Sports Then and Now

NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman has had two previous lockouts under his tenure and while he is not solely responsible for these situations, it certainly raises the question as to his ability in properly managing this league.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has confirmed what many of us have either been dreading or expecting. The Board of Governors will be locking out the players indefinitely until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.

“We gave the owners a complete and thorough update of everything that’s transpired to date, we have reviewed all proposals, and counter proposals, and discussions.” Said Bettman “The board had very little discussion, asked a couple of questions and there way a complete show of support; both for what we’ve been doing in bargaining, how the negotiations have been conducted, the positions we have taken and the fact that as we’ve been saying to the union as far back as November… we are not prepared to open a new season until we have a new collective bargaining agreement”

This isn’t necessarily breaking news to those following the situation closely but it is set in stone now. There is still obviously time to get a deal done but it is not promising in any way, shape or form. While it was reported over the last few days that progress had been made in the negotiations, you would be better off filing these reports under “too little, too late” as opposed to progress.

It is really difficult to find the source of the disagreements between the two sides but it appears to be the revenue sharing between the two. The owners have made offers which are significantly in their favor with one such offer removing next to %10 from the players previous agreement. When the sides are this far apart on a deal it is impossible to expect anything to gain any traction.

I have admittedly been positive throughout the entire negotiation process with thoughts such as “no way they would let this happen again” and “it would be like starting over again” often drifting into my consciousness. Perhaps I was being naive, call it denial if you have to; the point here is that my positive thoughts regarding the process are all but gone. I still have hope, probably a fool’s hope that a deal can get done but at this point I don’t see it happening.

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After almost four decades, the Boston Bruins are champions.

The story for these Boston Bruins coming into the 2010-11 season was whether or not they could overcome the mental damage caused by one of the biggest collapses in the history of sports. Boston had shown so much promise over recent seasons, taking the Montreal Canadiens to a seventh game before getting blown out, running wild on the Eastern Conference before a disappointing second round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and then their heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Many hoped that the Bruins would learn from their defeats and finally quench the thirst of a city absolutely begging to drink from the Stanley Cup after thirty-nine long years. Most of the current generation of Bruins fans were not even a thought in their parents head the last time the Bruins captured Stanley Cup glory but with the offseason acquisition of Nathan Horton, the hype of drafting Tyler Seguin and an ever improving cast of characters, expectations and hopes were at a high when Boston began their season overseas.

The first game of the season did not go exactly as planned, as the Boston defense abandoned wonder kid Tuukka Rask and the Bruins were trounced by the Coyotes. The following game, Tim Thomas stepped back between the pipes and what many thought was just a hot start turned into a record setting season for Thomas and a historic season for the Bruins.

A running theme for the Bruins throughout their entire season was redemption. Tim Thomas, after a down year due to a bad hip, was eager to prove his first Vezina trophy was no fluke. Zdeno Chara played like a man possessed, quieting doubters who believed he should be stripped of his captaincy. The individual stories were plentiful for Boston but it was how they came together as a team to find redemption that defined them.

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The Buffalo Sabres need a spark to help them stop getting squeezed by the rest of the NHL.

I’ve come to enjoy tweeting with my social media peeps while watching Buffalo Sabres games. Whether I’m at HSBC Arena or watching on TV, it is the next best thing to sitting with a group of friends while watching the action.

As the Sabres slowly let the air out of a 2-0 first period lead on Philadelphia, eventually losing 5-2, last night, more than one of my friends tweeted, “Save us Pegula!” Pegula being billionaire Terry Pegula, rumored to be on the verge of purchasing the Sabres from Paychex mogul, Tom Golisano, for a reported $175 million.

We’ve been hearing that a deal is imminent for a while now, while minority owner and managing partner, Larry Quinn continues to repeat catty non-denial denials, but reports persist. Yesterday Sabres officials confirmed that Mr. Pegula was in Buffalo, in “informal talks” at the Sabres front office, “kicking the tires,” as one report put it, on his putative acquisition, and rumors of Pegula sightings were rampant on Twitter during last night’s game.

Originally from the Buffalo suburbs, Pegula, who now lives in Pennsylvania, is known as a true hockey fanatic, as well as a rabid Sabres fan. Equally important, he has the means as well as the sentiment to end the frustration of Sabres fans everywhere. Read the rest of this entry →

Could this be the year the Chicago Blackhawks bring home the Stanley Cup?

The Western Conference has been the NHL’s elite conference the last couple of years, dominating the inter-conference games. The cup win by Pittsburgh and the recent development of talented teams in Washington and Philadelphia seems to suggest that perhaps that dominance is finished. Once again however the NHL’s best teams seem clustered in the west with only one or two eastern teams even capable of competing with them.

Here’s a look at how the western conference teams are shaping up going in to the playoffs.

FAVORITES:

1/Chicago Blackhawks- Chicago were pre-season cup favorites. They’ve got a depth of young talent most teams can only dream of. Their defense was led by young Olympians Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook who distinguished themselves against the best in the world. Twenty one year old Jonathon Toews was chosen the best forward and first all-star team center at the Olympics. Team-mate Patrick Kane starred on the US silver medal team. Throw in sniper Patrick Sharp, veteran Slovakian talent Marian Hossa, youngsters Bolland, Versteeg and Brouwer, power-play quarterback Brian Campbell, the resurgent Andrew Ladd, thumper Dustin Byfuglien and it’s hard to imagine this team losing to anyone.

They maintain an incredible defense giving up a mere 24.7 shots per game, two and a half shots stingier than the New Jersey Devils, who are renowned for their tight defensive game, and best in the league.   Read the rest of this entry →

Courtesy of Sabres Hockey Central

The Sabres played three games this past week, all of which were decided by one goal. Although Buffalo did not lose, they did not play very well, explained Head Coach Lindy Ruff.

The Sabres began the week by hosting Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Halfway through the game, the Sabres found themselves trailing 3-0. The team was not playing well at all, but they began to get some quality scoring chances. Former Sabre Jay Mckee fell on the puck in his own crease, allowing Buffalo a opportunity with a penalty shot.

Ryan Miller makes a save in the first period.

Drew Stafford would get Buffalo on the board, but still trailing by two. Only a couple minutes later, Stafford would score again, and just like that Buffalo was back in the game. In the third period, Paul Gaustad tied the game up, and Buffalo was in business. In overtime, Jason Pominville would get the game winning goal, and the Sabres completed the comeback.

On Saturday, the Sabres took on an Atlanta team that they have not defeated in six tries. Buffalo got off to a similar start as the game against Pittsburgh. They fell behind by three, and needed a superb effort to get back into the game.

All of the Thrashers goals came in the second period, and Buffalo was down quick. Down but not out. Jochen Hecht got the Sabres on the board at the end of the second, but still trailed by two. Hecht would contribute again in the third, along with Tim Connolly, and Buffalo overcame another three goal deficit.

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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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