Number 48

It's come to my attention that certain Sabres fans out there are just now deciding to set aside their feelings of goodwill towards Danny Briere. I would ask these people where they've been for the last four years, but I'm sure they're not part of my audience (because no one is).

Seriously, people still like this guy? Really, her? I mean, I understand not wishing his career would go up in overhyped, overrated, overpaid flames like I for one did when Chris Drury left. (And, man, is it just me or is that working out like gangbusters?) After all, it's pretty clear by now that Briere wanted to stay with the Sabres but the feeling just wasn't mutual. No matter what we personally felt about keeping him, we're forced to accept that this one is on us. But to my mind, that entitles him to be spared jokes about him eating his own boogers and not much else. If Briere the Sabre was your absolute favorite player, I can see spending a season or two pining and getting nostalgic whenever he visited, but four years is just excessive.

Setting aside for the moment that he's a Flyer now, he's just a very unlikeable player to play against. He's a creative, skilled little punk who won't pass up a chance to score a goal, draw a penalty or throw a slightly cheap shot behind the play. Sure, these are all things that made him a great player to root for when he played for us, but the thing is he doesn't play for us, so not only are we not obligated to like him for all those reasons, it just wouldn't make logical sense. Why would you want your competition's best players to do anything but disappear?

Plus, you know... HE'S A FLYER NOW. If the Flyers-Sabres history isn't enough to turn your stomach, then that putrid shade of orange sure should be. There's only one player who I managed not to despise for donning that color, and I don't think anyone will ever again be able to duplicate the perfect storm of lovable personality and somewhat hapless hockey skills of Marty Biron. As it was, it was tough separating my love for Marty from my hatred for everyone else around me, and if he had been just a bit more of a goaltending threat, I'm not sure I would have been able to manage it. (On a side note: I had totally forgotten until I just googled that Biron is part of the Rangers system, now. I'm sure my brain intentionally misplaced that information to save me from having to reconcile that disparity of affection. In fact, I think it best if I vow never to think of it again.) Point being: Danny Briere ≠ Marty Biron, and I don't see the point of liking a Flyer who is not Marty Biron.

Fortunately, I only have to address myself to the fans in this matter, as the players seem to be getting it right (see above). It's been far from perfect, but I have very few complaints about this series as we head into Game Three in Buffalo, and I want to see us give number 48 in orange our most ruthless reception.

TL;DR: If I were in charge of the music in HSBC tonight, this song would be getting a spin:

Pop Quiz

Find the twenty-year-old in this picture:

Sid may have thinner facial hair than some women I've seen,

but at least he doesn't look like he wants his mommy.
[Picture from nhl.com]

This is why I love hockey photography. I haven't been able to watch a single second of this series, but I think that picture tells me all I need to know.

Memory Monday

When I decided to start this series, this forthcoming entry topped the list of planned topics to memorialize. Then, for reasons which will soon be quite clear, I put off having to write it. But it's becoming obvious that I'm going to have to write it sooner or later, and it may as well be sooner. It will be much healthier to just get this out of my system and move on. So, here goes...

I sort of casually paid attention to last off-season. I knew the kind of moves the Sabres were making, who was staying and who was going, but I wasn't obsessively checking the newspaper and the internets for the most up-to-date news. (In retrospect, I think I was much better off stuck in that mind-set, but there's nothing I can do about that now.) As far as departures go, I had mixed reactions. Pyatt needed to go (even though he was and still is the hottest hockey player I've ever seen), Dumont and Grier were gone but not really mourned, and even though McKee was bordering on heartbreak-territory (he would've been a True Sabre to the very end, if we'd given him the chance, poor guy), it was all tempered by the fact that Danny Briere was returning. My team was to have two captains again. I didn't pay attention to the cynics who were predicting that his one-year deal spelled disaster for the following summer (just like I'm plugging my ears to the noise that Brian Campbell will be a hot item on next year's UFA market... LALALALA), I was just happy to have my co-captains back. Now, it's true that things didn't really work out for the best in the end, but if I tried to pretend that I didn't love them while it lasted, then I would be a big, fat liar. So, over the next two Mondays, I'll be paying tribute to my favorite moment from the past season with each of my captains. First up:

Danny Briere - The NHL All-Star Game

Okay, on the one hand, I guess it says a lot about my level of love for Briere (not to mention his vitalness to the Sabres) that the best of all the memories I could come up with was an exhibition match that didn't matter what-so-ever, but on the other hand, this really is the most fitting. Danny is one of the New NHL's biggest success stories. In the Old NHL, he was still skilled, but way too undersized to really make anything of it, and while I don't completely buy that he never thought he was going to make it to the All-Star Game, I bet that when he was struggling in Phoenix, nothing seemed further away. Then, when the rules changed at just the right time, and he found himself in an offensive system in Buffalo that really showcased his talent, he started shining like an All-Star. I was happy not only to see him in the All-Star line-up, but in the line-up by fan vote. It showed him that he was no longer unnoticed and unappreciated; Buffalo fans were vocal, and willing to stand behind him. Still, in the weeks leading up to the game, the only story lines were about Briere's fan-voted linemates Sid Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, and how, due to last year's Winter Olympics, this was to be their first shot at the All-Star Game. The youngsters were the undisputed superstars of the Conference and the League, and in their presence, Danny just seemed like "The Other Guy." But when game-time came around, he made everyone look dumb. Sid and Ovie got one point between them, while Briere (on a different line) netted the first goal of the night and then added four assists to skate away with MVP honors, and the car keys that came with it.

Now, does this prove that Briere is a better player than Crosby or Ovechkin? Not a chance. But I couldn't help but admire the way he went in and quietly stole the show from the Young Guys and Big Stories. He just did his job, like all of the Buffalo voters had asked him to, and graciously accepted the award that was given to him for his efforts. And I just loved him for it. This isn't to say that this was necessarily the hockey high point of his season, but it was the one moment that I remember feeling most potently proud that he was my captain. So thank you for that, Danny.

To be continued next week, but Chris Drury-er.