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Pommer and Regehr Join The Fray

January 7, 2013, 8:55 PM ET [198 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The trickle in theory is in full effect today, as Sabres team leaders Jason Pominville and Robyn Regehr joined the fray at the Northtown Center in Amherst for some pre-training camp fun and frivolity.

Pominville had been playing for Adler Mannheim in the German Elite League. The Sabres captain had himself a productive mini-run in Mannheim, scoring 7 goals and adding 5 assists in just 7 games played. Pommer played alongside his trusty Buffalo wingman, Jochen Hecht has risen dramatically more than a few eyebrows in Buffalo and in the NHL. In 6 games played, Hecht has scored 5 goals and 8 assists. Hecht is currently a UFA, and may attract some offers from NHL teams looking to add experience at an affordable price. Multiple concussion issues and symptoms knocked Hecht out of the Sabres lineup in his last season under contract. Hecht skated with the boys in Amherst before he and Pommer decided to go to Mannheim to play until the lockout had ended.

Regehr, on the other hand, has stayed close to Buffalo. I’ve spoken with him on a couple occasions after he had skated with the small group of Sabres who decided to forego the Europena hockey experience.


Speaking of former Sabres in Buffalo, Marty Biron has bid adieu to his Buffalo buds. I spoke with Marty on Monday and he told me that he will be travelling to NYC today and will begin skating with Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers tomorrow. Biron, the Rangers NHLPA rep, spent the entire lockout skating with the Sabres in Buffalo. He told me that his wife and four kids will stay behind in Buffalo as he heads to NYC. His kids go to school and play hockey in the Buffalo area.













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Speaking of Sabres Dmen who have been playing in Europe during the lockout, HC Slovan Bratislava has yet to confirm whether or not Regge Sekera is headed back to Buffalo to re-join his Sabres teammates. In 25 games in the KHL, Sekera has scored 3 goals and has added 9 helpers. He’s -1. Sekera was Buffalo’s 3rd round pick in the 2004 NHL entry draft (71st overall pick).

A tasty subplot to training camp will be the crowded house that exists on Buffalo’s blueline. The team boasts of nine NHL caliber defenders currently under contract, featuring: Myers, Ehrhoff, Leopold, Regehr, Sulzer, Sekera, Weber, Pardy, and Brennan. The number grows to ten if when you include Brayden McNabb. Something’s got to give.

The Sabres can alleviate some of the pressure by sending Pardy to Rochester. However, that won’t solve the issue.

Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff will have to make a critical decision regarding the future of their soon-to-be AHL All Star, T.J. Brennan. In 33 games played this season, Brennan has scored 12 goals and added 19 assists. The team drafted Brennan in the 2nd round in 2007 (31st overall) with the hopes that he would someday take the place of another high profile offensive D in Brian Campbell. At 23 years of age, with four years of apprentice service in the Buffalo organization between Portland, Rochester and Buffalo, Brenna appears to be confident and ready for the opportunity to compete for a starting six job in Buffalo this season.

The prevailing thought is that Sekera will no doubt be challenged by T.J. Brennan for a job in Buffalo’s starting six D corps when training camp begins this weekend. Brennan was loaned to the Amerks vis a vis a temporary contract that he signed during the 113 NHL lockout. Brennan will have to clear waivers in order to be returned to Rochester after training camp concludes.
You can bet your bottom dollar that Brenan will be claimed off the waiver wire in a Western New York minutes if he is in fact left exposed to the waiver process.
There may be a trade coming soon, folks.

Personally, I’d keep Brennan in Buffalo, move Pardy to Rochester, and find a trade partner for Sekera. I’d ask for a veteran NHL third line centre in exchange for Sekera. If a draft pick has to be included in the deal, then so be it.


Who are your starting six Buffalo D? Who is your seventh D?


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Tyler Myers has left Klagenfurt, According to KAC.at.

The Sabres Dman chose to spend his lockout playing in the Austrian hockey league.

This message from Myers is posted on the team's webiste:

"I hope we could help the KAC. Time in Klagenfurt was very special for me, "said Myers. "Thanks to the KAC, my teammates and the great and incredibly noisy fans for a wonderful experience," said Sam Gagner, adding: ". I'll miss the team and the fans"


Myers played 17 games for Klagenfurt, scoring three goals and adding seven assists.


Myers played with Edmonton Oiler Sam Gagner, who in 21 games for the KAC, scored 20 points (ten goals, ten assists).

Myers injured his ankle a couple of weeks back. By all accounts, his ankle sprain is healed and he is ready to start training camp in Buffalo later this week.


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On the first day of hockey after the end of the NHL lockout, Steve Ott skated hard. Following @OtterN9NE lead, the ten other skaters moved at a higher pace. When Ott dug his edges in, flipped his hips and turned and burned to recover a loose puck, the defenseman closed on the biscuit with a higher sense of urgency. This is who Steve Ott is. This is how he rolls. He leads by example. He’s a world-class chirp artist and he can bring opponents to tears by smacking them around. He’s extremely skilled at getting opponents off their game. He gets in peoples’ heads. He refuses to allow opponents to enter his cranium. It’s a skill that separates the 30 year old veteran from other players in the NHL. What he does best is lead his teammates. They watch how hard he works, then they ratchet up their own exertion level to meet or exceed that which Ott has demonstrated. His Sabres mates love his act. Even tough Monday January 7 was officially his first day on the job, Ott has been leading his new teammates since the moment he first met them on July. Ott’s magnetism and his ability to lead come naturally.

I talked to him about it after Monday’s skate. I asked him if it’s really sunk in yet that he’s about to make his long-awaited debut in front of the most passionate fans in the NHL.

It won’t be long until 18,690 screaming lunatics raise their beer with one hand then fist-pump their buddy with their free hand after #9 trucks a Bruin or he drops a Maple Leaf with a tire iron of a right upper cut.

Ott already feels the love already.

“You know what? I’m really looking forward to this Buffalo experience”, he told me with a wide smile. “It’s a new adventure for me, personally. You know, I came in, prior to camp for a month, and I got to know a lot of my new teammates. The guys were great right away, and I’m really looking forward to being on the ice with them”.

Ott told me that he feels the sincere appreciation for his brand of hockey amongst his new teammates and the Buffalo community. He’s not taken it all for granted. You see, in one breath he tells you how he feels accepted, but in the very next one, his humility shine through and he tells you that he hasn’t earned the right to pull on his Sabres sweater yet.

“The guys here have been awesome to me from day one. Its true. They are first class. I came for a visit and went to dinner with a lot of the guys and they made me feel a part of it right away. In the essence of earning your jersey, you have to work, and play hard games for the Sabres, and they all have done that. Usually, you have training camp to be able to earn that respect, and the preseason games to make the team. Obviously, contract-wise, it says I made the team, but I haven’t been able to put my sweat on that jersey yet”

Ott is a throwback to a by-gone ear in hockey, Hell, in life. He has no delusions of grandeur. He doesn’t pump his own tires. He certainly doesn’t have a sense of entitlement like so many pro athletes do in this day and age. Ott was raised from finer stock. Buffalo is his proving ground, and he won’t rest until he’s convinced every last one of you that he is worthy of your praise.

“Instantly in that press conference that I had, way back when, that was the first time that I put the jersey on and it felt great and now, when its over the top of my gear and I’m sitting in my dressing stall, its gonna really sink in that I’m where I belong. I’m really looking forward to it because I think this team’s got a lot of great pieces and being part of it going forward is gonna be a lot of fun!”

Life in a Northern town is different. Buffalo is a rust-belt town. Things are different here. Hockey isn’t an interest, it a religion. Buffalo and Ott’s home of Windsor-Detroit possess similar idiosyncrasies. Honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. Ott’s tailor-made for Western New York. He’s a jeans, beer, leather jacket wearing Son Of Anarchy.

Laughing he told me: “Absolutely. You know, that’s my favorite TV show. I ride in the summer, too. I look at myself as a blue collar player. I get by off my hard work and that’s kind of how my Dad and Mom did, being twenty five years in the military. I’ve given myself a chance to play this game and that’s the way I’ve always pictured every single game for myself. I can promise at least to bring that effort on a consistent, nightly basis here in Buffalo. I’m just looking forward to team success here because, there’s a lot of great pieces.”

Away from the rink, Ott used the NHL lockout as a prime opportunity to improve the quality of not only his professional life, but more importantly his personal life. He recently proposed to his girlfriend, Erica. His life is whole now.

“My life is great. It really is. The only thing that can improve is the hockey, and we just got that news yesterday (Sunday). I’m back to work and I have a great girl at home. I have a phenomenal five year old daughter and family-wise, I couldn’t be any luckier to have the support from them that I’ve been given. You know, as soon as that trade (Ott and Pardy to Buffalo for Roy), everybody was over at the house and I got a lot of family support from them. I know they’re looking forward to seeing me play here more than anybody and if we start January 19, they’ll all be here in the stand”.

What if the Sabres open the 2013 NHL season at home against the Boston Bruins?

“Its funny you say that”, Ott said trying to contain his own laugher.

“My Dad growing up was a big Leaf fan, and my Mom was a Boston fan, so now to see me playing against those two teams is gonna be a ton of fun!!”

Time to head down to go to your parents and tear down their disgusting Toronto and Boston swag, I said to Otter. Sabres store to the rescue.

“I already did. It’s the first thing I did, actually when I first came here. Mr. pegula and the Sabres let me go in the store and pick out a bunch of stuff for my family and it was extremely first class from him. I was pretty excited about being able to get my nephew some Buffalo gear. My sister and Mom and Dad all got new Buffalo attire, which was first class by Mr. Pegula”.
There’s no secret to terry Pegula’s generosity, and Ott told me that he has a fond appreciation for the quality time he has been able to spend with his new owner in his brief time in Buffalo.

“Its so awesome to see his passion for the Sabres and the community. I guess you can say that people do not really understand how lucky they are until you see Mr. Pegula walking around. To see how gracious and kind he is as a man is impressive to me. I was totally blown away by him, as an owner it just seems like he is very hands-on, very involved and he cares about it. That’s the big thing. When somebody cares that much, I want to work that much harder for him and the organization. I got a little bit of a chance to hang out with him at the Sabres golf tournament and I had some one on one time with him. When you get traded, you expect to hear from darcy Regier, obviously the first call was from darcy and Lindy, but you know what? I wasn’t expecting to hear from Mr. Pegula and he was right there on the phone and I thought that was pretty awesome with the owner sitting around the phone. He shows how in-depth and how much he cares about the organization and he’s right there, involved in everything”.

Humble. Tough. Respectful. Smart. Tenacious.

“I just wanna work hard and earn my spot, thats all”,Ott said as we ended our chat.

You will, Otter. You will.







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The hottest hockey player in the world is making his way to Buffalo to participate in his first NHL training camp. Might Grigo be staying long term? Some say that the 48 game, compressed schedule is not a place for an 18 year old rookie to make his NHL debut. Others say, why not?

Its an interesting topic that has created a huge hockey buzz in Buffalo ever since Sabres fans got to see Grigo's skills on display at the World Junior Championships. Sabres fans want Grigo all to themselves, as do Quebec Remparts fans.


Here's the latest on Grigorenko's plans:

Kathleen Lavoie, who covers the Quebec Remparts for Le Soleil, wrote this morning that L'antichambre de RDS featured an interview with Remparts head coach, Patrick Roy ,about Grigorenko's future on Sunday. It sounds like there may be a glimmer of hope that Sabres fans get to see Grigo stay long term in Buffalo this season.


Patrick Roy confirmed Sunday that the Quebec Remparts Mikhail Grigorenko will indeed participate in Buffalo Sabres training camp, which will likely begin this upcoming weekend at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

Roy told Lavoie:

"I had a discussion this morning [Sunday] with Darcy Regier, and Darcy Regier was clear. He wants bring him (Grigo) to Buffalo for the duration of training camp. Thereafter, they will look if Grigo is able to make the team or not. But I still good hope of seeing return with The Remparts for finish the season. It is sure that for us, it would be very devastating, because we commissioning lot about him. Everything that has been put in place in the last two seasons was based around Grigo, then this is sure it we would very badly, "admitted Roy.




Talk about a tough decision. Roy would love to see his prized pupil stay in Quebec and finish what he has started in the past two seasons in The Q. However, Roy knows that Grigo is a hot commodity right now, given the excellent performances that he delivered for his Team Russia in their bronze medal campaign at the recently concluded IIHF WJCs in Ufa, Russia.

Roy told Lavoie:

"We want see our players evolve in the National League one day, and the hope of see succeed, this is what we wanted. And we would very happy for him, the same time”.


L'Antichambre also confirmed this story.

(This piece was translated from French to english using Google translator)


Imagine if Grigorenko impresses Regier and Ruff at training camp. He could be looking at a 9 game NHL tryout, or more.

Talk about an apology from the Sabres ownership and management to its fans.

"Here's the most sought after young hockey player in the world right now. We are sorry for the lockout mess". Oh, by the way, the kid has NHL skills and can help the Sabres win immediately.

Things that make you go hmmmmmmm....


Grigo should be in Buffalo by Wednesday or Thursday.

Much more to come on this story as training camp draws closer.

Yes, Grigo speaks English.



Thanks, sabres.com







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Updated 11:05 am EDT:

Sabres President Ted Black has issues the following statement:


We are very pleased that the owners and the players' union were able to come together and agree upon the framework for a new, 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement. With the new CBA, a fair deal is in place to ensure that the NHL remains strong and continues to be the world's best showcase for hockey.

As an organization, the Buffalo Sabres have always cherished our passionate fans and their unyielding love of hockey. We want to sincerely thank our fans for their patience during this process and their consistent support of our team for the past several months. During those months, we have kept your dedication in mind as we have continued to make Buffalo a premiere destination for hockey.

Once the CBA is ratified, our organization will move quickly to make sure all of our fans and partners have the required information they need regarding the schedule, beginning of training camp, season tickets, mini-packs and individual ticket sales. We have a plan in place and will execute it over the next several days, once we’re able to do so.

It's time again to play, watch and enjoy the game we all love. The Buffalo Sabres will remain committed to the one goal Terry Pegula set for this franchise when he became owner nearly two years ago: winning the Stanley Cup. I look forward to a successful 2012-13 season and an exciting new chapter for hockey.

Sincerely,

Theodore N. Black

President/NHL Alternate Governor



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Miles of smiles gave way to fast paced drills and high energy shinny at the Northtown Center in suburban Buffalo today. Some of the boys are back in town! Others, are in transit!
Former Sabres enforcer, Andrew Peters, ran ten current Sabre players through their first official post-lockout “practice”. Present at the skate were: Pat Kaleta, Drew Stafford, Thomas Vanek, Steve Ott, Tyler Ennis, Jordan Leopold, Ville Leino, Mike Weber, and Matt Ellis. Former Sabres goalie , Marty Biron(NY Rangers) took part in the skate as well. The majority of players in this group spent the better part of the 113 day NHL lockout skating on their own at the rink. The players bought the ice. They ran the drills. They managed their workouts. Safe to say that all of them are ready for the real deal: NHL training camp to begin.

Sabres players hit ice in Amherst


Video courtesy, WIVB

The group will be at it again tomorrow, and likely everyday this week. The NHL Board of Governors will meet in NYC on Wednesday. They will ratify the new CBA and then the training camp dates will be released. Its likely that Sabres camp will open up on Saturday at First Niagara Center. If not Saturday, then, a week from today. The abbreviated 48 game NHL season will begin on January 19.


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Like many of his NHLPA brothers, Thomas Vanek is breathing a sigh of relief today, now that the NHL lockout has ended. The NHL Board of Governors will ratify the new CBA in a meeting on Wednesday in New York City.

"I think this whole lockout was stupid," the Sabres winger said after a rigorous skate with his Sabres teammates on Monday.

"I think it should have been settled before the season started and we should have played 82 games but you can't change the past. You move on. Do I like what happened? No. But again, it is what it was, which was sad. I'm just glad it was settled and at least we can play hockey this year."



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Is Vanek satisfied with the new CBA?

"It wasn't worth it," HDTV said.

"I think we could have settled the same deal months ago. But was it necessary? Yeah, because they (the owners) weren't willing to negotiate. So, that's the sad part about it. I thought we were willing to negotiate and negotiate fair. You look back at the first offer of 43%, and it's like, where do we start?! That's where it all started going south so early, which was not good."



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