may be other players too, not leaving because of age, but because they are done with the NHL. Maxim Afinogenov is rumored to have a contract with his Russian team, and is not coming back. Lets hope thats not true, because he will be a big part of the Sabres when hockey comes back.

I'm kinda wondering the same thing. I think it will be fine though, because its against Carolina...not any kind of rivalry game. But, that is the one weekend of the year that I know for a fact I'll be back in Buffalo, so its a likely game for myself and a lot of other displaced WNYers to go to... I'm guessing you won't have to buy them on the 16th, but if the bills are doing well, it will sell out by mid-season.

I'll second that recommendation. While i haven't had the surgery (my eyes are still good, knock on wood), Dr. Fichte is probably one of the most experienced eye surgeons you can find. He has done a great job on a number of family and friends.

WOW. Thanks for making me laugh today... That is quite possibly the worst song I have ever heard...it almost makes me feel bad hating the dolphins, because they are so helpless. I mean come on, who in their right mind could have thought that is a "fight" song? Sounds like the fight song for a barn dance....

Haven't seen PCU listed yet, that is a classic. I'd also add Canadian Bacon, and Top Gun.

Check out the Deerfield river, its in western MA...probably 3.5 hours from NYC. Zoar ( http://www.zoaroutdoor.com/ ) is the outfitter you want up there. Probably 4 hours or so away, the Hudson up in the Adirondacks is a great run....look up Whitewater Challengers or Adirondack River Outfitters. But get up there soon...its been a dry spring, and the river is already pretty low. Closer by, but not as exciting, there is the Lehigh River in PA. Its less than 2 hours from the NYC.

Its a palindrome.

Just to play the devil's advocate, I was at a Sabres game a long time ago when John Muckler got in a fight with a fan. No, it wasn't the whole team, and the fan attacked him first (and not with a plastic cup), but these things do happen. It wasn't nearly as ugly an incident as the Pacers game, however.

I saw that during super bowl 38. Best part was when LT was slapping the girls on the a** as they came over to the sidelines.