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Paille: People Of Buffalo Deserve Better

October 22, 2013, 8:03 AM ET [19 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Buffalo's kids are going to be alright. They've been flipped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Baptism. By. Fire.

How else are Hodgson, Foligno, Flynn, Girgensons, Larsson, Ristolainen, and Zadorov going to learn?

It wasn't long ago that Dan Paille was one of Buffalo's blue chip, up and comers. He and Clarke MacArthur were the young foot soldiers. Problem being, Lindy Ruff was pro veteran players. Paille and the other kids would languish on the fourth line while the vets were given bigger roles in the top nine forward group. Therefore, Paille was sent packing.

Huge mistake.

Four years ago, Paille, the Welland native, traded in his Blue and Gold in exchange for the Gold and Black. Paille was a square peg and the Sabres a round hole, or so it was said. I can't say I blame him for never really embracing his reduced role with the Sabres. Paille made the most of his limited ice time in Buffalo and it created a ton of value for himself around the NHL. The Bruins fell in love with his gritty, speedy, intense style.

One door closed, another opened.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli acquired Paille and Claude Julien was wise enough to play him with comparable grinders Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. The rest, as they say, is history. Paille was type cast as a grinder in Buffalo. Boston is where he would go to prove Ruff and Regier wrong. The former first rounder has become one of the best penalty killers in the NHL because of his high hockey IQ and his sensational speed, toughness, and relentless pursuit of perfection.

Today, Paille has his name engraved on Lord Stanley's Cup. He's only 29 years of age. He's the glue that holds the Bruins together.

I once told Paille that he would be the captain of the Buffalo Sabres one day. He told me that it would be an honor to be a team captain. He doesn't need a "C" on his sweater to be a team leader.

He's a humble guy. He is still friends with former Buffalo teammates Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek. Paille told CSN Boston that he fondly recalls his time in Buffalo. Its hurts him to see the Buffalo fans suffering through the 1-8-1 beginning to the 2013-14 season.

“My first couple of years there (Buffalo) had some good runs, and even my last years there we went down to the last day of the season before we didn’t make [the playoffs]. The talent was definitely there,” said Paille. “Unfortunately they’re back in a [rebuilding] situation right now, and it’s not too great for the city. Hopefully for the sake of the city of Buffalo they can put up a good game, even if they don’t make the playoffs.

“It’s difficult for me to watch because the people of Buffalo deserve a lot of good things. They are definitely people that are passionate, and really support the Bills and the Sabres. I saw it really turn over to the Sabres when I was there. I still go to Buffalo and get recognized everywhere they go. It’s a community that cares about the team. It’s just like us [in Boston] except we’re in a bigger city.”



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The Sabres are 1-8-1 and here come the Big Bad Bruins and their shiny 5-2 record.

( *Face Palm* )

The Sabres can ill-afford another slow start against another upper echelon opponent like Boston.
The Buffalo vets and kids learned a valuable lesson last week when it played with fire and got scorched by aggressive fore check teams. In three losses to Minnesota, Vancouver, and Colorado, Buffalo stumbled, fumbled and bumbled for the first thirty minutes of each game. They played well enough in the second half of each game, however, they had dug themselves such a cavernous hole that it was too hard to dig out of it.
The Sabres are struggling to light the lamp, averaging 1.2 goals per game right now.
At Tuesday’s practice, Ron Rolston turned up the tempo from the first minute of practice and demanded that his team play fast from the beginning, straight on through to the end.
Since Saturday night’s stinker vs. Patrick Roy and the Avalanche, Rolston and his coaches have been preaching “fast start”. He’s been telling his team that it’s a mindset that they have to get used to.


Thanks, WGRZ.com


Rolston called out his veteran leadership group after Saturday night’s loss to the Avs. He wants to see more giddy-up and go at the beginning of games from the older players on the Buffalo bench. The thinking being that the kids will follow the example being set for them by the older players.
Captain Thomas Vanek says that every man in the Buffalo room has to be held accountable for the litany of losses.

"When you're 1-and-8, or, 1-8-1 or what… he (Rolston) can call out everybody. Its not just young guys, old guys, it's collectively again and as a team we haven't been good enough."

The Bruins would love nothing more than to make the Sabres pay for a slow start. Claude Julien and his players have watched the Sabres’ games in their pre-Buffalo scouting sessions.

Now its up the Sabres to bust out of the gate with their hair on fire. In their first ten games of the season, he Sabres have only scored first once. They have only led an opponent on the scoreboard for an unacceptable nine minutes and change.

****


Here are the line trios and D pairs that Rolston deployed at Tuesday’s skate:

Trios:
Vanek-Hodgson-Stafford
Ennis-Foligno-Ott
Girgensons-Larsson-Flynn
Scott-Grigorenko-Porter

Duos:

Ehrhoff-Pysyk
Tallinder-Myers
Weber-Ristolainen
Zadorov-McBain

*Extras:
Leino (rib), Tropp (jaw), McCormick (lower body), and Kaleta (suspension).

****

You thought Buffalo's first ten games were ballbusters? Then check out the next 12 battles!


10/23 Home to Boston
10/25 @ Florida
10/26 @ Tampa
10/28 Home to Lindy Ruff and Dallas
10/31 @ NY Rangers
11/2 Home to Anaheim
11/5 @ San Jose
11/7 @ LA Kings
11/8 @ Anaheim
11/12 Home to LA Kings
11/15 Home to Toronto
11/16 @ Toronto


Playing Western Conference monsters 6 times in 12 games will be a real eye opener considering how the Sabres were 0-3 vs. Western teams last week

The Sabres had success vs. Boston last season. They need a win vs. the Bruins to set up a potential winning roaf trip to Florida. If that happens,Lindy Ruff's homecoming will take on added meaning. The Sabres want to avoid losing their next three games so that they are not facing Ruff with a dreadful 1-11-1 record next Monday night.


Dont get me started about the Toronto home and home series.


*****




Marty belongs to Buffalo. Buffalo belongs to Marty.

I'll be listening and watching to him when he becomes an NHL commentator in the near future.

Biron was his usual best on today's Sabres Hockey Hotline program alongside old teammate Andrew Peters and Kevin Sylvester.

"
Thanks, Sabres Hockey Hotline / WGR





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He did it his way.

Marty Biron said that he has been thinking about his decision to retire for some time now. On Monday, he told Hockey Night In Canada Radio that he had a difficult time leaving his family and heading off to the NY Rangers training camp after the NHL lockout ended last January. Then, in September, he had a difficult time leaving his family in Buffalo to travel with the Rangers to Banff, Alberta to participate in his 17th NHL training camp. Biron said that he took a day and traveled home to Buffalo where he sat down and had a heart to heart with his wife and parents about his NHL career.

Marty said that his final decision revealed itself last Thursday when he and his son sat down at their suburban Buffalo home to watch the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks play on TV. Biron said that he enjoyed sitting down watching the game and admiring Ryan Miller and Roberto Luongo as they both made a few great saves apiece, Marty thought to himself: “I don’t see myself doing that anymore”. That’s what sealed the deal for Biron. He thoroughly enjoys the game, he enjoys watching it, however, he doesn’t see himself playing in the NHL again.


Audio courtesy Hockey Night In Canada Radio

The game didn’t say goodbye to Marty. He said au revoir to the game.

Marty will do great at whatever he decides to do in his future. He’s a learned, smart, passionate, and funny hockey man. He’ll be on my TV some time soon. He’ll be a great addition to team that he plays on. It will be a broadcast team to be sure.

Good luck, old friend.

I'll see you at the rink. Again.
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