Spun
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Posts posted by Spun
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Canadian smackdown... I was thinking that maybe the low drinking age in Canada - 19 years old (18 in Quebec) might have had something to do with the riots... Sometimes, all it takes is a few hundred people to give an entire city and an entire country a bad name. Losing hurts the most when the expectations are high.
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Buffalo fans, if and when Buffalo ever wins a championship, have the brains and class not to riot. What happened in Vancouver is the "Los Angeles Syndrome" (or Detroit), a desperate attempt at making it "all about me" for the drunk, mundane and insignificant "wannabes". As for what has changed in Canada, maybe some Canadians can give us more insight. Montreal has been the most recent Canadian locale for mindless urban riots after winning a first round playoff series a couple of seasons ago. I was at the WJC in Buffalo and I was surprised at how rudely some of the Canadians behaved. While Boston has it's many detractors, I didn't hear of any riots.
The Bruins deserved the Stanley Cup. They were competitive in all seven games whereas the Canucks were competitive in three. By Game 7, the Bruins had the Canucks figured out and simply flexed. The entire Bruins roster played defense. I wish the Sabres did the same! Thomas didn't have to do a whole lot but when called upon he delivered. The shots-on-goal were deceiving. Most of the Canucks shots were from a distance away from the net. One of the things that stood out in this series is how players have gotten away from using shots other than the slapper. Watching guys shy away from the wide open backhand to instead clumsily attempt to switch to the forehand is frustrating to watch. I was of the understanding that backhands are very hard for goalies to stop.
Speaking of the Sabres, they won the season series against the Bruins 4-2 and the Canucks 1-0. The Sabres didn't fare well against the Capitals, Pens and obviously the Flyers, again. Consistency and matchup issues are among the things the Sabres need to work on.
I am looking forward to the draft. Training camp in three months. I am thinking of attending one of the games in Europe. Possibly Sabres vs. Kings in Berlin.
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One job I wouldn't want is a Division I college football coach. Having to constantly kiss-up to seventeen year old recruits like Pryor and their families in between baby sitting the ego maniacs and hoping they might just grow up on your watch before a scandal takes place. Nah, I'd pass. What should they do put ankle bracelets on these guys? Having talked to friends in Columbus, they said long ago that Pryor was going to be a problem. There were only questions as to when, where and how. The Bills DO NOT need such a cancer on the TEAM. Pryor is a ME player not a TEAM player. He is not a starting NFL QB. Tight end would suit his skill set but not his ego. In the NFL, Pryor will find that most everybody is fast. He won't get away with his runs as much. He is an erratic passer. Sometimes, he threw mindless heaves into coverage while other times he couldn't hit simple, wide-open dumpoffs. Pryor's ego is too big for the CFL. He is bad news.
To be fair, there are a lot of mature, balanced student athletes who happen to get their diplomas and lead fulfilling lives. Those guys (and gals) don't make it into the headlines. I think those are the folks the Bills should be angling for. Merriman? A crap shoot but give it a (last) chance.
Cris Carter was also a supplemental pick to the Eagles back in the late '80s. Carter also had some NCAA issues. Then he had some Buddy Ryan issues. Then he grew up and had a solid career.
There are some very good posts in this thread, well done!
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I don't recall if I have run into the letter approach on a web site before but it is smart way to connect with the fans. There have been a number of positives since Terry Pegula has taken control of the Sabres. I like the Sabres / NHL websites but I think they lose some of the "local" touch. One example is the NHL store which is significantly different than the Sabres Store. There is lot of cool Sabres (and Bandits) merchandise sold in the Sabres Store but not available on the NHL website. There isn't a Sabres Store web site nor catalog as far as I know. For out of town fans, either you buy your goods at the arena or you are out of luck (unless you can make your deal by phone). Also back in the day, the Sabres had a very informative yearbook. Nowadays, there is a bunch of photos but it is very short on team records, history etc. The NHL yearbooks all look like they all came out of the same mill just as the NHL team websites also look very similar. I admit this is minor stuff. I will say this, out of the four major sports, nhl.com is head and shoulders above the other sports. The inclusion of juniors, college, international tournaments, features and history is great! I visit nhl.com daily. Even in the middle of summer there is interesting coverage.
As was posted earlier, the Sabres result on the ice is most important. The Sabres played very competitive hockey this year and I am proud of their effort. Some upgrades are needed to make HSBC Arena a place where all teams feel the fury arena wide, every game. I like the most recent drafts. I like how the Sabres have developed Enroth. A strong Enroth allows Miller to get some needed rest. Myers and Gragnani will be stars. Ennis and Gerbe are bumble bees. Roy and Stafford had breakout seasons. Adam and Mancari will fill in more effectively in time. Kassian, Foligno and McNabb will join Kaleta in distributing some pain. That Game 6 loss still stings and will linger all summer. But I believe better days are ahead! Helsinki and Berlin anybody?
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is he any good?
According to all I have read on McNabb is a good offensive defenseman. Like most prospects, I am convinced of their hype after seeing them play. McNabb is 6'5" Zach Kassian is 6'3", Luke Adam is 6'2", Marcus Foligni is 6'3" and Marc-Andre Gragnani is also 6'2". I think for the most part the smurf era is over. I was impressed with Gragnani at the end of the year. I think Gragnani will be a regular on the Sabres roster next year.
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When breaking it down to frame by frame it seems worse. In real time I can't tell if McNabb intentionally raised his elbow to Joey Hishon's head. The blood was indeniable. Junior hockey doesn't hedge when it comes to close call confrontations. They tend to lean on the aggressor. This also seemed to be true with Zach Kassian's hit that also led to a suspension in the WJC. One thing is clear, the Sabres have some physical players on the way up. Why should Kaleta and Gerbe do all the hitting? Gerbe. Gotta love him standing up to Chara!
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Don't screw it up. Most remakes and comic book to film projects fall way short. DON"T SCREW IT UP! Sorry for yelling!
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I agree with the posts that state that a downtown U.B. campus should have a connection to Buffalo jobs. A lot of students have studied in Buffalo but many have moved to other locales for more promising opportunities. This result is sadly true of way too many young people from WNY and those from elsewhere who have simply studied in WNY. This mass exodus also happens to a lesser degree at many other locations but it is more pronounced in Buffalo because the job situation is so underdeveloped. Downtowns thrive when they offer a lot to the most people. Look at the cooler cities in this country and abroad and that is what you will see.
Montreal is a city that has a variety of universities and colleges in it's downtown area (McGill, UQAM, University of Montreal and Concordia). Montreal also has lot of other activity in it's downtown but having universities and colleges in the downtown area created demand for a more infrastructure.
Now is not the time for NYS to start spraying big money around but now is the time to plan for what could be a major positive for U.B. and downtown Buffalo. This isn't Bass Pro. This is a very good idea that is worth putting into reality. Keep the idea in the news! Nice article NYT!
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I didn't know she was from Upstate. Might be something in the water over there! Just kidding! It is good to see Kristin doing so well!
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-kristen-wiig-20110508,0,1157877.story
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I like the proposal but I understand the economic realities. Downtown Buffalo needs some positive infusion of cash, people and ideas that become reality. The empty storefronts are frustrating (AM&As, Kleinhans, Hengerer's, etc.). Until the world, national, state and city economies show some significant progress financial commitments will shut down the optimism. The periphery of downtown is a hornet's nest that threatens every day safety especially downtown and especially at night. I would rather have a booming downtown U.B. campus than an underutilized Bass Pro. Keeping a downtown ECC campus is essiential to keeping higher education accessible to the less wealthy (like me). As for the poverty issue, those in poverty would do better to stop hurting themselves in Buffalo and elsewhere. To sell that idea to those in poverty is difficult.
I think the article was a fair assessment of the situation. Don't sugar-coat Buffalo's negatives. Downtown has a lot of potential but as it stands right now it is a ghost town. Sometimes we like to attack critics of the city (Willis McGahee and Emerson Etem) but sometimes those critiques are right on. Having traveled around the U.S. quite a bit, Buffalo stands out as a very unique city that could and should be doing a lot better. To the state legislators: A thriving downtown U.B. campus in downtown Buffalo could be a major boost for the city, don't shut the door.
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I am currently visiting in North Buffalo. Today, I tried Pasquales at 3720 Seneca Street in West Seneca. Very good pizza and wings!
http://www.buffalogoesout.com/pasquales/
The pizza at Bob and John's La Hacienda in North Buffalo seems to have slipped. New owners? New management? The subs and wings are still very good. And the all-you-can-eat spaghetti on Monday and Tuesday nights is always great -for $2.25!!!
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The locals are going off in D.C.
Military actives and vets and allies who participated in the chase and capture and our every day safety - TAKE A BOW. Thank you!
Take a well deserved bow!
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this is true and to my knowledge Buffalo is the only city that regularly sings both anthems. It's a respect thing
That is correct. Back in the day, not only were their many Canadian fans coming to see hockey in Buffalo (AHL Bisons and Sabres) but it was predominately Canadians playing (even more so than today). It is very cool to hear both anthems. Edmonton has historically done a very classy job of enthusiastically singing both anthems at their games involving U.S. teams. (Not so in Montreal!).
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So by that logic the Raiders should play the Mexican national anthem.
Oh by the way have any of you heard it? They used to play it at midnight on the "mighty 690" in San Diego years ago. It is a sports station that at the time broadcast out of Mexico so it could blast a higher power. That damn song goes on for ever.
A good number of San Diego stations still play the Mexican anthem because they are Mexican stations. For example, the Mighty 690 call letters were XTRA. In the U.S., the radio stations start with W or K, Canadian stations start with C and Mexican stations start with X. There are laws limiting how many U.S. stations are on the radio dial so the U.S. companies get around this by broadcasting U.S. oriented content by using the Mexican towers. The story is probably more complex than this but this is the basic arrangement. The Mighty 690 isn't so mighty any more. 1090 and 1360 are the SD stations and there are a few out of the LA market. Some of the same personalities are still around (Hacksaw, Ted Leitner).
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Dudes and dudettes, I'm so confused, is 4/20 or 4:20? I forgot again...
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When I was a growing kid on the verge of playing sports, before fitness became a craze, there was Jack LaLanne. Before there were extensive fitness stores and exercise web sites, there was what little you could find in the library and Jack LaLanne reruns - teaching fitness without the expense. What Jack LaLanne was teaching way back when in those black and white episodes, still holds true today. I don't know about Ralph or George Burns but I know Bob Hope wasn't exactly with it in his last years but at least he did have a long life surrounded by a lot of friends. I would rather be a healthy me than an unhealthy me! The fitness habits that I learned long ago, I still use today.
Thanks for keeping us working out Jack LaLanne!
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two things:
-- many of the canadians i saw couldn't handle their beer. for shame.
-- secondly, it's not entirely fair to make comparisons between Buffalo WJC and 2002 Salt Lake City Games hockey attendence levels. The two venues in Utah had a much smaller combined capacity than the two in Buffalo and Lewiston.
jw
I didn't realize that about SLC. From what I understand Niagara doesn't have that large of a rink either.
Some of the Canadians were tanked. They came out of the tent ripped and continued the onslaught inside. Most but not all, were twenty-something males of the variety we hear about in arrest reports after Bills games! Thankfully, they weren't violent!
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I went to all twenty-one of the WJC games at HSBC. And I read all three of the articles written in order by Damien Cox (TO Star), Donn Esmonde (Buffalo News) and Cathal Kelly (TO Star). Cox was right on, Esmonde was wrong and right and Kelly was worst.
Before I go too far in this I will say (because it hasn't been said enough), that the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Sabres and the people of Buffalo did an awesome job in hosting this event. And if Buffalo does get the chance to host the WJC again they should do it. Take the critiques in stride and improve - ghosts included!
For starters, as for who attended the WJC, it was largely Canadians. Surprised? That is not a bad thing and it wasn't for Buffalo either. Most of the WJCs have been held in Canada. The passion for junior level hockey in Canada is unparelled anywhere else in the world. Canada is what, fifty years ahead of everybody in their support for junior hockey? I met Canadians from B.C. to Gaspe, Quebec, literally from far and wide and most were very cool. There are Canadians who go to the WJC every year regardless of where in the world the event is held. Next years tourney in Alberta is already sold out after about a week of ticket allotments. They had a lottery and many got shut out. And those that did get shut out are not happy! Do you know of any Americans angered because they couldn't get tickets? Before I seriously considered throwing my name in the lottery, the lottery was over and done!
As for those who say "who cares?" and "why bother?", I understand your preferring to watch the Sabres, the NHL or something entirely different. This is especially true because the U.S. and Canada do have different cultures. Some people on both sides of the border don't get that fact. For those who have never attended or watched th WJC, I say give it a chance. Remember the "Miracle on Ice"? Heard about it? Well, who do you think was playing for the U.S.A.? Junior level, college players. How many times in reponse to Olympic hockey have you heard people brush off interest (until the U.S. is in the Gold Medal game!) because it isn't like the "old days"? The WJC is as close to what you are going to get to the "old days". The last night of this years WJC was incredible! The U.S. beat a Swedish team that skated circles around Canada 4-2 and Russia overcame a third period 3-0 deficit to beat Canada 5-3!
As far as Esmonde's field study on Canadians and their tipping practices, I would say that is probably right on. Canada and countries around the world don't tip like they do in the U.S. Even in the U.S., there are differences between the big cities (NYC is the best) and the rural areas, the coasts and the interior, age, gender, profession, blah, blah, blah. Generally speaking, familiarize yourself with the culture you are going to visit, including tipping. Or don't, keeping in mind that is part of how we are perceived.
Much was made of the parking gougers. $60? I saw $50. I'll remember the lot. Last spring in Toronto, I paid $30 because I didn't feel like driving around in morning rush hour. Facebook could have helped as numerous Americans posted affordable and close options. Due diligence has its rewards!
As for who spent the bucks to attend the WJC, went to the bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity of HSBC and stayed at the hotels, it was Canadians. I did see a number of Sabres jerseys. I did meet a couple of guys who drove down all the way from Boston to attend a couple of games. The Ohio Sate Men's hockey team attended one night. I did see some U of Minnesota and Michigan jerseys. But for the most part the WJC is not an American thing. Yet. This could change. But this will be a predominantly Canadian thing for as long as there is a WJC. That isn't a bad thing, just reality.
The rivalry. You know the one. Or maybe you haven't heard. U.S. - Canada. Or shall I say Canada - U.S.? Kind of like everybody wants to "Beat L.A." while L.A. says "huh?". Or Buffalo animosity towards NYC while NYC looks at L.A.? Most Americans don't feel a rivalry towards Canada. Most Americans have never visited Canada and know little about Canada. Meanwhile, Canadian media includes much of U.S. news and sports on a daily basis. At the Buffalo WJC, there was constant booing every time an image of the U.S. appeared on the HSBC video screens. Canadians rooted against the U.S. every time the U.S. played. Comments such as "Buffalo, Ontario", "this is our house" and "this is our game" by Canadians became tiresome. The taunts by Canadians towards departing Americans after Canada's 4-1 drubbing of the U.S. were hostile. Finally, during the Gold Medal game between Canada and Russia, the few Americans at the game were rooting for Russia! Yes, Russia! Remember the Cold War! American people around me went so far as to buy Russian flags in opposition to Canada! Oh how times have changed! It was like when Americans go abroad and do the same thing! There is a rivalry, it is just that most Americans don't know it yet!
Two players for Canada, Marcus Foligno and Zack Kassian will help the Sabres! Both players are physical. The U.S. goalie, Jack Campbell should have a nice career for the Dallas Stars. Campbell was voted Best Goalie for the tourney and deserved the honor. The 31 game tourney even had a greater attendance than the 35 game Salt Lake City Olympic tourney.
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Most anything corporate is inferior other than computers and high capital items. They sell a song and dance for the sheep to follow. Too many examples to list, pizza, subs, restaurants, bars, beer, movies, TV, etc... Support the local Mpm 'n' Pops and you will most likely get more variety and better quality. As was said previously, Mom 'n' Pops do have to know what they are doing as word of mouth is very powerful, pro and con.
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Brady is human. Put a terrifying rush on him, hurt him a little and get inside his head then he can fold like Bledsoe. At times the Jets dropped back without blitzing and covered everybody downfield. Then the offensive line eventually gave and he got wacked. Then the Jets would throw in a blitz. Solid defense at all positions. The Jets were smart in building their lines first, then drafting skill players and then picking up quality free agent refugees. The Bills desperately need a Bruce Smith caliber player. Bruce was fun to watch but his seemingly constant demands to renegotiate were annoying. But oh, if we had him now... And Biscuit...
Kathy Ireland... Lost track of whatever i wz
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I have some final thoughts about the WJC that I don't have time to post right now. In the mean time, read this article written by Damien Cox of the Toronto Star:
http://thestar.blogs.com/thespin/2011/01/and-about-buffalo.html
Some of the reader responses are very interesting.
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That's right. I'm getting it here too in Arlington Texas. The Pens still look strange in blue. In my opinion, there will NEVER be another Winter Classic that tops this one!!! EVER!!! I'm so greatfull that I watched this game. Now that I am a small part of the Bills Nation, I appreciate the game even more!
Welcome to our nation! The Penguins had very different jerseys in the early days. Their teams have gotten better! I will be back and forth between the Sabres - Bruins game and the classic! I haven't watched any bowl games so far today! I'd rather watch hockey!
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A half empty HSBC arena for USA V. Switzerland didn't exactly prove Etem's statement wrong.
It wasn't half empty but there were plenty of emptys. I don't know for sure but my guess is that many of those seats to the later game belonged to Canadians who were understandably not in a good mood. To go from so high to so low, so quickly, can weigh be a heavy on one's mood. As a Bills and Sabres fan, I know that awful feeling!
If Etem made his way up Main Street, he would have noticed that a lot was going on downtown. Maybe there was enough happening to even keep someone from Medicine Hat entertained!
But as for the hockey fans of Buffalo? Good games at good prices! What's the excuse for not going?
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Were all the bars on Chippewa closed? What about the Elmwood strip? Allentown?
I was told that some of the bars and restaurants on Chippewa are only open on a Thursday - Saturday schedule. Thursday night, I visited both Chippewa and Elmwood and both were dead. The colleges are on break. New Years Eve, after the US - Swiss hockey game, there was a lot of activity (bands, etc.) over near the Electric Building and Chippewa was also hopping. When I lived in Buffalo, I don't ever remember such a variety of activity going on all at once in downtown. With the hockey tournament, the New Years celebrations near the EB and on Chippewa and the ice rink there was some variety which was different. It wasn't Times Square but it wasn't a ghost town.
Hockey Riots in Vancouver
in Off the Wall Archives
Posted · Edited by Spun
I get what you are saying Heels20X6. I wouldn't venture to portray the people of Yellowknife and Whitehorse in the same barrel either! I went to the WJC in Buffalo and met Canadians from all over the country. Vancouver, Regina, Gaspe, Quebec and of course all over Ontario. It was impressive to see people travel from so far away in support of their junior team. As cities and countries get larger mob mentalities also grow. The Ugly Canadian moniker is neither fair nor accurate in describing the range of people in Canada, including Flin Flon! The same argument applies to the Ugly American who can stench their way from most anywhere but still be atypical of many places. Grouping 34 million Canadians together? Try 311 million Americans. I do think that along with the boozed fans erupting in riots an ugliness in the cultures of both countries has come out as one in recent years. Same TV, internet and phone technology has changed both countries together in some not so evolved ways. The "Look at me" syndrome gets old.
Or in June '99 after "No Goal" when maybe a riot was in order... I can't remember, maybe it was cold that night also!