Not much for Darcy Regier to say last week when I talked to him for Sunday's story. The Sabres GM is simply moving forward doing his normal work until he's told otherwise. But there's certainly the feeling no one believes there's going to be much hockey any time soon.
So at least it's fun to think about what might be when we finally get a season started. The Hockey News has gone day-by-day through each spot in the conferences and finished today by naming Pittsburgh its No. 1 choice in the East and St. Louis No. 1 in the West.
The full rankings are here, with the Sabres tabbed 7th in the East and set for a first-round matchup with Boston. Florida, New Jersey and Phoenix are picked to go from playoffs teams to outside looking in.
Meanwhile, the NHL Network's popular "HD Classics" telecast has several old Sabres games on this week.
---Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference final in Carolina was shown on the network this afternoon (sorry for no notice, just noticed), but it will be repeated Thursday at noon. Maybe watch the first 40 minutes, when the Sabres still held a 2-1 lead.
---Game 5 of the 2007 ECF against Ottawa will air Thursday at 4 a.m. and Friday night/Saturday morning at 2 a.m. DVR masochists or Daniel Alfredsson fans, get ready.
---The No Goal Game (Game Six of the '99 finals against Dallas) will air in its five-hour entirety Friday afternoon at 3:30. I watched this a couple times last summer and it was interesting to see how the ESPN telecast handled the Brett Hull controversy.
It was much how it felt in the building that night: A goal was scored, the Cup was awarded, the pictures were taken and only then did anyone realize there was an issue. I noticed it on a concourse television replay walking out of the building about the time ESPN started talking about it and then noting the Sabres had refused to open their locker room to reporters. What a fiasco.
(Of course, if James Patrick had just scored in the second overtime rather than hitting the crossbar ... )
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
