Pardon the gratuitous pumping of Steve Ott’s tires.
The guy deserves a fist-pump and an high-five for changing the culture in the Buffalo room. The water bottle is NEVER half full when Otter’s in the room, on the bench, on the ice, at the hotel, or in the air on the team charter. Otter’s fiercely passionate about his teammates and he’s never going to quit pursuing the stated goal from day one, which was to deliver the Buffalo Sabres to the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Keep your negativity and doomsday theories away from Otter. He has zero use for it.
I busted his chops on Sunday night when I told him that the arena ops crew were going to have to repair the walls inside the First Niagara Center after Ott (10 hits) and his band of Bad News Bears dropped 44 hits on the New Jersey Devils.
Ott told me that Buffalo fans better get used to the on-ice demolition. Its not pretty hockey, its winning hockey.
“We had a lot of physical guys tonight. Patty was running through guys. Big John had a big hit. You know, you go down the list, you know I thought our d were mean out there too, playing physical, you know that’s the type of hockey we need to have to make the playoffs. We really want to be a successful team here and we’re building with a lot of young guys . Like I said last game (Ottawa win), there’s so much to play for in this dressing room and to finish out this season. Obviously our main focus is to be a playoff team”.
Ott reiterated that his Sabres teammates are all pulling the rope in the same direction right now. The only thing that matters is winning shifts, winning games, and stacking points. Nothing else matters. The trade deadline has come and gone, and the guys miss Pominville, Regehr, Leopold, and Brennan, but right now its all about the boys who are still left in the room. The elders have been traded to whiter ice pastures, while Ott, Miller, and Vanek are the new ’grey beards” of the group.
It’s a band of the hand, and Otter is the thumb.
The new core is being forged right before our eyes right now. Gone are Roy, Gaustad, and Pominville. Ott says that you need look no further than Mike Weber as the player who best exemplifies the new core.
Photo courtesy Dan Hickling
The Sabres selected him in the draft and have watched and waited as Weber has been investing his 10,000 in order to perfect his craft. Ott told me that gets energized when he sees Weber and the youngsters fighting against all odds on order to earn the respect of the vets and the coaching staff. While many people are quick to want to credit for leading this group, Ott’s cautions that he’s being inspired by the contributions and the dedication of the Amerks and youngsters that he’s seeing at practice and during games.
It all begins with Weber. From healthy scratch, to seventh D, to number six D, to most reliable D, Weber is the face of the new core. Weber is showing the NHL why the Sabres drafted him in the second round in the 2006 entry draft. He's THAT good.
“You know what? He (Weber) was first star last game for a reason-- blocked shots, getting pucks through, sealing walls-- this is the kind of opportunity for him to come into his own. I mean obviously we lost Big Robyn Regehr, but there’s a reason why Big Mike can step into those shoes. He’s going to be a heckuva defensive defenseman… I know he already is one. I think its Ron (Rolston) having the confidence in him that brings ’Webby” to the next level You’re going to see this kid for a long time with the Buffalo Sabres because I’m gonna tell you that every team is gonna want him”
Since Robyn Regehr was traded to LA last Tuesday, Weber has been playing like a man possessed. In his hometown of Pittsburgh, Weber skated 20:28. His ice time increased by 6 minutes from the Boston game to the Pittsburgh victory. A sure sign that Rolston believes in him. On Friday night against Ottawa, Weber chipped in two assists while skating 21:14. On Sunday night vs. New Jersey, Weber logged 21 minutes, while picking up an assist. He also had 8 hits and 7 blocked shots.
“Those (Weber) are the kind of guys that I’d go through the wall for any one of my teammates. It means a lot to see him have so much success for myself because I know how hard he works. His off-ice, his demeanor, his work ethic is by far one of the best I’ve ever seen so.. I wish I could have that off-ice sometimes (laughs)”.
Ott says that there is a direct correlation between his improved play and the improved play of the young kids in the lineup. He sees the true value of having emerging players like Weber, Hodgson, Foligno, Flynn, Porter, Pysyk, and Pardy in the lineup. I include Kaleta in this group as he is showing that he's not just a three minute per night banger. The more he plays, the better he gets. he skates like a freight train, he finishes with ferocity, he has silky mitts, and he can be counted on to block shots and to do his chores in his own end of the rink. Kaleta and Ott are cut from the same leather.
Photo courtesy Dan Hickling
The kids inspire Ott. He inspires them.
The result is a three game wiining streak and a renewed belief in the team goal of earning a playoff spot in the remaining nine games. Ott knows that the odds are long, and that the doubters and non-believers don’t buy-in. he doesn’t give a crap. He blocks out the noise and keeps his face to the grind stone. The bumper sticker on Otter’s harley reads “Playoffs Or Bust”.
You wanna be the poor sap who tells him his teammates aren‘t good enough to overcome the ugly beginning to this season? Good luck with that, pal. You better have a good dentist on speed-dial.
“That’s the goal. Even being sellers in here, we wanna continue to work hard and to move forward. That’s the thing. We have guys that are ready to have opportunity. Look at Pysyk already stepping in in his first year. I think he’s a solid, phenomenal player for a young guy. Look at all these other young guys on our list. I mean every single guy isn’t replacing anybody. They are making names for themselves and that’s a big deal to us”
I asked Otter if the emergence of Hodgson, Foligno, Porter, Flynn, Pysyk, and Weber reminded him of his days in Dallas when the kids like Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn joined the veteran group in Big d.
“For sure. Absolutely, you see them take that next step in their development , and its pretty exciting to see young guys come into their own. Obviously, opportunity is a big deal. You are seeing guys now get opportunities to play in different situations and continue to have success with it. Whether its playing in the last minute of a game, penalty kill or power play, or a certain situation, you look and you see all of our guys continuing to do well. All of the guys are leading now. They are leading in their own way, right? The puck moving D is doing his job. If he’s a forward, if he’s a goaltender, its getting done because every guy’s got to do his job and do it well”.
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