Ice chips

---The good folks at Sabres TV want you to know there was nothing sinister about the locker cleanout day videos not being posted on the team's Web site Monday night. I'm told a technical problem with a video adaptor was the root of the problem, not any attempt to hold back on fans. A decision was made to fix the problem Tuesday morning and then post the videos in the afternoon when it was rectified. Fair enough. I stand corrected.

Still, I would have liked notice of that info posted on the Web site or at least Twittered on Monday night, rather than waiting until I got emails about the situation Tuesday and griped about how it looked before the Twitter went out. I might have wanted the problem fixed right away Monday night too because the videos were so newsworthy to fans.

---The playoffs start tonight. I'm at the Bisons game. No problem there. Bright, sunny day. I still feel like I should have been heading to Boston today to get ready for Game One.

---Speaking of the Bruins, their home is getting its fourth name starting in July. The TD Banknorth Garden is simply going to be known as the TD Garden. I do love they went back to the "Garden" name when they got the rights. The building was originally known as the Shawmut Center but the name became FleetCenter before the arena opened in 1995.

---I agree with Bucky that the Blue Jackets are in over their heads in their first-round series with the Red Wings but they're my feel-good team in these playoffs. The Sabres have missed the playoffs five times in seven years but poor Columbus? Never made it in their eight previous seasons. Think about that. The Sabres were in the playoffs in their third year and in the finals in their fifth. Columbus fans are snapping up tickets for their home games -- and for the games in Detroit, where fan apathy and the economy have things lagging for the opener at the Joe.

---Is it our Eastern bias that I hardly care much about the four series in the West but figure I won't be able to get enough of Bruins-Habs, Flyers-Penguins and Caps-Rangers?

---How about my picks? I like San Jose and Pittsburgh in the finals but if you push me for choice 1B I'll go with a Detroit-Pittsburgh rematch. I think round one goes mostly to form with the Bruins, Caps and Penguins advancing in the East and the Sharks, Wings and Hawks moving forward in the West. I like the Carolina upset of New Jersey and the St. Louis upset of Vancouver.

---But would St. Louis really be an upset? Once 15th in the West, the Blues shot all the way to sixth by finishing the season 9-1-1. They were 16-5-2 from Feb. 24 to the end of the season. THAT is how you break through.

---Mike Harrington

Comments

[Norm]

"Sabres in the playoffs? Of course--it happens every year. Here are the ex-Buffalo players whose seasons haven’t ended yet: Michael Leighton (CAR), Wayne Primeau (CGY), Cory Sarich (CGY), Rhett Warrener (CGY), Brian Campbell (CHI), Chris Gratton (CBJ), Jiri Novotny (CBJ), Michael Peca (CBJ), Ty Conklin (DET), Doug Janik (MTL), Dainius Zubrus (NJ), Chris Drury (NYR), Martin Biron (PHL), Daniel Briere (PHL), Philippe Boucher (PIT), Miroslav Satan (PIT), Mike Grier (SJ), Jay McKee (STL), Steve Bernier (VAN), Taylor Pyatt (VAN). (Mike or John: Am I missing anyone?) Question: If this group were all on one team, would that team make the playoffs?"

Hmmm, let's see. Primeau was a bust for Buffalo. Boucher, Janik, Gratton, Conklin and Bernier were complete wastes of a jersey when they were here. Satan was run out of town on a bullet-train. Warrener was traded for Drury, and has probably played the last games of his career anyway. Leighton is a marginal backup who would have never surpassed anyone who was here to make the team. Grier had no interest in being here. McKee received an idiotic contract offer that he hasn't come close to living up to. Same goes for Briere.

So of the list you've put forth here, you've got Drury, Peca, Biron, Peca, Sarich, Zubrus, Novotny and Campbell who MAYBE should still be here. Plug those names into the current team, and wave bye-bye to Vanek (whose RFA offer couldn't have been matched), Connolly (who would have been dealt at the deadline w/o an extension), Rivet, Miller (because his extension couldn't have been put together), and whatever other bit players need to be moved around to make room. Are we better?

Only if the definition of better is "part of the draft lottery".

http://hockey-sense.today.com

[CalgarySabre2]

Columbus made the playoffs when they finally dumped an incompetent GM (Doug Maclean). Maybe Tom G. could take note. How bad was Maclean? Well, when Darcy had enough sense not to pay (former Calgary Hitmen star) Brad Moran the crazy amount his agent demanded, Maclean snapped him up. If Moran played any NHL games at all, it was the proverbial cup of coffee. Now I could ask why Darcy drafted Moran in the first place, but his junior numbers were fantastic. By the way, buffalophil, Neither Primeau nor Warrener is actually playing for Calgary, if that makes you feel better. Primeau has been out for months with a badly broken foot, and Warrener has been on injured reserve all year with a bad shoulder. I don't think Warrener even has medical clearance to play yet. But I wish Sabres could have kept Zubrus and re-signed Peca.

[Lindsey]

I was wondering where they were... WGR kept saying they would post the audio, and they didn't either. Not as newsworthy a few days later...

[David,Amherst]

Here's the link, with CNBC's Jim Goldman (He says, "Go Sharks!)
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1094119553&play=1

[David,Amherst]

A must-see was a CNBC piece in the technology used at the Shark Tank by San Jose.
It is a marvel of what can be done by Silicon Valley. And as explained, a boost the real fan-experience. Is the West Best? In some ways, yes. What is Larry Quinn doing? Same old, same old. Get ahold of the piece. It's an eye-opener to the future of the real fan-experience and a winning NHL franchise.

[Jon]

This is a short, sort of boring story about Craig MacTavish getting fired as Edmonton's coach. I posted it here just bc it seems like a similar story could have been written about Lindy and the Sabres this year. Here's a MacTavish quote:

“Virtually all year, we’re trying to get nonconfrontational players into confrontational areas where we’re going to score goals. It was a losing battle from a lot of perspectives.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AqhqPkELjKt7xczoJb5NHzF7vLYF?slug=ap-oilers-mactavishout&prov=ap&type=lgns

[lounotinafghanistananymore]

way to be mike. i'm glad you're not picking the Canes like schmucky. i am an extreme anti-cane-ite. lived in raleigh. talk about fairweather fans. and not like buffalo fans, fans that know nothing about hockey.

so thank you for not picking carolina

["Now", as in yesterday.]

Hey, what's with your delayed resonse to those two questions, Harrington?

WE'RE WAITING!!! Even if your not near a computer, why haven't you posted it on Twitter already with your cell phone! Come On!!! Are you awake? Are you hiding something? Is the server crashed? I can't stand this uncertainty!!! What would Mark Cuban say???

It's been over one minute! This is totally unreasonable!!!

Countless readers are going insane due your delayed response!

AHHHRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

["Now", as in yesterday.]

"Still, I would have liked notice of that info posted on the Web site or at least Twittered on Monday night, rather than waiting until I got emails about the situation Tuesday and griped about how it looked before the Twitter went out. I might have wanted the problem fixed right away Monday night too because the videos were so newsworthy to fans."

OMG, Harrington, get a grip, man! Will you ever recover?

How would you even have explained that complaint of yours to anybody two or more years ago?

[m from maryland]

Shane Hnidy and Dennis Wideman, both playing with Boston, were originally drafted by Buffalo. Michael Zigomanis is in the Penguins system, but has been hurt (those darn fax machines!!!)

[buffalophil]

Sabres in the playoffs? Of course--it happens every year. Here are the ex-Buffalo players whose seasons haven’t ended yet: Michael Leighton (CAR), Wayne Primeau (CGY), Cory Sarich (CGY), Rhett Warrener (CGY), Brian Campbell (CHI), Chris Gratton (CBJ), Jiri Novotny (CBJ), Michael Peca (CBJ), Ty Conklin (DET), Doug Janik (MTL), Dainius Zubrus (NJ), Chris Drury (NYR), Martin Biron (PHL), Daniel Briere (PHL), Philippe Boucher (PIT), Miroslav Satan (PIT), Mike Grier (SJ), Jay McKee (STL), Steve Bernier (VAN), Taylor Pyatt (VAN). (Mike or John: Am I missing anyone?) Question: If this group were all on one team, would that team make the playoffs?

[itswingnut]

Excuses, remember that this WAS a team that had a "waiting list" for season tickets. What happened to that? I'll tell you, the wait list evaporaed when these guys didn't sign Drury.

Golisano won't be happy when he starts losing real money. He'll be even more unhappy when he FINALLY wakes up and realizes that his financial "wounds" were inflicted by his "hockey guy".

[m from maryland]

Problem is, Darcy is 25% less intelligent

[Buffalo Excuses]

I find the Drury situation pretty odd too.

What I find odder is the idea that this is all Darcy's fault unless I am misreading Bucky's comments.

Is it me? Or do Bucky and Darcy have some running fued where one tries to "get the other" with jabs and snubs?

I know I harp on this but I simply can't get over blaming a GM for missing the playoffs when a dozen other teams are allowed to outspend him.

Just imagine yourself in the same situation. It is plain old logical that if you have a bigger budget, you should be able to get better talent. It is difficult, if not impossible, to deliver a perpetual Cup Contender while spending less than most others.

You have to, by definition, be about 25% smarter than everyone else, year in, year out. You have no margin for error. Wasn't that obvious this year?

But when the spend more money idea is a non starter, sooner or later an inevitable change in management comes. Usually when the fans stop buying the product. If that is Bucky's argument, then I guess I understand. I disagree, but they are out of other excuses, so can someone!

BTW, while I think 80% is surprisingly high for ticket sales, it will hit Golisano to the tune of about $5 million. About the cost of 1 or 2 proven forwards (depending on how smart your GM is).

[DaveF]

I found this very interesting and somehow I think he makes due this year. Spotlight's On: Chris Drury. The apologists are quick to excuse Drury's middling numbers (22-34-56) by saying he was sliced his $7 million worth of cake to be the Rangers' go-to guy in the playoffs. Last year, that bought the Blueshirts exactly three goals and six points in 10 games -- not exactly a strong return on investment. Drury comes into the series with a built-in explanation (he's missed action with a "lower body" injury), but not an excuse. It's time for him to prove he's more than just a guy with a few decent press clippings from The Buffalo News. CNNSI, Alan Muir, 4/15/09.

[Mike Harrington]

We did not see Lalime at locker cleanout day. Nor was there any media opportunity with Lindy to double-check Lalime's status. But Lindy was pessimistic about the injury late in the year and it does sound serious.

the expectation is they will approach tellqvist as a UFA to back up Miller.

[Bill]

@Mark

I know you were asking Mike, but I was thinking the same thing the other day. I'm fortunate enough to be about two degrees of separation from someone who would know a lot about Lalime's injury. From the sounds of it, the hip injury is pretty bad which magnifies Lindy's earlier statement about it being pretty bad. Hip injuries can be devastating and sometimes take up to 10-12 months to rehab. Considering he suffered the injury late in the season, the math doesn't look good. I actually heard he may be contemplating retirement. I would expect them to re-sign Tellqvist for another year until Enroth is ready.

Take it for what it's worth which is me repeating second hand information.

[Mark]

Mike have you heard any update on the extent of Patrick Lalime's injury? Ruff said he would talk about it at the end of the year and I have not heard anything.

[Norm]

I think it probably is a bit of Eastern bias - we don't automatically think of the matchups out West because we're not watching it on a daily basis like we are with the East standings.

It also helps that there are a couple of classic pairings in the East, with Bruins-Habs and Flyers-Pens. Not really much in the way of rivalry to compare to that in the West matchups, save perhaps Sharks-Ducks.

http://hockey-sense.today.com/2009/04/15/nhl-playoff-preview-round-1-part-1/

[Don H]

"I'm at the Bison game. No problem there." I'm glad you clarified that with the next sentence about the weather. With one win on the home schedule, it looks like there are a lot of problems on the field.

[Vandy Adam]

I think the locker clean out video conspiracy is pretty trivial. So the team website only publishes info that is positive about the team? Who is surprised by that? Does anyone go on to BuffaloBills.com and expect to read about how the organization is a joke? That's what message boards are for and that's why a lot of those team message boards are shut down.

[Mike Harrington]

Hambone: Agreed. Perspective. It's not the Zapruder film. But I got emails Tuesday from folks who wanted to see the videos. So yeah, people absolutely cared.

[Hambone Johnson]

Mike - was it really necessary that they twitter that info? Is there anyone else that noticed or cared? It's not like they are sitting on the JFK assasination files. Put it in perspective. I'm a little more patient and have been waiting about two years for bucky or sully to say something about drury being a bust in NY. Guess I'll keep waiting.