Sports Then and Now

Marco Sturm etched his name in Boston Sports lore with his Winter Classic clincher.

The Winter Classic lived up to all the hype and then some. It truly was a spectacle and made hockey relevant in this country again. It was a needed shot in the arm for a sport that has been taking up the rear behind baseball, football, and basketball for years.

Personally, I was very excited just to WATCH this game. I watched the Winter Classics in Chicago and snowy Buffalo, but now it was in my backyard at Fenway Park.

I was down at Mohegan Sun and MGM at Foxwoods for New Years. My whole departure was planned around this game.

One of the cashiers at the MGM said to me after seeing my Bruins cap, “I hope you make it home before the game.”

Me too, but those one armed bandits put their magical spell even over the most die hard Bruins fan.

My girlfriend said, “It’s 11:30am.” I told her to give my version of the two hour warning, but I didn’t listen.

I was going to miss some of the game!

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Wobbly ankled youth's like Todd played hockey on frozen ponds long before indoor rinks were the norm.

The following is a repost of a story, I wrote in April of 2009. In honor of today’s game from Fenway Park between the Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers, I decided to brush it off and resurrect it from the portals. I hope you enjoy. Happy New Year and Go Bruins! Todd

My daughter, Erika, and I recently spent a couple hours of Daddy/Daughter time at the Worcester Sharks hockey playoff game against the Providence Bruins. We took our seats behind the Sharks bench and waited for the singing of the National Anthem.

Before the first note of “O Say Can you see” Erika asked me if I ever played hockey. I laughed. Then I cried a bit and told her the story of my brief life on skates. Read the rest of this entry →

The Sabres began this past week with an overtime win against Toronto. The Maple Leafs continue to struggle against the Buffalo Sabres, losing the last nine matchups. Toronto did have a 2-1 lead in the 3rd, but the Sabres tied it up and eventually won the game in overtime.

Buffalo was without Thomas Vanek and Patrick Kaleta, who were both recovering from injuries. About midway through the third period, Jochen Hecht tipped in a rebound pass Jonas Gustavsson to tie the game at two.

Toronto played very well, and deserved the win, but they were unable to stop the Sabres. Derek Roy took a pass from Hecht, and backhanded it into the net for the overtime win.

On Wednesday, the Sabres ran into the Washington Capitals and found out how good they really are. The Sabres have held the Capitals to just two goals in as many games prior to Wednesday. Buffalo stayed with Washington for most of the game, but then collapsed midway through the third.
In the third, Washington would take advantage of a 5 on 3 power play, scoring twice. Backstrom scored his second of the night, followed by an Ovechkin goal to break the game wide open. The Sabres stayed in the game up until the two man advantage for Washington. The Capitals have led in 35 of 37 games this season.

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Since the 2005-2006 season, the Senators have dominated the Sabres, winning 21 of 31.

Sabres beat again by Sens.

On Wednesday night, it remained that way.

After the first period the Senators were only up 1-0. I say ONLY because of Ryan Miller. The game could have easily been out of reach for Buffalo.

Alexandre Picard was the one to finally get the puck past Miller in the first. Buffalo had trouble getting things going and could not generate any scoring chances. Shots were 11-5 in favor of Ottawa after the opening period.

The second period involved much more physical play. Both teams started to throw around their bodies. Then, Jarkko Ruutu deliverd a head shot to Patrick Kaleta, earning a five minute boarding penalty. However, Ruutu was not ejected from the game, only a five minute penalty.

I thought the NHL was trying to crack down on head shots. In my view, Ruutu should have been ejected along with the penalty. I’m sure the NHL will look into a possible suspension because it was a clean and deliberate shot to the head. This is not the first time Ruutu has aggrevated the Sabres. Last season, he bit Andrew Peters while they were in a scrum.

Kaleta left the game and did not return. I was disappointed to see that nobody went after Ruutu. Buffalo needs to start protecting their players. The Sabres did keep up with the physical play as Adam Mair, Matt Ellis, Steve Montador, and Mike Grier finished their checks.

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A two goal game may not be a career night for many players, but for Patrick Kaleta it was just that.

Buffalo was up for another big challenge on Saturday night. Although the Sabres had Ryan Miller in net, the Rangers have had a day off in between games. The Sabres played their third game in four nights.

Patrick Kaleta's two goals led the Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Rangers.

The prior two games may have come as a shock to many fans. Buffalo played two elite teams: one from each conference. On Wednesday, Buffalo was able to shutout the league’s top scoring team. Then, on Friday, the Sabres held the Blackhawks to just one goal (with backup goaltender Patrick Lalime in net).

Nathan Gerbe was not in the lineup tonight, due to a sore groin. The team called up Mark Mancari for the game. Mike Grier was also out of the lineup due to his mother passing away. He is expected to be back for Monday’s game against Montreal.

As for tonight’s matchup…..it was only one week ago when the Rangers beat the Sabres 2-1. Tonight, Buffalo got revenge. They had Ryan Miller, who is coming off of a shutout, to help them find two points. Read the rest of this entry →

Buffalo (16-9-2) vs. Washington (19-5-6)

Ryan Miller makes a save on Washington's Brooks Laich

It looked like a no-brainer. The Caps were easily the favored team against the Sabres. With Buffalo scoring one goal in their past two games, Washington looked like the best bet in this one.

The Capitals came into the game first in points, goals, and power play percentage.
Wednesday night, Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres showed up to play.

Steve Montador led the scoring with his second of the season, giving Buffalo the early lead.

Just called up from Portland, Nathan Gerbe collected a goal and an assist on the night. Gerbe was extremly upset that he did not make the team at the start of the season. In his first game this season, he showed Lindy Ruff why he should be on the team.

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