Vanek is leaving on a jet plane bound for Buffalo, NY. He's leaving behind a lifetime full of memories that he will take with him the rest of his professional and personal life.
He blogged about his Austrian experience on his website, thomasvanek26.com:
Time to say good-bye. I had a great month in Graz and want to thank the fans, the players and the officials. It was a blast playing these 11 games.
Of course, I would have liked to play more games, but the EBEL is a good league. That’s what I said before I played my first game here and I say it again now. There’s good, fast hockey played here in Austria. My decision to come to play here was the right one.
I really don’t know how things are going to unfold in the next weeks. First of all, I’m on my way back home to Buffalo and my family now. I missed Ashley and the kids a lot. I get asked if I’ll return after the international break all the time. That may well be, but certainly not right after the break. I want to wait how the negotiations between league and PA are going. It seems as if things are going forward a bit.
Also, it would be unfair to other players who I would take a roster spot away from, if I return to Graz, because the tryout-phase ends after November 12 and it’s not so easy anymore to change players.
What I certainly will not miss are the referees. Their performance was… well, let’s just say that I’d rather forget about them.
So, once again: thank you very much for your support. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I will never forget this month. Now it’s cross your fingers so we have NHL hockey back soon!
Updated 6:06pm EDT:
Thomas Vanek's spiritual hockey sojourn to his mother Austria is complete.
I plan on asking Vanek how his trip back to his hometown has added value and quality to his life. His was more than a month-long hockey bender. It was about re-connecting with his roots. He strengthened bonds with his family, friends, and the people of Austria. He immersed himself in the very culture that he skated away from at the age of 14 in order to pursue his childhood dream of playing in the NHL.
I've been following Vanek's journey very closely. I'm excited to speak with him when he returns. I told his spokesman on Saturday that it seems like yesterday that I met the young, fresh-faced Vanek. That was seven years ago, and he appears to have grown up before our very eyes in that time. He's married now, has three kids. He's lived through the agony of ecstasy of professional hockey in Buffalo, NY. He's been to two Eastern Conference Finals. He's missed the playoffs. He's played injured. He's carried his team on his shoulders for long periods of time. Vanek's career trajectory is an interesting subject to observe. I think that his best years are ahead of him.
Vanek remain in Buffalo. He will not be heading back to Austria after the mandatory European hockey recess ends. His wife and three kids did not make the trip to Austria. He'll get re-united with them
The Sabres sniper took to Twitter on Sunday night to express his gratitude to the adoring fans of Austria and of Graz.
Said Vanek:
Thank you/ Danke to all the fans in Austria especially GRAZ 99ers Fans! You guys are great and I will never forget!! #IwillAlwaysRemember
Also, thanks to the 99ers team, made many new friends! #youGuysaregreat!! #Dankeschön
Vanek will return to Buffalo late Monday.
Vanek maximized his time in Graz, scoring 15 points (5G, 10A) in 11 games played . He was -3. Very productive training camp for #26.
Thomas Vanek played his last game for the Graz99ers today against Zagreb. Tough game, with 289 total penalty minutes. Fights, misconduct penalties, ejections galore. Through it all, Vanek battled, as he always does.
He scored two goals and added an assist.
In 11 games played in his home town in Austria, Vanek scored 5 goals and added 10 assists.
I'll put this accomplishment into perspective:
The EBEL is not the NHL. Goaltending is not NHL caliber. Bigger ice surface. Defensemen are not looking to tear your face off every shift.
That said, Vanek used this opportunity as a business trip. Rather than playing shinny with friends and Sabres team mates, Vanek has been grinding while playing hockey at a high level, with world-class players.
I like that he was able to go home to play in front of the hometown fans, friends and family. He left home at age 14 to pursue his NHL dream in Red Deer, Alberta.
Sabres centre Cody Hodgson, who missed the Hamilton game, had a splint on his right hand afterward the game.
"Could be a week, could be two," Coach Brian Rolston said.
This according to Kevin Oklibzija, Democrat and Chronicle.
He's listed on the injury report as "upper body".
According to Kevin Oklobzija if the Democrat and Chronicle, Hodgson was injured in the Adirondack game. He struggled at times in the Friday home win over Hamilton.
Hodgson has 10 points (a goal and nine assists) in 9 games played this season.
All NHLers playing in European leagues are on 10 day hiatus. Its international competition time. Vanek will be in Buffalo early this week. Vanek has always planned to leave Austria and return to Buffalo after the Moser Medical Graz99ers - Medvescak Zagreb game on Sunday 11/4. He's been gone from home for a month, and its time for the world class hockey player to transition back into world class husband and father of three.
Will Ehrhoff, Sulzer, Sekera, Myers, Ennis, @jenroth125 be heading back to North America for the break?
Ehrhoff and Sulzer will be staying in Germany. They will be participating in the Deutschland Cup.
With Connor Knapp earned his first pro start in goal tonight for Rochester, it marks the first time since 2/19/12 that a goalie other than David Leggio has tended the bars for the Amerks.
Knapp played four productive seasons at NCAA University of Miami (Ohio), where his recird was 46-22-11 in 84 starts.
Former University of Maine sniper turned Amerks rookie, Brian Flynn, gave Knapp a two goal cushion. The Amerks entered the third and final period with a 2-0 lead. Knapp looked strong, as did his D and wingers. For the most part, the Amerks played solid team D, and they did a great job of protection "the house".
Then, tropical storm Hamilton hit the Amerks, for the second night in a row, they gacked up a two goal third period lead.
The Amerks failed to capitalize on six PP opps. They also missed the Hamilton net several times forwhat would have been the back-breaking third goal that would have made the Bulldogs tap out.
They allowed the Bulldogs to stick around and got bit on the butt for it.
Hamilton cut its deficit to 2-1 midway through the third period. Geoffrion’s shot from the left circle was initially stopped by Knapp, but the puck just trickled over the goal line following a scramble in the crease.
Minutes later, the Bulldogs tied the game on a goal by Gallagher, who was stationed in front and knocked in a rebound after a shot from the blue line by Patrick Holland. The goal came at 12:04 of the third period and was the first of three goals within a three-minute span for Hamilton.
Hamilton then took the lead with two quick goals late in the third. First, Mike Blunden scored on the power play when he tipped a shot from the blue line past Knapp, making it 3-2 Bulldogs for their first lead of the game. Then, Geoffrion was stopped on a wrist shot by Knapp, but got his own rebound and shot it past Knapp to give Hamilton a 4-2 lead.
Nick Tarnasky would bring Rochester within a goal as he converted on a pass from Rick Schofield, but Mayer would preserve the one-goal lead with several key saves in the waning minutes of the game.
Knapp took blame for the loss after the first loss of his pro career.
There was enough blame to go around.
Coach Ron Rolston summed it up like this:
“They didn’t really have anything until the last 15 minutes,” ....“We didn’t do a good job of taking care of the game.”
Rolston has seen this movie before.
"Same old, same old".
Back to work finding way to lock it down and hold a two goal, third period lead.
How would Mikhail Grigorenko follow up his four assist performance in Bathhurst on Friday night?
How about scoring the game tying goal for his Remparts squad in Rimouski on Saturday afternoon. His liney and fellow Russian rockstar, Nikita Kucherov assisted on Grigo's 12th goal of the season. On Friday night, the power line Erne-Grigo-Kucherov combined to produce 10 points and a +3 rating.
Grigo has 12 goals and 19 assists in 16 games. He's +13. He had a 12 consecutive game scoring streak snapped on October 25 when Quebec was smoked by Baie-Comeau .
Remparts lost 4-1 to Oceanic. Grigo with his team's only goal. The Remparts are now 13-4 on the season.
This kid is too good for "The Q". He needs the NHL lockout to end so that he can take his stellar game to the next level of progression in the NHL.
Huddinge will host Nacka in the Swedish First Division on Sunday.
Who cares, you say?
Mattias Enroth and his Nacka squad invade Björkäng Hall for the mother of all "Bro-Downs". Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth signed a two game contract with Huddinge so that he can play Mattias head to head.
The Brothers Enroth are about to compete in their first ever "Bro-Down"
The NHL lockout afforded Jhonas this opportunity to travel home to skate with his club team and to have some fun while staying in shape.
Jhonas is three years older than Mattias, however, they are ultra-competitive.
How would Mikhail Grigorenko follow up his four assist performance in Bathhurst on Friday night?
How about scoring the game tying goal for his Remparts squad in Rimouski on Saturday afternoon. His liney and fellow Russian rockstar, Nikita Kucherov assisted on Grigo's 12th goal of the season. On Friday night, the power line Erne-Grigo-Kucherov combined to produce 10 points and a +3 rating.
Grigo has 12 goals and 19 assists in 16 games. He's +13. He had a 12 consecutive game scoring streak snapped on October 25 when Quebec was smoked by Baie-Comeau .
Remparts lost 4-1 to Oceanic. Grigo with his team's only goal. The Remparts are now 13-4 on the season.
This kid is too good for "The Q". He needs the NHL lockout to end so that he can take his stellar game to the next level of progression in the NHL.
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