Triumphant Return!

Tonight, those wearing number 55 get back in the game.

That's right, Jochen Hecht, backbone of the backchecking forwards and official ambassador to my heart, will set skate on ice again tonight for the first time following what seemed like the longest surgery recovery period ever. (That's the last time he borrows a finger from Tim Connolly.) In a show of solidarity, I'm coming out of my months-long blogger hibernation to set fingers to keyboard and start reversing the troublesome trend in this, an ostensible hockey blog in which 90% of the posts appearing on the first page are about a sport that is not hockey. (That's the last time I borrow my work ethic from Jaromir Jagr.) 

You know, after spending most of last season and the summer in Europe, I guess I just started to take being out of the loop for granted. Why bother writing anything when those other, more diligent minds behind the ever-growing number of excellent Sabres blogs out there are just going to cover it better? Being in Minnesota doesn't really help. My only access to the (non-Versus) games has been through grainy internet feeds, and outside of text messages with my family, no one in my daily life has any desire to talk about hockey. So it's been easy to grow complacent. I've fallen back on the excuse that since most of my contact with hockey is through hearsay and guessing games, I couldn't possibly offer up any kind of worthwhile insight. Well, no longer. I'm not going to let those excuses cover up the truth anymore, the truth that caused me to start this blog in the first place and the truth that is still true today: I have shit to say. That's the main issue. Whether or not anyone wants to read it has always been a secondary concern.

So what do I have to say about this season so far? Well, overall it's been pleasantly surprising, with few notable exceptions. Here's my distillation of the young season down to the highest highs and lowest lows:

Highs

• Captain Rivet - I'll admit, when I first learned via text message that off-season acquisition and grumpily reluctant new Buffalonian, Craig Rivet, had been chosen captain, my reaction wasn't thoroughly positive. It was somewhere between wanting to laugh out loud and wanting vomit silently. (You know, that sensation that somehow only your favorite sports team can provoke.) It's not that I didn't like him, more that I was worried he didn't like us. How could he possibly be ready to lead a team he'd known for a mere matter of weeks? My anxiety lessened some when I learned that the appointment was the result of a team vote, and it disappeared completely after I first got to see him in action. From leading the defense with a steady hand, to finally applying the crease-policing force Miller's been needing (wow, that sounded dirtier than I meant it to), and unhesitatingly jumping into any conflict to protect his teammates, I'm pretty sure he's done all he needs to do to get everyone in Buffalo head over heels. 
• TV Upgrade - What is there left to say about Thomas Vanek at this point? It's pretty obvious that he's turning into a player worthy of his contract, maybe even worthy of mention alongside the league's elite right before our very eyes. And it's been a delightful transformation to witness. Not like we didn't know this before, but a confident Vanek is a force to be reckoned with out there, and it's nice to see him proving it consistently. On a personal note, I'm glad to see my previously irrational affection for him find justification. Now I can say I love him because he's Austrian, Minnesotan, and an ass-kicking hockey player.
• Penalty Thrilling - The PK has been the most consistently delightful thing about the season so far, from my view. Especially following a season where special teams were so abysmal, it's a beautiful thing to have a unit of players that kills penalties and not our souls. It's gotten to the point that I almost cheer for every penalty we have called against us, just because I love seeing our PKers in action, usually competent and often downright dominant while down one man. Through 12 games we've only been outscored 5-2 while killing penalties, and that's one sexy statistic.

Lows

• Brochen Jochen - Okay, so this one might be a little personal, but it definitely counts as one of the low points of the season when I found out my favorite player wasn't going to be healthy for the game I saw here against the Wild on October 23rd. The game was an exciting one regardless, but it just wasn't the same without being able to watch for good old number 55 to miss an open net or shoot right at the goaltender. Apparently scoring a goal so early in the season was too much of a strain on him, though. He has to learn how to pace himself better. I'll be honest, I didn't really get what the big deal was for this injury, especially for a player who apparently played with a broken wrist for four months last season. I mean, couldn't they have just taped his fingers together and waited for it to heal on its own? It's not like Yo-Yo's known for his great dexterity or anything. No, I'm pretty sure he just sat out to spite me. It's okay, Yo-Yo. I still love you.
• Disappearing Derek - There have been a number of disappointing player performances so far this season, but for the most part it's been what's expected. Stafford continues to be a non-factor with promise, Connolly continues to be held together with chewing gum and dental floss, and Max continues to be... Max. But Roy-Z has only 6 points in 12 games, and that's just not acceptable, especially after the bedazzling end to his season he had last year. He's not yet gotten to the "pile of puke" stage in my eyes (I save that for when he's being actively detrimental to his team), but even given his over-exaggerated 5'9" stature, I know he can be more visible.
• Relapses - This has got to be the biggest fear on every Sabres fan's mind right now. It's why those losses against Ottawa and Tampa made us so nervous. The season began with a number of encouraging displays of things last year's Sabres failed to do on a regular basis--sticking out a whole game against a good team, blowing away a bad team--but that Tampa game in particular looked like a direct cut and paste from last year's worst: scattered offense, sloppy defense, and shaky goaltending. It looked way too familiar for comfort. The Sabres bounced back from those two tough losses with a pair of shutout wins, which is reassuring, but if they want to keep these good times rolling they're going to have to avoid pulling games like that on their jumpy, PTSD-y fans.

Gameday Prediction: Sabres vs. Bruins

Okay, I know what you're thinking.

Wasn't the last hockey game you saw over a month ago?
*Sigh* Yes.

Haven't you been posting non-stop nonsense about the Sabres since then, including the transcript of an imaginary phone conversation with a fishy incarnation of Jochen Hecht?
Ye---wait, imaginary?

Wasn't your last post made up entirely of movie quotes, with no hockey content whatsoever?
Oh, why don't you stop annoying people?

Could you be any more out of touch with the Sabres?
Well, I could be Bucky Gleason, but yes, I get your point.

And you're making a prediction for tonight's game? Do you expect us to believe this?
Yes.

Because I have something you don't:

Wewease the secwet weapon!

(Sorry about the blurry quality of the photos. Apparently my camera doesn't do timer and focus at the same time.) There's magic in this fabric. I can feel it. I'm not quite sure yet how strong the powers are, but maybe, just maybe, it's full of--dare I say it?--turnaround juice. Whatever it is, I just can't help thinking that something wonderful is about to unfold.

Prediction: Captain (!!!) Hecht gets a hat trick and balloons, confetti, and yo-yos rain from the ceiling as he reaches the 20 goal mark for the first time in his career. They do that kind of thing, right? Of course, optimism has recently proven to be the enemy of a Sabres win, so I'm also predicting a 6-3 Bruins final. I hope everyone enjoys their free yo-yos, at least! Also? Chara will be large. Roy will be tiny. People will laugh about it.

In the News: Derek Roy Got Hella Paid

Despite the fact that I still haven't written about Vanek's mega-contract (I'm clearly not committed to being the best non-professional Sabres blogger I can be. What would Ryan Miller think?), I feel the need to go on record and say I'm really psyched about keeping Roy in town for the next six years. The $24 million price tag is a little less than ideal, but given the current state of the market, it's hardly unreasonable. (The fact that a four million dollar cap hit for a player like Roy isn't unreasonable is thoroughly disturbing, but that's a different blog post [which will probably never happen {sorry, Ryan!}]) In any case, I'm just relieved that we didn't have to suffer through arbitration, where it's entirely possible Roy could've come out with a comparable award, but over a two year period instead of six. My feeling is, it may seem like a lot of money for him as of now, but I'm fairly confident that midway through the contract it'll at least be a fair deal, if not a steal. He's shown tons of potential over the past couple of seasons, both as an offensive play-maker, and as a defensive center, and I think he can only get better. He's also a good penalty killer, which, let's be honest, isn't exactly something the Sabres can let walk out the door right now. Sure, he's small, and league-wide he's known more for his diving and whining than his point-scoring, but he's scrappy, and he still has time to grow up. 24 isn't exactly 14, but it's not 34 either, and on a team looking for players to step up (What? The Sabres have recently lost leadership? Really?), I feel pretty good about Derek's chances to be one of those guys. He may not get a letter, but with his big fat contract, he's still got a lot to prove. And as a 5'9", 186-pound guy trying to make it in the NHL, I like to think he's had plenty of practice at proving himself.

I have to say the best part of this deal, for me, is what it says about where the front office's heads are. Since July 1st they've been imploring fans to stick with them, promising that losing Drury and Briere would seem worth it, once it allowed us to lock up our young talent long term. I, for one, believed them from the beginning, but Roy's contract, as well as Vanek's (even though it wasn't exactly what they had in mind) shows that they're not afraid to put their money where their mouth is. And now they're saying they're going to be working on extending Brian Campbell's contract during the season? I like where this is headed.

I listened to Schopp and the Bulldog this afternoon, and I had a couple of thoughts. Since I haven't quite reached the stage of hockey desperation where I'm willing to call in to the local sports station and risk making a fool of myself, I'm just going to purge all those thoughts here. Because what is a blog, really, if not a place to dump all the thoughts no one else wants to/should have to listen to? First of all, there was a lot of talk about Roy's status with the Buffalo fan base. The gist was that so far this off-season the Sabres have lost two huge fan-favorites, and in return they've signed, long term, two players with big "buts" attached. As in, "Vanek's awesome, but he doesn't always go hard," or "Roy's alright, but what a diver!" I thought it was pretty telling that the last time I looked at the list of the top-selling jerseys, I noticed Roy's was in the top ten. Derek Roy, the third line center making less than $700,000, and not exactly known on a national scale, had a top-ten selling jersey. On the one hand this could just mean that Buffalo is so disgustingly obsessed with Slug merchandise that they'll buy anything (possible), but on some level, they have to love this guy, right? Another thing that was revisited over and over again, is how much trouble Derek is going to have managing the pressure of this contract without Chris Drury helping him out. Oh God, cue the eyeroll. Look, I know this contract is a big responsibility, and that Roy doesn't have the most disciplined reputation, but Drury was not this team's mother. I heard it a lot in the aftermath of the Vanek deal, too. "We're paying him how much? And Drury isn't around to remind him not to take a shift off? We're doooooomed!" I'm not saying Drury's famed leadership skills aren't valuable, but this team isn't just going to suddenly fall apart because he's not there to keep their shit together for them. They knew how to play hockey long before he came along, and I'm willing to bet they'll continue to do so long after he's gone. Honestly, people, Vanek and Roy are big boys. They can clean their rooms and brush their teeth all on their own (hear that, Andrew Peters?), and they'll learn to deal with living up to big bucks. You know why? Because that's their job. And if they happen to need help, well, that's what Lindy Ruff is for.

In other news, my sister has finally finished reading the new Harry Potter book, so updates will probably be pretty infrequent (more infrequent than usual, if you can believe it) over the next couple of days while I get my crack at it. I'm sorry, but a girl's got to have her priorities, and in my book Harry Potter > hockey off-season. (I hope that didn't offend anyone who's a huge fan of the off-season.)