Sabres Edge

(Mark Mulville/Buffalo News file photo)

Corey Tropp needed just 24 seconds to score the first goal of the Amerks' season. He needed less than 15 minutes to score their second.

His next goal won't come until next year.

Tropp left with seven minutes left in Rochester's opener Friday because of a severe right leg injury, and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported today that the right winger has suffered damage to the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and will undergo season-ending surgery.

"Appreciate all the support," Tropp wrote on Twitter. "Tough break but that's life."

Tropp was in Rochester only because of the NHL lockout. He was scheduled to be a third- or fourth-line winger for the Sabres. The 23-year-old played 34 games with Buffalo last season, recording three goals, eight points and 20 penalty minutes.

---John Vogl

Photo by Mark Mulville/Buffalo News: Cory Martin, Gilbert Perreault, Terry Pegula and Rene Robert.

There's no NHL hockey going on right now and there might not be any for a while. But say this for the Buffalo Sabres: They still put on a good show Friday night with the official opening of Alumni Plaza.

The French Connection statue is spectacular, with nuances like Rick Martin's bushy 70s moustache, the laces of the jerseys and the skates all done in intricate detail. The Alumni Plaza mural is awesome and the brick project to honor all former players and fans who chose to buy in and join them is off to a great start.

I would imagine the Sabres would put the great video montage they used as part of the ceremony on their Web site. Well worth a look (we'll link it at some point). 

Rene Robert was effusive in his praise of Terry and Kim Pegula. Robert, remember, was more than a little outspoken about the treatment alumni got under Tom Golisano and Larry Quinn.

"From the get-go that he bought the team, his intentions were to bring the alumni back and make them feel part of the family again," Robert said. "Past owners had their agendas to what they wanted to do. I'm not saying they're right or wrong. Terry had his own vision how he was going to build this team for the future by bringing the past with the present and future and I think he's doing everything the right way."

Joe Crozier, the coach who put the line together in 1972, told me in the arena pavilion after the ceremony what made the line work after Robert was acquired from Pittsburgh.

"It just fit very well,' he said. "I put him in the right side. Martin went deep on the left, Perreault went from end to end lugging the puck and Robert was the high man trailing on the play. It seemed like I would play them about 40 minutes a game because the other team couldn't check them that much.

"It's unbelievable. Perreault used to bring me coffee every morning in practice and we'd start doing our exercises. He asked me to put him in the Hall of Fame. I spoke both French and English and I did. We were very close and it's great to hear them talk about that closeness now."

Kudos to the sculptor, too. Texas-bases Jerry McKenna did a fabulous job and Sabres.com writer Kevin Snow has the story behind the work here. McKenna has done many busts for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and his personal website has plenty of them on display.

Each figure is about 7-feet high and weighs around 750 pounds. They sit on a 19-foot wide pedestal that is 10 feet deep to resemble an ice surface.

Old friend Ron Moscati took the picture that was used for the statue. The Buffalo News retiree, who turned 80 in August, said he knew he had something big the instant he developed the shot in 1975 for the Courier-Express.

"They don't skate together. One's on one side, one's over there. To get them together, keep them in focus and do all the things you need to do is almost impossible," Moscati said. "And I knew I had something from the beginning. There were other owners I couldn't really get to do something with it and understand what we had. Then this guy [Pegula] comes in from nowhere and he feels about them like the rest of us who are fans. ... He hit it right on the button."

Sure did.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

ROCHESTER -- The puck is about to drop on the Rochester Americans' regular season. But not for every player who participated in the team's training camp.

The Sabres' minor-league club has assigned forwards Riley Boychuk and Shawn Szydlowski to the Texas Brahmas of the Central Hockey League.

(Side note: I covered the CHL for two seasons in the early 2000s. It's a long way from the NHL, but it's fun hockey to watch because anything can happen on the ice, in the stands or the parking lot. One story I covered back then involved a Memphis player allegedly trying to run over a Columbus Cottonmouths player with his car.)

Boychuk, 21, appeared in 26 games with the Amerks last season, recording two assists and 18 penalty minutes. Szydlowski, 22, played in 53 games, collecting eight assists and 21 penalty minutes.

The moves follow several transactions made Thursday. Defenseman Corey Fienhage was assigned to the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL), forward Jacob Lagace was sent to the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) and goaltender Nathan Lieuwen was assigned to the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL). Goaltender Shane Madolora and forward Jamie Wise were released.

The Amerks host the Syracuse Crunch tonight. Syracuse is the new farm team for the Tampa Bay Lightning and features Canisius College product and reigning AHL MVP Cory Conacher.

---John Vogl

The Sabres' Patrick Kaleta and Drew Stafford surprise kids at hockey practice.

The NHL and its players’ union held two fruitless negotiating sessions today.

The four main players in the collective bargaining talks – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr and union special counsel Steve Fehr – took part in the first meeting. Bettman and Donald Fehr sat out the second chat, which featured seven players at the table.

“We didn’t really move the ball forward that much,” Daly told reporters in New York. “We had no discussion on the major economic issues or system issues, so that continues to be a disappointment from our perspective. Hopefully, we can get to that at some point.”

The puck was supposed to drop on the regular season Thursday, but games are canceled through Oct. 24. Daly said the loss of the preseason and the first two weeks of real games will cost the league $240 million in revenue.

“It’s unfortunate for both of us,” Daly said. “It’s a significant amount of money that the players share in on a significant basis.

“Even more disappointing from our perspective, should be from our collective perspective, is obviously we felt like over the last seven years we built up a lot of momentum in the business. We’ve had a lot of growth. Who knows what a work stoppage like this will do to that momentum.”

The union again noted that the loss of games is not the fault of the players.

“Games are canceled because the clubs chose to institute this lockout and are not backing off from it,” Steve Fehr said in Manhattan. “It’s unfortunate.”

Although the sides likely have seven days to negotiate a deal before more games are canceled, Daly said no timeline has been established.

“I can honestly say I haven’t focused on that,” he told reporters. “We’ve got a little bit of time before we make that next move, but obviously days go by and decisions need to be made.”

The leaders from both sides are expected to talk again Thursday. The league is hopeful the players’ association will make a new proposal.

“We’re encouraging them to make a proposal,” Daly said. “We understand that they’ve been working on some concepts, some ideas. We’ve suggested to them just make the proposal.

“Any movement is better than no movement at all. If we move sideways, hopefully we’d move it forward, but even if we move backward it might be better than where we are now.”

---John Vogl

There's still no word whether anyone will get to watch the Buffalo Sabres this season, but the Rochester Americans will be on television in Western New York.

The Sabres' minor-league club announced today that Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will televise 16 of its games this season. The first of 14 home games will air Oct. 19 when the Amerks host Grand Rapids. The games will be simulcast with the Amerks' radio broadcasts, with Don Stevens doing play-by-play and former Sabre Ric Seiling serving as the color analyst.

Time Warner will also broadcast two road games and pick up the Syracuse play-by-play feed.

The full schedule:

Friday, Oct. 19 vs. Grand Rapids (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Nov. 2 vs. Hamilton (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Nov. 23 vs. Albany (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Dec. 7 vs. Adirondack (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Dec. 21 vs. Binghamton (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Saturday, Jan. 12 at Syracuse (7:30 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Jan. 18 vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Jan. 25 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7 p.m.), Channel 87

Friday, Feb. 1 vs. Toronto (7 p.m.), Channel 87

Saturday, Feb.2 at Syracuse (7:30 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Wednesday, Feb. 20 vs. Texas (7 p.m.), Channel 87

Wednesday, Mar. 13 vs. Binghamton (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)* 13/713 (HD)

Friday, Mar. 15 vs. Albany (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Wednesday, Mar. 27 vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Mar. 29 vs. Toronto (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

Friday, Apr. 5 vs. Lake Erie (7 p.m.), Main Channel (SD)*/713 (HD)

*Main Channels (SD) in the Buffalo area: City of Buffalo – 25; Suburbs of Erie County, Niagara County and Westfield, NY – 52; Olean, NY – 49; Dunkirk, NY – 27; Jamestown and Fredonia, NY – 41.

---John Vogl

Dominik Hasek is done. Again.

One of the two greatest players to wear a Sabres uniform has officially retired for the third time, Hasek told Czech Republic publication Sport. The 47-year-old was hoping to attempt another comeback this season -- he and his agent approached several teams, including the Sabres -- but the NHL lockout has resulted in no interest for the future Hall of Famer.

"It’s very sad,” Hasek told Sport according to a translation provided by the International Ice Hockey Federation. “But there is nothing you can do. I realized that it’s time to retire.”

Hasek hung up his pads after winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in both 2002 and 2008, but he stayed away just one year each time. In 2011-12, his final season, Hasek played for Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League.

He rocketed to stardom while playing for the Sabres from 1992 to 2001.

---John Vogl

The original point of the All-American Prospects Game was to display U.S. kids to NHL scouts. With more than 150 talent evaluators in Buffalo to witness the inaugural event, USA Hockey scored.

“I think in the end, we could not have been more pleased," Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey, said in a statement regarding the Sept. 29 game. “For an inaugural effort, our feedback has been extremely positive from fans, players, scouts, media and our sponsors.”

The full impact of the game won’t be felt until June, when NHL teams decide whether to draft the 38 players who competed in First Niagara Center. In the meantime, USA Hockey and the Buffalo Sabres will decide whether to turn the prospect showcase into an annual event.

“We are very interested in hosting again,” Sabres President Ted Black said today via email.

Said Ogrean: “Our staff is in the process of fully reviewing all aspects of the game, and we'll make a decision on the way forward likely by the end of the year.”

Attendance was disappointing for the event, with an announced crowd of 5,519 translating to about half that inside the arena. But from the beginning, the Sabres said the event was not about ticket sales. It was about building a stronger relationship with USA Hockey and showing the prospects a first-class time.

A private gathering the night before the game, which included a pep talk from Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, and a tour of the Sabres’ locker room and training area connected with the players.

“Going out on the ice in an NHL building was pretty surreal,” defenseman Ian McCoshen said. “It is a pretty spectacular facility that the Buffalo Sabres have.”

---John Vogl

The NHL and NHL Players' Association have agreed to resume discussions on a collective bargaining agreement Wednesday, according to various reports, but financials are not expected to make an appearance.

"Major economic issues aren't on the agenda," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told USA Today via email today.

The league canceled the first two weeks of the season last week and likely has about 10 more days before it needs to cancel more.

---John Vogl

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has released the following statement regarding the league's cancellation of the first two weeks of the season:

"We were extremely disappointed to have to make today's announcement. The game deserves better, the fans deserve better and the people who derive income from their connection to the NHL deserve better.

"We remain committed to doing everything in our power to forge an agreement that is fair to the players, fair to the teams and good for our fans.

"This is not about 'winning' or 'losing' a negotiation. This is about finding a solution that preserves the long-term health and stability of the League and the game.

"We are committed to getting this done."

---John Vogl

Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players' Association, has released the following statement regarding the cancellation of the first two weeks of the season:

“The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners. If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort. For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner."

---John Vogl

The NHL wiped out the first two weeks of the schedule today, and it's likely fans of the Buffalo Sabres were affected more than anyone else. The Sabres were scheduled to play four home games between Oct. 13 and Oct. 24, plus another game on the road.

The league will try to have an 82-game season if it can quickly reach a collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players' Association, but that's unlikely with no talks scheduled. Instead, expect a whole new schedule if there is a 2012-13 season because it would not be fair for teams like the Sabres to play fewer home games than road games.

"We will have to work that out when it becomes necessary," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an email to The Buffalo News. "But I doubt very much we would ask any team to play an 'unbalanced' schedule."

---John Vogl

It was inevitable. Sooner or later, the NHL was going to postpone the start of the 2012-13 season.

The league has done it today.

The lockout that cost hockey fans the entire preseason will carry into at least the first two weeks of the regular season. The NHL announced it has wiped all games through Oct. 24 from the schedule after failing to find any common ground with the NHL Players’ Association on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The first puck was supposed to drop next Thursday. Commissioner Gary Bettman and the owners looked at the large gap in proposals and decided they would not come together with the union by then. With more than 100 NHLers scattered around the world playing for other teams, the NHL clubs will also need time to gather their rosters.

The owners’ decision will cost the Buffalo Sabres at least five games, including four at home. They were scheduled to open the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 13 in First Niagara Center. Detroit was set to visit Oct. 16, followed by the New York Rangers on Oct. 19 and New Jersey on Oct. 24. The Sabres were scheduled to visit the New York Islanders on Oct. 20.

The Sabres announced a policy for ticket refunds last month. The information can be found by clicking here.

This is the third time since 1994 that the NHL will not start as scheduled because of a lockout. In 1994-95, the league didn't drop the puck until January for a shortened, 48-game schedule. The entire 2004-05 season was lost to a labor dispute.

UPDATE NO. 1: Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells The Buffalo News to expect balance schedule.

UPDATE NO. 2: NHLPA releases statement.

UPDATE NO. 3: NHL releases statement.

---John Vogl

With only one week until the scheduled start of the NHL season and no breakthrough in sight regarding CBA talks, the league could announce the postponement/cancellation of the opening games any minute.

While we wait, a few notes collected from the Amerks' preseason opener Wednesday night:

*Mark Mancari still has the hardest shot I've seen during my 11 seasons covering the Sabres and their prospects. It's a rocket, and no one else's could compare Wednesday. He earned his first of three assists when his blast got tipped wide of the net and caromed back to the front for a Luke Adam tap-in.

*Cody Hodgson had his NHL-caliber moments -- the most memorable was when his saucer pass from the left side of the zone landed perfectly on the right side for a T.J. Brennan one-timer -- but he didn't dominate like folks expected. Of course, it's just the first game of the preseason.

*David Leggio is fiery. The goalie from Williamsville ended last season in Rochester talking about a [expletive] goal he let in. He started this season yelling at the referee about a [expletive] call. He also carried the team through a sluggish first period with several good saves while the Amerks got outshot, 13-6.

*Adam still knows how to find the right spot on the ice to pour in goals. His speed in getting to those spots still needs work.

*The Amerks' power play should be impressive. The units: Hodgson-Marcus Foligno-Corey Tropp, with Brayden McNabb and Brennan on the point; and Phil Varone-Adam-Kevin Porter, with Mancari and Mark Pysyk.

*Zemgus Girgensons and Foligno can hit. Girgensons showed hustle at both ends of ice at times in his pro debut. He's just 18 playing in league filled with guys five to 10 years older.

---John Vogl

A 7-foot-tall statue of the French Connection will be erected outside the Sabres' arena Oct. 12. One of the players to be immortalized has made a request.

"It’s a great honor to have our statue in front," Gilbert Perreault said today. "Just make sure that you’re going to keep our beautiful faces clean over the years."

Perreault joined former linemate Rene Robert at First Niagara Center for a luncheon and news conference previewing the unveiling. In addition to the statue, there will be plaques placed on bricks with the name of every player who wore Blue and Gold, including the late Richard Martin, the third member of Buffalo's legendary line.

"It’s truly an honor that the new ownership of the Sabres are remembering us, the old players, the alumni and the beginning of the franchise," Robert said. "This has been a long time coming, but it’s nice to see that finally there’s going to be a plaza remembering each and every one of us that played here, whether he played one game or 1,000 games."

---John Vogl

Gilbert Perreault

Rene Robert

John Livsey, Sabres vice president, sales and business development

The Sabres were supposed to play their fifth preseason game tonight, an exhibition in Columbus against the Blue Jackets. Because a bunch of rich guys can't figure out how to split $3.3 billion per year, the game has been canceled.

That unfortunately brings us to our fifth edition of: Who is hurting tonight because of the lockout?

*It's the guys who were supposed to work the huge grill at bd's Mongolian Grill across from Nationwide Arena, but some aren't on the schedule because there's no game-night crowd coming.

*It's the waitress at Schmidt's Sausage Haus who won't get extra tips from Buffalo customers who made the drive to Columbus.

*It's the person who normally gets paid to fire the Civil War-style cannon every time the Blue Jackets score.

*It's the person who was supposed to be working in the bowels of the arena changing kegs so the fans could have a cold one.

Again, it's not the players and owners.

---John Vogl

Should the lockout end, the Sabres' top two centers -- Tyler Ennis and Cody Hodgson -- will have a career average of 115.5 games played. That's less than 1 1/2 seasons.

The youth and inexperience at such an important position has been noted by coach Lindy Ruff.

"We’ve taken a step that has put us in a little bit of a scary category because we’re young there," Ruff said.

It sounds as if the Sabres will go "center by committee" to help their 22-year-old middle men.

"I think there’s where we have a little versatility with Ville [Leino]. We’ve got some versatility with Steve Ott in the middle of the ice," said Ruff, who was OK with giving up Derek Roy's skill in exchange for Ott's grittiness. "You can say the emergence of Tyler playing center ice probably made the move possible, with Cody looking to be right in there in a 1-2 spot and Tyler the way he played trying to get him that same type of ice time, and Ott playing on the third line or in that situation, or even playing in our top two lines as being a grittier-type winger or centerman.

"We know we’re going to need a guy on faceoffs and [Ott is] excellent in faceoffs, he can play the middle so it gives us a little bit different look."

Ruff likes what Ott brings to the club, one season after the Sabres were humiliated by Milan Lucic and the Bruins.

"It’s something that you talk about during the year when you’re going through tough times, what you think is missing. It isn’t something you just all of sudden go to somebody in the offseason," Ruff said. "We should be a lot tougher team, a lot more irritating team to play against. I think that message has been heard."

The full audio of Ruff's interview is below.

---John Vogl

Thomas Vanek has been torn about whether to play overseas during the NHL lockout. With a wife and three young kids at home, he doesn't want to disrupt his family life by bolting for Europe. On the other hand, he's a hockey player and wants to play.

He's said for several weeks that if he went to Europe it would likely be to his native Austria. Apparently, he's made up his mind. He's going to play in Austria.

According to Sky Sports News, Vanek will join the Graz 99ers as soon as Thursday. Vanek lived in Graz while growing up.

"Under consideration at this point," Vanek's agent, Steve Bartlett, said in an email to The News. "Not 100% but working on insurance issues."

Vanek would become the fourth member of the Sabres to sign overseas, joining Christian Ehrhoff (Germany), Tyler Ennis (Switzerland) and Andrej Sekera (Slovakia).

---John Vogl