Win or lose, for the past 41 years, Sabres fans have supported their team with all of their fibre and being.
Don't make the mistake of calling Sabres supporters fair weather fans. They'll snow your goalie and call your sister colourful names.
There hasn't been a ton of sunshine in Pegulaville this Winter and the team has tested the resolve of even the most ardent and passionate Sabres fans with its on ice performances. What with all of the erratic play, lopsided road losses, and nail biter games. To add insult to injury, all Sabres games blacked out on Time Warner Cable in Buffalo since January 1. Folks are paying to watch their team on cable and are being denied access to the MSG feed due to the prolonged game of chicken between the cable provider and the MSG network. This double-whammy of a conundrum has been a challenge, to say the least, for Sabres fans along the Buffalo-Rochester I-90 Corridor.
On Saturday night, with the Lake Erie winds howling, and a rare snow storm a ragin', Sabre fans professed their love for their team by tuning to watch the special presentation of the MSG feed on the local NBC affiliate, in Buffalo and Rochester, respectively.
The result was the same as it ever was:
More HUGE ratings for the Sabres on local TV.
From the Sabres:
The Buffalo Sabres’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 11 drew the highest local television rating so far this season for a Sabres telecast. The Eastern Conference matchup, which was broadcast on MSG and simulcast on WGRZ-TV in Buffalo and WHEC-TV in Rochester, posted a 12.6 rating and a 21 share regionally.
“Since January 1st, fans have been caught in the middle of the ongoing dispute between Time Warner Cable and MSG, but Sabres fans still find ways to follow the games live at MSG-sponsored viewing parties and local bars and restaurants,” said Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black. “We really appreciate MSG’s decision to buy the air time on WGRZ-TV in Buffalo and WHEC-TV in Rochester so that so many fans could watch the game in their own homes.”
The 12.6 rating indicates that 12.6 percent of television-equipped households were tuned into the game at some point during the broadcast and the 21 share means 21 percent of households watching TV in the region Wednesday night were watching the game. In the Buffalo market, that translates to approximately 81,000 households. Ratings for the telecast peaked at a 16.2 (105,000 households) during the final 15 minutes of the game.
“We also want to thank NBC for its support,” Black said. “Saturday’s enormous rating is a testament to this collaborative effort and to the unwavering depth and passion for Buffalo Sabres hockey. We have about one-third of the regular season yet to play and we hope that Time Warner and MSG get together soon and resolve this dispute.”
Last Saturday’s ratings were the highest among the 49 Sabres games broadcast on MSG so far this season. The second-most viewed contest was the team’s game against Boston on Nov. 23, which drew a 12.1 rating and 20 share regionally.
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5-1-1 in last 7 games, the Sabres are on the ice at First Niagara Center, preparing for a sweet heart dance with the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night. The Sabres are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and they need to boost themselves out of the depths of Eastern conference mediocrity right now if they have any intentions taking ownership of the eighth and final playoff spot .
The comeback win versus the Stars was gratifying while the Saturday night loss to the Lightning was maddening. The Sabres vacationed for the first forty minutes vs. Stamkos and the Bolts and it ended up biting them in the keester. Now is not the time to leave points on the table, especially to a team that was beneath the Sabres in the Eastern standings. The Sabres, Lightning, and islanders are all ties for 12th place with 54 points, one behind the 11th place Canadiens, and four behind 10th place Winnipeg.
No time to wallow in the mire. Its back to work. Pull on the hip waders and grab an industrial sized bucket to bale the water in the basement.
Cody McCormick (upper body) is not on the ice today.
Vanek is back where he belongs with Roy and Pominville.
Gerbe is with Ennis and Stafford.
Leino is now with Gaustad and Kaleta.
Zack Kassian is skating with Matt Ellis and Brad Boyes.
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Lindy Ruff previews this week's busy slate of games vs. Eastern foes New Jersey, Philly, Montreal, and Pittsburgh:
thanks, sabres.com
Drew Stafford
thanks, sabres.cm
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12 goals. 33 assists. 45 points in 56 games.
Good stats for an NHL forward, right?
Not good enough for S. Buffalo native, Patrick Kane.
When Dave Bolland has 16 goals, and Viktor Stalberg a mitt-ful of pucks (15) more than PK88, and, we're two-thirds of the way through the NHL, the question has to be asked:
What's bugging Patrick Kane?
Is he injured?
Is he slumping? If yes, when will it end?
Kane is a 30-40 goal scorer. With his speed and sick skills, he can easily score 50 some day. There was a time in the recent past that Kane was the engine that drove the hawks' offensive engine, however, Toews, Hossa, and Sharp have been carrying the load this season and likely will continue this season and beyond. The Hawks are not sure what his issue is this season, and it raises concerns as they are sinking like a sunset down the Western standings right now. On January 21 they were in the crow's nest in the West, as well as number one overall in the NHL. They were winning games with a lethal blend of goal tending, excellent team D, and timely goal scoring. Since then, the tending has been negligible at best, the D is porous, and the goal scoring is inconsistent. Giving up 8 goals to the plucky Edmonton Oilers activated the fire alarm to alarm the Hawks and their front office that they need a better tender than Corey Crawford and Ray Emery right now, and moving forward. Crawford hasn't won a game since January 18.
The Hawks (65 points) sit in 6th place in the West, only three points ahead of 8th place Phoenix, and are trending downward as we speak. The talk out of Chicago is that Bowman, and head coach Joel Quennville, are under intense pressure right now to turn the season around... or else. Bowman has backed his coach in recent days, saying that he's happy with Coach Q.and the work that he and his assistants are doing to turn their eight game winless streak into a positive. Is ownership content?
We're two weeks from the NHL trade deadline and Stan Bowman is feverishly making inquiries around the horn in the NHL, looking for intel on a veteran net minder who can stabilize his team and to lead them into the post season.
There's talk that the Hawks are zeroing in on Nabakov in Long Island as a potential bail out option. However, what will Bowman do if Nabakov is retained by the Isles, or, if he is traded elsewhere in the next two weeks?
Would Bowman consider trading away Kane in order to procure the goal tending he is seeking?
The chatter intensifies with each passing day.
Kane is in the second year of a five year deal that is a $6.3 million annual cap hit. according to capgeek.com, Kane has already been paid $4,461,081 this season, which leaves $1.8 and change due to the All Star in the next 131 days, or $34,054 per day.
If you were the Sabres, and you had come to the conclusion that this season's goal of earning a playoff berth would not be coming to fruition, would you consider moving Ryan Miller to Chicago for Patrick Kane?
Miller is a $6.25 million cap hit for the next two seasons.
For entertainment purposes only:
You're the GM. Do you consider making this move to improve your squad for this and future seasons?
Corey Crawford would have to come back the other way with Kane, right? Or do you go with Jhonas Enroth as your 60+ game starter and find an NHL experienced back up?
Join the Discussion:
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